This episode of The Truth includes strong language. Hey, you're pretty good. All that in your first ball. Nice. Spy Chase is a sophisticated objective system for a table that came out in 72. The innovation is all about the replay looper and the missile silo. Rewards long-term strategy. Next year, though, 79, that's going to be all about solid-state microchips.
Achievements that roll over ball to ball. This machine will be able to remember your high score. Goddammit! Hey, could you back off? I don't care about that shit. Okay. But don't use language like that in my establishment. Harry, phone's for you. Yeah. Hey, who is it? I don't know, some guy. Don't really tell me anything, just that it's important.
Hey, Dorothy, could you watch that kid back there? All right, I got him. Thanks. Perry Submarine, this is Perry. Mr. Agar, this is Detective Frazier. Uh... I wondered if you were going to call back or if I was... Mr. Agar, are you alone right now? Yeah, sort of. Okay, good. From now on, you are not to tell a soul that you are in contact with the NYPD.
Do you understand? Yes. Yes, I understand. Good. We checked out your tip, and we are ready to hear more. In person. In person? Yeah, okay. Let's say 11 a.m. tomorrow. The Civic Center. You know where that is? Yeah, I... Good, when you get there, ask for Frazier. F-R-A-S-I-E-R. Organized Crime Division. Do you need to write this down? Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm writing it down. Sorry, we actually opened the arcade at 10... Never mind, I can get somebody to cover for me.
You just do what you have to do. But you tell them nothing, understand? Yes, okay. I won't tell anybody. I'm not wasting precious time and department resources chasing down... I'm sure. This is a pinball thing, Detective Frazier. And I know pinball. All right, Mr. Agar. Let's get to work. You know, in life there's the things you love and there's the things that the world loves.
and they don't always line up. But every so often you get a chance, a moment to prove the worth of that thing you love, and how deep it goes, and how beautiful it really is. This is The Truth. I'm Jonathan Mitchell. And this story is about a man who loved pinball and his one chance to make it matter. Before we get to the story...
I want to let you all know how excited we are to be back. It's because of you that we're here. Over the past couple of years, I never stopped hearing from all kinds of people who were sad to see the show end. And it's because of your persistence and encouragement that we felt like it was worth giving it another try. And now we're back, but I'm not going to lie. It's a bit precarious. So we're trying something new.
we're inviting you to subscribe to our ad-free feed. It's $5 a month, $50 a year. You'll get every story without interruption. But more than that, you'll be supporting the survival of our show. Go to the truthpodcast.supportingcast.fm. There's a link in the show notes. This is your moment to prove the worth of something you love. Go to the truthpodcast.supportingcast.fm.
Thank you so much for listening over the years and thank you for supporting our show. When did making plans get this complicated? It's time to streamline with WhatsApp. The secure messaging app that brings the whole group together. Use polls to settle dinner plans. Send event invites and pin messages so no one forgets mom's 60th.
And never miss a meme or milestone. All protected with end-to-end encryption. It's time for WhatsApp. Message privately with everyone. Learn more at whatsapp.com. This episode is brought to you by Jack Daniels. Jack Daniels and music are made for each other. They share a rhythm in the craft of making something timeless, while being a part of legendary nights, from backyard jams to sold-out arenas. There's a song in every toast.
Please drink responsibly. Responsibility.org. Jack Daniels and Old Number 7 are registered trademarks. Tennessee Whiskey. 40% alcohol by volume. Jack Daniel Distillery. Lynchburg, Tennessee. Now back to Operation Skillshot. Yeah, yeah, wow, great question. Yeah, wow, I love that question. Well, first of all, it was never about me. It was about the game. A game I just happen to know a lot about.
But to answer your question, yeah, I knew it was going to work. I did. You know, from the absolute start. I don't know. It's like... How do I put this? Sometimes you can just tell when you pull that plunger back that this is the one. This is the ball where it's all gonna happen. I've got a reputation for being someone experimental, Mr. Agar. Perry's fine. Nobody else here is falling up on a pinball lead, that's for sure. But sometimes I just get a sense, you know? Yeah, well, you know...
Pinball's wrapped up with the city's history in a lot of different ways. Like, for example, you know, across the street, there's an original Loco Lagoon table. That table... Just hang on for a second. I want Wilkins to hear all this. Hey, Wilkins! Wilkins!
