To Become A Con Artist

Chapter Thirty-Six

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Sonny Clemenza has taken a sudden and     unexpected vacation to Florida. It is uncertain when he plans to return to his New York home, but his Florida home seems to be quite comfortable and quite safe from the threat of state law...

These were the words I read in the society section of The New York Times when I stopped at the newsstand near Gramercy Park.

I didn't want to be here. In fact, for the first time in my life I would rather be in the Bowery than on the refined streets of Gramercy. However, I knew that I had to give something to Leo before I left for Poughkeepsie next week in order to clear my conscious. Thus, the visit that was intended to be short was now interrupted by my curiosity.

Sonny was in Florida? Why would he leave his city when he'd just held an extravagant event a short while ago? I'd been warned to not associate with him because of his vicious past and just as I'd thought he would be the biggest problem I would face outside of the Clyde incident, he was removed from the equation.

"What a headline huh?" My eyes shifted from the paper and did a double-take before landing on Tony's tall figure. His hands were tucked in the pockets of his brown tweed trousers as he shook his head in the direction of the newspaper.

"Tony?" Was all I could say since I was genuinely surprised that he was next to me, much less speaking to me.

"I'm surprised The Times picked up this story." He reached for the paper.

"What're you-"

"An early morning stroll ensures that I get this news first." He flicked the paper with his fingers and smirked.

"You knew about this?"

"Of course," he placed a nickel on the counter, "the plan worked perfectly." He shrugged. "Maybe too perfect."

"The plan? What plan?" I asked even more confused now that he was both speaking to me and familiar with the news.

Tony looked at me without moving his head from the paper and cocked an eyebrow.

"That's right, we haven't seen you in quite some time. Are you doing well after the horror of Clyde Benson?"

"I'm okay now." It had been a month so eventhough I was still torn from not being with Leo, Tony, Miles, and Anne, I felt better knowing that Clyde, and now Sonny, couldn't touch me.

"Well you should come by the house some time soon and-"

"No, no I'm sure no one wants to see my face." I shook my head raising my hand in surrender.

"Why?" Tony asked as if he were completely uninformed of The Plaza events that transpired last month.

"Tony, I almost got Leo killed and I ruined the entire con."

"Ruined the con?" Tony chuckled and folded the newspaper to put in the crotch of his arm. "Wow, you really weren't told?"

"Told what?"

"The plan? The reason I knew about Sonny." Tony noticed as I shook my head and his head dipped back as he exhaled in frustration. "Claire, I have to tell you." He touched my arm to move us away from the stand.

"Tony, please just tell me." My mind was whirling from the suspense of what I'd been missing for so long.

"You're confused, but you should be because you weren't supposed to know that night." Tony looked around before continuing. "The Clemenza Con was never about the money. It was about you-for the most part."