Conflict Resolution

Frank and his pal and co-thief, Mikey, weren’t big on tact or diplomacy when it came to dealing with people they had a beef with. Here’s how they planned to resolve a situation in which a guy was coming on to Mikey’s wife.  _________________________________________________________________________________ 

There was a tough Italian guy in their neighborhood named Tommy. He was considered to be slightly crazy and very dangerous. Tommy wasn’t part of the Outfit, and frequently argued with the mobsters. The very fact that he didn’t show the wiseguys any respect may have contributed to the perception that he wasn’t all there.

One day Mikey approached Frank seeking his help. “This fucking Tommy is hitting on my old lady,” Mikey explained. “I want to whack the bastard. Will you help me?”

“Sure,” Frank said. “How do you want to do it?”

The two men came up with a plan to do another car bombing. Tommy was security conscious and was very careful about who he let get close to him. He was also cautious about where he parked his car and took precautions to leave it in a secure place at night. It seemed the best chance to get a crack at the vehicle would be when Tommy was out driving around town and might park in a spot where the car would be vulnerable.

An avid card player, Tommy frequented various card rooms on an almost daily basis. Frank and Mikey watched him on and off for almost two months, but whenever he went to a card room or restaurant he always left his car where it would be visible from the establishment’s window.

Unbeknown to the potential killers, Tommy was feuding with one of the Outfit bigwigs during the same time frame. When he was in a card room one day, two aspiring Outfit guys Tommy knew stopped in. They hung around a while making small talk and having a few laughs. When everyone was at ease, the two men pulled their guns and shot Tommy once through each eyeball. As a final touch a gun was put into Tommy’s mouth and another round fired.

By the time the police arrived at the scene all the patrons had fled. Although the killers had made no attempt to conceal their identities, they were never reported to the law and Tommy’s murder remains officially unsolved.     

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