Vito picked up the phone and punched in a number and spoke in a voice that was difficult to hear. He spoke for a few seconds, then hung up, but he stood with his hand on the receiver, not moving for maybe five minutes. Sal moved less than Vito. The Rock. When the phone rang, Vito picked it up and listened without saying anything. When he finished with that call, he made two more and then put down the phone and turned back to Sal. “They found a woman’s body when they found Carmine. Under the Manhattan Bridge.”

“Dani,” I said. “Her name was Dani.”

“Stevie says Charlie’s catting around with the Uribe woman. He said the Gambinos don’t know anything about her because she’s Jamaican. She’s mixed up with some other Jamaican named Jesus Santiago.”

Sal made a soft hissing sound, steady and high-pitched, as if some core of deep pressure within him had been tapped. Angie said, “Jesus Christ, Sal.”

Sal went to the door and told Freddie to come in. “Find Charlie and tell him I want to see him.”

Freddie glanced at me. “Sure, Sal.”

“Don’t tell him anything else, Freddie.”

“Sure, Sal.” Freddie left.

Sal went back to the dead fireplace and looked at me. Calm. Like I hadn’t just told him these things about his son. The Dan Wesson was almost hidden by his thick left hand. “Okay. So maybe you’re not full of shit. What do you want?”

“Karen Lloyd.”

“And if I don’t want to give her up?”

“I give Charlie to the Gambozas.”

Angie gave with, “So what? So we give a shit about the fuckin’ Gambozas.”

I shrugged. “Play it out that way. The Gambozas will kill Charlie for showing them up and then they’ll move on you, and probably the rest of the families will, too. Everybody had an agreement and the DeLuca family broke it.”

Angie said, “Bullshit,” and threw up his hands.

Vito didn’t throw up his hands. Vito stood slow and easy, and went over to Sal. “Not bullshit, Angie. He’s right.” Vito stared at Sal when he said it and Sal stared back at him. “Charlie’s selling out another family to do business with an outsider. The fuckin’ Jamaicans, for Christ’s sake. Our word won’t be shit. The families will turn their backs on us.”

Sal nodded.

“The family comes first.”

Sal looked at his brother, and the cold thing was suddenly very bright and alive. “You don’t have to tell me what’s what, Vito.”

Vito spread his hands.