prove they were
guilty; it proved a man who didn't speak good English, didn't have a
lot of money and prestige, and didn't agree a hundred percent with
the exploitation of immigrants could not get a fair trial."
Brian started to say something,.bit his lip a little,
then said it anyway.
"But it's not by any means certain they were
innocent," he said.
"Let's get back to Johnny Robinson," I
suggested before Joe could reply. "Who's this Andy fellow he
mentions?"
" Sam told me he's Andrea Santuccio, Dom's son.
I've never met him. Johnny went to the Boston Public Library as
planned at eleven on Friday and retrieved a certain parcel of letters
and transcripts, given to the library by Andy after Dominic's death.
Apparently this certain parcel was especially controversial or
something. Anyway, Andy later fought for a special injunction to get
it back. I guess he wasn't aware of what the packet contained at
first. When the court ruled that the Santuccio family was entitled to
reclaim part of the papers, Andy immediately hired Johnny to pick
them up and deliver them back to the Santuccio home in the North End.
Clear so far?"
We nodded, and Joe continued.
" But when Johnny got to the Santuccio house
apparently nobody was home. The mother died over ten years ago and
Andy is the only surviving member of the family. He's also a
bachelor, I guess. The fact that Andy wasn't there altered Johnny's
plans. Andy was supposed to be waiting there but wasn't. So Johnny
hiked over to Cambridge for the other errands, went to get your fancy
dental work, Doc, and at the end of the day hoofed it back to the
North End. Remember, all this time he's carrying the hot papers for
Andy right in his pouch. We don't know, but we can assume that Johnny
called you either right before or right after he went back to the
Santuccio house a second time."
"And delivered the papers?" asked Brian.
"No. And did not deliver the papers."
"How do you know, Joe?" I asked.
" 'Cause the asterisk was still there in the
log, indicating a nondelivery. Sam said that before he called me back
just now he called Andy's number. No answer. Now I'm going to try
again."
And he did. Still no answer.
"Doc," he said wearily, "are you
beginning to get the same queasy feeling I am?"
" Yep. I assume you're thinking that the guy in
the chimney just might be—"
"Andrea Santuccio. The guy who was supposed to
take possession of the papers but who wasn't there to get them."
"Where's that body now? In Boston?"
"It's en route from a Lowell funeral home to the
Suffolk County morgue, where the autopsy will continue in greater
detail. It may be there already. I'm going to make sure some locals
from Hanover Street get a look at the corpse. Now."
So he got on the phone again to Ten-Ten Comm. Ave. to
have some bluecoats from the North End take a peek at the grisly body
we'd found in the chimney. But it wasn't necessary. As soon as the
remains had come into the morgue it was identified. A subsequent
check with dental records confirmed that the man was indeed Andrea
Santuccio, son of the late and renowned Dominic.
"Well," sighed Joe as he twiddled a pencil
between his big fingers, "at least we know why Johnny was
killed, though it'll be small comfort to Sam."
"And a lot of us policemen," said Brian.
"Can you work up some sort of scenario on this thing?"
Joe rubbed,his stubble and thought for a minute. His
face darkened.
" Old Dom Santuccio had those papers for years.
He always claimed he'd uncover some kind of evidence that would clear
Sacco and Vanzetti. But he obviously never did or he'd have been
pounding on the governor's door night and day, shouting and
screaming. Old Dom was quite a character- a fire-eater. Finally,
about a year before he died— he had the cancer already and was on
all kinds of drugs— he said he'd have a great announcement to make.
One that would shake the world. Trouble is, nobody would believe him.
Including me. He was batty by then from the pain and the drugs.
guilty; it proved a man who didn't speak good English, didn't have a
lot of money and prestige, and didn't agree a hundred percent with
the exploitation of immigrants could not get a fair trial."
Brian started to say something,.bit his lip a little,
then said it anyway.
"But it's not by any means certain they were
innocent," he said.
"Let's get back to Johnny Robinson," I
suggested before Joe could reply. "Who's this Andy fellow he
mentions?"
" Sam told me he's Andrea Santuccio, Dom's son.
I've never met him. Johnny went to the Boston Public Library as
planned at eleven on Friday and retrieved a certain parcel of letters
and transcripts, given to the library by Andy after Dominic's death.
Apparently this certain parcel was especially controversial or
something. Anyway, Andy later fought for a special injunction to get
it back. I guess he wasn't aware of what the packet contained at
first. When the court ruled that the Santuccio family was entitled to
reclaim part of the papers, Andy immediately hired Johnny to pick
them up and deliver them back to the Santuccio home in the North End.
Clear so far?"
We nodded, and Joe continued.
" But when Johnny got to the Santuccio house
apparently nobody was home. The mother died over ten years ago and
Andy is the only surviving member of the family. He's also a
bachelor, I guess. The fact that Andy wasn't there altered Johnny's
plans. Andy was supposed to be waiting there but wasn't. So Johnny
hiked over to Cambridge for the other errands, went to get your fancy
dental work, Doc, and at the end of the day hoofed it back to the
North End. Remember, all this time he's carrying the hot papers for
Andy right in his pouch. We don't know, but we can assume that Johnny
called you either right before or right after he went back to the
Santuccio house a second time."
"And delivered the papers?" asked Brian.
"No. And did not deliver the papers."
"How do you know, Joe?" I asked.
" 'Cause the asterisk was still there in the
log, indicating a nondelivery. Sam said that before he called me back
just now he called Andy's number. No answer. Now I'm going to try
again."
And he did. Still no answer.
"Doc," he said wearily, "are you
beginning to get the same queasy feeling I am?"
" Yep. I assume you're thinking that the guy in
the chimney just might be—"
"Andrea Santuccio. The guy who was supposed to
take possession of the papers but who wasn't there to get them."
"Where's that body now? In Boston?"
"It's en route from a Lowell funeral home to the
Suffolk County morgue, where the autopsy will continue in greater
detail. It may be there already. I'm going to make sure some locals
from Hanover Street get a look at the corpse. Now."
So he got on the phone again to Ten-Ten Comm. Ave. to
have some bluecoats from the North End take a peek at the grisly body
we'd found in the chimney. But it wasn't necessary. As soon as the
remains had come into the morgue it was identified. A subsequent
check with dental records confirmed that the man was indeed Andrea
Santuccio, son of the late and renowned Dominic.
"Well," sighed Joe as he twiddled a pencil
between his big fingers, "at least we know why Johnny was
killed, though it'll be small comfort to Sam."
"And a lot of us policemen," said Brian.
"Can you work up some sort of scenario on this thing?"
Joe rubbed,his stubble and thought for a minute. His
face darkened.
" Old Dom Santuccio had those papers for years.
He always claimed he'd uncover some kind of evidence that would clear
Sacco and Vanzetti. But he obviously never did or he'd have been
pounding on the governor's door night and day, shouting and
screaming. Old Dom was quite a character- a fire-eater. Finally,
about a year before he died— he had the cancer already and was on
all kinds of drugs— he said he'd have a great announcement to make.
One that would shake the world. Trouble is, nobody would believe him.
Including me. He was batty by then from the pain and the drugs.
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