Page 80 of Shakedown in Savannah

“Absolutely.” Carlita rolled her eyes.

“Lombardo knows we weren’t responsible for Enzo’s death and Barnie Ziffra is behind bars for killing him,” Tony said.

“I bet he regrets inheriting Pops’ old debt, a debt he acquired from a shylock Pops did business with,” Mercedes said. “He sent Enzo and Costanza here to check it out. They took one look at the place and reported back. Lombardo realized there was no way he could get his money out of it, decided to blow it up and collect on the insurance.”

“What was left of it,” Tony corrected. “Meanwhile, he sent those two on a hunt to locate Ma.”

“He found out about our pawn shop, the restaurant, the rental units and figured he would collect,” Carlita said. “Not only collect on it, but also shake us down. I believe he intended to force us to pay for their services. As in, not blow up our buildings in exchange for a tidy amount of cash every month.”

“Until he found out he was messing with the Castellini family and backed off,” Pete said. “We still have to consider the fact he and Ozzie Stagusso may have formed some sort of partnership.”

“Which means someone else might start snooping around, on the hunt for the Marshland Isles Diamond.” Mercedes tapped Vinnie’s shoulder. “Do you think this is cause for concern?”

“Stagusso is definitely working with Lombardo. The fact Pops named his business Marshland Investment Group gives credence to the idea. Stagusso is telling anyone who will listen the gems are at Ma’s properties.”

“You won’t hear from Lombardo again,” Vinnie promised. “I tracked him down and paid him a visit last night. We had a productive chat. He understands now he would be stepping on the wrong toes if he decided to pursue his protection agreement and enforce Pops’ contract. He sends you his regrets and apologies.”

Carlita stared at Vinnie. “What did you do to him?”

“It’s not what I did, but what I promised would happen, courtesy of the Castellini family.”

“I’m still a little fuzzy about why Enzo ended up dead,” Dernice said. “Why did Ziffra kill him?”

“Enzo and Costanza went over to the property to scope the place out. Barnie Ziffra showed up, started throwing his weight around, and demanded to know what they were doing. They told him they owned the place and were planning to clean it up and set up shop.”

“Which wasn’t true,” Carlita interrupted. “Lombardo wanted me to take the dump off his hands. His backup plan, or maybe it was elevated to Plan A, was to take it all the way down. I’m still trying to figure out why Costanza and Enzo would tell Ziffra a different story.”

“You gotta get into their head.” Vinnie tapped the side of his forehead. “These guys were messing with Ziffra, especially if he was trying to throw his weight around and act all tough.”

“Which, based on what we know from you meeting him, was exactly what he did,” Mercedes said. “Barnie Ziffra thought he was a top dog in the neighborhood.”

Vinnie picked up. “Finally, we get to the truth when Tony, Luigi and I coerced a confession out of him family-style.”

“I barely touched the crybaby, and he started singing like a canary.” Luigi grinned. “He told us exactly how it went down.”

“After June Cleary showed up, claiming to have proof Ziffra was in the building around the time of Enzo’s death,” Carlita said. “He saw Costanza and Enzo going into the building a second time and decided to confront them. He returned to his place but kept watching and noticed Costanza took off, leaving Enzo alone. Barnie came back. Enzo told him to beat it. They argued. Barnie pulled out a gun and shot him.”

“And broke a few bones in the process,” Vinnie added.

“I’m sure Enzo was armed,” Pete said. “Interesting how this guy got the upper hand and took out a mobster.”

“Barnie wasn’t squeaky clean. He spent some time in federal prison for racketeering,” Sam said. “After being released from prison, he bought the place across from yours and set up shop.”

“Which corroborates with what June Cleary told Vinnie and me. My Vinnie came along,” Carlita said. “Using the money he borrowed from the original shylock, he beat him to it. When Ziffra found out Vinnie planned to set up his own ‘loan’ shop ala mafia style, he decided to stop him. I’m sure Vinnie suspected it was him, but he died before he could prove it.”

“Fast forward a few years. Barnie Ziffra developed a bad taste about Vinnie and the property. When Enzo and Costanza showed up, he was itching for a fight,” Tony said.

“He’s lucky he’s in jail,” Vinnie said. “Costanza was on the down-low, getting ready to do the same thing to Ziffra’s place. Danny Lombardo wasn’t playing. In fact, I’m not sure he’ll be safe in prison. He’s still going to pay for killing Enzo. About the property…”

Carlita held up her hand. “I signed for the place unbeknownst to me. I’m willing to pay Lombardo off.”

“You won’t have to.” A slow smile spread across Vinnie’s face. “Lombardo is going to keep it.”

“It’s a dump,” Tony said bluntly. “And an expensive one, to boot.”

“I suspected all along there was something fishy about the price. When I asked Lombardo about it, he admitted he fudged the numbers.”

Carlita’s eyes grew round as saucers. “You mean your father didn’t pay two hundred and fifty for the Morton Street property?”

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