Club Cargo

By Jack Kregas

Boston in the 1960s was in the grip of Irish and Italian gangs.

Willie Shine was a young gambler with an ambitious proposal to open a club. Permission from gangster boss Jack Ross was needed. Willie’s business partner was living with Ross’s daughter.

Detective Ryan, the head of a task force empowered to bring down the gangs, despised Willie for seducing his daughter.

Club Cargo became the in-place to be in Boston until is was attacked in a drive-by shooting. Who was to blame? Who would benefit? Willie was left without knowing who or why as he followed a trail of deception to an unexpected showdown.

An insight into the world of gangsters, gambling, trust, deception, and revenge, written with the slang, the music, and the values of the era.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jack Kregas
• Release date: Jul 7, 2020
• ISBN: 9780463412916

Jack Kregas

Jack Kregas was born in New England in the north east of the United States. After a stint in the US Army, he was discharged in Europe and the next forty years were spent skiing and living life to the max as well as creating several successful businesses.Winters in the Alps and summers windsurfing on Maui, Jack departed Switzerland for Maui full time with his Australian wife and small daughter. After five years he moved the family to Australia and became an Australian citizen.Jack now lives in Brisbane and plays golf and tournament poker. After having published his first book in 2015, an autobiography, It's All About Me and a few others of his adventurous life, he has written another thirteen books the latest being THE VEGAS TRANSACTIONS published in July 2021 and How to lose at Texas Holdem in September 2121.

Book preview

PART I

PROLOGUE

"My name is Willie Shine. Sorry, five words and I have already told my first lie. My name is Wiluś Shinronski, with a little mark over the s in Wiluś. It is a version of Wilhelm in Polish and really has its roots in Germany but that is another story. On my birth certificate dating my birth as 30 October 1945, I am Wiluś Shinronski. For simplicity, my school friends always called me Willie, but my family always used William.

"My mother was a devout Catholic while my father was part Jewish even though he would never admit it. He only ever accompanied her to church at Christmas and Easter. On other Sundays and religious days, my mother dragged my brother and I along with her. My brother, two years younger, was baptized Albin, another Polish name. He became Alley to most and graduated from Tufts University with a degree in business. I took a different road to my future. From when I was four years old, I was a gambler.

It is fair to ask how a four-year-old becomes a gambler. The answer is straight forward. I followed my father around.

CHAPTER 1

Jakub drove a delivery truck for the Post Office. He delivered parcels while at the same time making frequent stops to pick up bets for his other boss, the local bookmaker. Having two jobs was not unusual. Having two jobs you liked was. While Alley was at home in the care of his mother, young Willie often rode with his father. Postal customers, as well as those using the other personal service, always greeted the smiling Willie and on occasion gave him a ten-cent tip. A four-year-old learns fast. Willie became friendlier, gave bigger smiles, and addressed the individuals by name to ensure the tips continued.

Jakub was not beyond occasionally taking a few dollars of his son’s tips and putting them on a nag. Once, when Willie saw his father excited after the man behind the barred window handed him a fistful of bills, he asked if he could give the man some of his tips to have more given back. Jakub had to explain that he had bet on a horse which had won a race. He told Willie he would bet for him as long as it was a secret between them. His mother must not know. Willie loved secrets. They made him closer to his father. He also liked that a few times, when he gave his father twenty-five cents, seventy-five cents came back.

Zofia read to her children every night. Many of the stories were of a religious nature, others of Polish heroes or tales from folklore. Willie looked forward to hearing his mother read. She inspired him so that by the age of four he had learned to read and by five had books he read by himself. He was also good at numbers which surprised his mother as well as his kindergarten teacher.

When Willie was five years old his family gave him a magic set for Christmas. There were a few simple tricks a five-year-old could learn and wow his family and friends. After three times around, the tricks lost their appeal. One of the items in the set was a deck of cards. It was a small deck consisting of only twenty cards to make it easy for small hands to handle. Willie spent hours manipulating the cards, learning shuffling skills and memorizing the suits and numbers. Cards were his favorite toy.

By the age of six when he started grade school, he was ahead of his class in reading and math. He was also the only six-year-old who was proficient at translating the daily racing form. Willie liked school but missed being with his father on the delivery route. His father sometimes worked Saturdays allowing Willie to accompany him. On one of these days Jakub made a delivery to an apartment located over a bar. The entrance was by an outside stairway. Jakub knocked on the door, was identified and invited into a room where a number of illegal gambling tables were in use. Willie noticed the cards being used on the tables, realizing that they were different from the ones he had. When Mr. Tully had finished business with his father, he greeted Willie by handing him a shiny quarter.

Willie spoke up. Sir, I appreciate you giving me a tip. I would like to give it back to you. I would like to buy one of those decks of cards. Please sir.

Mr. Tully looked down at Willie. Then laughed.

You wait here my boy and I will see what I can do.

