THE RUNNER SCREENPLAY, BRIAN R. LUNDIN [phonics reader .TXT] 📗

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Jimmy walked over to the shocked woman smacked her in the face and raped her. In a moment he was done. He got off her and walked passed her into the kitchen poked a fork in the sausages and decided they were ready. Jimmy turned off the stove and put two sausages on two slices of Italian bread and gave one to Vito. Vito took a big bite of the sandwich and shot the young woman as she hovelled in the corner. Their job accomplished the two killers walked out the rear door into the summer night air eating the sausage sandwich, and vanished.

Pauli sat in a high back leather chair. On the other side of his massive desk were his Street Bosses. Genco Grisani, West Side, Alphonse Philanti, North Side and Vito Paligreno, South Side. Pauli’s steel gaze went from man to man who lowered their eyes.

PAULI
All of you guys have been with me for a long time and I love all of you like a brother, but love is fleeting, but loyalty last forever. However, as I always say “business is business,” and nothing interferes with business, not friends or family. I don’t know who ordered the hit on Vinnie, but believe me, I will find out and that person will pay with his life. Vinnie was a “Made man,” and nobody kill a made man without approval.

Genco and Alphonse had been a member of the New Italiano's gang with Pauli and they knew that Pauli was going to keep his pledge concerning Vinnie.

Vinnie was a good man, a good Bastone, a good underboss who ran the family while I dealt with other matters, but now I’m back and thing are going to change, understood!

The three men nodded their heads in agreement.

PAULI
What I‘ve been told by my police contacts is that Vinnie’s murder was an execution, he was shot once in the back of the head and three times in the mouth. The assholes shot a young broad in the pussy after they fucked her in the ass. I want you guys to put the word out and find Vinnie’s killer, that’s it.

The three men got up from their chairs and were leaving; Pauli said to Vito, “You stay.”

After Genco and Alphonse left, Pauli directed Vito to a chair and gave him a glass of Italian Red Wine. Vito sat down and took the glass of wine. Pauli offered Vito a Cuban cigar and both men lit up in silence Pauli’s eyes locked with Vito’s.

PAULI
You remember a long time ago me telling you about that nigger policy man, Eddie Jones?

VITO
Yeah, that nigger you met in the joint that was making all that money off them spades, right?

PAULI
That’s right. Well anyway, the shines gave us thirty percent cut of their business, to avoid any trouble and it’s been that way ever since. You know who the bagman is, Jerome McLemore. Every month he takes over two hundred grand to a vault on the southside and for this, him and his operation is left alone. I sent Vinnie for a sit down with Jerome McLemore and Vinnie said that Jerome is a man of honor who has never shorted us with our cut. He’s a valuable asset to the family. He collects a lot of money for the family and I don’t want it fucked up. In addition, Vinnie believed you were behind the kidnapping of Jerome, the bombing of his station, the kidnapping of them little Nigra gangbangers and a whole lot of other shit pertaining to McLemore. Didn’t he tell you to layoff McLemore?


Pauli’s eyes were emotionless as he studied Vito. Vito knew that his life was in danger. Even after all the years of loyal service to Pauli, he would have no qualms about killing him.

VITO
(shaking)
Yes he did.

PAULI
What about all your men who got fucked up, what’s that all about. Now I’m telling you now, layoff, understood?

VITO
Yes sir.

Pauli enjoyed the sight of Vito twisting in his chair and knew that Vito was becoming a major problem and probably was involved in Vinnie’s murder.

PAULI
We’ll talk again soon.
Pauli turned his chair towards the window another sign of disrespect. Vito walked out the office not knowing if there were assassins waiting to take him out.

Vinnie Acosta had been raised a Catholic and he and his wife had raised their children as Catholics. Nevertheless, the cardinal declined to grant permission to the Acosta family to have a funeral mass at the church, despite the large contributions Vinnie had made over the years. The cardinal told the family that he declined their request for the mass due to the notoriety of Vinnie’s death and his alleged connection to organized crime. He added that Vinnie had not led a Catholic life in keeping with the teaching of the church and was consequently denied the liturgical farewell of the church. However, after a call from Pauli Gaza, the cardinal granted permission for a priest to say prayers at Vinnie’s wake at the Dellogross Funeral Home and at his graveside on the southeast side of the city.

