Chapter 6

           PeterClemenzasleptbadlythatnight.Inthemorninghegotupearlyandmadehisownbreakfastofaglassofgrappa,athicksliceofGenoasalamiwithachunkoffreshItalianbreadthatwasstilldeliveredtohisdoorasintheolddays.Thenhedrankagreat,plainchinamugfilledwithhotcoffeethathadbeenlashedwithanisette.Butashepaddedaboutthehouseinhisoldbathrobeandredfeltslippersheponderedontheday’sworkthatlayaheadofhim.LastnightSonnyCorleonehadmadeitveryclearthatPaulieGattowastobetakencareofimmediately.Ithadtobetoday.

           Clemenzawastroubled.NotbecauseGattohadbeenhisprotegeandhadturnedtraitor.Thisdidnotreflectonthecaporegime’sjudgment.Afterall,Paulie’sbackgroundhadbeenperfect.HecamefromaSicilianfamily,hehadgrownupinthesameneighborhoodastheCorleonechildren,hadindeedevengonetoschoolwithoneofthesons.Hehadbeenbroughtupthrougheachlevelinthepropermanner.Hehadbeentestedandnotfoundwanting.Andthenafterhehad"madehisbones"hehadreceivedagoodlivingfromtheFamily,apercentageofanEastSide"book"andaunionpayrollslot.ClemenzahadnotbeenunawarethatPaulieGatto‘supplementedhisincomewithfree-lancestickups,strictlyagainsttheFamilyrules,buteventhiswasasignoftheman’sworth.Thebreakingofsuchregulationswasconsideredasignofhigh-spiritedness,likethatshownbyafineracinghorsefightingthereins.

           AndPauliehadnevercausedtroublewithhisstickups.