KNOX: Volume 3 by Cassia Leo

1

    I bought the rundown bistro in the Meatpacking District two years ago. I closed it down immediately, then I got a letter from “a concerned resident.” He was worried that I was devaluing the neighborhood by closing down a local favorite. People who concern themselves with stuff like property values and the historical richness of a rundown restaurant are the kind of people I envy.
    They don’t worry about whether they’ll wake up in the morning with the muzzle of a silencer pressed against their forehead. They don’t look at every single person they know and wonder if — or when — that person will betray them. And they sure as fuck don’t worry that the person they care about most in this world will be killed today, and they’ll have no one to blame but themselves.
    There are a million reasons I do the things I do. And those are just a few. Avenging my mother used to be the number one reason. Now it’s her.
    Rebecca is gone. I’ll stop at nothing to get her back. And Lenny and Gino know that.
    I snap my fingers at Billy as we enter the restaurant. “Dust off one of those tables and take it to the back. And three chairs. Hurry up!”
    Bruno locks the door after Lenny and Gino enters behind me. Lenny looks around the dusty restaurant as if he’s entered a fucking haunted house.
    “What are we doing here?” Gino asks nervously.
    Gino’s a young kid from the old neighborhood. His father was close to Tony Angelo. Before his father accidentally fell off the Brooklyn Bridge onto a passing tour boat. I’ll admit, that was a rookie mistake on my part. But it happened a long time ago, before I knew how to make people talk.
    “We’re just here to talk,” I say, flashing them a chummy smile. “Come on. Let’s go sit in the back where we can have a little more privacy.”
    Gino and Lenny look at each other. They know they have no choice but to follow me. People don’t appreciate having their choices taken away. It triggers their animal instincts. That’s why you have to keep them calm. Don’t let them feel too threatened.
    Billy has cleared a large area of the kitchen by pushing the stainless steel prep tables into the corner. The table and chairs he robbed from the front of the restaurant are now dust-free and standing coldly in the center of the kitchen.
    “Have a seat, boys,” I direct them as I reach up to grab a few glasses off a shelf. “You want a glass of water?”
    Lenny and Gino look at me like I’m crazy. They want me to get to the point.  
    “I asked you two if you want a fucking glass of water.”
    “No,” they reply in unison.
    I nod as I put back the dusty glass. Taking a seat in the third chair at the table, I lean back and smile at Lenny and Gino.
    “Do you boys have any idea what I brought you here to talk about?”
    They both shake their heads, but Lenny’s hiding something. He won’t look at me. I wait a moment for the rage to subside, then I continue.
    “We’re here to talk about Rebecca Veneto. Do you all remember Rebecca? John’s little girl?”
    Lenny’s eyes dart toward my face for a moment, then he looks down at the table again. “Yeah, I remember Rebecca. I … I ran into her the other day at the gym.”
    “I know. What did you two talk about?”
    “If you already know, then you probably know what we talked about.” I look Lenny in the eye for about two seconds before he continues. “All right. We talked about you.”
    “Listen, Lenny. No need to get nervous and clam up. We’re just chatting. Okay?” He doesn’t nod so I nod for him. “Now, don’t make me ask you again. What did you and Rebecca talk about?”
    “Nothing, we just —”
    “Don’t say nothing ! That’s not the way you have a conversation, Lenny.”
    The silence that follows is wet with their fear. They both stare at the table, trying not to let that fear show. They’re feeling cornered.
    I chuckle and Gino’s shoulders jump at the sound. “Hey, we’re all friends here.” I can see