Something Else (12)

Chapter TWELVE – Big Denny

Big Denny was active day and night. He would be up and out the door for 9:00 am and would have his first meeting every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with one of the Capos at a Denny’s Restaurant for breakfast. Luckily there were lots of Denny’s to choose from and he had a favorite in each of the three regions that he covered for his family: north, east, and south St. Louis.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, he would visit a favorite massage parlor off Vanderventer Avenue just south of Forest Park, where he was a regular. They knew how to rub him the right way if you know what I mean.

Saturdays, and Sundays after church of course, were reserved for sports betting and card games. Denny bet on everything that moved and he was good at it. He knew the lines on all of the important games. Football, baseball, basketball, car racing, horse racing. It didn’t matter. He knew the teams and the players. And Saturday he made his collections from the bookie ‘partners’ he made over time.

Accompanying him would almost always be two young men; his young cousin Carmine who he had known since they were busted in grade school, selling cigarettes to their ten-year-old classmates. The second guy was Vinnie, the son of the restaurant’s Head Hostess. Neither of them was overly smart but they were trustworthy and could handle themselves in a scuffle.

By noon during the week, he was back on The Hill. His dad was almost always at the restaurant by eleven and Big Denny knew to be ready for his next assignment.

There was always another job in the planning phase. Big Denny might get a lead on a shipment of liquor going to a high-volume retailer. A Teamster buddy might tell one of the Capos about a shipment of electronics at the dock of a warehouse. Big Tony would be brought into the loop and give them guidance. Do we scope it out and make a hit or pass and move on? Big Tony made all of the final decisions.

Today Dad was holding court in the private room of restaurant when Big Denny strode in with his minions. Big Tony dismissed his hangers-on and said “Carmine. You and Vinnie take a walk.”

Denny took a seat across the table from his father as the room cleared. The room was quiet except for muted sounds coming from the kitchen.

“One of our guys turned into a big earner on the north side,” Denny said.

“Yeah. Is that so?”

“Yeah. We already got a shipment of electronics and some cigarettes. It’s all worth maybe fifty grand.”

“Who is this guy?”

“Frankie Tedesco.”

“Did you vet him?”

“Pop. I ain’t stupid. Dominic knows him. He was small-time, but he took a jump. He’s got balls. He’s been independent but now he’s with us 100%. We got him where we want him.”

“What about his family?”

“His dad is a small-time hood doin’ time in Jeff City.

“Good. But tell Dom to keep a close eye on him. We don’t need any independents working with us.”

“You got it Pop.”

“Now, we gotta clean our cash. We need a minimum of three businesses. Three cash businesses to launder a total of three hundred grand a month. We need one in each area of the metropolitan area. This place is doin’ about a hundred-fifty grand. Get with the capos and find me some new ‘partners.’”

“What kind of businesses do you think can handle that kind of cash? That’s a big nut to cover every month.”

“Start with bars, car washes and laundromats. Offer the owners a taste. Start with 5% off the top. If they can do more than a 100K go as high as 8%.”

Big Denny thought about it for a minute and said “I know a place on the north side. A new place that just opened. It’s a discotheque.”

“A what?

“A discotheque. You know. Like in that new movie. ‘Saturday Night Fever’ with that Italian guy…John Travolta.”

Big Tony just stared at his son with a stern look.

“When was the last time I saw a movie?”

“I got no idea.”

“That’s right. You got no idea. You don’t have a clue, do you?”

“Hey. I just thought…I went there last week on Saturday with Carmine. It’s a hot place. Lots of chicks. It’s called ‘Something Else.’ Cash only.”

“Take Dominic and check out this ‘disco’ then get back to me. Find out who the owner is. I want to check him out.”