"The Manfredi family's series of moves will definitely get on Kingpin's nerves. That Mafia behemoth won't allow Manfredi any chance of returning to Manhattan," Schiller said as he drove.
"So you're killing Kingpin's men now to make him think Manfredi hired you, stirring up conflict between the two sides?"
"It's not that simple. Kingpin was the one who drove Manfredi out of Manhattan. Kingpin knows exactly what Manfredi is capable of. Their heavily funded project should be at a critical stage right now. There's no reason for them to hire an assassin to cause trouble at a time like this. Besides, they can't afford me."
Bruce nodded. He felt the latter point was the key. Schiller's efficiency was absurdly high. Every strike was a clean kill, without the slightest bit of hesitation. Even if Kingpin investigated, he probably wouldn't find anything.
Though the situations in the two worlds differed somewhat, a rough comparison made it clear enough. Hiring an assassin like this would start at a million dollars, perhaps several million for a more expensive one. After spending that much, there was no need to kill these insignificant underlings. They might as well pay a little more and take a shot at Kingpin himself.
Mafia families might have plenty of liquid funds, but twenty million had basically emptied them out. They likely couldn't scrape together another few million dollars to hire such a professional assassin.
After thinking it over, Bruce said, "Since Manfredi has been ruled out, you're trying to frame someone else. Both people you killed were at the edge of Brooklyn. Whose territory is this?"
"Jigsaw, another Mafia boss. His gang isn't much, but he himself is quite formidable. The two minor bosses I killed both passed through his territory to transport drugs. Kingpin will definitely suspect him."