The War to End All Wars

Chapter 26 - In Loving Memory...

"Well there he is." Arthur said hesitantly, a small smile on his face. "Hi Tom."

"Alright boys." Thomas replied.

"We uh didn't get a chance to see you after the funeral. Well you disappeared on us but well me and John and Lillian's brothers we just wanna say that..."

"Arthur shut up." He interrupted.

"Alright."

"Now, talk to me."

"We got to Angel at the hospital where he laid. Cut his throat. He's dead." Arthur explained. "Cleared out the rest of the Italians out of the south of the city."

"They mostly went to the black country, but we told Betty kitchins to keep her moving." John added.

"And Betty sends her condolences." Harry said but Thomas ignored it.

"What about the old man?" he asked.

"We interrogated his boys." Arthur started.

"Yeah, he went to Liverpool. He's waiting for an immigrant ship to New York." John finished.

"When?" Thomas asked.

"Berthed ship sails Saturday." James replied.

"Alright, I have contacts, people in Cunard and Liverpool. They'll have passenger lists. They can get you into the point of departure. You pick him up and you bring him to me." Thomas told them. "Who's he got traveling with him?"

"His wife." Arthur muttered, fiddling with his trouser leg as he looked down. Thomas took a long drag of his cigarette.

"What?" he asked, leaning in towards Arthur.

"His wife." Arthur answered louder.

"So, shoot her and bring him to me." Thomas said simply as if he had said nothing wrong."

The boys looked at each other, not wanting to kill an innocent bystander and John spoke up. "Uh, Tommy, Mrs. Changretta was a teacher at our school."

"She's a good woman, Tom, a good woman." Arthur added quietly and Thomas looked between the two, scrunching his face in disgust before turning back to Arthur.

"Well, if she's a good woman then she'll go to heaven, eh, Arthur?" he gave him a deadpan look before picking up a piece of paper. "Just do what's on the list, nothing else. Then burn it. Don't speak about on the phones. The fucking secret service are listening. I want the old man alive, I wanna do it myself." He held out the paper for John, but he wouldn't take it, and neither would the rest of the boys until Arthur stood up and took it. The moment it was in Arthur's hand, Thomas sat back down. "That's it. You can go." He poured another drink for himself as Arthur and the boys stood up to leave.

"Come John." Arthur said and John sighed.

"Tommy, if you haven't got a bird here, you're gonna have to tell us something." John said but Thomas wasn't fazed, pouring another drink for himself.

"Ask Polly."

"Not Michael?" John asked sarcastically and the boys sighed, out of everyone it would be John that would be annoyed by the fact he wasn't let in first.

"What?" Thomas asked confused.

"Not Michael, no?" he repeated.

"No, not Michael, no, cause Michael deals with the legitimate business." He said, gulping down another glass.

"You saw Michael before us," John told him.

"John not now." Arthur butted in.

"Wait, what did you say?" Thomas dismissed Arthur's comment, anger rising in him as he stared down at John.