Jakub spoke to his son. You cannot speak like that to Mr. Tully. You have to say thank you and be happy with the tip.

Mr. Tully heard the end of the conversation as he returned. It’s okay, Jakub. Your boy knows what he wants. I like that. Willie, here is a deck of cards for you. They are not new, but they are all there. The deal is you get the cards and you pay the quarter.

Thank you, Mr. Tully sir, thank you. Willie handed over the quarter.

Willie’s eyes lit up as he took the pack of cards that Mr. Tully handed him.

Mr. Tully spoke to Jakub. In a few years, send him around. He’s the kind I will always have a job for.

Jakub shook Mr. Tully’s hand. Thank you. He does have a mind of his own.

From the time Willie got home and opened his first deck of real cards, he somehow knew that the relationship between him and cards would be lifelong.

CHAPTER 2

Willie, by ten years old had spent hours, days, weeks, and yes, years practicing with his deck of cards. That Willie had large hands for his age was a distinct advantage, making the deck more comfortable in his hands. His ability to shuffle and cut the cards with one hand pleased him but it was not enough. He had gone to the school library where he found books on card magic, how to deal and how to cheat. He took these books home and studied them. Practice did make perfect, or at least good enough, for Willie to impress his friends and family with card tricks and slight-of-hand magic.

His new-found talent also worked against him. He was able to convince his friends to play poker for pennies until they thought his ability to handle cards possibly meant that he was cheating them. The idea of cheating was not one that Willie entertained. He could win without it. He could count cards to some degree and manipulate a stray ace but never employed these techniques when playing. In his mind card tricks and magic were one thing but gambling with cards was a question of skill. With skill and a bit of luck, there was no need to cheat.

Cards were not the only means of making money for young Willie. Pitching pennies against the wall in the toilets was one way. Another was matching a handful of nickels against another person’s stack, one choosing odds or even. Two heads or two tails was even, with a head and a tail being odds. Willie usually won in whatever game he played.

Selecting horses on a racing form was an entirely different game. No matter how much effort one put into studying the form, the winner was often a long shot. From time to time, his father won a few bets but over the long term he was a loser with the bookmaker being the only one raking in the cash. Willie told his father that a wager on a horse is just throwing money away and he would be better off staking his son in a poker game.

Jakub did not want his son gambling. Card tricks were one thing. Playing for money was something else, and besides, he was far too young. He told Willie that doing magic with cards was fun and he should keep learning. Gambling with cards, poker, gin rummy, or blackjack would be a dead end.

He told his son emphatically, No gambling! Willie did as he was told.

The wind came from the north with a chill announcing the arrival of fall. Leaves blew in the street. Willie walked while talking with his friend Sam on the way home from school. Rounding the corner to his street, Willie saw a police car in front of his house. People were gathering. Willie and Sam ran towards the car and his house.

Hey slow down, said the policewoman.

That’s my house. I’m going in. Willie and Sam pushed by the officer and into the house.

Willie ran straight to his mother, followed closely by the uniformed officer and a man in plain clothes.

What is it Mom? What has happened?

Your father. Your father has had an accident.

Where is he? Is he okay? Panic filled Willie’s voice.

Son, your father had an accident today. He was working on his truck when for some reason it fell off the jack and onto him. We think he was changing a tire.

Where is he?

The man went down on one knee looking straight into Willie’s eyes. I am sorry son, your father died. There was nothing we could do.

Willie glared at the man. He pushed passed him, going to his mother, and holding her.

It will be alright Mom. I am here.

Alley ran into the room crying before throwing his arms around his mother. The three of them sobbed with the onlookers helpless in consoling them.

The funeral for Jakub Shinronski was a memorable affair. Post Office workers and friends packed the small church along with men that only Willie knew. After the service, one by one, they came up to Willie and handed him an envelope with many saying, Very sorry Willie, you father was a good man.

Zofia Shinronski maintained a brave front, staying composed and tear-free during the ceremony. She had no more tears to shed. The love of her life had been abruptly taken away. Now it was up to her to care for and provide for her two boys on her own. She was determined to be strong for them while now being faced with finding a job to make ends meet. Worries about survival replaced sadness and loss.

The three of them, Zofia, Alley, and Willie sat in their living room. No one spoke, lost in their own thoughts. Willie reached into his pocket and took out the envelopes which, up until then, he had forgotten about.

What is all that? asked Zofia.

Dad’s friends gave them to me. He had a lot of friends from his route.

Willie opened an envelope and took out a five-dollar bill. Most of the other envelopes contained bills between one and ten dollars. Two had twenties. In all Willie counted $117.

Here Mom, this will help with the food.

Thank you, but you keep it William. You will need it for school.

