The next day, the Oliveri family got some bad news. The night before, it appeared Jack would make a complete recovery. But by noon the following day, doctors discovered a brain bleed they hadn’t detected. There was some swelling around his brain. Jack would need surgery. Angela called Tony with the news, crying.

“They say he has maybe a 50/50 chance,” she said. “Father McAdam is going to the hospital to see him.”

“He’s going to be all right, honey. He’s a tough kid,” Tony said. He had his doubts. If the priest from St. Francis was going to the hospital, it must be to administer last rites.

They talked for a while. Angela asked Tony if he could meet her at the church to say a prayer. “I want to, but the captain wants to see me at two o’clock. You say one for both of us.”

“I have a question. I’m afraid to ask,” Angela said.

“What?”

“Is Jack in a lot of trouble?”

“No.” Rizzo wasn’t sure what he would do, but now was not the time to talk to Angela about it. Sykes knew about the betting slips, and being a good cop, he no doubt relayed the information to the captain. Had he known that his partner had given them to Fortunato, he too would have been in a bind.

At two o’clock, Rizzo walked into Captain Hamilton’s office, alone. Sykes was nowhere to be found. “Sit down Tony,” the captain said. The captain had been on the job for 25 years. He wore wire rimmed glasses and always sat ramrod straight. An imposing figure, his uniform was always neatly pressed. “I understand we have a situation here.”

Rizzo, not wanting to fall into a trap waited, hoping the captain would continue. But Hamilton was far too experienced. He folded his hands on the desktop and waited.

“Well sir, I was going to come and talk to you about that. It’s about my fiancée and her family.”

“You want to let that bookie skate so you don’t break any eggs with your girl? What about her father and her brother? I know the kid is lying in a hospital bed, but there’s still a problem when he recovers.” He leaned back and waited.

Rizzo had been contemplating his response ever since that morning when he heard the captain wanted to see him. He took a deep breath. “I think I’m going to have to resign, sir.”

The captain nodded. “Spend the rest of the day with your girl’s family. Come back and see me tomorrow morning at ten.” He stood up. “And don’t repeat what you just said to anybody. Got it?”

Jack Oliveri did well in surgery. The pressure was relieved and the swelling started to go down. “He’s young,” the doctor said. “We’ll have to keep him here at the hospital a little longer, but it looks good.” Mr. Oliveri took everyone to Nicastro’s for dinner. The mood was somber, but their spirits were lifted.

After dinner, Oliveri took Tony aside. “What are you going to do? I mean can you get us out of this?’

“It’s up to the captain. I’ll see what I can do, but don’t expect too much.”

Oliveri was downcast. “I’ve made some mistakes. My family shouldn’t have to suffer.” His voice trailed off.   

The next morning Rizzo walked into the captain’s office. “Shut the door,” the captain said. “I’ve spent some time thinking about your problem, Tony. It’s not a perfect world.” He drummed his fingers on his desk. “Sykes tells me that you and your girlfriend are very happy together.” He adjusted his glasses. “If we throw the book at Fortunato and the Oliveri family, I think your paradise may be lost.”

“I think that’s a real possibility, Captain, but I know you have a job to do.”

The captain agreed. “The guy we really want is Ralph Fortunato. We want to put him out of business.” He smiled. “There’s more than one way to do that.”

“How?”

“His grocery store is due for a health inspection.” The captain looked at a note on his desk. “I think a spot inspection for electrical and plumbing code violations is also in order. Did you know he has a son who’s a building contractor? Getting permits just got tougher.”

The captain stretched his arms out over his head. “Tony, Fortunato isn’t going to have time to run a bookmaking operation.” He stood up. “One more thing. If he does try to make book in Newark, ever again, I’ll personally see to it his other friends in the business decide it’s in their best interests to shut him down.”

Rizzo felt a surge of hope. “That will fix his wagon.”

“Yeah, but there’s still the matter of your future father-in-law and his son. In the long run, that’s a bigger problem than Fortunato.”

“You’re right.,” Rizzo said.

“Do you have any ideas, Tony?” He returned to his seat.

“No, but I think Mr. Oliveri realizes he made a mistake.”

“We checked your future father-in-law out. He doesn’t have a record, so that helps.” He glanced at the report on his desk. He looked at Rizzo and waited until he was sure he had the young officer’s full attention.  “When the kid recovers, I’ll go to their house and meet with them.” He pointed at the young officer. “I’m going to put the fear of God into both of them. When I’m done, they’ll understand you gave them a break, but you can’t save them if it happens again. I’ll throw the book at both of them.” 

“Thank you, Captain.” Rizzo was more than grateful. “But I still feel like I did something wrong.”

“You did. Learn from it.” His voice softened a bit. “You fell in love. Happens all the time. But justice will be done. I guarantee it.” He stood up again and shook Officer Rizzo’s hand. “I hope I’m invited to the wedding. Mrs. Hamilton loves weddings.”