“I know it sounds weird. That’s one reason why I don’t think Sal is real Mafia. But it’s true, his sister married a Jewish boy and her family disowned her. I got the feeling Sal and his sister were both black sheep, but not together. I don’t know all the details, but Sal really is—was—Shel’s uncle. Shel died of AIDS last spring, you know, right after Arne. It was awful, watching them go…Anyway, Shel talked Sal into helping finance my career. When it began to pay off, Sal took his percentage off the top of my earnings.”
“But you were really successful, weren’t you? You must have paid that debt off long ago.”
Fran shrugged. “I suppose—I don’t really know how much he put out or how much he got back. Shel and Arne always handled my finances, but as far as Sal’s concerned, he owns Francesca.