Oh, try the spanakopita, by the way. It's all on us. Thank you. The pinball guy. Hey. Wilkins, meet Perry Agar. Perry, this is Detective Wilkins. Guy's been with me on this from the start. Hey. Hey, very nice. In fact, Wilkins was with me when I had my... My brain flashed, so to speak. I said, look, hey, we got nothing going right now. Less than nothing at this point, so what the hell. Let's go on TV.
Detective William Frazier is urging New Yorkers for help in finding Vincent Mailman Sarufo, the purported mafioso wanted for questioning, and the shooting deaths of Richard Responte and Leonard Keech. Maybe he can hide from me. Maybe he can hide from his enemies, but Mailman Cerufo cannot hide from all of New York City. So if you know anything, if you see anything...
Call our new 24-hour tip line, because from now on, law enforcement is all of us. And that's what I mean by experimental. You know, because nobody's tried this before. No, they did it in Albuquerque. This is not like what they did in Albuquerque. You see, Perry, these guys, these made guys, assume nothing will ever stick to them, but what I did through this TV thing is I communicated... It was a genius idea, Detective Frazier. I really mean that. You do?
Yeah. Yeah, of course, because it made me realize I've known the name Vincent Cerufo for years from, like, pinball stuff. See what I tell you, huh? That's an angle. That's a way in. I don't even think I'm exaggerating when I say that. I know the history of every single pinball table in this city. Table? Yeah, it's a table. Catch up, Wilkins. Because, like, if I see one anywhere, I'm asking questions. I want the whole story. Vincent Cerufo is a character in many a pinball story.
In the 60s, when the game was still illegal, Sarufa took a liking to it. He got good, he got competitive, a little obsessive. I'd say he personally trafficked over 250 tables into Manhattan alone. Rare tables, too. Pool Shark Party, Lookout Mountain. His favorite was Mad Dog Corral.
It's a western-themed table with a stampede add-a-ball special and a rotating gunslinger target. They didn't build many of these tables, but Zorufo had gifted it to clubs and bars on his route so he could play it when, you know, he came to collect. How many do you think are left in the city? Take a guess. Zero. Some got junked, a few got smashed in raids and stuff, but this is Cerufo's comfort table. He'd crawl across a bed of nails to play it. And I know where we can get one. This is a card.
It has the address and phone number for the Spaceland Gallery in Chicago. This guy named Dennis runs it. He has a Mad Dog corral table with a broken scoring reel that he can't fix. But I can. So... The idea is we buy you a rare pinball machine for your arcade. It's the logical choice.
Perry's Submarine is the only dedicated pinball arcade in Manhattan. Come on, it's how we always get at these guys, Wilkins, through their vices. This is a classic honey trap. But Sarufo might not even be around, man. He could be miles from here. In Canada. More Sicily. No, no, no, no, no. He's close.
He sent me a bouquet of roses after the TV thing. We don't know that was him. It was him. We know that it was him. He's running this whole operation from the shadows. He's got us after him, Carlo Vecchia, and Bull Moose Messini. And he still can't let go. Okay, let's run it by our friend. Agreed? All right. Okay, we'll be in touch, Perry. It's going up on the board. And we are going to call it Operation Flipper. Oh, wow, yeah. Yeah. That's great.
Or what do you guys think about Operation Skill Shot? It was official. I was a police asset, an expert witness. More than that, a citizen specialist in pinball intelligence. Only I couldn't tell anybody just yet. So I went back to the arcade and... So I went back to the arcade, and life went back to normal. Hey, Keith, what's that kid's name over by Stunt Bike Circus? Uh, uh, Munson, I think. Munson! No outside food!
I bought this here. Uh-oh, no. No, you didn't. We don't sell pizza here. Nice try. Dumb kid thinks we don't know what snacks we have. Throw it out. This place fucking stinks. Last warning. One more and you're banned. You're fucking never coming back and you don't even have a single fucking... Hey. Perry, while it's slow, you want to go over some of these flyers I got from the distribution show this weekend? Slow? This is normal for Monday. Yeah. Okay, look at this.