INT. FUNERAL HOME-MORNING

The funeral for Vinnie Acosta was typical of mob funerals. Thousands of mourners jammed the tree-line street in front of Rosselli funeral home at 26th South Western Avenue, which was actually owned by Pauli Gaza. The funeral home combined the grandness of an Italian cathedral with hand painted pictures of Italy and large marble statutes of the Blessed Virgin. The mob wives all wore too much makeup to cover their bad skin. Members of the Pauli Gaza Crime Family; associates, soldiers and Capos as well as mourners from the other crime families in the country discretely handed his wife envelopes bulging with cash as they passed and gave her a kiss on the cheeks. Leading mob bosses from across the country attended while FBI agents took their pictures, and other agents recorded their license plate numbers. Because of the damages to Vinnie’s face, Vinnie’s family decided to keep the white and gold trimmed $10,000 casket closed. A large picture of a smiling Vinnie sat on top of the casket surrounded by $20,000 worth of flowers. Pauli closed down all of the families operations for the day in honor of Vinnie. All of the street bosses and their crews attended the funeral, including Vito Paligreno and Jimmy Tortoreno. Pauli Gaza and his family sat beside Vinnie’s family and he comforted Vinnie’s wife and two young daughters during the solemn service. The Chicago Police Department detailed ten police officer and a sergeant for crowd control and provided an escort in front and rear of the long procession of black limos, silver hearses and mourners vehicles as it weaved it way through the Patch and finally to the cemetery in Oak Lawn. Anthony Spocko and Michael Cordova, Vinnie’s friends and bodyguards watched Vito and Jimmy as they filed by Vinnie’s casket making the sign of the cross as they passed.

ANTHONY
I know that pig ass Vito and his ass kisser Jimmy had something to do with Vinnie’s death, the dirty mutherfuckers purposely shot him the face so his wife couldn’t have an open casket. Muthafucker.

Anthony watched Vito and Jimmy as they left the funeral parlor.


Vito concentrated his efforts to takeover policy by concentrating on the Westside independent policy wheels not connected to Jerome’s or any of the larger wheels he represented. Vito sent his men to fire bomb policy stations on the far south and west sides of the city. The men kidnapped policy wheel owners and murdered the ones who would not comply with their demands. Vito’s thugs intimidated and beat up runners and writers and threatened violence if they did not come in with Vito. Vito’s paid off police officers that conducted raids on the stations and arrested the writers and patrons. Many of the policy men complained to authorities about the police harassment but despite the fact that they were paying offs the police for protection, they refused to help. The Chicago Defender Newspaper ran editorials concerning corruption within the police department and the violence associated with the “ITALIAN TAKEOVER OF POLICY.” The frightened policy owners sought help from the black politicians, but to no avail. Finally, they gave in and Vito allowed them to continue running their operation in exchange for a majority share of the wheel. A female black policy wheel owner, named Henretta Jackson, became Vito’s middleperson and liaison with the black Westside policy gambling underworld.

INT. JEROME’S OFFICE-MORNING

TED
Did you hear about Vinnie Acosta?

JEROME.
No, what happened?

TED
He and some young bitch were shot dead in one of the suburbs.

JEROME
Damn! You think that fool Vito, did the hit?

TED
Don’t know, but I hear Pauli got a million dollar contract out on the shooter or shooters. Maybe it’s time for a sit-down with Pauli.

JEROME
Set it up.

It was a little after eight in the evening three days after Vito’s encounter with Vinnie’s men. It was a cool, cloudy evenings that famous in Chicago. Jerome, Ted, Madame Bourneis and Marque met at Pauli’s office in the Patch. Pauli and two other Italians were waiting. Madame Bourneis was stunning. Her long black hair hung loose and the white leather hot pants clung tightly to her thighs. The black thigh boots accentuated her shapely and well-toned legs. Pauli supposedly had bedded and romanced many Hollywood beauties, however, this was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, but when he looked into her black unblinking eyes, he felt a chill. Finally, he looked away and turned to Jerome.

PAULI
This is GUS NOONE, my new underboss and JOHNNY BATTALAGIA.

Pauli pointed to the two men standing behind him; Jerome nodded at the two men.

JEROME
Jerome sat down in a plush chair opposite Pauli’s desk.

I’m sorry about Vinnie, he was a class guy.

PAULI
Thank you Jerome, he certainly was.

JEROME
You know who the shooter was?

PAULI
My people believe it was Vito and so do I. There was a strained relationship between the two after I made Vinnie my underboss.


TED
I also heard that two of Vinnie’s guy was also killed.

PAULI
Yes two of Vinnie’s most trusted lieutenants one was my nephew, Anthony. I’ve known Vito for years and he was a good soldier, but I think he is getting carried away or is becoming psychotic.

JEROME
We have had a profitable and peaceful relationship, Pauli I hope that you don’t allow Vito to destroy it.

PAULI
Don’t worry about Vito; I’ll take care of him.

As Jerome McLemore and his party were leaving, Madame Bourneis smiled at Pauli, showing four large fangs.

HENRETTA BOENNIS a tall, abrasive and tough woman, with a seldom-seen gentle side was born in Jamaica in 1920. Henretta and had immigrated with her two young sons to Chicago Westside in 1950. Henretta opened her wheel, the Beach, Sun and Sand in 1955 with a thousand dollar loan from Jerome McLemore. She utilized her persuasive powers and leadership ability to recruited young Jamaican men to support her and her growing policy wheel. Within two years, she was worth a million dollars and had more than 40 runners and 10 controllers in her charge. One of Henretta main recruits was a colorful character from Kingston, Jamaica, named Richard Skinns. He had moved on the Westside with