Chapter 24
The Ramirez Deal & Its Aftermath
The deal, as deals go was relatively simple. Ramirez was to supply the cocaine; Conrad would buy it, and bear responsibility for moving it to Genoa, Italy, where it would be combined with the heroin already on hand to manufacture the crack. Conrad had eight airline employees who would transport three-quarters of the finished product back to the states. That meant, Chicago, Washington, DC, Dallas and Denver. New York and Los Angeles were considered to risky, with the DEA having too many agents working those airports. The remainder would be distributed throughout Europe.
Conrad's cost for the initial shipment amounted to $845,000. Two trusted aides, Tony DiVito, and Sticks McGuire, were assigned to transport the money to Ramirez. The weight of the money, (mostly twenty dollar bills) required that two men make the trip.
The men were greeted warmly, wined and dined, even provided with whores for their evening's entertainment. However, at approximately four in the morning, two men burst into both their hotel rooms, threw the women out, and both Tony and Sticks were badly beaten. Tony survived the beating and was sent back to Conrad with neither the money or the cocaine. Sticks was bundled up and tossed into the river where the alligators feasted on his remains.
Although badly hurt, Tony knew he was a dead man for failing to deliver the coke. He was certain that Conrad would not believe him. The fact that he'd been beaten would mean nothing to Conrad and he knew it. So Tony went into hiding, calling an old flame, Ginnie Forman, who came and picked him up, taking him to her place although he was fairly certain no place was safe, he hoped to buy time thinking that somehow Conrad would come to understand what had happened and would not have him tortured and killed.
He did, however, call Conrad and explain what had happened; and that he would not be coming in because Conrad would kill him. However, Ramirez had already called Conrad complaining that the money had never shown up and demanded an explanation.
Conrad almost believed Tony. He had never trusted Ramirez, and had told Victor that after the deal went through he would have Ramirez killed. But Ramirez had sounded sincere, and $845,000 was a lot of money. Two men might have been tempted to take it and run. Conrad decided that in either event the two men had failed him, and had to die. He realized Tony was already hiding somewhere, but also understood that because he owed a shipment of cocaine to his partner in the Netherlands, Ramirez was his primary target. He knew he had better strike quickly before Ramirez fled to Florida where he was entrenched with the Cuban's and other drug lords thriving in the safety of Miami.
He dispatched two of the deadliest emissaries available to him, Chang Clobey, from the Horseshoe section of Jersey City where for years he had terrorized those miscreants who failed to pay their debts to the local loan sharks. The other was an out of town hit man known only as "The Tall Man," there were rumors, and only rumors, that he came from Detroit. But no one knew with any certainty where he came from, and fewer knew what he looked like. No one knew his name. Their assignment was to locate, and if possible, capture or kill Ramirez. Failing that, they were to locate him and let Conrad deal with him personally.
The Tall Man quickly found that Ramirez was in Miami, where he presumed he would be safe. It wasn't long before he found out where Ramirez lived, and how much protection he had.
But before heading to Miami, Conrad got word of Tony's whereabouts and sent Chang Clobey and the Tall Man after him.
Two days later, Chang Clobey forked a piece of apple pie into his mouth and savored the combination of sweet and bitter flavors before swallowing. He finished the last of his coffee, and was signaling the waitress for another, when the Tall Man walked into the diner. Chang waved him over to his booth and he sat down.
"So what the fuck's the deal," the Tall Man said, shooing the waitress away with his big hand. She left in a huff, forgetting to wiggle her rear end for the first time in months.
"We got a loose end. Mr. Kenney (Conrad's alias when spoken of in public.) wants this guy hit," Chang said.
"Okay, what guy?"
"Name's DiVito, Tony DiVito. He was supposed to pay for a shipment of "C" and didn't, or so Mr. Kenney says. It relates to the Florida thing. We just found out where he's been holed up hoping we'll go away."
"Shoulda known better," the Tall Man said, lighting a thin black cigar."
The waitress, still miffed over being so crudely dismissed, called out, "Hey you, no smoking in here, especially no cigars. Can't you read?" She pointed to the sign on the wall two booths removed from where the tall man sat.
His angry eyes froze her to the spot, and he stood looking even more menacing than he had when sitting. He moved quickly to the wall where the sign hung and tore it down and ripped it to pieces.
"Fuck you, and your sign," he said quietly, but everyone in the diner heard him. All eyes were on the cowering waitress. He bluffed a step in her direction, and she pissed herself, her smock slowly turning darker where the urine ran down her leg.
He sat down with Chang Clobey again. "So where's this cocksucker now?" he asked, and blew a lungful of cigar smoke in the air in front of him. But he was careful it was directed away from Clobey's face.
"Four doors down the street. Apartment's on the third floor. Thing is, sometimes he's got a broad with him, sometimes not."
"She there now?" The Tall Man inquired.
"No, I seen her leave around eleven-thirty."
"So who's watching the place now?"
"We are," Chang said stoically.
"The fuck!"
"Hey, don't get your balls in an uproar. I been watching for six hours, takes patience, this kinda work."
"Way you watch could get us the chair in this state," the Tall Man said sourly.
"I won't tell ya not to worry. Worrying is good, keeps ya on edge and that helps in a tight situation. But I gotta tell ya this here mope thinks he's safe. He thinks we're looking for him in Nevada, and that's why I'm calling him a mope."
The Tall Man ground his cigar out on Chang's plate and stood. "Now, just how the fuck you know that?"
"He told Junior Salvaggio two days ago. You know Junior?"
"The fuck he do that for, he's in hiding? No, I don't know Junior."
Chang shrugged, and said, "Go figure. Him and Junior go back a way's, but you're right, why tell anyone unless you want to leave a false trail."
The Tall Man seemed to relax a little.
