“Jimmy here thinks he has information he can trade for his life,” Jerry explains, nodding at me and Leo.
Ben stands in front of him. “Speak.”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Mazzone. I know I shouldn’t have been stealing, but my old lady is sick and—”
Jerry punches him in the face, cutting him off mid-sentence. “The boss is a busy man. He didn’t come here to listen to your sob story. Tell him what you know.”
“If I tell you, will you let me go?” the man pleads. “Please, Mr. Mazzone. I’m begging you.”
God, he’s pathetic.
“Yes,” Ben lies. “Proceed.”
“My cousin works for Maximo Greco. He’s one of his most trusted capos, and he was in the room to hear a conversation Greco had with your brother-in-law Gino Accardi.”
All the hairs lift on the back of my neck.
“You have my attention,” Ben says.
The man grins, displaying a mouthful of bloody teeth. The idiot actually thinks he’s going to live.
“Do you know when this conversation took place?” I ask.
“Last year sometime. Maybe March?” His beady eyes scrunch up.
“Continue,” Ben says.
“Apparently, Accardi pulled a gun on Greco, and it was almost a bloodbath. He accused him of killing his wife. His first wife,” he corrects, “and he wanted revenge.”
I have long suspected Juliet Accardi’s car crash was orchestrated and she was murdered. Gino has accumulated plenty of enemies over the years, like we all have. Either Gino investigated and bought it as a tragic accident or he has spent the past eleven years trying to locate her killers.
I have a sixth sense about this, and I don’t like where it is heading.
Jerry punches Jimmy in the stomach. “Spit it out, you buffoon. We don’t have all day.”
Jimmy coughs blood on the plastic lining coating the floor, glaring at our foreman. “Greco confirmed he was responsible for the car accident Juliet died in. He said it was retaliation for Accardi killing his son Carlo.”
My stomach drops to my toes as the full horror is laid out.
“Accardi swore he hadn’t killed Carlo, and Greco believed him.”
“What else?” Ben asks.
“That’s it. They shook hands and agreed to meet again, but my cousin wasn’t at that meeting, so he doesn’t know what was said.”
“What’s your cousin’s name?” Ben quietly asks.
“Oliver Vittalo.” Jimmy pulls at the restraints on his arms. “Am I free to go now?”
“I am setting you free.” Ben removes his gun from the back waistband of his pants and pops a bullet through the man’s skull, killing him instantly. His head whips back before falling forward. Ben walks to Jerry and shakes his hand. “You didn’t hear any of that.”
“Not a word, boss.” Jerry nods. “I’ll clean this up before the rest of the crew arrive.”
Ben calls Ciro over to help while we head outside, climbing back into the car.
“Gino knows,” Ben says.
“He only thinks he knows,” I reply. “The only other people still alive who know what happened to Carlo Greco are you, Frank, and Natalia.” I took Ben into my confidence when he first became the unofficial don. Although I had promised Angelo I would take the secret to my grave, it didn’t feel right keeping it from my new boss.
