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 and he's still alive." He gave a

 

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

you."

 

 

Chapter 4

 

 

1 When Michael Corleone arrived at his father's house in Long Beach he found the

narrow entrance mouth of the mall blocked off with a link chain. The mall itself was

bright with the floodlights of all eight houses, outlining at least ten cars parked along the

curving cement walk (вдоль «изгибающегося» тротуара; to curve – изгибаться; curve

– кривая линия, дуга).

2 Two men he didn't know were leaning against the chain. One of them asked in a

Brooklyn accent, "Who're you?"

3 He told them. Another man came out of the nearest house and peered at his face (to

peer – вглядываться). "That's the Don's kid," he said. "I'll bring him inside." Mike

followed this man to his father's house, where two men at the door let him and his

escort pass inside.

4 The house seemed to be full of men he didn't know, until he went into the living room.

There Michael saw Tom Hagen's wife, Theresa, sitting stiffly on the sofa (stiff – тугой,

негибкий; одеревенелый), smoking a cigarette. On the coffee table in front of her was

a glass of whiskey. On the other side of the sofa sat the bulky (грузный, тучный)

Clemenza. The caporegime's face was impassive, but he was sweating and the cigar in

his hand glistened slickly black with his saliva (slick – гладкий, скользкий; saliva

[s∂’laıv∂] – слюна).

5 Clemenza came to wring his hand in a consoling way (пожать ему руку, утешая =

сочувственно, стараясь успокоить; to console [k∂n’s∂ul]), muttering, "Your mother is

at the hospital with your father, he's going to be all right." Paulie Gatto stood up to

shake hands. Michael looked at him curiously. He knew Paulie was his father's

bodyguard but did not know that Paulie had stayed home sick that day. But he sensed

tension (напряжение, напряженность) in the thin dark face. He knew Gatto's

reputation as an up-and-coming man (подающий надежды, перспективный), a very

quick man who knew how to get delicate jobs done without complications (без

осложнений), and today he had failed in his duty (не исполнил свой долг). He noticed

several other men in the corners of the room but he did not recognize them. They were

not of Clemenza's people. Michael put these facts together and understood. Clemenza

and Gatto were suspect (подозреваемы, под подозрением ['sΛspekt]). Thinking that

 

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Paulie had been at the scene, he asked the ferret-faced young man, "How is Freddie?

He OK?"

6 "The doctor gave him a shot (укол)," Clemenza said. "He's sleeping."

7 Michael went to Hagen's wife and bent down to kiss her cheek. They had always

liked each other. He whispered, "Don't worry, Tom will be OK. Have you talked to Sonny

yet?"

8 Theresa clung to him (to cling – цепляться, прилипнуть, крепко держаться) for a

moment and shook her head. She was a delicate, very pretty woman, more American

than Italian, and very scared (испуганная). He took her hand and lifted her off the sofa.

Then he led her into his father's corner room office.

9 Sonny was sprawled out (развалился) in his chair behind the desk holding a yellow

pad (блокнот) in one hand and a pencil in the other. The only other man in the room

with him was the caporegime Tessio, whom Michael recognized and immediately

realized that it must be his men who were in the house and forming the new palace

guard. He too had a pencil and pad in his hands.

10 When Sonny saw them he came from behind his desk and took Hagen's wife in his

arms. "Don't worry, Theresa," he said. "Tom's OK. They just wanta give him the

proposition (предложение), they said they'd turn him loose (отпустят). He's not on the

operating end, he's just our lawyer. There's no reason for anybody to do him harm."

11 He released Theresa and then to Michael's surprise he too, got a hug («получил»

объятие = был обнят) and a kiss on the cheek. He pushed Sonny away and said

grinning, "After I get used to you beating me up I gotta put up with this (после того, как

я привык к тому, как ты меня лупил, мне еще и с этим придется мириться, и к

этому привыкать)?" They had often fought when they were younger.

