DA Thomas Dewey smiled. This time it had an ominous effect. “I want to be sure you understand what it means that your potential real estate partner met with mister Lansky. Meyer Lansky has a long standing relationship with a man named Abe Reles. A prominent member of murder incorporated. You see, mister Lansky likes to hire Reles from time to time because he has a way of convincing people to see things mister Lansky’s way. If there is a disagreement, mister Reles thrusts an ice pick in the man’s ear. After shoving it in, he twirls it around a little. Makes the victim writhe in searing pain before he dies.” He leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs. “I’m sure you’re thinking that this has nothing to do with you. Your far removed from such people. You’re a business woman. Living in this grand home.” He looked around him. “Perhaps you should know about the Shapiro brothers and how murder incorporated does business. The Shapiro’s tried to go up against Reles and murder incorporated. The Shapiro’s stole a large a sum of money from mister Reles. To celebrate the financial windfall and to further humiliate mister Reles, Meyer Shapiro picked up his girlfriend and beat and raped her at gun point. This is how they treat business partners. Reles of course did not take it lightly. He found one Shapiro brother and dragged him out to the street in broad daylight and beat and shot him. A murder in front of many witnesses yet no one came forward. He spotted another Shapiro brother on the street and shot him in the face. The third Shapiro brother, William had nothing to do with any of the previous business but he was abducted by one of Reles’ associates and brought to a gang hideout. He was beaten and stuck with an ice pick so many times they thought he was dead. They stuffed him in a burlap sack and brought him out to Canarsie Brooklyn. Reles and his cohorts dug a hole and threw him in. When the autopsy came back it was determined that William Shapiro was buried alive.”
Dewey paused and opened the book and looked at a few pages. Fiona stayed silent. Dewey spoke while casually turning pages in the ledger.
“I guess you will have to determine which Shapiro brother you will be if your partners business with Meyer Lansky goes bad.’
