Prince of the City Page #13

I'm not so goddamn sure

that if the positions were reversed...

...your partners wouldn't face reality

better than you're doing.

- I know about your partners.

- Nothing. You know nothing.

My partners would never give me up.

Never.

If you go on the stand and you lie,

you're finished. They'll get you.

- No, they won't.

- They will. They're snipers.

They'll pick you off one at a time.

I promise you.

Your hope is to tell the truth

and make your partners come in.

- I won't give up my partners.

- It's the way you'll save them.

- I will not give up my partners.

- Danny, help me to help you.

- No.

- You must understand...

...whether you wanna help your

friends or not and you can't...

...just about every detective that ever

worked in SIU, Danny, is going to jail.

Okay.

I hate it around here on holidays.

It's like everything died.

It's radiation, science fiction.

Yeah, I feel the same way.

Well, I guess we better start

with the worst, Danny.

You know, there's a wonderful quote,

man named Thomas De Quincey.

He wrote:

"If once a man indulges in murder...

...very soon he comes

to think little of robbing...

...and from robbing he comes next

to drinking...

...and Sabbath-breaking...

...and from that to incivility

and procrastination."

Yeah.

Well, I never indulged

myself in murder.

And I didn't have anything to do with

the French Connection rip-off either.

You really thought I did,

didn't you, Mario?

Danny, you... It was possible.

Did you ever sell narcotics?

I never sold narcotics. I gave.

In Narcotics you have

to supply your informants.

There's no other way. That's it.

Under the law, a gift of narcotics

is the same as a sale.

- Drop it.

- I know the law.

The law doesn't know the streets.

Tell me about the biggest score

you ever made.

It was a beautiful bust.

A bunch of South Americans.

Very big dealers.

We arraigned five of them.

Woman in a mink coat, right?

Not a f***ing thing on underneath.

Who made the bust?

Me...

...Gus Levy, Joe Marinaro, Bill Mayo.

My unit.

Dom Bando was on tail.

We broke into this joint.

We got five perpetrators...

...five kilos of pure heroin,

suitcase full of money, 92,000 bucks.

What did you take?

The junk, the money?

- Both?

- I told you, it was a great bust.

Five kilos of pure,

and we all got commendations.

You took the money.

We took some. Half the money, okay?

Forty-six thousand.

We let them have enough for bail

and put them on the next plane out.

Those South American pricks bought

their way out of everything.

So we did what no court ever did.

We gave them a heavy fine

and deported them.

So you split $46,000 four ways.

Five ways.

Dom was on lookout.

Bando wasn't in.

How would he know about the money?

We don't cheat. Everybody's in.

That's the rule.

Look, Dom is a very soft guy.

All he wants is to be in a safe place.

I want your permission

to talk to him, Mario.

He'll come in.

Will you help?

Okay.

Stay there, you bastard!

You're here to hurt me!

- No.

- You want me to come in?

And what am I gonna tell them?

I don't know nothing.

I did tails.

I never seen the inside of nothing.

I'd follow a guy for three days,

you'd tell me to go home.

I go home, you tell me to tail

somebody else.

All you gotta do is tell them that.

Bullshit!

You think they'd believe me

after the stink you guys left?

You know what I did with my cut?

I gave it to my priest. Yeah.

You want Internal Affairs

to start questioning my priest?

- Dom!

- I hope you choke on my name.

You prosecute Bando, and you're gonna

have another Mascone on your head.

He gave all his money to the church,

for Christ's sake.

- He won't come in.

- lf he doesn't come in...

...it doesn't matter what he did.

He took it. We're gonna nail him.

Okay, then I'm through.

Not another f***ing word.

- I'm gonna call Marinaro and Mayo.

- No, no, no.

- And I gotta make them come in.

- No way, Danny.

- You gotta help them. It's the only way.

- I said I would, Danny.

Who's the best bet?

Levy. No.

Marinaro. He's got a wife and kids.

Marinaro.

You can try with Marinaro.

If you can get Marinaro to come in...

...you can try with Mayo.

See, if you can turn

Marinaro and Mayo...

...then maybe the three of you

can get Levy to come in.

Marinaro is first.

Be all right?

Christ, Danny.

I'm only two months

from my pension, man.

This ain't ever gonna be all right.

You told them everything?

- Yeah.

- What about Gus and Bill?

I'm gonna call them both.

What the hell are we supposed to do?

All four of us walk in hand in hand?

I'll fly in tonight.

Okay, now I call Mayo.

No, no, no, Danny, look,

you've done good work.

Go home, take a shower,

have a drink.

Call Mayo from Virginia.

Yeah, I don't wanna...

I don't wanna call Mayo.

I wanna talk to him.

I wanna see him.

Mario, listen.

Mayo's...

You know, he lives by himself.

His mother just died.

You see, he's got nothing but cops.

Mario, he drinks too much.

This is not a tough cop.

Please let me go see him.

No, Danny, it's not safe.

Jesus.

It's okay. My primary

responsibility is to you.

And you call him from Virginia.

Danny.

Mayo here.

Bill, it's Danny.

Hey, Danny, what's up?

Bill, we gotta talk.

There's nothing to say, Danny.

You're gonna name me, right?

Right.

Spoke to Joe already.

What about Gus?

Not yet.

It took me all night just to call you.

How bad is it gonna be, Danny?

Can I help myself?

Oh, yeah, Bill, you can.

Vincente's a human being.

You could talk to him.

- Will you come in?

- I don't know.

Probably.

I hate to, but...

I don't know what else I can do,

do you?

No.

When are you gonna talk to Gus?

When they say I can. Soon.

He loves you, Danny.

He'll be mad.

You want me to call him?

No, I gotta do it.

Okay.

Listen...

...how much did you tell them?

- Everything.

Take care.

You too, Bill.

- Yeah?

- Gus, thank God.

We gotta talk.

Ciello?

Yeah.

And the four of you were there?

Subject nods, indicating yes.

On that occasion, we split $ 7000.

Mr. Vincente,

Detective Mayo just shot himself.

- We have a possible DO A...

- Hey, what's going on?

- Okay...

- Okay, back to work. Let's go.

... 17 on your plans.

Come on.

Billy!

Son of a...

I'll talk to him.

I've got someone to talk to.

He's here, Mario.

- He looks bad.

- Jesus, Brooks...

...he's got the appeal next week.

Think he can make it?

- Should we postpone?

- No. Why don 't we hold off.

I'll call.

I've gotta go see Joe.

Danny? Danny.

- Yeah.

- He's as good as can be expected.

Nobody joins the force

to be a criminal.

- You gotta treat us different.

- I'll meet you.

When's the last time some Mafia guy

got in trouble and blew his brains out?

I'll tell you when. F***ing never.

Only cops.

- Cops.

- Attempt to meet up with us at...

- Now, hold on.

- Cops.

Danny, what's the address, Dan?

419 Saint George Avenue.

- I'll see you there.

- Gotta treat us different.

Joe, it's Bill.

He killed himself.

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