So this game was so popular in Japan, it caused a shortage of the 100 yen, which is like basically their quarter. And I met the guys who were handling the US sales... Space Invaders? Is this a video game? Dorothy, come on. We're a pinball arcade. In Japan, they empty out the coins on these things like...
eight times a day there are lines down the street and i i know look i don't want you to worry about this type of stuff i told you i'm working on but they had one there i played it guys yeah and let me tell you it's like a shooting game and you shoot at these like little
guys and then they like explode and then you have a shield and it like actually fucks up your shield and like the images that you're seeing on the screen is like a movie it is the coolest thing i've ever seen pinball you have stuff you're interacting with stuff these are just flashing lights right nothing's really
happening on that screen. I think a lot's happening, but that's just... You're killing the little guys. Yeah. Oh, I gotta get this. But, um, we'll talk about the flyers later, okay? The pinball ones. Okay. And, uh, Keith, why don't you go, uh, roam around and make sure everybody's got quarters.
Come on, man, there's no one here. Perry Submarine, this is Perry. Perry, it's Frazier. Send your people straight home after you close. Coming by with a couple guys in an evidence truck. The machine in question... It's been procured. You see the little plastic stampede? Nobody else was doing stuff like that back in 68. Nobody. Mad Dog Corral. Jesus, this thing was so ahead of its time.
Thought you said it was broken. Oh, it's very broken. But I mean, it still sings. It still has genuine golden age flipper action. Good, then it'll be ready for Serufo. Oh, yeah, sure. I mean, by the time, you know, word of mouth reaches him. Sorry, word of mouth? You know, people talk, and before you know it, look at that. I'm lit up already. Perry, you implied there were channels.
That word would reach Sarufo by way of your shared subcultural community. I filled out a report. Yeah, I mean, it'll reach him one way or another. See, that's... Perry, this thing costs three grand of department money. We need a plan. We need follow through. How does Sorufo find out that this is here? I guess... I don't know. Well then think, Perry. Or this thing's going back to Chicago tomorrow.
the truth was i didn't need to think i needed to play it'd take a neuroscientist to explain but playing certain tables is even better than thinking the way they focus you and stimulate your background mind so After Detective Frazier left, I played. First on Moon Mission Mayhem, then Gold Brick Bonanza. Then all of a sudden, it was there. The answer. The flowers! What about them?
If it really was Sarufa that delivered those flowers, that means he watches Channel 5 News, right? Right. Yeah, so? So get my arcade on the news. Yeah, yeah, yeah, because if they interview Perry with Mad Dog Corral in the background, then Sarufo's gonna see her, right? Wait, wait, interview Perry about what? I don't know, it just...
Pinball. Who cares? You know, I've tipped off that pretty boy Sutton so many times. He'd put my toilet on the news if I asked him to. It just sounds like we're going to give him a free TV ad. This is police work. This is follow-through. But while many parents see pinball as a lunch money siphoning menace, local enthusiast Perry Agar sees it as a robust, convivial hobby.
His East Village arcade, Perry's Submarine, showcases four rows of machines, and no two are alike. It's a game that rewards quick thinking and coordination, not just of the hands, but of the body, too. Perhaps Mr. Agar's right. Perhaps the road to wellness is paved 25 cents at a time. Either way, this is one reporter who's going to stick to bowling.
Carl Sutton, Channel 5 News. Yeah, pretty good, right? Yeah, yeah. I said a bunch of stuff about tournaments that I wish they would have used, but... The place looked great, though. The place looked great. I hope it jumps up some business. I hate that they made it, like, negative at the end, though, overall, you know? Yeah, but it's the news. You know, they've got to play it both sides. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But anyway, I think it's just going to be phase one.
Let's celebrate. I'm going to go get some beer, okay? Yeah, okay, I'll call Keith. Yeah, call Keith. You know, I wish I could tell you all the... wheels I got in motion right now, Dorothy, because I think all the hard work we've put in is really going to pay off. Yeah, I think so, too. I couldn't have done this without you. I, uh, I really appreciate you.
Thank you. Thank you, Perry. Yeah, no, I think the timing is actually gonna work out perfectly for this because I remember I was talking to you last week about the guys that I talked to from Midway. They were talking about the new Space Invaders game, which they really think that we could be the first place in New York City to have that, which would be huge for us.
