November 1967
ACT I
Cinnamon struggled to navigate the curve, open her purse, and extract her sunglasses while trying not to get nail polish on the steering wheel, her clutch bag, or in her hair. She also wanted to preserve as much of the manicure as she could. But the November glare on Sunset Boulevard necessitated shades, especially if she was going to continue to weave around slower traffic and get to Jim’s fast.
She knew she was tired and that was making everything harder to do. When they got back late last night, she had been looking forward to some downtime.
What could be so important that she needed to report immediately? Even the
message had been intriguing: Jim urgently needs a decision about the red. In
her prior IMF assignments, nothing had required a code red. The excitement
aroused her slightly as she guided her
Barney opened the door to Jim’s apartment. “Jim’s on the phone. Come on in”
Cinnamon looked toward the study door, which was closed. “Where’d he find you?”
“At my office. I guess I was the easy one.” Barney smiled wryly.
“My agent knew I was getting my hair done.”
“Looks great.”
She held up both her hands, palms facing her. The fingernails on her right hand were pink; the five on her left hand unvarnished. Barney laughed. Cinnamon smirked, “Not funny. What’s going on?”
Barney shook his head, “Don’t know, he’s been on the phone since I got here.”
“Code red?”
Barney shrugged.
Cinnamon was perplexed, “Have you been called on one before?”
Barney shook his head. “All I remember from training is to report immediately.”
Cinnamon nodded, “That’s all they told me too.”
The study door opened partially. Jim poked his head out to see who had arrived, then cupped the phone against his shoulder. He gave Cinnamon an easy smile, but it vanished quickly. “Any idea where we can find Rollin?” he asked urgently.
Cinnamon quickly thought back to“He’s not there.” Jim sighed and raised the receiver to his mouth, “Put out an APB for Rollin Hand. Get the LAPD and ChiPs involved. Say whatever you need. We’ve got to find –“ the door closed and Cinnamon and Barney could not hear any more of Jim’s conversation. Their eyes met, then Barney moved toward the bar.
Cinnamon spoke softly, “You don’t think Rollin’s in some kind of trouble?”
Barney shrugged as he placed ice in two tumblers. “Too many speeding tickets? What can I get for you, Cinnamon?”
“I’m fine. Just some club soda maybe.”
The doorbell rang. Barney moved to the door and opened it to find Willy in gray sweatpants and a white polo shirt. His muscles bulged, glistening slightly. A white towel was draped around his neck.
Barney stepped aside to allow him entry and turned to Cinnamon, “Three guesses on where Jim found Willy.”
“Code red means drop everything, right?” The big man looked from Barney to Cinnamon to see if either could offer more information about the unusual summons.
Barney nodded and moved back to the bar, “Anything to drink, Will?”
“Glass of water, thanks.”
The study door opened and Jim came out, his shoulders betraying his disappointment, “Sorry Willy, I was hoping…”
Jim’s gaze took in the three of them. He gestured toward the seating area
and the group moved toward the black leather sofas. “I’m sorry for the unusual
procedures. Thanks for getting here so quickly. We need to move fast on this
one. We’ve got an opportunity to put away Nicky Bonfigliato, head of the
“Mr B? Big fig? Don Bon?” Barney asked excitedly.
Jim nodded, “The Mr B, but it hinges on finding Rollin in time.”
Cinnamon was concerned, “In time?”
“What happened to Rollin?” Barney interjected.
“Jim -“ Willy started, but Jim cut him off.
“Rollin’s critical to this mission. This plan relies on-“
“Jim!” Willy’s outburst was out of character. He commanded everyone’s attention. “Rollin’s parking the car.”
“What?” Jim was confused. Cinnamon breathed a sigh of relief and met Barney’s eyes as he smiled and moved toward the balcony, hoping to catch sight of his friend.
Willy continued calmly. “He’s looking for a place to park. We were playing tennis when I got paged at my club. He called his service and he had the same message.“
Barney interrupted him, “Were you in his car, Will?” The agent continued to gaze from the balcony window to the street below.