12 Sonny shrugged. "Listen, kid, I was worried when I couldn't get ahold of you (не

мог тебя найти; ahold – захват, удержание) in that hick town. Not that I gave a crap if

they knocked you off (не то чтобы я очень волновался, переживал бы, если бы они

тебя укокошили; crap – дерьмо; ерунда, мелочь; to knock off – убить /сленг/), but I

didn't like the idea of bringing the news to the old lady. I had to tell her about Pop (о

папе)."

13 "How'd she take it?" Michael asked.

14 "Good," Sonny said. "She's been through it before. Me too. You were too young to

know about it and then things got pretty smooth while you were growing up." He paused

and then said, "She's down at the hospital with the old man. He's gonna pull through

(выкарабкается)."

 

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15 "How about us going down (съездить туда /в центр города/)?" Michael asked.

16 Sonny shook his head and said dryly, "I can't leave this house until it's all over."

The phone rang. Sonny picked it up and listened intently (внимательно,

сосредоточенно). While he was listening Michael sauntered over to the desk

(медленно прошел; to saunter [‘so:nt∂] – медленно гулять, прохаживаться) and

glanced down at the yellow pad Sonny had been writing on. There was a list of seven

names. The first three were Sollozzo, Phillip Tattaglia, and John Tattaglia. It struck

Michael with full force that he had interrupted Sonny and Tessio as they were making

up a list of men to be killed.

17 When Sonny hung up the phone he said to Theresa Hagen and Michael, "Can you

two wait outside? I got some business with Tessio we have to finish."

18 Hagen's wife said, "Was that call about Tom?" She said it almost truculently

(truculent [‘trΛkjul∂nt] – жестокий, свирепый; грубый, вызывающий) but she was

weeping with fright. Sonny put his arm around her and led her to the door. "I swear he's

going to be OK," he said. "Wait in the living room. I'll come out as soon as I hear

something." He shut the door behind her. Michael had sat down in one of the big leather

armchairs. Sonny gave him a quick sharp look and then went to sit down behind the

desk.

19 "You hang around me (держись возле меня), Mike," he said, "you're gonna hear

things you don't wanta hear."

20 Michael lit a cigarette. "I can help out," he said.

21 "No, you can't," Sonny said. "The old man would be sore as hell (чертовски

раздражен, разозлен) if I let you get mixed up in this (позволю тебе быть

замешанным в этом, втяну тебя в это)."

22 Michael stood up and yelled. "You lousy bastard, he's my father. I'm not supposed

to help him? I can help. I don't have to go out and kill people but I can help. Stop

treating me like a kid brother. I was in the war. I got shot (меня подстрелили = я был

ранен), remember? I killed some Japs (япошек). What the hell do you think I'll do when

you knock somebody off? Faint (упаду в обморок)?"

23 Sonny grinned at him. "Pretty soon you'll want me to put up my dukes (поднять

руки /приняв боксерскую стойку/; dukes – кулаки /сленг/). OK, stick around, you can

handle the phone." He turned to Tessio. "That call I just got gave me dope (подсказку,

информацию) we needed." He turned to Michael. "Somebody had to finger the old man

(должен был указать = подставить). It could have been Clemenza, it could have been

Paulie Gatto, who was very conveniently sick today (convenient [k∂n’vi:nj∂nt] –

 

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удобный, подходящий). I know the answer now, let's see how smart you are, Mike,

you're the college boy. Who sold out to Sollozzo?"

24 Michael sat down again and relaxed back into the leather armchair. He thought

everything over very carefully. Clemenza was a caporegime in the Corleone Family

structure. Don Corleone had made him a millionaire and they had been intimate friends

for over twenty years. He held one of the most powerful posts in the organization. What

could Clemenza gain for betraying his Don? More money? He was rich enough but then

men are always greedy. More power? Revenge for some fancied insult or slight (месть

за какое-нибудь воображаемое, надуманное оскорбление или проявление

пренебрежительности; to fancy – воображать, представлять себе)? That Hagen had

been made the Consigliori? Or perhaps a businessman's conviction (убеждение) that

Sollozzo would win out? No, it was impossible for Clemenza to be a traitor, and then

Michael thought sadly it was only impossible because he didn't want Clemenza to die.

