is that it?"
"Maybe less," Michael said courteously. "Of course you can always remain part of the
Family, that's your choice. But most of our strength will be out West and maybe you'd
do better organized on your own."
Tessio said quietly, "In that case I think you should give us permission to recruit new
men for our regimes. Those Barzini bastards keep chiseling in on my territory. I think
maybe it would be wise to teach them a little lesson in manners."
Michael shook his head. "No. No good. Just stay still. All that stuff will be negotiated,
everything will be straightened out before we leave."
Tessio was not to be so easily satisfied. He spoke to the Don directly, taking a chance
on incurring Michael's ill will. "Forgive me, Godfather, let our years of friendship be my
excuse. But I think you and your son are all wrong with this Nevada business. How can
you hope for success there without your strength here to back you up? The two go hand
in hand. And with you gone from here the Barzini and the Tattaglia will be too strong for
us. Me and Pete will have trouble, we'll come under their thumb sooner or later. And
Barzini is a man not to my taste. I say the Corleone Family has to make its move from
strength, not from weakness. We should build up our regimes and take back our lost
territories in Staten Island at least."
The Don shook his head. "I made the peace, remember, I can't go back on my word."
Tessio refused to be silenced. "Everybody knows Barzini gave you provocation since
then. And besides, if Michael is the new chief of the Corleone Family, what's to stop him
from taking any action he sees fit? Your word doesn't strictly bind him."
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Michael broke in sharply. He said to Tessio, very much the chief now, "There are
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things being negotiated which will answer your questions and resolve your doubts. If my
word isn't enough for you, ask your Don."
But Tessio understood he had finally gone too far. If he dared to question the Don he
would make Michael his enemy. So he shrugged and said, "I spoke for the good of the
Family, not for myself. I can take care of myself."
Michael gave him a friendly smile. "Tessio, I never doubt you in any way. I never did.
But trust in me. Of course I'm not equal to you and Pete in these things, but after all I've
my father to guide me. I won't do too badly, we'll all come out fine."
The meeting was over. The big news was that Clemenza and Tessio would be
permitted to form their own Families from their regimes. Tessio would have his gambling
and docks in Brooklyn, Clemenza the gambling in Manhattan and the Family contacts in
the racing tracks of Long Island.
The two caporegimes left not quite satisfied, still a little uneasy. Carlo Rizzi lingered
hoping that the time had come when he finally would be treated as one of the family, but
he quickly saw that Michael was not of that mind. He left the Don, Tom Hagen and
Michael alone in the corner library room. Albert Neri ushered him out of the house and
Carlo noticed that Neri stood in the doorway watching him walk across the floodlit mall.
In the library the three men had relaxed as only people can who have lived years
together in the same house, in the same family. Michael served some anisette to the
Don and scotch to Tom Hagen. He took a drink for himself, which he rarely did.
Tom Hagen spoke up first. "Mike, why are you cutting me out of the action?"
Michael seemed surprised. "You'll be my number one man in Vegas. We'll be
legitimate all the way and you're the legal man. What can be more important than that?"
Hagen smiled a little sadly. "I'm not talking about that, I'm talking about Rocco
Lampone building a secret regime without my knowledge. I'm talking about you dealing
direct with Neri rather than through me or a caporegime. Unless of course you don't
know what Lampone's doing."
Michael said softly, "How did you find out about Lampone's regime?"
Hagen shrugged. "Don't worry, there's no leak, nobody else knows. But in my position
I can see what's happening. You gave Lampone his own living, you gave him a lot of
freedom. So he needs people to help him in his little empire. But everybody he recruits
has to be reported to me. And I notice everybody he puts on the payroll is a little too
good for that particular job, is getting a little more money than that particular exercise is
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worth. You picked the right man when you picked Lampone, by the way. He's operating
perfectly."
Michael grimaced. "Not so damn perfect if you noticed. Anyway the Don picked
Lampone."
"OK," Tom said, "so why am I cut out of the action?"
Michael faced him and without flinching gave it to him straight. "Tom, you're not a
wartime Consigliori. Things may get tough with this move we're trying to make and we
may have to fight. And I want to get you out of the line of fire too, just in case."
Hagen's face reddened. If the Don had told him the same thing, he would have
accepted it humbly. But where the hell did Mike come off making such a snap judgment?
"OK," he said, "but I happen to agree with Tessio. I think you're going about this all
wrong. You're making the move out of weakness, not strength. That's always bad.
Barzini is like a wolf, and if he tears you limb from limb, the other Families won't come
rushing to help the Corleones."
The Don finally spoke. "Tom, it's not just Michael. I advised him on these matters.
There are things that may have to be done that I don't want in any way to be
responsible for. That is my wish, not Michael's. I never thought you were a bad
Consigliori, I thought Santino a bad Don, may his soul rest in peace. He had a good
heart but he wasn't the right man to head the Family when I had my little misfortune.
And who would have thought that Fredo would become a lackey of women? So don't
feel badly. Michael has all my confidence as you do. For reasons which you can't know,
you must have no part in what may happen. By the way, I told Michael that Lampone's
secret regime would not escape your eye. So that shows I have faith in you."
Michael laughed. "I honestly didn't think you'd pick that up, Tom."
Hagen knew he was being mollified. "Maybe I can help," he said.
Michael shook his head decisively. "You're out, Tom."
Tom finished his drink and before he left he gave Michael a mild reproof. "You're
nearly as good as your father," he told Michael. "But there's one thing you still have to
learn."
"What's that?" Michael said politely.
"How to say no," Hagen answered.
Michael nodded gravely. "You're right," he said. "I'll rememher that."
When Hagen had left, Michael said jokingly to his father, "So you've taught me
everything else. Tell me how to say no to people in a way they'll like."
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The Don moved to sit behind the hig desk. "You cannot say 'no' to the people you love,
not often. That's the secret. And then when you do, it has to sound like a 'yes.' Or you
have to make them say 'no.' You have to take time and trouble. But I'm old-fashioned,
you're the new modern generation, don't listen to me."
Michael laughed. "Right. You agree about Tom being out, though, don't you?"
The Don nodded. "He can't be involved in this."
Michael said quietly, "I think it's time for me to tell you that what I'm going to do is not
purely out of vengeance for Apollonia and Sonny. It's the right thing to do. Tessio and
Tom are right about the Barzinis."
Don Corleone nodded. "Revenge is a dish that tastes best when it is cold," he said. "I
would not have made that peace but that I knew you would never come home alive
otherwise. I'm surprised, though, that Barzini still made a last try at you. Maybe it was
arranged before the peace talk and he couldn't stop it. Are you sure they were not after
Don Tommasino?"
Michael said, "That's the way it was supposed to look. And it would have been perfect,
even you would never have suspected. Except that I came out alive. I saw Fabrizzio
going through the gate, running away. And of course I've checked it all out since I've
been back."
"Have they found that shepherd?" the Don asked.
"I found him," Michael said. "I found him a year ago. He's got his own little pizza place
up in Buffalo. New name, phony passport and identification. He's doing very well this
Fabrizzio the shepherd."
The Don nodded. "So it's to no purpose to wait any longer. When will you start?"
Michael said, "I want to wait until after Kay has the baby. Just in case anything goes
wrong. And I want Tom settled in Vegas so he won't be concerned in the affair. I think a
year from now."
"You've prepared for everything?" the Don asked. He did not look at Michael when he
said this. Michael said gently, "You have no part. You're not responsible. I take all
responsibility. I would refuse to let you even veto. If you tried to do that now, I would
leave the Family and go my own way. You're not responsible."