"Benny, Vito wants me to tells you, there is no reason to visit the docks this evenin'," Gino Palumbo asserted to the beat cop. Gino stood almost a foot taller than the older New York City Police Officer.

"Yea? Alright, Gino. What gives?" Benny LaGuardia asked the younger Italian man. Gino's older cousin Vito ran the docks for the Scarpello Family. Officer LaGuardia received a stipend of the family's profits in order to keep his nose out of their family's business.

"Wadda ya mean, [i]what gives?[/i] You know as much as I do. Vito tells me to tells you, there is no reason to visit the docks, capiche?" Gino was mildly annoyed with the pig's response. He would have loved to punch him right there, but didn't want any unnecessary attention.

"Yea, yea, capiche," Benny answered Gino, who handed him an envelope as their conversation concluded. The New York City Police officer took the envelope and slipped it into his overcoat pocket. "Alright, you have a good night, Gino. Catch ya laters."

"Yea, take it easy officer LaGuardia."

Benny turned north on 4th Avenue, heading up to a certain establishment on the corner of 26th. The brothel run by Sal Mazzara was one of the Scarpello businesses. Benny told Guido Santucci, he'd meet him there later. Guido, like Benny was a veteran of the 308th Infantry Regiment; or The Lost Battalion. The two survived that living hell in a French Forest in late 1918. After the war they both came home and hired onto the New York City Police Department. Guido was, strictly speaking, Benny's partner for the evening. Guido didn't know about the extra income he received from Vito Palumbo and probably would have been open to receiving some outside funding as well, but Benny believed it better not to share this information. Besides, he knew he could steer his partner away from the docks tonight.

"Hey Guido!" Benny yelled at the 71" tall Italian Police Officer dressed in police navy blue.

"Hello Johnny! How's it hanging brother?" Guido responded to Benny's greeting, using his more familiar nickname; only family members and brothers from his army days call him Johnny. People who did not know Benedetto Giovanni LaGuardia from his days as a boy growing up in Little Italy called him Benny. Close friends and family have always referred to him by the nickname of his middle named, Johnny. Sergeant Patrick O'Sullivan, his immediate supervisor tended to refer to him strictly as Officer LaGuardia to his face and Officer Dago behind his back. In regards to both LaGuardia and Santucci, Officers Dago and Wop or simply, the Greaseball brothers. There were only ten Italian police officers in a precinct that was almost exclusively Irish. Benny and Guido did feel outnumbered, but they really didn't feel a strong sense of loyalty to their chain of command. It allowed them to be a bit more discretionary with their police work.

"That fucking Mick wants us to rattle these whores here on 4th," Guido spoke in hushed tones to Benny.

"Yea, I know," LaGuardia kicked at a pebble on the sidewalk. "How about that [i]narrow back[/i] tellin' us to go roust a legitimate business like Sal's place." They walked on in silence heading north toward 23rd Street. "Hey! I got it! I hear Paddy Murphy's place on 19th and 5th just got in five barrels of that Irish swill. Maybe we go and roust them fer a bit instead?"

"Yea, brother. let's do that," Guido responded. "I'm kinda bored anyway." The two Italian-American Police Officers hastened their pace continuing north toward the Irish speakeasy. Benny ran his hand over his .38 Military & Police Model of 1905 revolver simply to feel comforted it was there if he needed it.