Page 3 of The Vincinti's 1
“What was he doing in prison?”John asked.
“Time, my friend.He got twenty-five to life for a murder in another lifetime,” Leon told them as he looked down at the button and softly brushed his thumb over the coat of arms.“And as much as I hate to say it, he’s probably coming after me to kill me.”
“What the hell for?”John demanded to know.
“Because it should have been me who died that night, not his brother,” Leon said.
Silence fell over the three men after Leon’s statement and the tension grew between them as the seconds turned to minutes.
Finally, Leon got to his feet and turned to John.“Find Calderone and tell him to meet me in my office.Come with me Donavan, I want to know more about this girl who delivered this message.”
They entered the house and walked to his office.
Donavan followed.He swallowed hard, wondering just what Leon wanted him for.He already said it was a young girl.He liked staying out of the main events here.When he drove, it was usually uneventful and the garage was quiet all the time.
When they arrived, Leon moved over to the closet and opened the door to reveal a full floor to ceiling, old fashioned bank safe.He turned the combination and opened the heavy door.Reaching to the top shelf, he brought out an old file.It looked thick and very old, the papers yellowed with time.
Leon carried it over to his desk.Sitting down, he opened the file and began to read.He was catching up on the past, a brutal, heartbreaking past but the past nonetheless.
John and Calderone joined them.
Leon looked up from the file.
“What’s this all about, Dad?”Calderone asked as he looked concerned.
“Donavan was approached by a young woman today,” His father explained.“And she had a message for me.She told him Gianno Caldousce was getting out in three weeks and she wanted me to know.Then she gave him a button with a coat of arms on it.A coat of arms I haven’t seen in two decades.”
Calderone growled.“That old case?”
Leon nodded.“Si that old case.The case of a bitter man who murdered his own brother, thinking he was me.”
“What the devil?”John exclaimed.“You’re gonna need to explain that one, boss.”
Leon sighed hard and nodded.“What happened over twenty something years ago has never been spoken about and not much of the real reasons behind the shooting was ever told, not even in court.But Gianno and I know the truth.And I’m afraid he’s twisted the truth around to make himself the victim, as he always has in the past.Gianno, Salvador and I grew up together in the streets of New York.They used to call us the three musketeers.We all joined the Family at the same time as well.We knew each other pretty well and if I had friends in my life, these men were that.”Leon paused and let out a long breath.
Calderone and John glanced at each other.This show of emotion was a rare thing for Leon.
He then went on with his tale from the past, “Then we all took a trip to Boston at the same time.My wife was long gone by this time, and I had just lost Evelyn, so I was free to seek out the ladies and such, not that I really wanted to but I could.Calderone and I were here together and he had his own friends at the time.”He gave his son a nod.“We were here enjoying the sights, the sounds and the experience of a new city, meeting the ladies and drinking...abbiamo adorato la festa.Si, we loved the party.There was a lot of drinking and Gianno got upset about one of the ladies he was interested in when she attached herself to me.”He shook his head.“Gianno had a temper back then.He struck out at me over this woman.I wasn’t even interested in her but he twisted things around, believing I was standing between him and his ladylove.I don’t even remember if he particularly liked this woman or not.I’m also pretty sure she didn’t like him and was trying to get away from him as he always came on too strong for a first impression.He always thought I was bettering him in life and he just couldn’t accept that he just fell short of excelling because he let his temper get the better of him.”Leon shook his head at this.
“I remember him,” Calderone said.“I was young at the time but the man was an ass, Dad.That’s how I remember him.”
Leon agreed, “Yes, he was.That is the best way to describe him, I suppose.Anyway, the night in question, he was drunk of course.He imagined himself wronged and he was going to do something about it.By the time he got back to the hotel, he was in a fine rage, so he grabbed his weapon and went looking for me.But he got the wrong room and he went in blasting.Salvador never stood a chance.In the end, Gianno passed out and he fell on top of his brother from too much drink.By the time the police arrived and woke him up, he saw his brother's face and started screaming.He told the police I shot his brother but the police told him it was his gun and he was covered in Sal’s blood.”Leon shook his head.“I didn’t find out until the next morning when I came back to the hotel.Gianno went on trial and he couldn’t or wouldn’t tell them why.He just sat there the whole time and glared his hatred at me.He was sentenced with twenty-five years to life for the murder and his own family turned their backs on him.”Leon shook his head.“After Gianno went to prison, his father came to me and asked me why.I didn’t want to tell him but he kept asking me and then when I did tell him he couldn’t believe it.He blasted Gianno and his childish rage.He wouldn’t even go to visit his son in that place and he forbade his family to go too.”
The men in the room all shook their heads.
Leon leaned back in his chair and added, “And of course, Gianno blamed me for that too.Then fifteen years ago, I had a visit from his son, Stephano.He came here to kill me.”
Calderone stared at his father in surprise.
