THE RUNNER SCREENPLAY - BRIAN R. LUNDIN (booksvooks .txt) 📗

Pauli to meetings with the Caporegimes and became his consultant, eventually he became his acting “Consigliore” when his Consigliore suffered a fatal heart attack. Many of the older Capos resented Vinnie for his closeness to Pauli, especially Vito Paligreno. When Vinnie was eighteen he made his “Bones.” To be a “Made man” a member had make his bones which meant they had to commit a murder. Pauli sent Vinnie on a hit. The target was the leader of an Irish gang that had started threatening the older Italian cart merchants and business owners. Pauli told him it was his initiation into the family. Vinnie watched the leader and his gang for three weeks, he noted when they all gathered at Jack’s a local tavern located at 35th South Shield down the street from Comisky Park home of the White Sox baseball park. WILLIAM MCITERNEY was a big lad and rumored to be a distant relative of Mayor Daley and a precinct captain in the mayor’s mainly Irish 9th Ward. His gang the “Irish Boys,” would wander into the mainly Italian neighborhood on west 26th Street and would rob the merchants and disrespect the women. It was a cold winter night in February; the temperature was in the low twenties. Vinnie and two handpicked men watched as William and five of his game entered the tavern. Vinnie signaled one of his men who threw a Molotov Cocktail through the large front window, with a swoosh the building caught fire. As William and his gang ran from the inferno, Vinnie using a Thompson machine gun killed them all. After the hit Vinnie Acosta became a “Made man” or a “Wise Guy,” and officially inducted into the Sicilian or American Mafia (Cosa Nostra).

Pauli sent Vinnie to Yale where he received a master’s degree in business administration. Vinnie Acosta was a tall powerfully built dark-skinned Sicilian with broad shoulders, silvery white wavy hair, brown eyes and high strong cheekbones and was always perfectly dressed. Vinnie was one of Pauli’s most trusted and loyal associates and did not fit the mold of so many Italian mobsters with their oily hair and garish suits. He was of the new breed, well educated, quiet and had a cultured voice and charismatic smile. Vinnie was impassively cool and always had a half smile on his face that was unnerving. He never used slang or profanity. He enjoyed Italian Opera, fine foods and wine and his expensive suits were custom-made by Brooks Brother’s tailors. He could pass for a successful businessman, but like so many of his associates he was ruthless and one of the most vicious criminal in the family. Vinnie was highly intelligent, which made him infinitely more cunning and extremely more dangerous. Any violation of family orders or disrespect towards the family would not be tolerated and he acted swiftly and decisively to rectify the problem. Gaza was concerned about the rumors that Vito was making a move at the black policy owners, dealing in heroin and was involved in the kidnapping of Jerome McLemore. Gaza was also concerned about the rumors of the deaths of Vito’s men in the Gary Warehouse. Pauli did not like dealing in narcotics and he knew that Vito was involved in the heroin trade but it was profitable and he allowed Vito a free hand in the narcotic business, with the warning not to get caught. Over the years Vito had made connections with the Mexican and Italian drug cartels and he controlled most of the heroin coming into the city. He hired blacks, Hispanics and whites to deal his drugs in their respective communities. Pauli had directed Vinnie to have a sit-down or meeting with Vito concerning the Jerome McLemore incident. As a sign of respect Vinnie agreed to meet Vito at his office rather than having Vito come to his, they agreed to meet at three in the afternoon Vito and Jimmy sat in Vito’s office waiting for Vinnie.

INT. VITO’S OUTER OFFICE- AFTERNOON

Vito’s garish office was on the third floor of a renovated apartment building that he owned on west 26th Street. BERNIDETA CONELLA-Vito’s secretary, girl Friday, and sometimes sex partner desk was in the little front room of the apartment–turned–office. She was thirty: awkward, plain looking, and overweight. Her hair was bleached almost platinum blond, worn short and looked as if it received little care. She wore a silk multi-pattern skirt, low-cut blouse garish bracelet and earrings. Her skin was pale and lifeless, but she had a beautiful smile and a friendly personality. Unfortunately, her addiction to heroin made her look twice her age. Vito had saved her from a life on the street in support of her addiction and she adored Vito who was her drug supplier and sometimes lover.

VITO
I can’t stand that pimp muthafucker, Vinnie with his polished and shaped fingernails, his always-perfect hair and his highbrow ways. I should have been the under boss to Pauli not that pimp, muthafucker. I know he wants to bust my ass for fuckin’ with McLemore, fuck him. I ain’t takin’ no shit from him either. Where are those two Mick brothers?


JIMMY
They’re in the rear room.

VITO
What are their names agin’?

JIMMY
Tom and Timothy O’Hara from Cleveland .They’re in the rear room and they’re ready with a couple of machine guns, just in case there are any problems with the sit-down.

VITO
Good, Vinnie’s “Button Men,” or flunkies Anthony Spocky and Michael Cordova got some screws loose ain’t no tellin’ what he might do. When he gets here, we’ll let him wait a few minutes.

JIMMY
Good idea boss, good idea. We’ll show him some disrespect.