The fat man had always brought him gifts when he was growing up, had sometimes

taken him on outings (загородные прогулки) when the Don had been too busy. He

could not believe that Clemenza was guilty of treachery (виновен в предательстве;

treachery [‘tret∫∂rı] – вероломство, измена).

25 But, on the other hand, Sollozzo would want Clemenza in his pocket more than any

other man in the Corleone Family.

26 Michael thought about Paulie Gatto. Paulie as yet had not become rich. He was

well thought of (о нем хорошо позаботились), his rise in the organization was certain

but he would have to put in his time like everybody else. Also he would have wilder

dreams of power, as the young always do. It had to be Paulie. And then Michael

remembered that in the sixth grade (в шестом классе) he and Paulie had been in the

same class in school and he didn't want it to be Paulie either.

27 He shook his head. "Neither one of them," he said. But he said it only because

Sonny had said he had the answer. If it had been a vote (голосование), he would have

voted Paulie guilty.

28 Sonny was smiling at him. "Don't worry," he said. "Clemenza is OK. It's Paulie."

29 Michael could see that Tessio was relieved. As a fellow caporegime his sympathy

would be with Clemenza. Also the present situation was not so serious if treachery did

not reach so high. Tessio said cautiously (cautious ['ko:∫∂s] – осторожный), "Then I can

send my people home tomorrow?"

30 Sonny said, "The day after tomorrow. I don't want anybody to know about this until

then. Listen, I want to talk some family business with my brother, personal. Wait out in

 

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the living room, eh? We can finish our list later. You and Clemenza will work together on

it."

31 "Sure," Tessio said. He went out.

32 "How do you know for sure it's Paulie?" Michael asked.

33 Sonny said, "We have people in the telephone company and they tracked down

(проследили, восстановили) all of Paulie's phone calls in and out Clemenza's too. On

the three days Paulie was sick this month he got a call from a street booth across from

the old man's building. Today too. They were checking to see if Paulie was coming

down or somebody was being sent down to take his place. Or for some other reason. It

doesn't matter." Sonny shrugged. "Thank God it was Paulie. We'll need Clemenza bad

(он нам очень будет нужен)."

34 Michael asked hesitantly (hesitant [‘hezıt∂nt] – колеблющийся, нерешительный,

сомневающийся), "Is it going to be an all-out war?"

35 Sonny's eyes were hard. "That's how I'm going to play it as soon as Tom checks in.

Until the old man tells me different."

36 Michael asked, "So why don't you wait until the old man can tell you?"

37 Sonny looked at him curiously. "How the hell did you win those combat medals

(боевые медали; combat [‘komb∂t] – бой, сражение)? We are under the gun, man, we

gotta fight. I'm just afraid they won't let Tom go."

38 Michael was surprised at this. "Why not?"

39 Again Sonny's voice was patient "They snatched Tom because they figured the old

man was finished and they could make a deal with me and Tom would be the sit-down

guy in the preliminary stages (парень для переговоров на предварительных стадиях

[prı'lımın∂rı]), carry the proposition. Now with the old man alive they know I can't make a

deal so Tom's no good to them. They can turn him loose or dump him (прикончить

/сленг/; dump – мусорная куча, отвал /земли, руды/; to dump – выгружать,

сваливать), depending how Sollozzo feels. If they dump him, it would be just to show

us they really mean business, trying to bulldoze us (запугать; to bulldoze [‘buld∂uz] –

разбивать крупные куски /руды/; расчищать при помощи бульдозера; запугивать,

шантажировать /сленг/)."

40 Michael said quietly, "What think he could get a deal with you?"

41 Sonny flushed and he didn't answer for a moment. Then he said, "We had a

meeting a few months ago, Sollozzo came to us with a proposition on drugs. The old

man turned him down (отклонил). But during the meeting I shot off my mouth a little

(проболтался; to shot off – стрелять в воздух, пускать /фейерверк, ракету/), I

 

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showed I wanted the deal. Which is absolutely the wrong thing to do; if there's one thing

the old man hammered into me (вбивал, вколачивал; hammer – молоток) it's never to

do a thing like that, to let other people know there's a split of opinion (разделение

мнений, расхождение во мнениях; to split – раскалывать, расщеплять) in the Family.

