The Valachi Papers by Peter Maas

Author:Peter Maas [Maas, Peter]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: ePub Bud (www.epubbud.com)
Published: 0100-12-30T16:00:00+00:00

With both Luciano and Genovese at least temporarily out of the picture, Frank Costello became acting boss of the Luciano Family. This would have immethate and serious repercussions for Valachi. Not that he had any personal difficulty with Costello. "Frank," he notes, "was a peaceful guy, a diplomat." The trouble was that he did not know Costello well, and this left Valachi vulnerable to the whims of his lieutenant, Tony Bender, whom he had intensely disliked from their first meeting.

Costello, moreover, was far less concerned about Family matters than he was in caring for his own booming enterprise—his slot machine racket, which had become national in scale; his huge bookmaking operation; his gambling casino interests, including the famous Beverly Club outside New Orleans; and his partnership, necessarily silent since he was a former bootlegger, in a wholesale liquor firm dien realizing $35,000 a month as the exclusive distributor in the United States for King's Ransom Scotch.

To inquiring reporters Costello liked to emphasize his legitimate interests in real estate, oil, and similar ventures, and he is in fact probably one of the few Cosa Nostra chieftains who might have achieved great success as a businessman. He also is not without a sense of humor. Once pressed about his role in gambling, he observed, "Some people are common gamblers. I am an uncommon gambler."*

When Costello wanted to, however, he did not hesitate to show his hand. His habit was—and still is—to enjoy the steam baths at a Manhattan hotel in the late afternoon whenever he could. The night manager approached him on one such occasion and explained that other clients were expressing some dismay at his presence.

"You mean you don't want me to come here anymore?" Costello said.

"If it were up to me," the night manager said, "you could come all you want. But we have been getting these complaints. You know how some people are."

The next morning none of the hotel's employees —chambermaids, waiters, elevator boys, maintenance men, kitchen help, and so on—reported for work. Eventually the frantic general manager discovered what had happened and immethately telephoned Costello.

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