Chapter 2.5

Three months later, Hagen hurried through the paper work in his city office hoping to

leave early enough for some Christmas shopping for his wife and children. He was

interrupted by a phone call from a Johnny Fontane bubbling with high spirits. The picture

had been shot, the rushes, whatever the hell they were, Hagen thought, were fabulous.

He was sending the Don a present for Christmas that would knock his eyes out, he'd

bring it himself but there were some little things to be done in the movie. He would have

to stay out on the Coast. Hagen tried to conceal his impatience. Johnny Fontane's

charm had always been lost on him. But his interest was aroused. "What is it?" he

asked. Johnny Fontane chuckled and said, "I can't tell, that's the best part of a

Christmas present." Hagen immediately lost all interest and finally managed, politely, to

hang up.

Ten minutes later his secretary told him that Connie Corleone was on the phone and

wanted to speak to him. Hagen sighed. As a young girl Connie had been nice, as a

married woman she was a nuisance. She made complaints about her husband. She

kept going home to visit her mother for two or three days. And Carlo Rizzi was turning

out to be a real loser. He had been fixed up with a nice little business and was running it

into the ground. He was also drinking, whoring around, gambling and beating his wife up

occasionally. Connie hadn't told her family about that but she had told Hagen. He

wondered what new tale of woe she had for him now.

But the Christmas spirit seemed to have cheered her up. She just wanted to ask Hagen

what her father would really like for Christmas. And Sonny and Fred and Mike. She

already knew what she would get her mother. Hagen made some suggestions, all of

which she rejected as silly. Finally she let him go.

When the phone rang again, Hagen threw his papers back into the basket. The hell with

it. He'd leave. It never occurred to him to refuse to take the call, however. When his

secretary told him it was Michael Corieone he picked up the phone with pleasure. He

had always liked Mike.

"Tom," Michael Corleone said, "I'm driving down to the city with Kay tomorrow. There's

something important I want to tell the old man before Christmas. Will he be home

tomorrow night?"

"Sure," Hagen said. "He's not going out of town until after Christmas. Anything I can do

for you?"

Michael was as closemouthed as his father. "No," he said. "I guess I'll see you

Christmas, everybody is going to be out at Long Beach, right?"

"Right," Hagen said. He was amused when Mike hung up on him without any small talk.

He told his secretary to call his wife and tell her he would be home a little late but to

have some supper for him. Outside the building he walked briskly downtown toward

Macy's. Someone stepped in his way. To his surprise he saw it was Sollozzo.

Sollozzo took him by the arm and said quietly, "Don't be frightened. I just want to talk to

you." A car parked at the curb suddenly had its door open. Sollozzo said urgently, "Get

in, I want to talk to you.".

Hagen pulled his arm loose. He was still not alarmed, just irritated. "I haven't got time,"

he said. At that moment two men came up behind him. Hagen felt a sudden weakness

in his legs. Sollozzo said softly, "Get in the car. If I wanted to kill you you'd be dead now.

Trust me."

Without a shred of trust Hagen got into the car.