kept his composure.
He changed the subject and asked Bonni if she was hungry. He did not want to talk about Motorhead with the bodyguards present. And he didn't want to go back into the boardroom.
Giardina thought about Eric and the plane ride back to DC. But, she knew the Motorhead situation needed to be discussed and hopefully resolved. Eric would keep.
Bonni said, "Sure, how about Italian?"
Sal knew the perfect place. He called the restaurant. He told them to clear his table and that they would be there in fifteen minutes.
Eric met them at the limo and opened the door for them. The Senator glanced at Eric's eyes, but he avoided making eye contact. He knew what was in store for him on the plane ride back to DC.
Bonni and Sal guided their bodies on to the plush limo seats inside. Eric closed the door. He moved around the limo and sat in the front seat with the driver.
Eric instinctively knew to close the thick compartment barrier between the front and rear sections. There was no way for him or the driver to hear what was being said in the back. Senator Giardina had requisitioned an additional $350,000 of soundproofing from one of the 17 budgets she oversaw to customize her 'at home' limo.
Sal Venuti, one of the most powerful underworld figures on the West Coast took his usual spot across from the Senator. Venuti managed to stay off the FBI's radar thanks to Senator Giardina running interference for him in D.C. He owed her for his good fortune.
The two secret service agents mounted a government motors, Chevy Suburban. Then Sal's people got into their Cadillac Escalade. Both cars followed the limo. Sal's people differed to the government’s Suburban.
Sal held down the speaker button and told the driver to take them to the Iron Kettle. Along the way Sal open the Motorhead situation conversation with, "Don't worry, we're insulated."
Senator Giardina knew from her father that politicians in the past had gotten away with murder. But that thought was not as reassuring as Sal's confidence.
She recalled another limo discussion with Sal. That one occurred about a month before the Samoan family's death. She rationalized her actions as any greedy, little girl would. The end would justify her financial means.
Senator Giardina's obsession with money was not put to rest after marrying Simon Wooster and his millions. Her greed knew no bounds. The first thing she thought about in the morning and the last thing before going to sleep was money, except when Eric was handy. Then money was number two but only for a few moments of ecstasy.
The daunting silence that was the next twenty minutes spoke of the growing strain in their relationship. Bonni sat on her civilized perch sipping her second scotch and water. Sal recalled why he opposed her on the Motorhead action.
Sal Venuti was a union guy. His blood ran thick with family union members. His grandfather, Tony Venuti was a union organizer. He reported to Francesco "Frank" Lanza. Then Anthony Lima took over the union after Lanza's death.
Lanza ran San Francisco's mob during prohibition. He secured the docks with the help of Sal's grandfather. The union workers even helped unload bootleg booze during prohibition. That is if they wanted to keep their jobs secure. Whatever Tony Venuti wanted, Lanza gave him.
Tony endeared himself to the mob by surviving a shotgun blast from police during the Rincon Hill strikers' demonstration on "bloody Thursday", July 5, 1934. As a steering committee member, he helped cement the union's power in San Francisco and along the West Coast.
Tony wanted his oldest son to go to college. He approached Lima with a request to help his son go to college. Lima commented. “We could always use a good accountant".
Lima paid all expenses for Joseph Anthony Venuti to attend Stanford. Joe, as he was called around the union shops, graduated with an accounting degree. He became the local union treasurer.
Joe Venuti married Janet Benet who he met at Stanford. Salvatore William Venuti was born on Christmas day, 1951.
Bonni broke the silence. "Sal we have insured Motorhead's profits by keeping the minimum wage low, keeping the unions out and holding off on asbestos renovations. I don't think my father would have approved of this situation becoming a matter of contention between us.”
Senator Giardina tried to say this with authority. In reality, she was nervous. If any details of her involvement were to leak to the press, the political career she so desperately coveted would be over.
The limo turned up an alley in North Beach. It stopped in the rear of a black faced building with a symbol of a kettle on the sign hanging over the door. There were small spotlights on either side of the sign. Without those spotlights, no one would even suspect that there was a restaurant here.
Eric jumped out of the front seat and opened the back door of the limo. Bonni and Sal got out. Bonni put her arm under Sal's. She needed to steady herself after powering down her last two drinks.
One of Sal's people opened and went through the restaurant door first to check things out. He came back out and nodded. Sal and Bonni entered the restaurant and were escorted through the small, nine-table dining room.
The waiter's doors opened into the kitchen and they stepped through. Once inside the kitchen, Sal led Bonni to the booth in the back corner of the kitchen.
The Iron Kettle was San Francisco's top, most exclusive eatery. Reservations were as hard to get as peaches in winter. You could get them if you had enough money and knew the right people.
Sal had helped the owner refinance the Kettle over a dozen years ago. With Sal's contacts, the restaurant thrived. The street tax was minimal but enough to pay for an Escalade or two every year.
Eric waited in the car with the driver. A server eventually came out and gave them meatball sandwiches and several bottles of imported water. The bodyguards stood just inside the restaurant's back door and the waiter's door. All was secure.
Sal ordered a bottle of Tiziano 2003 Chianti wine. "Good choice," said Bonni.
The Senator knew little about wine. But, she would always say, "good choice", to whoever ordered the wine. It didn't matter what they ordered. Bonni did not want to be perceived as less of an expert than the person who ordered.
After the waiter poured the wine, Sal asked him what was not on the menu. Sal had a habit of ordering something he had a taste for or wanted to experiment with. This made him feel special and original.
The waiter's eyes lite up. He knew if Sal was pleased with his suggestion, a big tip was in his immediate future. The waiter said. "The chief is experimenting with new Natalia Ravida recipe, Pennette con la buccia de limone."
Sal looked a Bonni. "We'll take two."
Bonni said, "Good choice,” right on cue.
While they were waiting for their meals Senator Giardina inquired, "Who were the people you used to hold off Motorhead's unionization attempt?"
Sal recalled their initial conversation about this.
Chapter 15 Good Choices
Sal Venuti, the union man, bit his tongue. "You have nothing to worry about. We used hired help from Europe and they’re dead. There is nothing