Vinnie Acosta arrived and was impeccable dressed in a dark blue suit, white silk shirt and dark blue silk tie. His silvery wavy white hair perfectly combed and trimmed accentuated his olive brown complexion. With Vinnie are ANTHONY SPOCKO and MICHAEL CORDOVA; Vinnie’s bodyguards that he liked to call advisors. Vinnie approach Bernideta who is sitting at her desk applying makeup she was distracted by the patterns of wrinkles beginning to form around her eyes and mouth.

VINNIE
(in a polite and pleasant voice.)
My name is Vinnie Acosta, young lady and I have an appointment with Mr. Paligreno.

She glanced up, snapped the make-up mirror close and was impressed with the handsome, well-groomed man standing at her desk she replied in her most professional voice.

BERNIDETA
Just a moment sir, Mr. Peregrine will be with you shortly.

Bernideta called her boss on the phone.

Angered by the slight Anthony Spocko, started towards Bernideta desk, Vinnie stopped him.

VINNIE
Thank you.

Vinnie sit down in a hardback chair and checked the time on a fifteen-year-old Timex watch given him by his father. In a few minutes, Bernideta phone rang and she directed Vinnie and his advisors to Vito’s office.

BERNIDETA
He’s back there. Go right on in.

The hallway from Bernadette’s desk to Vito’s office was exactly five steps, on the way Vinnie passed the open door of a dirty toilet on the right. When they entered the office it was empty, another sign of disrespect.

INT.VITO’S OFFICE-AFTERNOON

Two hard-backed wooden chairs faced a large maghony desk, cluttered with papers, beer cans, dirty wine glasses, ledgers, girlie magazines, fast food cartons, dirty glasses and half empty bottle of Chianti. A naked hundred-watt bulb dangled from a four-bladed overhead fan. There were wooded shelves that contained assorted alcohol and pictures hung on the wall of women in various forms of sexual intercourse. Vito’s foul body odor covered with cheap cologne and the arid smell of garlic and stale cigar smoke filled the room and was sickening.

Vinnie waited. In a few minutes Vito and Jimmy entered.

VITO
Have a sit down.

Vito dress was as tasteless as his office. He was wearing a powder-blue suit, an orange silk shirt and a powder-blue necktie and was leaning back in the fake leather high back chair with his feet up on the desk. He was smoking a fat, foul smelling cigar and was holding a glass of Chianti in one hand. Lounging on a worn couch was Jimmy Tortoreno, his under boss, eating a bag of potato chips and watching cartoons on the 12 inch black and white television. Vito knew that Vinnie was allergic to tobacco smoke and Vinnnie knew that Vito was aware of that. As Vinnie sat down, Vito blew a big puff of smoke in his direction. Anthony started forward to correct Vito for this obvious lack of respect, but Vinnie slightly raised his hand, stopping Anthony and waived the smoke away. Anthony returned to his position besides Vinnie and Michael was standing in front of the door. Vinnie removed a mint from a gold case and popped it in his mouth.

VINNIE
The boss suggested this sit-down, to find out what is going on.

VITO
What the hell you mean what is going on?

Vito is loud and irritated. He’s waiving his hands and chewing on his lower lip.

VINNIE
(softly)
Well, we hear you are trying to make a move on the black policy game and were involved in the kidnapping of Jerome McLemore.

VITO
(defiantly)
Who told you that?

VINNIE
(smiling)
We have our sources.

VITO

Vito was infuriated and angrily finger combed his hair and his eyes burned with rage and anger)
Fuck your sources!

Sweat stains darkened Vito’s already soiled white shirt. Vinnie leaned forward ignoring the stench of garlic, cigar smoke and strong body odor.

VINNIE
The boss instructed me to tell you to lay off the niggers. We have a good relationship with the blacks, and we do a lot of business with them. The boss is not interested in their nickel and dime game, understood?

Vito continuing to nervously comb his hair with his fingers and biting his lower lip.

VITO
Well I am, Goddamit

VINNIE
(Pulling his chair closer to the desk)
Listen Vito, the blacks don’t interfere with our businesses in their neighborhood. They don’t bother our bookies or whorehouses, matter-of-fact, they look out for them, they use our jukeboxes in their joints, their businesses use our garbage disposal companies, plus they buy most of their booze and food from our companies and they are good customers, they pay their bills and don’t cause us any problems.

VITO
Vito’s hands were trembling his face flushed an ugly dark red.

Them Nigras are making a lot of money on that nigger game they play and I want a piece of that action.

Vito started pounding the desk, a half eaten carton of Chinese food jumped and fall on the floor. Vinnie raised one hand like a sword falling and cut Vito off as he drew in a deep breath trying to let his rage dissolve.

VINNIE
Vito, what I am telling you is what I was told to tell you, by the boss. Problems with the black’s especially Jerome McLemore would not be good for business, that recent episode of yours; bombing one of his stations and killing, that little baby could cause a lot of heat. Jerome will not just sit by while you firebomb and kill his people. Jerome is a man of honor and he has values and principles. If you decide to go to war with Jerome, you’re on your own. We do not want a war with the niggers; nobody makes money during a war. Already the mayor and the people in the community are calling for a federal investigation we don’t need the heat Vito!

Vito knew he was on dangerous grounds with the steely-eyed Vinnie. Not only was he