Английский язык с Крестным Отцом

Франк Илья

In a few minutes they were all gathered in the office. Sonny said curtly to Clemenza, "You take care of him?"

Clemenza nodded. "You won't see him anymore."

With a slight electric shock, Michael realized they were talking about Paulie Gatto and that little Paulie was dead, murdered by that jolly (веселым, жизнерадостным) wedding dancer, Clemenza.

Sonny asked Hagen, "You have any luck with Sollozzo?"

Hagen shook his head. "He seems to have cooled off on the negotiation idea (охладел). Anyway he doesn't seem to be too anxious. Or maybe he's just being very careful so that our button men won't nail him. Anyway I haven't been able to set up a top-notch go-between (действительно подходящего посредника; top-notch – отличный,

первоклассный) he'll trust. But he must know he has to negotiate now. He missed his chance when he let the old man get away from him."

Sonny said, "He's a smart guy, the smartest our Family ever came up against. Maybe he figured we're just stalling (выжидаем; stall – стойло, конюшня; to stall – поставить в стойло; застрять; увиливать) until the old man gets better or we can get a line on him (to get a line – получить сведения /о ком-л./)."

Hagen shrugged. "Sure, he figures that (предполагает, воображает). But he still has to negotiate. He has no choice. I'll get it set up tomorrow. That's certain."

One of Clemenza's men knocked on the office door and then came in. He said to Clemenza, "It just came over the radio, the cops found Paulie Gatto. Dead in his car."

Clemenza nodded and said to the man, "Don't worry about it." The button man gave his caporegime an astonished look, which was followed by a look of comprehension, before he went back to the kitchen.

The conference went on as if there had been no interruption (прерывания). Sonny asked Hagen, "Any change in the Don's condition?"

Hagen shook his head. "He's OK but he won't be able to talk for another couple of days. He's all knocked out. Still recovering from the operation (приходит в себя: to recover – вновь обретать, возвращать; приходить в себя, оправляться). Your mother spends most of the day with him, Connie too. There's cops all over the hospital and Tessio's men hang around too, just in case. In a couple of days he'll be all right and then we can see what he wants us to do. Meanwhile we have to keep Sollozzo from doing anything rash. That's why I want to start you talking deals with him."

Sonny grunted. "Until he does, I've got Clemenza and Tessio looking for him. Maybe we'll get lucky and solve the whole business."

"You won't get lucky," Hagen said. "Sollozzo is too smart." Hagen paused. "He knows once he comes to the table he'll have to go our way mostly. That's why he's stalling. I'm guessing he's trying to line up support from the other New York Families so that we won't go after him when the old man gives us the word."

Sonny frowned. "Why the hell should they do that?" Hagen said patiently, "To avert a big war (предотвратить ['v:t]) which hurts everybody and brings the papers and government into the act. Also, Sollozzo will give them a piece of the action. And you know how much dough there is in drugs (dough [du] – тесто; деньги /сленг/). The Corleone Family doesn't need it, we have the gambling, which is the best business to have. But the other Families are hungry. Sollozzo is a proven man (испытанный, проверенный), they know he can make the operation go on a big scale (широкомасштабную). Alive he's money in their pockets, dead he's trouble."

Sonny's face was as Michael had never seen it. The heavy Cupid mouth and bronzed skin seemed gray. "I don't give a fuck what they want. They better not mess in this fight (лучше бы им не вмешиваться в драку)."

Clemenza and Tessio shifted uneasily in their chairs, infantry leaders (командиры пехоты) who hear their general rave about storming an impregnable hill (кричит, что надо взять неприступную высоту; to rave – бредить, говорить возбужденно) no matter what the cost. Hagen said a little impatiently, "Come on, Sonny, your father wouldn't like you thinking that way. You know what he always says, 'That's a waste (растрата, расточительство /денег, сил/).' Sure, we're not going to let anybody stop us if the old man says we go after Sollozzo. But this is not a personal thing, this is business. If we go after the Turk and the Families interfere (вмешаются [int'fi]), we'll negotiate the issue (исход,

выход [‘iu:]). If the Families see that we're determined to have Sollozzo (твердо решили; determined [di’t:mind] – решительный, твердый, непреклонный), they'll let us. The Don will make concessions (уступки) in other areas to square things (уровнять). But don't go blood crazy on a thing like this. It's business. Even the shooting of your father was business, not personal. You should know that by now."

Sonny's eyes were still hard. "OK. I understand all that. Just so long as you understand that nobody stands in our way when we want Sollozzo."

Sonny turned to Tessio. "Any leads on Luca (сведения; lead – ключ, указатель, намек)?"

Tessio shook his head. "None at all. Sollozzo must have snatched him."

Hagen said quietly, "Sollozzo wasn't worried about Luca, which struck me as funny (поразило меня, показалось странным). He's too smart not to worry about a guy like Luca. I think he maybe got him out of the picture, one way or the other."

Sonny muttered, "Christ, I hope Luca isn't fighting against us. That's the one thing I'd be afraid of. Clemenza, Tessio, how do you two guys figure it?"

Clemenza said slowly, "Anybody could go wrong, look at Paulie. But with Luca, he was a man who could only go one way. The Godfather was the only thing he believed in, the only man he feared. But not only that, Sonny, he respected your father as no one else respected him and the Godfather has earned respect from everyone. No, Luca would never betray us (никогда бы не предал). And I find it hard to believe that a man like Sollozzo, no matter how cunning (каким бы он не был хитрым, коварным), could surprise Luca. He was a man who suspected everyone and everything. He was always ready for the worst. I think maybe he just went off someplace for a few days. We'll be hearing from him anytime now."

Sonny turned to Tessio. The Brooklyn caporegime shrugged. "Any man can turn traitor. Luca was very touchy (обидчивый, повышенно чувствительный, раздражительный). Maybe the Don offended him some way. That could be. I think though that Sollozzo gave him a little surprise. That fits in with what the Consigliori says. We should expect the worst."

Sonny said to all of them, "Sollozzo should get the word soon about Paulie Gatto. How will that affect him?"

Clemenza said grimly, "It will make him think. He will know the Corleone Family are not fools. He will realize that he was very lucky yesterday."

Sonny said sharply, "That wasn't luck. Sollozzo was planning that for weeks. They must have tailed the old man to his office every day (tail – хвост; to tail – идти следом, выслеживать) and watched his routine. Then they bought Paulie off and maybe Luca. They snatched Tom right on the button (точно в нужный, подходящий момент). They did everything they wanted to do. They were unlucky, not lucky. Those button men they hired weren't good enough and the old man moved too quick. If they had killed him, I would have had to make a deal and Sollozzo would have won. For now. I would have waited maybe and got him five, ten years from now. But don't call him lucky, Pete, that's underrating him (to underrate – недооценивать, преуменьшать). And we've done that too much lately."

One of the button men brought a bowl of spaghetti in from the kitchen and then some plates, forks and wine. They ate as they talked. Michael watched in amazement (с удивлением). He didn't eat and neither did Tom, but Sonny, Clemenza and Tessio dug in (набросились /на еду/; to dig – копать; to dig in – вонзать), mopping up sauce (подбирая, вытирая соус; mop – швабра; to mop – протирать шваброй; вытирать /слезы, пот/) with crusts of bread. It was almost comical. They continued their discussion.