And with the TV thing, I think that... I lost you. No, no. Do you remember Space Invasion? Yes, absolutely. Sorry. Thank you for dealing with those guys. We'll figure out to tell them something later. What are we going to tell them? Dad, we're not about chasing fads right now. You know, right now is the time where we have to establish what we're about. And Perry's Submarine is about elevating the game of pinball. At work, cookout Tuesday. Notice the scar from the ear to the chin.
Joseph Demela called JJ. You remember that thing with the boots at the Navy Yard? Yeah, yeah, yeah. The bloody work boots stuck on that anchor. That was JJ. Well, allegedly, allegedly. Hey, what's the matter, Perry? You don't want the filet? That's from the palm. I'm all right. John Arco. He's, uh... Well, hopefully you don't get this guy. So you're saying these guys are, uh... Look, it's simple, Perry. Sarufo's likely to send one of these guys...
to check the arcade out before he shows up himself. It's just how he works. If he saw the machine on TV, you know, if your little commercial works, he'll be there, but who knows? Yeah, yeah. And this is how we shut unbelievers like me and all Wilkins here up, okay? Now listen, you lay eyes on one of these guys, it guarantees Rufo's on his way. And that means Operation Skill Shot is working. Keep going, Wilkins. Sweetheart Biagi.
Snappy dresser, eats a lot of hard candy. He's the one the other guys are afraid of. Nicholas Parello. I don't know if I can do this anymore. These are dangerous guys. What if I miss it? What if I... Perry, trust me. Whoever it is, they'll be in and out. It's the perfect assignment for a sharp-eyed kid like you. We're so close. I believe in you, Perry.
It was the perfect assignment for me. Day after day, I sat at that snack table watching the door. What's with Perry? I don't know, man. He's been spaced out like this all week. I started to really... Feel it. The same way I can feel a well-designed pinball machine. Watching all lanes at once. Total table awareness. Hey, I said when are you gonna get any good games, shithead? Perfect, uninterruptible focus on my objectives.
filtering out all noises and distraction. There's a flat space invaders now, Perry. Cocktail table style. And then suddenly, everything lined up. Jackpot was lit. Oh, my God. Welcome. Welcome, sir, to Perry's submarine. Is this your first time? Yeah, I'm just looking around, all right? Mm-hmm.
Great. Um, yeah, I'm looking for a place to unwind a little, you know, after work, me and my friends. Oh, well, there's a perfect place for that. We got 30 machines, all different types of genres, and... Good, we love this kind of shit. Okay, good. Is it kind of empty like this? Yeah, I mean, like in the summer it'll pick up a little bit more, but you know, kids are still in school. So the quarter goes right here? The top one, but yeah.
Ah, Mad Dog Corral. What a beauty this game is, Mad Dog Corral. Alright, that looks good. That looks good. Okay. Ah, you've got... two more balls to play if you want to keep up. Perry, thanks very much. You've been a big help, alright? Yeah, sure, totally. Okay. Is everything okay, Perry? That was sweetheart Biagi. Who? We'll find out what happens next in just a moment. But first, a message from some folks who helped make this show possible.
If you've shopped online, it's extremely likely that you've bought from a business powered by Shopify. You know that purple shop pay button you see at checkout? The one that makes the process from... think I'm ready to buy to I can't wait till it gets here. So incredibly easy. That's Shopify. And there's a reason so many businesses sell with it because Shopify makes it easy to start and run your business.
Shopify is the commerce platform behind 10% of all e-commerce in the U.S., from household names like Mattel and Gymshark to brands just getting started. It gives you a leg up from the very beginning with hundreds of beautiful, ready-to-go templates to express your brand style so you don't have to spend time coding a website. Shopify allows you to tackle all the important tasks in one place, from inventory to payments to analytics and more.
Plus, they have built-in marketing and email tools to help find and keep new customers, so you can easily spread your brand's word. And did I mention that iconic purple ShopPay button that's used by millions of businesses around the world? It's the reason why Shopify has the best converting checkout on the planet. Your customers already know it, love it, and actually use it.
If you want to see less carts being abandoned, it's time for you to head over to Shopify. Sign up for your $1 per month trial and start selling today at shopify.com. go to shopify.com slash realm. Shopify.com slash realm. I was down on my last dollar, then I started saving. Cause the bank said fiscal restraint is what you're craving. So I put my earnings in a high yield account. Let the savings compound and the interest amount.
