They paid the doorman at the Hotel Madison to tip them off when a rich bitch registered alone at the hotel. Since demolished to make room for the new Fleet Center, at the time, the hotel was convenient to North Station and, usually, the type of woman staying there alone took the train in from Connecticut to Boston to meet her lover. She wanted no trouble and no gossip getting back to her rich husband and/or her snobby social circle of friends.
The hotel was infiltrated with hoods. Everyone in the neighborhood knew that this was the place to score with either a robbery or with sex. All of the boys took their girlfriends there on a Friday and Saturday night while the wives stayed home with the kids.
I was still a kid and too young to be party to what went on, but I heard stories.
Vinnie and Gino busted a couple of heads downstairs in the lobby as a distraction for Vito to slip by the front desk. Security was tight after the hotel was sued for the last robbery. Concerned about their insurance escalating, most times, the police were not even called for just a fight. Vito did not need a room key, he had the master, a favor owed and paid to him by the doorman. If he made a score, the doorman got a taste, and the rest of the heist was split between Vinnie, Gino, and the boss, Fat Frankie.
Only, this time, something went wrong. The woman was still in her room, in the shower and Vito, had needs both monetary and sexual. Unfortunately, his sexual needs usually took precedence. In this instance, though, once he satisfied his sexual needs, he used his head and satisfied his monetary needs, otherwise, he would find himself floating in the Boston Harbor.
As soon as Vito opened the door, he heard the shower and his attention focused not on her jewels, but on her. The bathroom door was ajar; he crept over of a peek. He could tell from the silhouette that she made behind the shower curtain that she had a body. He figured that, if she was showering now, he had a bit of time to do his business before he did his business, if you know what I mean.
Generally, the women showered and prepped themselves before meeting their lovers in the lobby for a drink and before going out to dinner and returning to the room for hot sex.
The bathroom was not vented and was full of steam, probably the reason why she cracked the door a bit. From behind the door, Vito watched her step out of the shower, grab a towel, and dry her wet, shapely nude body. She grabbed a second towel and wrapped her hair. When she did that and stepped into the room, he grabbed her from behind. His hand muffled her scream.
"If you don't make a sound, I won't hurt you," he said in her ear. "I don't want to hurt you. Don't make me hurt you, but if you give me any trouble, I will hurt you bad." He could feel her tense. "Relax. Just give me what I need and give me what I want and I'll be gone and you can go have fun with your boyfriend." He stuck his nose in her long blonde hair and took a sniff. "You have very pretty hair."
