went to join them. After all, drinking was an industry tradition. Iâd grown up knowing that. My mother kept a list tacked up on the kitchen wall with telephone numbers for Radio Grill, Riccardoâs, Twin Anchors, Mister Kellyâs and my fatherâs other favorite bars, along with the numbers for the doctor and the fire department.
By the time Benny and I arrived at Boul Mich, everyone else was huddled together at the bar, talking with Red Maupin, the bartender. Their ashtrays were already full and the nut bowls nearly empty.
Mr. Ellsworth was telling everyone about when he first met Marty Sinclair. âThere was nothing that guy wouldnât do to get a story. . . . Heâd never let a little thing like ethics get in the way of him and a byline. . . .â
People listened, nodding as Mr. Ellsworth spoke. I could tell everyone was still bewildered over what had happened.
âLetâs face it,â said Henry, speaking to the group. âThe guy was between a rock and a hard place. He tried to take on the Mob, for Christâs sake.â
âHenrotin Hospitalâs probably the safest place for him right now,â said Peter.
The others agreed.
Earlier that day, after Marty had been carted off and things had quieted down, Iâd taken a few minutes to pull Martyâs story from the morgue. Apparently his source was a gangster, an underling to Anthony âBig Tonyâ Pilaggi, a lieutenant in the Chicago Outfit. Six months ago Pilaggi had been on trial for murder and got off after his mistress testified that he was with her at the time of the murder. There was some bad blood between Martyâs source and Big Tony, something to do with promises made and broken, so apparently he had gone to Marty and told him that Big Tonyâs mistress fabricated the alibi. He knew this for a fact, because Pilaggiâs mistress had been with him the night of the murder. Marty reported the story, but had refused to reveal his source, so the information couldnât be used in a court of law. Thatâs why he was under so much pressure now.
Walter banged his pipe against the ashtray on the bar, cutting into my thoughts. âIf Marty gave up his source,â he said, âthey probably could have put Big Tony away for life.â
âYeah, and Marty would be six feet under right now,â said Randy.
âWhy Marty?â asked Benny.
âCâmon, think about it,â said Peter, giving Benny a light clip on the ear. âMartyâs source, whoever the hell the guy isâand letâs not get started on that guessing game. Could be any one of a hundredlugs out there gunning for Big Tony. But one thing we know is that whoever it was would have been a marked man for ratting out Big Tony. The source wouldnât have been too happy with Marty about that, either. And then you got Big Tony, who would have put a hit on Marty for opening up the murder case again.â
âI still thought heâd cave,â said Walter.
âYouâre crazy,â said Randy. âAnd if you ask me, Marty was crazy for dredging up Big Tonyâs murder case again in the first place.â
âYeah,â said Henry. âBut you know Marty. Heâs fearless when it comes to chasing down a scoop.â
âThe real shame is that he tried to do a good thing,â said Benny. âMarty just wanted to get to the truth and expose the real story, and look where it got him.â
There was a lull in the conversation, and I pondered what Benny said. On one hand, as a reporter you have a responsibility to reveal the truth. But on the other hand, in doing so, you could wind up in jail, or worseâdead. If Iâd been in Martyâs shoes, I didnât know what I would have done.
âHow long do you think heâll be in the hospital?â asked M.
âDo you think theyâre going to give him electric shock treatment?â asked Gabby. âI