Chapter 171: Chapter 171 Vito Corleone Wakes Up
"What time did you leave after meeting with them, and what happened after you left?"
"After we finished our discussion, I chose to leave and go home. I found out what happened later from the newspaper."
"So you don't know who attacked Sollozzo and McCluskey?"
Michael shrugged, "Of course not. Do I need to know?"
After the questioning, Michael and the lawyer left the police station. Although everyone suspected the Corleone family was behind it, there was no evidence.
The US is a country that requires evidence. Without evidence, even if he did it, you can't convict him. Moreover, there were witnesses who confirmed that Michael left the restaurant and got into a car. A few minutes after he left, two cars arrived and attacked the restaurant. No one saw Michael directly involved.
Even if the Corleone family was responsible, Michael didn't personally carry it out, nor did he need to.
The heads of the four families received calls from Sonny and Tom last night. The message was clear: the Corleone family would not tolerate the attack on their father and would retaliate. This was a Sicilian tradition. As for business matters, they could be discussed once the old Godfather recovered.
Last night's bombs indeed intimidated many. No one wanted to go to war with the Corleone family and risk their own family.
The purpose of the Mafia Commission was to resolve disputes among Mafia families.
The head of the Barzini family, the real mastermind behind this, thought for a long time after hanging up the phone, then called the other family heads. They agreed to temporarily set aside their differences and wait until Vito Corleone recovered.
Henry brought a stack of notes to Hardy's room.
"Boss, here's a report on the wiretapping situation."
"Based on our analysis, the first to contact and fully support Sollozzo was the Tattaglia family. The Tattaglia family has been experiencing financial losses in recent years and is eager to make money from the drug trade."
Hardy, having seen the Godfather movies, already knew the general situation. After hearing Henry's report, he understood their situation better.
"Boss, during the wiretapping, we also heard some interesting information. For example, the head of the Barzini family called an army logistics officer, bribing him to buy decommissioned transport planes to start an air transport company."
Hardy picked up on something.
"Is the military planning to decommission a batch of transport planes? Henry, find out more about this. You mentioned we also need some planes. If this is true, let's see if we can get some." Hardy instructed Henry.
"Alright, I'll find out," Henry replied.
After a week in a coma, the old Godfather finally woke up. The doctor checked him and smiled, saying, "Mr. Vito, you are very lucky. You were hit by five bullets, yet you have recovered so well. Just rest peacefully from now on."
The doctor left the room smiling, and the family members flooded into the ward.
The old Godfather's wife was the first to step forward. She bowed and kissed her husband, "Vito, it's so good to see you awake. I was terrified when I heard you were attacked."
Next, his children approached. The old Godfather saw his eldest son, Sonny, his second son, Fredo, and his youngest son, Michael. His daughter, son in law, and adopted son, Tom, also stood nearby. The old Godfather nodded contentedly.
No matter what happens, as long as his family is around, he fears nothing.
After the family members visited, the women left, and only the men remained in the room. The old Godfather looked around at his children and a few subordinates, weakly asking, "Tell me what happened after I was attacked."
"Father, the doctor said you need more rest and should not overexert yourself," Sonny said.
The old Godfather gently waved his hand and said, "I'll just lie here and listen. It's fine. Tom, you're the consigliere, you tell me."
Strictly speaking, Tom, as the consigliere, held a higher position in the gang than Sonny. When the old Godfather was gravely injured, Sonny had some say. Now, as the old Godfather inquired about the gang's affairs, Sonny was even behind Tessio and Clemenza in rank.
Tom, a lawyer by training, spoke clearly and methodically. He started with the attack on the Godfather, including his own kidnapping and coercion by Sollozzo, and recounted everything in detail.
When he mentioned that Sonny had sent people to kill Bruno, the son of Philip Tattaglia, the old Godfather frowned.
Later, when he heard about Sollozzo wanting to negotiate and Michael taking the initiative to handle it, killing Sollozzo and the police chief in a restaurant in a brutal explosion, the old Godfather was a bit surprised and looked at his youngest son standing nearby.
This youngest son had always been averse to the family business and hated using mafia methods, yet he had done such a ruthless thing.
Tom then talked about Michael's suggestions after he returned from the killings, such as exposing Sollozzo's drug dealing identity in the newspapers, revealing that the police chief had accepted bribes and acted as a henchman for drug dealers, and having Sonny and Tom call other families to temporarily stabilize the situation. The old Godfather looked at his youngest son with newfound respect.
It was clear that after the incident, his eldest son, Sonny, was only bent on revenge, oblivious to the approaching family crisis, and without the mindset to solve problems.
The second son, Fredo, was too timid and weak, utterly unsuitable for mafia life.
Yet, it was his most rebellious son, who was least willing to accept his arrangements, who stood up and cleverly resolved the family crisis.
More importantly, he had cleared his own name, handling the entire matter perfectly.
When Tom finished speaking, the old Godfather closed his eyes. Everyone in the room stood silently, waiting.
After a while, the old Godfather finally opened his eyes and weakly but firmly, said, "Sonny, you must leave. I know Philip well, he is vengeful. You orchestrated his son's death, he will surely retaliate."
"You should go stay in Sicily for a while. Wait until everything here is completely resolved. Then, when we call you back, you can return."