Mobsters Page #18

MARANZANO AND JOE PROFACI GIVE A FRIENDLY WAVE

as they approach down a walkway, to all appearances a pair

of harmless retirees at their leisure. The great cats climb

to their feet and roar, as though hailing the King.

MARANZANO:

Even the beasts of the earth know

who rightfully reigns.

LUCIANO:

They do what I tell 'em.

MARANZANO:

Salvatore. Always holding himself

above.

LUCIANO:

You and me both. Sal-va-to-re.

Maranzano stiffens as Charlie spits out his name like a curse.

MARANZANO:

We must be friends, Charlie.

LUCIANO:

Keep my terms and I won't be your

enemy.

MARANZANO:

The terms will be mine.

LUCIANO:

The guy doin' the job names the price.

If you don't like it, you can kill

Masseria yourself.

MARANZANO:

I will be the Boss of All Bosses.

LUCIANO:

What makes you think I give a damn

about that Sicilian crap?

He looks around to his partners,

LUCIANO:

Tell it to the Calabrian. Tell it to

the Jews.

MARANZANO:

You disrespect our tradition.

LUCIANO:

Boss, we got our own tradition. We

call it treatin' your friends right,

and not bein' a pig for every scrap

of glory.

JOE PROFACI:

Charlie!

LUCIANO:

I do this for you, and you'll leave

me and my guys alone. Be the f***in'

Boss of all the other Bosses, but we

are gonna be our own Bosses.

Maranzano thinks for a moment, then extends his hand to shake.

MARANZANO:

I will not interfere with you.

As Charlie takes his hand, Maranzano pulls him into a bear

hug. Bringing his face next to Charlie's disfigured cheek.

MARANZANO:

I am sorry for what I had to do.

Luciano pulls out of the embrace, struggling to be civil.

LUCIANO:

Forget it. That's past.

MARANZANO:

No matter what you say to me

Salvatore, you are my bambino.

CUT TO:

INT:
MASSERIA'S OFFICE - DAY

Dark and forbidding. Blood red velvet drapes over the windows.

Masseria sits behind a huge oak desk. Luciano leans across

the desk, speaking in a low, urgent whisper.

LUCIANO:

Our enemies have infiltrated our

family. Do you think it was an

accident you almost died? We have to

take action. Now.

Masseria looks uneasily to the two Guards standing by the

door. He whispers to Charlie.

MASSERIA:

What are ya thinkin'?

LUCIANO:

Joe Profaci. Carlo Gambino. Vinnie

Mangano. Joe Bananas. They all gotta

die.

MASSERIA:

You can't f*** with them. They're

heads of families!

LUCIANO:

They're friends of our enemy.

MASSERIA:

Take one of 'em out, and they'll all

line up against us.

LUCIANO:

Not if they all die at once.

This sets Masseria back in his chair.

LUCIANO:

I call a meet. Everybody in town but

you and Maranzano. A peace conference

to find an end to the war. They know

me. They trust me.

Masseria shakes his head in awe at the audacity of the plan.

LUCIANO:

Every successor will owe his loyalty

to us. Together we take out Maranzano,

and each family gets a piece of his

operation.

MASSERIA:

A mother-f***in' peace conference.

Masseria HOWLS with laughter. Charlie nods toward the Guards.

LUCIANO:

We gotta talk in private. I got a

friend in Coney Island who's gonna

open his restaurant just for us.

MASSERIA:

But that's an hour's drive.

LUCIANO:

Lobster Fra Diavolo. Spaghetti with

red clam sauce. Antipasto. And pastry

that'll make you wanna go home and

slap your sweet mama.

The Boss fairly drools at the prospect.

CUT TO:

EXT:
NUOVA VILLA TAMARO - DAY

A small clapboard structure backing onto the deserted Coney

Island beach. Charlie's is the only car parked in front.

