The Godfather

 “The Godfather” By Mario Puzo
 
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Hagen said gently, “He won’t. He’ll talk to me and I’ll straighten him out. Everything will 
be OK. Tell him it’s very important, very, very important he come to the phone. OK?” 
It was almost five minutes before Carlo’s voice came over the phone, a voice half 
slurred by whiskey and sleep. Hagen spoke sharply to make him alert. 
“Listen, Carlo,” he said, “I’m going to tell you something very shocking. Now prepare 
yourself because when I tell it to you I want you to answer me very casually as if it’s less 
than it is. I told Connie it was important so you have to give her a story. Tell her the 
Family has decided to move you both to one of the houses in the mall and to give you a 
big job. That the Don has finally decided to give you a chance in the hope of making 
your home life better. You got that?” 
There was a hopeful note in Carlo’s voice as he answered, “Yeah, OK.” 
Hagen went on, “In a few minutes a couple of my men are going to knock on your door 
to take you away with them. Tell them I want them to call me first. Just tell them that. 
Don’t say anything else. I’ll instruct them to leave you there with Connie. OK?” 
“Yeah, yeah, I got it,” Carlo said. His voice was excited. The tension in Hagen’s voice 
seemed to have finally alerted him that the news coming up was going to be really 
important. 
Hagen gave it to him straight. “They killed Sonny tonight. Don’t say anything. Connie 
called him while you were asleep and he was on his way over there, but I don’t want her 
to know that, even if she guesses it, I don’t want her to know it for sure. She’ll start 
thinking it’s all her fault. Now I want you to stay with her tonight and not tell her anything. 
I want you to make up with her. I want you to be the perfect loving husband. And I want 
you to stay that way until she has her baby at least. Tomorrow morning somebody, 
maybe you, maybe the Don, maybe her mother, will tell Connie that her brother got 
killed. And I want you by her side. Do me this favor and I’ll take care of you in the times 
to come. You got that?” 
Carlo’s voice was a little shaky. “Sure, Tom, sure. Listen, me and you always got along. 
I’m grateful. Understand?” 
“Yeah,” Hagen said. “Nobody will blame your fight with Connie for causing this, don’t 
worry about that. I’ll take care of that.” He paused and softly, encouragingly, “Go ahead 
now, take care of Connie.” He broke the connection. 
He had learned never to make a threat, the Don had taught him that, but Carlo had 

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