The Godfather

 “The Godfather” By Mario Puzo
 
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in the morning.” 
“That’s right,” Clemenza said. “Then you have to come back with us, after all.” 
Again on the ride back to Long Beach nothing was said. On the stretch of road that led 
into the city, Clemenza said suddenly, “Paulie, pull over, I gotta take a leak.” From 
working together so long, Gatto knew the fat caporegime had a weak bladder. He had 
often made such a request. Gatto pulled the car off the highway onto the soft earth that 
led to the swamp. Clemenza climbed out of the car and took a few steps into the 
bushes. He actually relieved himself. Then as he opened the door to get back into the 
car he took a quick look up and down the highway. There were no lights, the road was 
completely dark. “Go ahead,” Clemenza said. A second later the interior of the car 
reverberated with the report of a gun. Paulie Gatto seemed to jump forward, his body 
flinging against the steering wheel and then slumping over to the seat. Clemenza had 
stepped back hastily to avoid being hit with fragments of skull bone and blood. 
Rocco Lampone scrambled out of the back seat. He still held the gun and he threw it 
into the swamp. He and Clemenza walked hastily to a car parked nearby and got in. 
Lampone reached underneath the seat and found the key that had been left for them. 
He started the car and drove Clemenza to his home. Then instead of going back by the 
same route, he took the Jones Beach Causeway right on through to the town of Merrick 
and onto the Meadowbrook Parkway until he reached the Northern State Parkway. He 
rode that to the Long Island Expressway and then continued on to the Whitestone 
Bridge and through the Bronx to his home in Manhattan. 
Chapter 7
On the night before the shooting of Don Corleone, his strongest and most loyal and 
most feared retainer prepared to meet with the enemy. Luca Brasi had made contact 
with the forces of Sollozzo several months before. He had done so on the orders of Don 
Corleone himself. He had done so by frequenting the nightclubs controlled by the 
Tattaglia Family and by taking up with one of their top call girls. In bed with this call girl 
he grumbled about how he was held down in the Corleone Family, how his worth was 
not recognized. After a week of this affair with the call girl, Luca was approached by 
Bruno Tattaglia, manager of the nightclub. Bruno was the youngest son, and ostensibly 
not connected with the Family business of prostitution. But his famous nightclub with its 

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