CONSIGLIERE #Wattys2015

Chapters 18 & 19

XVIII

Alexander Arlotti knocked promptly on the door of Silvio Arlotti, who answered it almost immediately with a grim expression. "Listen up, Alex, you better start talkin' fast," Silvio, snapped, grabbing Alexander by his jacket sleeve and pulling him into the musty apartment. "I just got off the phone with the authorities, who, believe me, got some interesting shit to say about you."

"Oh, great," Alexander dropped onto his uncle's couch and sank deep into the threadbare pillows. "What'd they say?"

"They'd like you to come in for an evaluation."

"You're kidding me, right, Silvio?"

"Nope," Silvio Arlotti poured himself a glass of whiskey and settled onto the couch beside his nephew. "Apparently some 'unidentified source' dropped off a tape of you sayin' all sorts of shit 'bout Val."

Alexander stared at Silvio in confusion and anger. "These cops must be pretty desperate to blame someone if they're gonna try and throw it on me."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Silvio downed his drink slowly and rested his hand on Alexander's shoulder. "Alex, I know you didn't kill Val, but obviously some of this crap Val's dealing with is traced back to you."

"What does that mean?" Alexander scowled at his uncle, sinking deeper into the seat cushions. "It's Val's own fault he called Sebastiano Martolli."

"You recommended Martolli to him, Alexander."

"And you, Uncle Silvio, recommended Martolli to me." Alexander's face burned with anger and irritation. "De Palma told me you guys were friends back in the day."

"Look, Alexander, that Martolli man is not someone we should be associating with," Silvio said solemnly. "He's dangerous, cruel, and sharp. I may have said he was a cunning and creative consigliere, my boy, but that does not mean I recommend him to assist us in our own family issues."

Alexander slowly nodded, his heart hammering out of his chest. "I fucked up big time, huh?"

"The damage is reversible," Silvio quickly assured Alexander. "All we gotta do is prove to the police Martolli's behind the attempted murder of Valentino Arlotti."

"And the actual murders of Shelton and Roberta. But Silvio, how we gonna do that? If I'm a suspect, how they gonna listen to me?"

"They'll listen to Val," Silvio pointed out. "I'll gladly assist him in getting the proof. Speaking of the boy, where is he at the moment?"

"Staying with your son," Alexander stood and stretched, wiping lint off of his loose-fitting trousers. "Martolli tried to nail him the other day, remember?"

Silvio nodded and rose as well, carrying his empty glass to the kitchen sink.

"You probably wonder why a madman like Martolli is so bent on killing an ordinary man like Val," an unfamiliar voice said.

Silvio and Alexander swiftly turned their heads to the wide-open door in surprise, where Silvio's eldest brother, Anthony Arlotti, stood with a cane and camera.

Silvio placed his glass in the sink and slowly approached his brother. "Who invited you, bucko?"

"I invited myself," Anthony raised his eyebrows. "Joey called and told me Val was in hot water with Martolli. As soon as I heard that sonovabitch's name, I knew I had to find you and tell you what he's done."