So Sollozzo figures he gets rid of the old man (воображает, что если избавится), I

have to go in with him on the drugs. With the old man gone, the Family power is cut at

least in half. I would be fighting for my life anyway to keep all the businesses the old

man got together. Drugs are the coming thing, we should get into it. And his knocking

off the old man is purely business, nothing personal. As a matter of business I would go

in with him. Of course he would never let me get too close, he'd make sure I'd never get

a clean shot at him, just in case (на всякий случай). But he also knows that once I

accepted the deal the other Families would never let me start a war a couple of years

later just for revenge. Also, the Tattaglia Family is behind him."

42 "If they had gotten the old man, what would you have done?" Michael asked.

43 Sonny said very simply, "Sollozzo is dead meat. I don't care what it costs. I don't

care if we have to fight all the five families in New York. The Tattaglia Family is going to

be wiped out (будет истреблена; to wipe – стирать; уничтожать; убивать /сленг/). I

don't care if we all go down together (если все, пусть даже мы все загнемся)."

44 Michael said softly, "That's not how Pop would have played it."

Sonny made a violent gesture (violent – неистовый, вспыльчивый). "I know I'm not the

man he was. But I'll tell you this and he'll tell you too. When it comes to real action I can

operate as good as anybody, short-range (в ближнем бою: «в малом радиусе

действия»). Sollozzo knows that and so do Clemenza and Tessio, I 'made my bones'

when I was nineteen, the last time the Family had a war, and I was a big help to the old

man. So I'm not worried now. And our Family has all the horses in a deal like this. I just

wish we could get contact with Luca."

45 Michael asked curiously, "Is Luca that tough (действительно настолько крутой),

like they say? Is he that good?"

46 Sonny nodded. "He's in a class by himself. I’m going to send him after the three

Tattaglias. I'll get Sollozzo myself."

47 Michael shifted uneasily in his chair (задвигался, заерзал беспокойно). He looked

at his older brother. He remembered Sonny as being sometimes casually brutal (подчас

жесток, груб) but essentially warmhearted (по сути, в основе своей добр). A nice guy.

It seemed unnatural to hear him talking this way, it was chilling (жутко; to chill –

замораживать, охлаждать) to see the list of names he had scribbled down (набросал;

 

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to scribble – писать неразборчивым почерком, небрежно), men to be executed

(которые должны быть казнены), as if he were some newly crowned Roman Emperor.

He was glad that he was not truly part of all this, that now his father lived he did not

have to involve himself in vengeance (месть, мщение ['vendG∂ns]). He'd help out,

answering the phone, running errands (бегая по поручениям) and messages. Sonny

and the old man could take care of themselves, especially with Luca behind them.

48 At that moment they heard a woman scream in the living room. Oh, Christ, Michael

thought, it sounded like Tom's wife. He rushed to the door and opened it. Everybody in

the living room was standing. And by the sofa Tom Hagen was holding Theresa close to

him, his face embarrassed (смущенное). Theresa was weeping and sobbing, and

Michael realized that the scream he had heard had been her calling out her husband's

name with joy. As he watched, Tom Hagen disentangled himself from his wife's arms

(освободился: «выпутался»; entangle [ın'tжŋgl] – запутывать, сплетаться; tangle –

запутанный клубок) and lowered her back onto the sofa. He smiled at Michael grimly

(мрачно). "Glad to see you, Mike, really glad." He strode (to stride – идти большими

шагами, быстрой походкой) into the office without another look at his still-sobbing wife.

He hadn't lived with the Corleone Family ten years for nothing (недаром, не бесследно

прожил), Michael thought with a queer flush of pride. Some of the old man had rubbed

off on him (что-то перешло к нему от старика, какой-то налет остался; to rub –

тереть; to rub off – стирать), as it had on Sonny, and he thought, with surprise, even

on himself.