INT:
NUOVA VILLA TAMARO - SAME

A comfortable, family place. Empty except for Masseria and

Luciano at a corner table. The owner, GERARDO, brings coffee,

while Masseria ponders which of two desserts to attack first.

LUCIANO:

Ya did good. I ain't seen the Boss

so happy in weeks.

MASSERIA:

Look at this boy. He hardly eats.

Like that fella killed Caesar.

GERARDO:

Cassius?

MASSERIA:

Yeah. Mean and hungry lookin'.

LUCIANO:

When ya got all that blood workin'

in your belly, it ain't upstairs

where it needs to be.

MASSERIA:

The kid just called me stupid.

LUCIANO:

Not stupid. Fat.

MASSERIA:

Sh*t. When I was comin' up, bein'

fat meant ya had somethin' ta eat.

Guy looked like you, people felt

sorry for 'em. Right, Gerardo?

Gerardo nods in agreement.

GERARDO:

Okay I leave you alone?. I want to

take a walk on the beach.

Charlie looks at his watch.

LUCIANO:

Sure. But ya got a deck a cards? I

wanna play some Klob.

MASSERIA:

Come on, Charlie. We got business.

LUCIANO:

Couple hands. No harm in it.

A WHILE LATER:

The table is cleared, except for the coffee and Masseria's

remaining desert. Joe beams as he lays down his hand.

MASSERIA:

So, smarty-pants, ya can't even beat

an ignorant old man.

Charlie tosses in his hand. Checks his watch again.

LUCIANO:

An ignorant, old, fat man. But I'll

get ya next hand, after I take a

leak.

As Charlie gets up, Masseria pushes his chair back.

MASSERIA:

Enough cards.

Charlie pulls out a pistol and trains it on the Boss.

LUCIANO:

One move pardner, and you're a dead

man.

MASSERIA:

You can't kill me. You gave your

word, Charlie.

LUCIANO:

So? I'll get Bugs ta do it.

Masseria laughs as Charlie disappears into the men's room.

IN THE MEN'S ROOM

Charlie moves to a window, and pulls it open.

DOWN THE STREET FROM THE RESTAURANT

Siegel, Costello, and Lansky wait in a car. As the men's

room window slides open, Lansky picks up his pistol.

LANSKY:

Let's go.

IN THE MEN'S ROOM

Charlie stands at a urinal, smoking as he relieves himself.

IN THE DINING ROOM

Masseria lifts a pastry to his lips. BANG! The doors fly

open. Siegel, Costello, and Lansky march toward Masseria,

guns drawn.

MASSERIA LAUGHS HYSTERICALLY

his belly jiggling under his shirt. He shouts to Charlie.

MASSERIA:

Hurry up, Charlie. You're missin'

the show.

Siegel, Costello, and Lansky open fire.

MASSERIA JUMPS UP

struggling to escape from the chair he's wedged himself into.

He stumbles backwards, the chair still stuck to his fat ass,

as a dozen bullets rip into his belly. He falls back, still

seated in the chair, his open mouth filled with unchewed

pastry. Dead.

IN THE MEN'S ROOM

Charlie hoists his zipper, then washes his hands.

IN THE DINING ROOM

Charlie walks to the table, barely glancing at Masseria's

bloody remains. Tossing down the last of his coffee, he walks

to the pay phone and drops a dime.

LUCIANO:

Operator. I need the police.

CUT TO:

EXT:
NUOVA VILLA TAMARO - NIGHT

A NYPD Captain runs interference for Charlie as he emerges

into a crush of reporters and the pop of a hundred flashbulbs.

CAPTAIN:

Mr. Luciano saw nothing. He was in

the men's room at the time of the

shooting, washing his hands.

LUCIANO:

That's a lie!

The Captain tries to hurry Charlie through the crowd.

LUCIANO:

You fellas want the true facts?

The reporters yell, "Yeah!", "Let him talk!".

LUCIANO:

I wasn't washin' my hands. I was

takin' a piss!

The reporters roar with laughter.

CUT TO:

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