The accident was investigated, and the Post Office determined that somehow the straps of a canvas mail pouch had become entangled in the rear-wheel axle of the truck while it was backing up to the loading bay. They thought that Jakub must have jacked the truck up so he could crawl underneath to remove the pouch. Either the loaded truck was too heavy for the jack or it was just fate that the jack did not hold the weight, making the truck slip and crush Jakub’s chest. There were no witnesses to the accident with another worker finding Jakub more than ten minutes after the event.

The Post Office paid Zofia the amount covered by their insurance. Zofia was thankful for the money knowing, after a quick calculation, it would only be sufficient for her family to survive for a maximum of six months. This added to her panic of having no luck in finding work. She would have to take any job available.

Willie was tall for his age and was street smart well beyond his twelve years. It had been painful for him watching his mother struggle to put food on their table. She worked part-time cleaning homes as well as taking in washing when she could. His mother deserved better. It was time for Willie to take charge.

The door finally opened after repeated knocks. A huge man with a gruff voice stood over him.

What do you want?

I am here to see Mr. Tully.

What makes you think he wants to see you boy?

Willie straightened to his full height, looking up at the giant. Because he offered me a job.

The man was not sure if what he was hearing was true, but he also knew Tully was known to do whatever came into his head. Tully presented nice enough, but underneath there was a mean streak that all who worked for, or with him, had seen or been subjected to at some time. He thought, I can always blame the kid.

Wait here.

Mr. Tully came to the door.

Willie, come on in. How you been? Very sad about your dad. What can I do for you?

Sir, you told me once that you would offer me a job when I got older. I am older now. There is a lot I can do around here. Anything you want. I need to earn money to help my mom.

Tully studied the boy. He is a go-getter. No shyness with him. Tully decided to have some fun.

Willie, you remember that deck of cards you bought from me. I want you to show me if you have learned to deal them. Follow me.

Willie followed Tully to a table where seven-card stud was being dealt to five players with others standing around watching the action.

Sorry to interrupt your game. This will only take a minute. Joe pass Willie here a deck.

Joe handed Willie the deck.

Willie took the deck in one hand. He looked at Mr. Tully as he moved the deck around in his hand doing three quick one-handed cuts. He then did a couple of riffle shuffles before starting a Hindu shuffle. He turned to a man sitting at the table.

Looks like you could use the ace of spades. Tell me when to stop.

Willie continued to shuffle until the man said stop.

Here you go. Willie turned the ace of spades.

Before anyone could react, Willie continued to shuffle the cards while asking the only woman at the table a question.

Forgive me madam, I know it’s impolite, but would you mind telling me your age or what you would like it to be.

Thirty-one, came the reply.

Willie speed-shuffled the deck letting one card escape to his other hand where it twirled face down on his finger before flipping over in front of the woman showing a three. He then fanned the deck and asked the lady to take a card and not look at it. She took a card. He asked if she wanted to exchange it for another. She said no. He told her to turn the card. It was the ace of hearts. Her two cards read thirty-one.

Willie turned to the man with the least chips in front of him. Looks like you could use a winning hand. I mean, at least see what one looks like.

The cards were shuffled with three different techniques, all at speed. Willie asked the man to cut the deck. He then lay a royal flush in front of him.

Good luck to you the rest of the day.

Willie lay the deck on the table and backed away to applause from everyone.

Now that was quite an exhibition Willie.

Does it mean you will give me a job, Mr. Tully? I can only work after school and weekends. I need the job, Mr. Tully.

Come see me Saturday morning and I will see what we can find for you to do.

Thank you, sir. Thank you.

When Willie told his mother he had a job, she was immediately against it. He was too young. He should concentrate on school. She continued with one reason after another. Willie listened and then stated the facts.

Mom, we need the money, however much I make. I’ll work weekends and after school and it won’t interfere with my studies. I’m working for friends of Dad’s. I met them when I went on the truck with him. They are the same people who gave me the money at the funeral. They are nice and will have me sweeping the office or something. Let me start and then if you don’t like me working, we can change things.

I am not so sure, but I will meet this boss of yours.

At the first chance he had, Willie ran to speak to Mr. Tully.

Mr. Tully. I am sorry to bother you sir, but my mother wants to meet you before she will let me work for you. It would not be good for her to come to the rooms upstairs. Can she meet you somewhere else? Please, I need the job and once she meets you, she will let me work for you.

Willie, you remember that café where your father delivered packages. You know where the red-headed woman worked.

Yes sir. She sometimes gave me an ice cream.

She didn’t tell me that. Maybe she should pay for that. I own that café.

Willie gave Mr. Tully a serious look.

Just kidding, playing around with you. She did the right thing. You bring your mother Friday afternoon at four to meet with me there. I will tell her you’ll be helping out in the café. Between us I may need you at the upstairs shop but that will be our secret. Okay with that?

Yes sir, thank you. I will be there with her as you ask. I don’t mind where I work. Anywhere you need me.

Run along Willie. I will see you Friday.

"So, Mom what did