Honor Thy Father Part 19

"446 East 116th Street; 416 East 116th Street; and 7 and 23 East Third; and 536 East Thirteenth Street."

"These were all multiple dwellings?" Krieger asked.

"Yes."

"Basically railroad flats?"

"Yes."

"Now," Krieger went on, "were you ever employed by Western Electric?"

"Yes."

"When?"

"1960. In that area."

"And in what capacity?"

"As an engineering a.s.sociate."

"What does that mean?"

Torrillo seemed confused.

"That means that I was an engineering a.s.sociate," Torrillo said, finally, "whatever that means."

"Well," Krieger asked, "are you an engineer?"

"No."

"Are you a graduate engineer?"

"No."

"Did you ever go to college?"

"Yes."

"And what degree did you get?"

"I didn't finish."

"Now, were you also at one time in the stock market business?"

"Yes, I was."

"In what capacity?"

"Your Honor," Walter Phillips said, rising, "I'm going to object. I don't see any relevance to this testimony."

"I will tie it up, if Your Honor please," Krieger said.

Judge Mansfield overruled Phillip's objection, and Krieger asked Torrillo: "What were you doing in the stock market?"

"I started in the Research Department and then as a salesman."

"Now, you first got a Diners' Club card in 1963, isn't that so?"

"I believe so, yes."

"And what was your income in 1963?"

"Oh, approximately $30,000. Thirty and change."

"Pardon?"

"Approximately $30,000."

"And in 1962?"

"It is hard for me to remember because there was a transition period between Western Electric and the stock market, and I was also in the army for a time in 1962. So I don't remember."

"You didn't make any $60,000 in 1962, did you?"

"No."

"And did you make an application to Diners' Club in 1963 where you represented yourself to be-well, to have an annual income of $60,000?"

"Yes."

"And characterized yourself as being the head of research of a brokerage house?"

"I was at the time."

"You weren't making any $60,000, were you?"

"No."

"What did you make?"

"I made thirty, I think, for a year, but that sixty was projected earnings. That's what I felt I would have made if I had finished it out."

When Krieger asked Torrillo if he had any unpaid debts of his own in the Diners' Club account before receiving bills that were incurred by Perrone and Bonanno, Torrillo admitted that he had-approximately $1,500 in bills, which included monies due on a monthly installment plan he had with Diners' Club in addition to bills for Christmas gifts he had bought in 1967, and also one business trip he had made.

"You didn't clean up your account with Diners' in January of 1968?" Krieger asked, which was when Perrone had taken his card.

"No, not at all," Torrillo admitted.

"Now the trip to which you just made reference, was that a trip that you had arranged in your travel business?"

"Yes."

"And to where was that?"

"To Haiti."

"And was that a gambling junket?"

"Well," Torrillo said, "no. It was more or less of a business trip in the sense that we were thinking of going into that business. Instead of me being in the travel tour business, I was thinking of going to the other side of the fence and getting involved with the hotels and casino aspect, so I had four or five friends of mine that were thinking of getting involved in that aspect of it and we went down and came back with that in mind."

"And that was the money that you owed at that time?"

"Yes."

"And you found it difficult to pay that money, isn't that so?"

"No."

"Well, did you ever pay Diners'?"

"No."

"So you did find it difficult to pay that money, isn't that so?"

"Objection!" shouted Walter Phillips.

"Sustained," said Judge Mansfield.

Torrillo remained on the stand through the entire morning, and as Bill listened he thought that Krieger had scored decisively with the jury. Krieger had not only impeached the government's witness but he raised doubt about Torrillo's explanation that Torrillo's relinquis.h.i.+ng of the Diners' Club card to Perrone had been motivated by fear, and fear alone-a motivation presumably inspired by having seen the gun in Perrone's shoulder holster in the Posh Place, by seeing Perrone knock down the old man in the barbershop, and by Perrone's publicized affiliation with the Mafia. If Torrillo was guided by fear of Perrone, how did he explain his persistence in saying that his card was lost weeks and months after Perrone's death? Why had Torrillo lied to the grand jury in July-four months after Perrone's death-and then, at some unspecified date later, why had he changed his whole story to a.s.sert that the card had been forceably taken? Bill Bonanno had his theories, of course, and these were based on his and Krieger's knowledge that Torrillo had been involved, quite apart from the credit card situation, with some unrelated legal entanglement, and perhaps the government agents had made a deal with Torrillo-if he would help them nail Bonanno they would help Torrillo with his other case, whatever that case was. At this point in the trial, Krieger did not know precisely what the government had on Torrillo. Krieger knew that Torrillo had been arrested three days after Perrone's death, and had been interrogated about the Perrone murder. But that was all Krieger knew, and whether he could find out more through cross-examination depended largely on Judge Mansfield's rulings-if the judge supported Phillips's attempts to block Krieger from probing into Torrillo's other legal difficulties, then Krieger would be unable to exploit what he believed was a vulnerable witness. Meanwhile, Krieger continued in the courtroom to concentrate on the evidence that he had at his disposal against Torrillo, seeking to establish before the jury that Torrillo was a man whose word could not be trusted.

Krieger held up for the jury to see a small white business card. It was Torrillo's, and on it Torrillo had represented himself as possessing ill.u.s.trious degrees in a formal education. Handing the card to Torrillo, Krieger asked: "Is it your business card?"

"Yes," said Torrillo, sheepishly.

"And it was a business card which you had in 1966 and 1967, is that not so?"

"Well, it is approximately correct."

"Your Honor," Phillips interrupted, "again I am going to object. I don't see any relevance to this at all."

"I don't see any relevance yet," Judge Mansfield said, "but maybe he is leading to something."

"What does BSEE mean?" Krieger asked Torrillo.

"Beg your pardon?"

"BSEE, does that mean anything?"

"To me, yes," said Torrillo. "Bachelor of Science, Electrical Engineering."

"And MSEE?"

"Master of Science, Electrical Engineering."

"And Ph.D.?"

"Doctorate."

"Doctor of what?"

"It's an educational term," Torrillo said, "doctor of whatever it may be."

"Well," Krieger said, "did you represent yourself to be a Ph.D.?"

"Objection!" shouted Phillips.

"In 1966 or 1967," Krieger continued, ignoring Phillips, "when you met Bonanno?"

"Objection!" Phillips repeated.

"Overruled," said the judge.

"Did I--beg pardon?" asked Torrillo, looking at Krieger, then toward Phillips, then up to the judge.

"Yes, you may answer," said the judge, nodding.

"Did you represent--"

"I didn't represent myself as anything to Bonanno," Torrillo replied, with irritation.

"Did you give Bonanno Defendant's Exhibit F for indentification?" Krieger asked, meaning the business card.

"I didn't give Bonanno anything," Torrillo said, "I don't know where he got it, but..."

"This is your card?" Krieger asked quickly.

"Yes."

"I offer it..."

"Your Honor," Phillips said, "I object to this offer on the same basis as I objected to the others as irrelevant."

"Overruled," said the judge.