“Yes.”
“That APB for Rollin, Jim? I think the LAPD found him.” The group joined Barney and could see their fifth partner climbing out of his convertible, clad in white shorts and a blue v-neck sweater, arms waving as he argued with the uniformed officer.
Cinnamon smiled, happy to see him in such good form, “You were right, Barney, too many speeding tickets.”
Jim moved toward the study, “I’ll make a quick call.”
Barney slid the glass door open and the rest of the group moved onto the balcony, delighting in monitoring the situation below.
Rollin handed over his license, but clearly was not happy about it. The officer was following procedure to the letter. Rollin looked repeatedly at his watch. Then the second officer beckoned from the squad car. After a brief consultation, the first officer returned to Rollin, offering him his license and a slight doff of his cap. Then he returned to the car and drove away with his partner.
Jim joined the group on the balcony in time to see Rollin shake his head with a befuddled smirk, then look up, surprised to see the rest of the team watching him from Jim’s balcony. He shook his head again, before hurrying into the building.
Jim met him at the door, not surprised by his ire. “Code red! I had the first set, Jim. Have you ever gotten a set off Willy?” He turned to Willy, “Did you tell them?”
Willy shook his head, laughing. “But Rollin Code Red. Drop everything.”
“I got the set before you got the call.” Rollin noticed Cinnamon was smiling and lowered his accusatory finger from Willy. She was always able to stop him in his tracks. He paused for a minute to take in her pale blue dress and matching jacket, “Nice suit.”
“Thank you.” Her smile had more to do with seeing him alive and well than with the compliment.
Rollin’s eyes lingered a bit too long, until he quickly turned to Barney, and attempted a recovery by giving him a nod and the same comment. “Nice suit.”
Barney pointedly looked at Rollin’s bare legs, “Thanks. Some of us still work for a living.”
Rollin turned back to Jim. “What was that with the police? Does this code red come with a special welcoming committee? The only thing I could remember was it meant we needed to get here fast.”
A sixth voice interjected from the study doorway behind him, “At least you remember one of the things I taught you.”
Rollin knew who it was before he turned, “Dan!”
Dan Briggs crossed the room to join the team in the seating area. They all knew their former boss was focused on a long-term assignment combating organized crime.
Jim smiled, “As I was saying, we’re in a time dependent situation. Dan?”
Dan Briggs moved to stand next to Jim. The crew settled onto the sofas. “Nicky Bonfigliato. You know his record. You know how hard we’ve tried to get him.”
Barney nodded, “He’s always a step removed. His hands are always clean – we’ll only get him with an informant.”
Dan nodded affirmatively. “That’s right.”
Rollin crossed his legs, leaning back into the sofa, his arm casually draped behind Cinnamon’s shoulders. “An informant we can keep alive,” he added.
Dan turned to meet his skeptical glare, “Exactly.”
“And you’ve got one,” Cinnamon continued.
“And need us to keep him alive.” Willy concluded.
“You’re getting warmer,” Dan smiled.
Jim rose from where he had been leaning against the arm of the sofa. “Dan has taken over a team that’s been on this for four months. He’s found a way to convince Joey Bonfigliato to testify against his older brother.”
The team exchanged glances. Barney spoke first, “Fantastic, Dan. When did you pick him up?”
“I haven’t yet.”
Barney reflected what they all were feeling, “Well, then how –“
Dan turned his penetrating stare to the engineer, “I know I can turn him.”
The team was silent. Each one of them respected Dan; each had trusted him with their life on more than one occasion. But this time his conviction seemed slightly misplaced.
Rollin went first, reflecting what the other three operatives felt, “Yeah, Dan, but until you have him –“
Jim interjected, “Rollin, I believe in Dan’s plan. It’s a little unorthodox, but...”. He didn’t have the right words.
Dan did. “Rollin, it’s based on intuition. There are times when a leap of faith is required. I learned that from an actor friend of mine.”
