MURDER TAKES TIME

Chapter 68

Watching the Watchers

Current Day 

I knew they’d be watching Tito close—too close for me to stake him out properly. Way too close for me to do him in the house. Between the FBI surveillance and Manny hanging on Tito’s ass like a tumor, there was no way I’d take him out there. That brought up the question of where—and how.

I had to think this through. Sister Thomas always taught us to consider all options, eliminate the impossible, then choose from what remained. As I saw it, I had three options. 

1. Take him at the house.

2. Take him on the road.

3. Take him at work.

They were the only places I could count on Tito being. Sister Thomas always had it right, though I doubt she would have been proud of what her teachings were being used for. I eliminated the union hall; it was better guarded than an army barracks. The road was out of the question; his car was bullet-proof, and the doors would be locked. Unless I wanted to use artillery, that option was out. That left me with one choice—his house—the choice I’d discounted. It was time to rethink.

After hours of deliberation, I decided to do more surveillance. Three times that week, I took a cab by his house, careful to sit high with my head turned, so that they couldn’t see my face. I caught him coming out once. Manny came out first, followed by two other guys, then Tito, with two more behind him. Manny started the car, and Tito got in the back seat. 

During these scouting trips, I also got to see where the FBI had their posts set up. One above the deli and another was down the block on the second floor of an older, well-kept home across from Tito’s. Every window there had the curtains open except one room above the porch, the one with the good view of Tito’s front door. 

Shame on you, Bugs.

During the next few days, I saw Tito going to work two more times, using the same routine. 

Shame on you, Manny. Watching their movements, I got the idea of how to do it. It took me two days to line up the rest of the plan, but on Thursday, I was ready. I should have planned longer, but I wasn’t about to let Tito Martelli live one extra minute I didn’t have to.

#

Harding was nearly bouncing off the walls of the surveillance room. He got on the radio and called Maddox at the other house. “Did you get that? He was in the cab.”

“We got him, sir. It’s the second time he’s been by in the past week.”

“What did he do?”

“Nothing, sir. Just drove by.”

Harding turned to Frankie. “We should have taken him. Goddamnit. We should have taken him.”

“And done what? There’s not one piece of evidence that ties him to these crimes.”

“So what do we do, wait to film him killing Tito?”

Frankie turned his head. “You make me sick, Harding, acting like you give a shit.”

“Don’t worry. We will get your wop friend when he goes after Tito.”

“He won’t take Tito here; he’ll want him to suffer.”

“I have eight agents ready to go on my signal.”

“Anybody on the street?”

“As soon as we see him coming out, we can cover him.”

“Suppose he—”