Mario Puzo - Крестный отец, часть 1. Английский язык с Марио Пьюзо.

Of course, strictly speaking, this was not necessary. Paulie Gatto could be killed without any of these frills (и без этих ухищрений, прикрас; frill – оборка, жабо; вычурность, манерность). He was locked in, he could not run away. But Clemenza felt strongly that it was important to keep good working habits and never give away a fraction (дробь, доля) of a percentage point. You never could tell what might happen and these matters were, after all, questions of life and death.

As he washed his baby-blue Cadillac, Peter Clemenza pondered and rehearsed his lines (повторял, репетировал «реплики, строки»; to rehearse [rı’h∂:s]), the expressions of his face. He would be curt with Paulie, as if displeased with him. With a man so sensitive and suspicious as Gatto this would throw him off the track or at least leave him uncertain. Undue friendliness would make him wary (подозрительный, настороженный [‘we∂rı]). But of course the curtness must not be too angry. It had to be rather an absentminded sort of irritation. And why Lampone? Paulie would find that most alarming, especially since Lampone had to be in the rear seat. Paulie wouldn't like being helpless at the wheel with Lampone behind his head. Clemenza rubbed and polished the metal of his Cadillac furiously. It was going to be tricky. Very tricky. For a moment he debated whether to recruit another man but decided against it. Here he followed basic reasoning. In years to come a situation might arise where it might be profitable for one of his partners to testify against him. If there were just one accomplice (сообщник [∂'komplıs]) it was one's word against the other. But the word of a second accomplice could swing the balance. No, they would stick to procedure (придерживаться намеченного плана).

What annoyed (to annoy [∂‘noı] – докучать; раздражать) Clemenza was that the execution had to be "public." That is, the body was to be found. He would have much preferred having it disappear. (Usual burying grounds were the nearby ocean or the swamplands (болота) of New Jersey on land owned by friends of the Family or by other more complicated methods.) But it had to be public so that embryo traitors (предатели «в зародыше») would be frightened and the enemy warned that the Corleone Family had by no means gone stupid or soft (вовсе не поглупела и не ослабла, размякла). Sollozzo would be made wary by this quick discovery of his spy (шпион). The Corleone Family would win back some of its prestige (престиж [pres’ti:G]). It had been made to look foolish by the shooting of the old man.

Clemenza sighed. The Cadillac gleamed like a huge blue steel egg, and he was nowhere near the solving of his problem. Then the solution hit him, logical and to the point. It would explain Rocco Lampone, himself and Paulie being together and give them a mission of sufficient secrecy and importance (sufficient – достаточный [s∂’fı∫∂nt]).

He would tell Paulie that their job today was to find an apartment in case the Family decided to "go to the mattresses (залечь в матрасы)."

Whenever a war between the Families became bitterly intense, the opponents would set up headquarters (устраивать штаб-квартиры) in secret apartments where the "soldiers" could sleep on mattresses scattered (разбросанные) through the rooms. This was not so much (не столько для того /чтобы/) to keep their families out of danger, their wives and little children, since any attack on noncombatants (на «мирных жителей», на не участвующих в сражении) was undreamed of (немыслима). All parties were too vulnerable (ранимы) to similar retaliation (для подобного ответного удара; retaliation – возмездие). But it was always smarter to live in some secret place where your everyday movements could not be charted (нанесены на карту = прослежены) either by your opponents or by some police who might arbitrarily (без достаточных оснований, своевольно) decide to meddle.

And so usually a trusted caporegime would be sent out to rent a secret apartment and fill it with mattresses. That apartment would be used as a sally port (проход /в укреплении/, используемый войсками для совершения вылазки; sally – вылазка) into the city when an offensive was mounted (когда организуется, предпринимается нападение; to mount – подниматься, восходить; предпринимать). It was natural for Clemenza to be sent on such an errand. It was natural for him to take Gatto and Lampone with him to arrange all the details, including the furnishing of the apartment (меблировку помещения; to furnish – снабжать; обставлять, меблировать). Also, Clemenza thought with a grin, Paulie Gatto had proved he was greedy and the first thought that would pop into his head (неожиданно появится) was how much he could get from Sollozzo for this valuable intelligence (за это ценное сведение).

Rocco Lampone arrived early and Clemenza explained what had to be done and what their roles would be. Lampone's face lit up with surprised gratitude and he thanked Clemenza respectfully for the promotion allowing him (позволяющее) to serve the Family. Clemenza was sure he had done well. He clapped Lampone on the shoulder and said, "You'll get something better for your living after today. We'll talk about that later. You understand the Family now is occupied with more critical matters, more important things to do." Lampone made a gesture that said he would be patient, knowing his reward was certain.

Clemenza went to his den's safe (den – берлога, нора; укрытие; каморка, уединенная комната) and opened it. He took out a gun and gave it to Lampone. "Use this one," he said. "They can never trace it. Leave it in the car with Paulie. When this job is finished I want you to take your wife and children on a vacation to Florida. Use your own money now and I'll pay you back later. Relax, get the sun. Use the Family hotel in Miami Beach so I'll know where I can get you when I want."

Clemenza's wife knocked on the door of the den to tell them that Paulie Gatto had arrived. He was parked in the driveway. Clemenza led the way through the garage and Lampone followed him. When Clemenza got into the front seat with Gatto he merely grunted in greeting, an exasperated look on his face. He looked at his wrist watch as if he expected to find that Gatto was late.

The ferret-faced button man was watching him intently, looking for a clue (клубок, моток /ниток/; ключ /к разгадке/). He flinched (вздрогнул, передернулся) a little when Lampone got into the rear seat behind him and said, "Rocco, sit on the other side. A big guy like you blocks up my rear-view mirror." Lampone shifted dutifully (как положено = послушно) so that he was sitting behind Clemenza, as if such a request (просьба) was the most natural thing in the world.

Clemenza said sourly to Gatto, "Damn that Sonny, he's running scared (сильно напуган). He's already thinking of going to the mattresses. We have to find a place on the West Side. Paulie, you and Rocco gotta staff and supply it (набрать людей и всем обеспечить) until the word comes down for the rest of the soldiers to use it. You know a good location (помещение, место; размещение, дислокация)?"