Rollin’s quick smile and raised palms conveyed say no more. Dan continued, “We’ve found evidence – not enough for a grand jury, but enough to prove to Joey that Nicky killed Rico Bonfigliato, the middle brother.”
“Rico? He was killed by a car bomb and the Del Vascos were blamed.” Dan nodded at Rollin’s comment.
Barney added, “And Joey – along with everyone else in
Dan was not surprised the agents were well informed. “Is Joey a rival?” Cinnamon asked.
“I don’t think so, not the way Rico was.” Dan shrugged. “Joey seems to be much more interested in wine, women, and song. It took a while to get enough information to set the trap, but we’re ready now. We can convince Joey that Nicky has turned on him and that he ordered the hit on Rico. I think that will get Joey to testify against Nicky. ” Dan watched the agents nod as they realized his plan had merit.
Willy was sold. “Okay, Dan. Where do we fit in?”
Cinnamon added, “And why is Rollin critical to the mission?”
The actor in question leaned forward abruptly, “Me?” he asked wide-eyed.
Dan spoke softly, “I can break Joey and keep him alive long enough to testify, but I’d feel a lot better about it if he was still in circulation. If he disappeared, alarm bells would go off. Rollin, you played Rico Bonfigliato and you did it with minimum make-up. Joey looks enough like him and is even less well known. I think you can pull it off.”
Rollin’s brow crinkled. “What do you need Dan?”
“Joey Bons is leaving for a long weekend in the
Jim filled in the blanks, ”Having you there, Rollin,
buys time for Dan’s team. They need our help in
“So we can break him.” Dan added determinedly.
“We need to leave for
“After
“We don’t know.” Dan answered honestly. “He rarely goes to the same place – he decides which island and which hotel at the last minute.”
“Will Joey be watched at the airport?” Willy asked.
Dan took the question. “We’re sure of it, but he has a history of disappearing and re-appearing. He likes to shake his tails – whether they are his own minders or rival families. This hinges on Joey Bonfigliato being seen getting on a flight.”
“And that’s me?” Rollin asked. Dan nodded yes. “So what do we know about this guy?”
“Enough.” Dan answered knowingly. He handed a photograph to Rollin. “I just got off the phone. We’re getting you a file now. The good news is he’s also a 42 Long.”
“I hope his tailor was having an off day.” Rollin noted, looking down at the photo and the mark’s loud suit, then up to flash Dan a grin.
“Bodyguards?” Willy asked.
“Never - part of his macho image. But we’re sure he’ll be watched by the family.” Dan added.
Cinnamon leaned over to scan the eight by ten glossy Rollin was reviewing. “Close - especially if you don’t shave. Dark glasses and some gray in your hair and you’ll look a lot like him.”
Jim nodded, “That’s what we’re counting on. We don’t have time for anything much more elaborate than that.”
“And am I on my own?’ Rollin asked further.
“Yes and no,” Dan answered. “Barney will be on the flight, but as a Bahamian
student returning home.” He turned to the engineer. “Once you’re there, Barney,
come up with something that let’s you stay close. And after they get the real
Joey Bons to my team, Jim and Willy will show up –
visibly – as US agents monitoring your movements. That would be expected with
such a senior member of the Bonfigliato family that
close to
Jim waited for Dan to continue. When Dan didn’t, Jim stepped in. “Cinnamon you’ll be there too.”
“But I know him?” she asked tentatively.
Jim, uncharacteristically a little uncomfortable, looked to Dan. Dan turned his laser focus onto the attractive female agent and spoke. “Yes, hopefully. We want the real Joey to select you at the airport – that will validate Rollin and give him more credibility for later.”
Rollin didn’t follow, “Credibility? How?”
Dan turned to him. “Bonfigliato selects Cinnamon in the airport, in front of witnesses from within his family and without; you turn up with her on the flight to the islands looking a lot like, but not exactly like him. I want to make sure they are looking at her, not you.”
Cinnamon frowned, “Dan, what do you mean by select?”
