MURDER TAKES TIME

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Mikey “The Face” Fagullo

 

We did the job that night for the Borelli’s, and several more over the next few months. During the next year we picked up odd jobs, and occasionally got a cigarette heist to supplement the habit. Through it all, we managed to earn enough to pay Burczinski rent for the garage, which became the perfect hangout. We also started hanging out more at Mick’s house, mostly to stare at his sister Patti. Now we had a perfect triangle: Tony’s house to eat, the hangout to smoke or look at dirty magazines, and Mick’s house. 

One hot Saturday morning, the three of us were sitting in the garage with no breeze. It was humid as hell. Frankie paced, straining every cigarette he smoked. The rest of us sat there sweating. “Let’s go to Mick’s,” Frankie said.

“Why, so you can drool over Patti?”

“Screw you, Tony. It’s too damn hot here.”

“It’s no cooler at his house.”

“At least he’s got fans,” Frankie said. “I’m going. If you want to come, okay.” 

Tony and I followed Frankie. It was only eight blocks, but Frankie must have done Patti a dozen times in his mind. Patti had grown into a beautiful girl with a great body, and she was, as Frankie described her, “fuckably sweet.” Half the boys in the neighborhood came to the McDermott house under the pretense of visiting one of the brothers, but they were really there to see Patti, hoping to get a glimpse of her in underwear, or, God forbid, to cop a feel as they squeezed past her in the hallway.

As we turned the corner to Tommy’s block, I tapped Frankie on the shoulder. “Get that glazed look off your face. Tommy’s dad is gonna know what you’re after.”

“I’d eat her pussy right in the middle of church.”

I roared. “You said that with such conviction I believe you.”

“You don’t know what pussy tastes like and you never will,” Tony said. 

Frankie glared, as if to challenge him, but he was right. Twelve years old, and none of us had eaten pussy. Had done about everything else, but no one had sampled the forbidden fruit. “I’ll let you know as soon as I do, Tony.”

Well, there it was. The dare was out there. It wouldn’t be long before somebody got a taste. 

#

The next day Tommy came to the garage with a possible big job. He overheard his older brother, Jack, talking about a freight train loaded with cigarettes. It was unlocked and wouldn’t be unloaded for two days. His brother planned on hitting it the next night. 

“It has to be tonight,” Tommy said. “Gonna have to be late too. The store doesn’t close till nine, then they take time locking up and shit.”

“Jack will be pissed.”

“He’ll be out for blood,” Tony said.

“Screw him,” Mick said.

“Easy to say that now, Mick, but if he finds out he’ll kick all of our asses.”

I thought for a long while. “I say we go for it.” The other guys agreed. “All right. We tell our parents we’re spending the night at each other’s houses, like we always do. We’ll hang around till eight, then leave. Meet here at nine.”

#

By 10:20 the market was dark except for two lights inside and one each at the front and back on the outside. Tony found the open boxcar within five minutes; it was full of cigarettes. “This is perfect.”