I threw myself at the widening gap and squeezed through, making it to the entry door a few seconds before Tom.
He knocked on the door and called out, ‘Mr Milano?’
Oh great. So much for the element of surprise.
‘Open the door,’ I hissed. ‘And do it quietly.’
He gave me a strange look as he complied. That look was nothing though compared to the one he gave me when I dived commando style through the door and crouched behind the entry wall.
‘Get down.’ I flapped my hand at him and he scuttled to my side. Pulling my compact mirror from my bag I held it around the corner and peered into it down the hall. There was nobody there.
‘Quick.’ I jumped up and raced down the hall stopping to do the same thing at the entry to the lounge. I could see Jim, lying with his head away from me, but I couldn’t see all of the room in my mirror. What if Giuseppe was hiding around the corner?
I looked back at Jim. All of his legs and arms were still connected to the rest of his body. There was no blood on the silk rug. Giuseppe would have had plenty of time to work him over in the time it had taken me to get there – which meant he probably wasn’t there.
I dropped my mirror back in my bag as I climbed to my feet and rushed into the room. ‘Jim,’ I shook his shoulders. ‘Jim, can you hear me.’
He let out a low moan but his eyes remained closed. I almost cried with relief. He wasn’t dead. Yet.
‘I’ll wait for the ambulance,’ Tom said.
I nodded my head but didn’t respond. I felt helpless as I watched some saliva bubble out of his mouth. That couldn’t be good. How could he breathe with that in his mouth?
I rolled him onto his side and turned his head down so that the saliva dribbled out. He took a big shuddering breath and his body relaxed. I supported him against my leg as I waited for the ambulance.
This was the man who had instilled fear into the hearts of the other Mafia bosses. Rumour had it that he was called Jolly Jim because he laughed while he killed people. I looked down at his overweight body, his little balding patch on the top of his head and the drool coming out of his mouth. He didn’t seem so scary now.
His eyelids fluttered and his hand scrabbled at the floor.
‘Shhhhh,’ I crooned, stroking him on the head. ‘I’m here. Help is on the way.’
It seemed like forever since I’d arrived. Each second that passed was ticked off by a huge grandfather clock. Where were the paramedics?
Tick, tick, tick. Please don’t die. Tick, tick, tick. What was taking them so long?
I stroked his hair as I sung him the first thing that came into my head.
‘Hush little baby don’t you cry, Momma’s gonna sing you a lullaby.’
Finally I heard the front door of the apartment open. A man in a paramedic’s uniform carried a large bag into the room.
‘We’ll take it from here love,’ he said.
A trolley appeared in the hallway and a second man squeezed past it.
I tried to back away but Jim gripped my hand. For a man seemingly on the verge of death he had a grip like a gorilla. ‘I’m staying,’ I said. ‘But you need to let go so that the paramedics can help you.’ His grip lessened and I pulled my arm free, sliding backwards till I sat against the sofa.
Rosella rushed into the room. She took one look at Jim and let out a scream, rushing to his side and throwing herself over his chest. She babbled in Italian while patting his cheek.
‘Madame.’ The first paramedic tried to remove her from Jim.
‘Rosella.’ I pulled on her arm, gesturing her towards me with my spare hand.
She nodded and wiped her eyes with the back of her arm. Then she crawled backwards till she was sitting next to me. I took her hand in mine and squeezed it while I wondered if cooking and cleaning were her only jobs.
‘Is he on any medication?’ The paramedic looked at me.
‘I have no idea.’ Yep, daughter-in-law of the year right here. ‘Rosella?’ I wasn’t sure how much English she understood but
He knocked on the door and called out, ‘Mr Milano?’
Oh great. So much for the element of surprise.
‘Open the door,’ I hissed. ‘And do it quietly.’
He gave me a strange look as he complied. That look was nothing though compared to the one he gave me when I dived commando style through the door and crouched behind the entry wall.
‘Get down.’ I flapped my hand at him and he scuttled to my side. Pulling my compact mirror from my bag I held it around the corner and peered into it down the hall. There was nobody there.
‘Quick.’ I jumped up and raced down the hall stopping to do the same thing at the entry to the lounge. I could see Jim, lying with his head away from me, but I couldn’t see all of the room in my mirror. What if Giuseppe was hiding around the corner?
I looked back at Jim. All of his legs and arms were still connected to the rest of his body. There was no blood on the silk rug. Giuseppe would have had plenty of time to work him over in the time it had taken me to get there – which meant he probably wasn’t there.
I dropped my mirror back in my bag as I climbed to my feet and rushed into the room. ‘Jim,’ I shook his shoulders. ‘Jim, can you hear me.’
He let out a low moan but his eyes remained closed. I almost cried with relief. He wasn’t dead. Yet.
‘I’ll wait for the ambulance,’ Tom said.
I nodded my head but didn’t respond. I felt helpless as I watched some saliva bubble out of his mouth. That couldn’t be good. How could he breathe with that in his mouth?
I rolled him onto his side and turned his head down so that the saliva dribbled out. He took a big shuddering breath and his body relaxed. I supported him against my leg as I waited for the ambulance.
This was the man who had instilled fear into the hearts of the other Mafia bosses. Rumour had it that he was called Jolly Jim because he laughed while he killed people. I looked down at his overweight body, his little balding patch on the top of his head and the drool coming out of his mouth. He didn’t seem so scary now.
His eyelids fluttered and his hand scrabbled at the floor.
‘Shhhhh,’ I crooned, stroking him on the head. ‘I’m here. Help is on the way.’
It seemed like forever since I’d arrived. Each second that passed was ticked off by a huge grandfather clock. Where were the paramedics?
Tick, tick, tick. Please don’t die. Tick, tick, tick. What was taking them so long?
I stroked his hair as I sung him the first thing that came into my head.
‘Hush little baby don’t you cry, Momma’s gonna sing you a lullaby.’
Finally I heard the front door of the apartment open. A man in a paramedic’s uniform carried a large bag into the room.
‘We’ll take it from here love,’ he said.
A trolley appeared in the hallway and a second man squeezed past it.
I tried to back away but Jim gripped my hand. For a man seemingly on the verge of death he had a grip like a gorilla. ‘I’m staying,’ I said. ‘But you need to let go so that the paramedics can help you.’ His grip lessened and I pulled my arm free, sliding backwards till I sat against the sofa.
Rosella rushed into the room. She took one look at Jim and let out a scream, rushing to his side and throwing herself over his chest. She babbled in Italian while patting his cheek.
‘Madame.’ The first paramedic tried to remove her from Jim.
‘Rosella.’ I pulled on her arm, gesturing her towards me with my spare hand.
She nodded and wiped her eyes with the back of her arm. Then she crawled backwards till she was sitting next to me. I took her hand in mine and squeezed it while I wondered if cooking and cleaning were her only jobs.
‘Is he on any medication?’ The paramedic looked at me.
‘I have no idea.’ Yep, daughter-in-law of the year right here. ‘Rosella?’ I wasn’t sure how much English she understood but
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