Dan was factual as ever. “Joey Bons has a well-earned reputation for picking up woman randomly. He likes women he doesn’t know. He keeps them as a … companion …for a few days, then he … chooses another.”
Rollin met Jim’s eyes over Cinnamon’s head.
Dan continued, “Cinnamon, we want him to pick you up at the airport, when he’s
being watched by the
Cinnamon wasn’t sure about this. “What if he …meets someone in LaGuardia?”
“Hopefully he won’t grow too attached to her on the flight between
Cinnamon sighed, turning toward Rollin.
Rollin’s gaze moved from her lovely face back to Jim’s. “This guy sounds like a piece of work.”
Dan interceded. “There’s a nasty expression for him, Rollin.
And that’s what works for us. The families – his and the rivals – expect him
to pick up an unknown, beautiful woman for his long weekend in the Bahamian
sun. When you show up – with one of the most beautiful women I know,” he turned
to Cinnamon with a smile, “They’ll all relax for their own
Rollin nodded. “Right, Dan. Do we have time to pack?”
Jim spoke, “That’s all being taken care of. We need to leave for the airport
in the next few minutes if we’re going to get to
The natural leader moved to the center of the room, “Willy, Cinnamon and I
need to go straight to the airport with Dan. Barney, I want you to go with
Rollin to the facility. While he’s getting grayer, I want you to pull together
bugging and surveillance detection devices… anything else you think we may need.
You’re both booked on a military flight that leaves an hour later. By the time
you reach
The four professionals were silent, their eyes moving between their former and current boss. Dan joined Jim, “I know this is short notice – both Jim and I appreciate that. I know you just got back. I really think this is our best shot.”
Everyone nodded. Jim continued, “We’ve got about ten minutes before we’re scheduled for two pick-ups. Your cars will be taken care of per usual. If you have any last minute personal arrangements, there are two phone lines out here.”
Most of the group stood. Jim followed Dan into the study to finalize plans. Barney, the only married member of the team, moved for the phone in the entry hall. Willy downed his glass of water. “Rollin, toss me your keys. I’ll get our bags from your trunk.”
Rollin rose, took the keys from the pocket of his shorts and flipped them to Willy who was headed for the door. He sat down again next to Cinnamon. She was pensive.
He softly told her. “He’ll get one look at you and beg you to go to the
She turned her head, smiling as she met his warm eyes, “It would be nice to have a little time to prepare.”
Rollin met her smile. “And to pack.”
“Rollin, what did Dan mean?”
Rollin’s brow knitted, but he didn’t respond.
Cinnamon probed, “A nasty expression for a guy like this?” Rollin feigned ignorance, but couldn’t fool Cinnamon. “Rollin. Come on.”
“I think the expression is sport fucker.” He said reluctantly, knowing honesty was always the best policy, especially with Cinnamon. She turned away, looking into her hands.
They were alone in the living room. Rollin wished she had asked someone else her question. His gaze followed hers and he noticed that only the fingernails on her right hand were polished. He reached for her left hand, softly turning it. She explained, “Jim found me at the beauty salon. I hope Dan’s arranged for me to wear gloves.”
“Got the polish?”
She nodded, “In my bag.”
“Well … hand it over.”
She smiled, “Really?”
“And be quick about it,” he added, “No need for witnesses.”
She recognized his concern was all in fun, but time was tight and she quickly passed him the bottle. He shook it, opened it, and pulled her unvarnished hand onto his tanned knee, cradling it gently with his left hand. She watched him carefully polish her thumbnail. “You’re very good. Have you ever-“
“Cinnamon!” He protested halfheartedly, but they both burst out laughing. He turned her hand as he moved on to polish her fingernails.
Barney returned and peered over Rollin’s shoulder as he polished her pinky. “Hmmm, the artist at work. Great color Rollin.”
Cinnamon looked up through her ash blonde bangs to meet Barney’s smile. Rollin wasn’t biting, intent on finishing the last nail. Barney continued, “You too, Cinnamon. That is a gorgeous suit.”
Cinnamon smiled. “Why thank you, Barney.”