Killing Them Softly (Cogan's Trade Movie Tie-in Edition)

don’t have to say nothing to them. But that sure don’t stop them from saying something to you. They toss you in New York,’ he said, ‘it’s gonna take them, always, three or four hours, before you can see a judge,and all the time they’re
talking
to you. I think them guys’ve got cassettes in them. “You’re a lost dude this time. You’re gonna go in and you’re never gonna come out again. You’re crazy, that’s all. We know you’re not in it alone. You better talk about it.” ’ So, he was probably pissing his pants when he called me. So I told him: ‘Russell, I tell you what: I’ll get you a lawyer. That’s all I can do for you.’ ”
    â€œThe fuck’s a lawyer gonna do for him?” Amato said.
    â€œHe’s gonna do it for me,” Frankie said. “He’s gonna get Russell off my back. He wanted Mike Zinna.”
    â€œI doubt if you can get him Mike,” Amato said. “I doubt if Mike’ll touch him.”
    â€œOh, for Christ sake,” Frankie said. “Of course I can’t get him Mike. I can’t afford Mike, I couldn’t get Mike for myself. And Mike, Mike couldn’t do nothing for him. What’s he gonna do, the guy’s alone and he’s got it in his hands? Make it disappear? What Russell really needs is a magician. No, I got him Toby.”
    â€œI dunno Toby,” Amato said.
    â€œThat’s because you never had nothing to do with junk,” Frankie said. “When they grab you with the junk, you call Toby and you pay him no more’n a grand and he gets you as good a deal as anybody could. The cops all know him. He’s cheap and all the good anybody can do for Russell, Toby’ll do it, and without going all ape-shit and telling the guy to give them the names of everybody he ever saw.
    â€œAdded to which,” Frankie said, “there’s certain things Toby won’t do, and that’s good for me. Because Russell’s gonna want something else, I figure.”
    â€œSomebody hit the guy he thinks put him in,” Amato said.
    â€œRight,” Frankie said. “So, all right, I’m a bastard,but there’s no way inna world he’s gonna be able, get Toby to tell me that, and I’m not personally gonna go down and see him.”
    â€œWhere is he?” Amato said.
    â€œCharles Street,” Frankie said.
    â€œYou’ll get the message, then,” Amato said.
    â€œI don’t object to hearing it,” Frankie said. “You hear it, you can always say, well, what the fuck, I wouldn’t go around and do something like that on what I heard. No, if the guy asked me, I’d have to tell him something, I guess, and I don’t wanna do that, you know? I like Russell. He was all right to me, and I told him, not to do this. But shit, Goat-ass just did what he wanted, he went out and stole four pounds of procaine or something like that, and I suppose some fuckin’ cop was bright enough, starts wondering who wants pounds of that stuff and that was it for Russell. Goat-ass didn’t do anything. And besides, who the fuck am I? I didn’t, I don’t know anybody.”
    â€œI see where Trattman knows a couple guys or so, though,” Amato said.
    â€œThat poor bastard,” Frankie said.
    â€œWell,” Amato said, “I mean, it wasn’t like, you didn’t expect it or something.”
    â€œSure,” Frankie said. “But, you know, when it didn’t happen, and Russell was telling me all that stuff there, then I was scared shitless, it wasn’t gonna happen. I thought it was gonna happen to me. That don’t mean, well, yeah, I’m glad it happened to him. But, I still wish it didn’t even happen to him, you know? Didn’t have to. Like Russell. I knew this was gonna happen to Russell. I told him. But the fuck, I know the guy. And I can’t do nothing to help him. I don’t know anybody.”
    â€œHe took his chances,” Amato said.
    â€œSure,” Frankie said, “and now he’s gonna take his time. And you’re taking your chances and I’m taking my chances and we’re gonna do this thing, sooner or later, and probably they’re not gonna get us this time, either. But I was thinking about it, right? Suppose, me and Dean go in the place, all of a sudden we got all kinds of cops around. Who do I call? Who do I call, that’s