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that? I killed more men than you before I could jerk off. I'll fly to New York and talk to the

Don himself. I'll make him an offer."

Freddie said nervously to Tom Hagen, "Tom, you're the Consigliori, you can talk to the

Don and advise him."

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It was then that Michael turned the full chilly blast of his personality on the two Vegas

men. "The Don has sort of semiretired," he said. "I'm running the Family business now.

And I've removed Tom from the Consigliori spot. He'll be strictly my lawyer here in

Vegas. He'll be moving out with his family in a couple of months to get all the legal work

started. So anything you have to say, say it to me."

Nobody answered. Michael said formally, "Freddie, you're my older brother, I have

respect for you. But don't ever take sides with anybody against the Family again. I won't

even mention it to the Don." He turned to Moe Greene. "Don't insult people who are

trying to help you. You'd do better to use your energy to find out why the casino is losing

money. The Corleone Family has big dough invested here and we're not getting our

money's worth, but I still didn't come here and abuse you. I offer a helping hand. Well, if

you prefer to spit on that helping hand, that's your business. I can't say any more."

He had not once raised his voice but his words had a sobering effect on both Greene

and Freddie. Michael stared at both of them, moving away from the table to indicate that

he expected them both to leave. Hagen went to the door and opened it. Both men left

without saying good night.

The next morning Michael Corleone got the message from Moe Greene: he would not

sell his share of the hotel at any price. It was Freddie who delivered the message.

Michael shrugged and said to his brother, "I want to see Nino before I go back to New

York."

In Nino's suite they found Johnny Fontane sitting on the couch eating breakfast. Jules

was examining Nino behind the closed drapes of the bedroom. Finally the drapes were

drawn back.

Michael was shocked at how Nino looked. The man was visibly disintegrating. The

eyes were dazed, the mouth loose, all the muscles of his face slack. Michael sat on his

bedside and said, "Nino, it's good to catch up with you. The Don always asks about

you."

Nino grinned, it was the old grin. "Tell him I'm dying. Tell him show business is more

dangerous than the olive oil business."

"You'll be OK," Michael said. "If there's anything bothering you that the Family can

help, just tell me."

Nino shook his head. "There's nothing," he said. "Nothing."

Michael chatted for a few more moments and then left. Freddie accompanied him and

his party to the airport, but at Michael's request didn't hang around for departure time.

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As he boarded the plane with Tom Hagen and Al Neri, Michael turned to Neri and said,

"Did you make him good?"

Neri tapped his forehead. "I got Moe Greene mugged and numbered up here."

Chapter 28

On the plane ride back to New York, Michael Corleone relaxed and tried to sleep. It

was useless. The most terrible period of his life was approaching, perhaps even a fatal

time. It could no longer be put off. Everything was in readiness, all precautions had

been taken, two years of precautions. There could be no further delay. Last week when

the Don had formally announced his retirement to the caporegimes and other members

of the Corleone Family, Michael knew that this was his father's way of telling him the

time was ripe.

It was almost three years now since he had returned home and over two years since

he had married Kay. The three years had been spent in learning the Family business.

He had put in long hours with Tom Hagen, long hours with the Don. He was amazed at

how wealthy and powerful the Corleone Family truly was. It owned tremendously

valuable real estate in midtown New York, whole office buildings. It owned, through

fronts, partnerships in two Wall Street brokerage houses, pieces of banks on Long

Island, partnerships in some garment center firms, all this in addition to its illegal

operations in gambling.

The most interesting thing Michael Corleone learned, in going back over past

transactions of the Corleone Family, was that the Family had received some protection

income shortly after the war from a group of music record counterfeiters. The

counterfeiters duplicated and sold phonograph records of famous artists, packaging

everything so skillfully they were never caught. Naturally on the records they sold to

stores the artists and original production company received not a penny. Michael

Corleone noticed that Johnny Fontane had lost a lot of money owing to this

counterfeiting because at that time, just before he lost his voice, his records were the

most popular in the country.

He asked Tom Hagen about it. Why did the Don allow the counterfeiters to cheat his

godson? Hagen shrugged. Business was business. Besides, Johnny was in the Don's

bad graces, Johnny having divorced his childhood sweetheart to marry Margot Ashton.

This had displeased the Don greatly.

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