Could be but one outcome. But again the nagging worry. Where was Luca Brasi?

 

 

Chapter 3

 

 

1 Counting the driver, there were four men in the car with Hagen. They put him in the

back seat, in the middle of the two men who had come up behind him in the street.

Sollozzo sat up front. The man on Hagen's right reached over across his body and tilted

Hagen's hat (наклонил, отвернул) over his eyes so that he could not see. "Don't even

move your pinkie (мизинец)," he said.

2 It was a short ride, not more than twenty minutes and when they got out of the car

Hagen could not recognize the neighborhood because darkness had fallen. They led

him into a basement apartment and made him sit on a straight-backed kitchen chair.

Sollozzo sat across the kitchen table from him. His dark face had a peculiarly vulterine

look (особенно хищное выражение /лица/; vulture [‘vΛlt∫∂] – гриф /птица/; peculiarly

[pı’kju:l∂lı] – особо; странно, необычно).

3 "I don't want you to be afraid," he said. "I know you're not in the muscle end of the

Family (не обладаешь реальной властью, силой). I want you to help the Corleones

and I want you to help me."

4 Hagen's hands were shaking as he put a cigarette in his mouth. One of the men

brought a bottle of rye to the table and gave him a slug of it in a china coffee cup.

Hagen drank the fiery liquid gratefully. It steadied his hands and took the weakness out

of his legs.

5 "Your boss is dead," Sollozzo said. He paused, surprised at the tears that sprang to

Hagen's eyes. Then he went on. "We got him outside his office, in the street. As soon

as I got the word, I picked you up. You have to make the peace between me and

Sonny."

6 Hagen didn't answer. He was surprised at his own grief (скорбь, горе). And the

feeling of desolation (опустошенность; безутешность [des∂'leı∫∂n]) mixed with his fear

of death. Sollozzo was speaking again. "Sonny was hot for my deal (был в восторге от

моего предложения, был за). Right? You know it's the smart thing to do too. Narcotics

 

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is the coming thing. There's so much money in it that everybody can get rich just in a

couple of years. The Don was an old 'Moustache Pete,' (человек старого закала) his

day was over but he didn't know it. Now he's dead, nothing can bring him back. I'm

ready to make a new deal, I want you to talk Sonny into taking it."

7 Hagen said, "You haven't got a chance. Sonny will come after you with everything

he's got (to come after – преследовать)."

8 Sollozzo said impatiently, "That's gonna be his first reaction. You have to talk some

sense to him. The Tattaglia Family stands behind me with all their people. The other

New York families will go along with anything that will stop a full-scale war between us.

Our war has to hurt them and their businesses. If Sonny goes along with the deal (to go

along – сопровождать; соглашаться), the other Families in the country will consider it

none of their affair, even the Don's oldest friends."

9 Hagen stared down at his hands, not answering. Sollozzo went on persuasively

(убеждая, стараясь убедить; to persuade [p∂s’weıd] – убеждать). "The Don was

slipping (сильно сдал; to slip – соскальзывать; ухудшаться, деградировать). In the

old days I could never have gotten to him (не смог бы к нему подобраться). The other

Families distrust him (не доверяют) because he made you his Consigliori and you're

not even Italian, much less Sicilian. If it goes to all-out war (дойдет до полной,

тотальной войны; all-out – изо всех сил, всеми средствами) the Corleone Family will

be smashed and everybody loses, me included. I need the Family political contacts

more than I need the money even. So talk to Sonny, talk to the caporegimes; you'll save

a lot of bloodshed (кровопролитие)."

10 Hagen held out his china cup for more whiskey. "I'll try," he said. "But Sonny is

strong-headed (упрям). And even Sonny won't be able to call off Luca. You have to

worry about Luca. I'll have to worry about Luca if I go for your deal."

11 Sollozzo said quietly, "I'll take care of Luca. You take care of Sonny and the other

two kids. Listen, you can tell them that Freddie would have gotten it today with his old

man but my people had strict orders (строгие указания, определенный, точный указ)

not to gun him. I didn't want any more hard feelings (раздражение, гнев, вражда) than

necessary. You can tell them that, Freddie is alive because of me."

12 Finally Hagen's mind was working. For the first time he really believed that Sollozzo

did not mean to kill him or hold him as a hostage (заложник). The sudden relief

(облегчение, освобождение) from fear that flooded his body made him flush with

shame. Sollozzo watched him with a quiet understanding smile. Hagen began to think

things out. If he did not agree to argue Sollozzo's case (to argue [‘α:gju:] – спорить,

 

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доказывать, утверждать; здесь: поддержать, выступить в защиту), he might be

killed. But then he realized that Sollozzo expected him only to present it (представить,

показать, передать) and present it properly, as he was bound (обязан) to do as a

responsible Consigliori. And now, thinking about it, he also realized that Sollozzo was

right. An unlimited war between the Tattaglias and the Corleones must be avoided at all

costs (to avoid – избежать). The Corleones must bury their dead and forget, make a

deal. And then when the time was right they could move against Sollozzo.

13 But glancing up, he realized that Sollozzo knew exactly what he was thinking. The

Turk was smiling. And then it struck Hagen. What had happened to Luca Brasi that

Sollozzo was so unconcerned? Had Luca made a deal? He remembered that on the

night Don Corleone had refused Sollozzo, Luca had been summoned into the office for

a private conference with the Don. But now was not the time to worry about such details.

He had to get back to the safety of the Corleone Family fortress in Long Beach. "I'll do

my best," he said to Sollozzo. "I believe you're right, it's even what the Don would want

us to do."

14 Sollozzo nodded gravely. "Fine," he said. "I don't like bloodshed, I'm a businessman

and blood costs too much money." At that moment the phone rang and one of the men

sitting behind Hagen went to answer it. He listened and then said curtly, "OK, I'll tell

him." He hung up the phone, went to Sollozzo's side and whispered in the Turk's ear.

Hagen saw Sollozzo's face go pale, his eyes glitter with rage (to glitter – блестеть,

сверкать). He himself felt a thrill of fear. Sollozzo was looking at him speculatively

(задумчиво, размышляя) and suddenly Hagen knew that he was no longer going to be

set free. That something had happened that might mean his death. Sollozzo said, "The

old man is still alive. Five bullets in his Sicilian hide (кожа, шкура) and he's still alive."

He gave a fatalistic shrug. "Bad luck," he said to Hagen. "Bad luck for me. Bad luck for

you."