Kiss of Death Page #2

You can find out. Ask Chips Cooney.

You know him, don't you?

Used to, but how am I gonna ask him?

Well, he's coming up here on a new rap.

The kids.

She knows how I worry about 'em.

She oughta write.

Hey, Nick.

Chips Cooney.

Harry. Get to Chips Cooney.

See if he knows

what's happened to my missus.

- She's dead.

- Dead? What happened?

I don't know.

There are some things...

you just don't want to talk about.

I kept away as long as I could...

and then finally

one Sunday afternoon...

I got the courage

and went up to see him.

Take a seat, please, miss.

Send in A-106180.

Check.

Hello, Nick.

- Well, don't you remember me?

- Sure.

Nettie.

- You used to take care of my kids.

- Uh-huh.

- How are you?

- I'm all right.

Nick, I-I moved away

before it happened.

- Yeah.

- Maria and I had a fight...

and then a few weeks later, I moved away.

Then...

just two weeks ago, I found out about it.

- I met a former neighbor.

- She told you?

Yes.

I felt so bad about the kids.

I inquired to the police,

and I found out that...

Well, they sent me to a place,

and I found out they're all right.

- You saw the kids?

- Yes.

- And they're all right?

- Oh, yes. They look swell.

- Where are they?

- In an orphanage outside

of New York. A big place.

I was gonna write

and tell you about it...

and then I thought

maybe I'd better come see you.

I-I feel so sorry about everything, Nick.

Tell me about Maria.

She wasn't feeling very well

when I saw her the last time.

- What did you fight about?

- Oh, uh, I don't remember anymore.

- Okay.

- I don't. Honestly.

Was she unhappy?

Oh, yes.

- Drinking?

- Uh-huh.

- Anything else?

- No. No, no, no.

What happened? You came here

to tell me what happened.

Why did you change your mind?

Scared of hurting me?

Look, Nettie...

I'm the kind of guy you can't hurt.

It doesn't matter.

Oh, Nick!

You told me.

Who is the guy?

Rizzo.

Rizzo.

I had to come see you. I don't know why.

I'm sorry. I don't wanna cry.

Nobody's cried over me for a long time.

Rizzo.

When did it start? No. Never mind.

Is there... Is there anything

I can do for you?

- Yeah. Will you see the kids again?

- Mm-hmm.

Tell 'em you heard from me...

and I'm supposed to be

working in South America.

- Do that, will you?

- Yes. Yes, that's what I used to tell 'em...

before I moved away.

Are you... alone?

Yes.

I-I got a good job in a music store.

Oh. Well, Nettie,

thanks for coming to see me.

Good-bye.

- I'll write you soon.

- Thanks.

"Nick Bianco. Urgent business."

- Did he write this himself?

- Yes, sir.

- Good handwriting.

- He's not a bad guy.

- Bring him in.

- Yes, sir.

All right, Bianco.

Well, Nick, you haven't been in here before,

but I've had good reports on you.

Something's gone wrong, I suppose.

All right, Nick. Get it off your chest.

Well, I used up all my

letters for this month...

but they came back saying the person

no longer lived at the address.

I'd like to send another letter off.

I was told that

you had to give permission.

That's right, if it's urgent.

Yes, sir. It's very urgent.

- Who is the letter going to?

- To the assistant D.A., Mr. D'Angelo.

Hmm. Better let me send it.

He'll read it sooner.

Yes, sir. You can send it.

Tell him that Nick Bianco wants to

cash in on his insurance policy.

- Nothing else?

- No, sir. He'll understand that.

- I'll send it this afternoon.

- Thanks.

Oh, Nick. You need

a little more exercise.

How about putting Bianco

on the ball team, Joe?

- We can use him.

- You play ball?

I'm going to. Thank you, sir.

Hello, Bianco. Have a seat.

- How are you?

- All right.

You have a nice ride, Bianco?

Warden phoned me, said he thought

it might be important.

- Is it?

- Yeah. Yes, sir.

"Yeah" will do.

Before we get to talking, Bianco,

there are a few things I'd like to explain.

Three years ago, I offered to help you.

I'm in no position

to offer the same help now.

I see.

My insurance policy has lapsed, eh?

I would say so.

I see.

- Well, that's that, huh?

- That's that.

- What about my kids?

- How do you mean?

- Could I get to see them?

- As payment?

I'm not doing this for pay. I'm asking you

if I could get to see them as a favor.

- I think we can take care of that.

- Then I can see the kids?

I'm pretty sure.

Okay.

I want to settle one more thing

before you talk, Bianco.

We get a lot of offers from men in prison

who feel they'd like to do a little squealing.

Prisoners go a little cracked

or like a little ride into town.

You knew what you wanted once.

I'd like to know what changed you.

It will give me a chance to decide on...

whether your story's reliable

enough to go to work on.

When I went up, I told you my family

was being taken care of.

I was wrong.

My wife killed herself.

She stuck her head in a gas stove.

You wanna talk about

the Peacock Jewelry job?

- Yeah.

- Who else was on it?

- Eddie Williams.

- Big Ed?

- Yeah.

- Who else?

- Tony Mangone.

- Know him?

- Yeah.

- Who else?

Pete... Rizzo.

- Rizzo, eh?

- Who else?

- Me.

- Any more?

- No.

- Who drove the car?

- Pete Rizzo.

- You, Mangone and Williams went in, is that it?

- Yes.

- Take it easy.

- Who slugged old man Peacock?

- Mangone.

If it's on the level, Peacock's a cinch

to identify Mangone and Williams.

Who was the fence

you used on this job?

I don't know. I didn't handle it.

I was grabbed before.

- That's right. Who would've handled it?

- Rizzo.

- Would Rizzo have gone to the fence direct?

- No.

You called somebody first,

and they told you where to go?

- Yeah.

- Who did you phone?

- Howser.

- Earl Howser.

Another eminent shyster

with connections that ought to...

I think I'm gonna keep you down here

in the city jail a while.

I want you to go on cooperating with us.

You mean go on being a stoolie?

- That's what I mean.

- Okay...

- if...

- If what?

- I could see my kids once in a while.

- You can see them.

When your pals get pulled in...

they're gonna make a pretty good guess

you did the singing.

- I don't care.

- I do. No sense in getting you killed.

There are one or two things

we can do to throw them off.

What's some job you did

that you didn't get caught on?

- What? Some...

- You've got to trust me.

Thompson Fur Company,

four years ago last March.

Were any of these three

on that job with you?

- Rizzo.

- We'll book Bianco on the Thompson Fur job.

- That'll cover why we brought him here.

- And I take another rap?

No, no. We'll drop the case later

for insufficient evidence.

- I'm just covering you.

- Why?

I told you. I'm gonna wanna use you again.

You've got to be in the clear with Howser

and everybody that knows you.

- I'll pick up Rizzo.

- No. Leave him alone. Don't touch him.

Rizzo drove the car. There's no one

to identify him except Nick here.

That won't stand up.

You pick up the other two.

Then it'll look to the mob as if Rizzo's

the stoolie and we've made a deal with him.

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