I'm optimizing cash flow, putting debt in check. Now time is my friend and not a pain in the neck. And we've got a little cash to rebuild the old. Boring money moves make kind of lame songs, but they sound pretty sweet to your wallet. PNC Bank. Brilliantly boring since 1865. We believe if you run, you're a runner. However you choose to do it. Because when you're not worried about doing things the right way,
You're free to discover your way. And that's what running is all about. Run your way at newbalance.com slash running. And now back to... Operation Skill Shot. You know when you're on a rally and everybody's crowded around the table watching you shoot around, shouting your name, slapping you on the back? Feels pretty good. You gotta take a second to remember, this is still between me and the game. Sweetheart Piaget, my god. I wasn't even scared. No? He's just a guy.
Not much of a pinball player, but, uh... But sweetheart Biagi playing pinball... Okay, here. Hey, drink this. It's good bourbon. This is breakthrough bourbon. Wow. Cool. Thank you. So this means he's definitely coming, right, Sarufo? Oh, yeah.
Oh yeah, from now on we put two guys on the arcade, a couple blocks away of course, plain clothes, unmarked car, just doing a lot of regulations. Wow. I mean, I can't believe this is really happening. I mean, people aren't going to believe this. Yeah. A pinball arcade takes down a mobster. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, hey, hey, hey. Come in here, Mitchell. Mitchell. Uh-huh. Just a sec. Perry, this is somebody I want you to meet. Mitchell, this is Perry. Perry Agar. I've been wanting to meet you. Hi. Mitchell here is with the feds. The FBI? Whoa. That's how we know that we're on to something big, huh? Because the vultures come circling. Right, Mitchell? I've been admiring your work from afar. Very, very impressive. Well, I mean, couldn't do anything without these guys, right?
Tell me, Perry, do you think a pinball machine could be bugged? Weirdly enough, I have thought about this. We should talk about this over dinner, right? We got food coming, Detective Perry? No, no, no. Better than that, we're going out to the Lark and Olive. Yeah, I got a private room. And I got some guys who want to meet you, Perry. Perry. The pinball wizard. You know, I actually have a couple of major problems with that rock opera. Pinball has more in common with jazz.
Dorothy, hey, it's Perry. Perry? Um, hey. I just want to talk real quick. I thought, you know, I was in the neighborhood and just thought you'd be up. I'm up. I'll, uh, I'll come down, okay? Yep. Oh, no, you were already asleep. I'm sorry. No, it's okay. It's okay. Did you, uh... Have you been partying there? I mean... Not with anyone you'd expect. Okay. Look, there, um...
There shouldn't be any secrets between us Dorothy. You're my right hand and I Need to tell you something Tell me what I've been talking to the cops Talking to the cops about what? Vincent Cerufo? I have a way to get to him. Okay? He's a pinball guy. He's one of us. And now... The police are doing everything I say. It's crazy. Are you putting me on right now? No, no, no. I'm totally not. It's not a put on.
I was just at a cop bar, and there were cops as far as the eye could see, and everything's working. Everything's coming together. It's all working. Vincent Cerufo, the mafia guy? Yeah, and sweetheart Biagi. Perry, you can't mess around with those guys, okay? My grandpa had to deal with them when he had his fish market, and they're... They...
They're going to find out what you're doing. No, no, no. It's okay. I know all the cops. I'll be fine. It doesn't matter, Perry. They will find you. No, no. Look, it does matter, okay? Someday, everybody's going to know that I was a part of this. And I didn't want to wait to tell you. Yeah, no, I really do appreciate that, Harry. I really do, and congrats. It's great. Dorothy, don't you think I'd do really well on 60 Minutes about this? Like...
You know, it's not just the Channel 5 thing. I could go on a long tear about pinball on TV. I could be the pinball guy. Yeah, you totally could. Let's... Talk about it tomorrow, and please, Perry, get home safe. Okay? Good night. Safe. Safe. I'm friends with... Every cop in the city tonight. What is... Safe. What is... Safe. What is it safe? I guess we pinballers have always been risk takers. But today's machines have a way of letting you know when you've gone too far.
Keith What the hell happened man Perry? Yeah, somebody smashed our window a couple of the machines inside to the gate wasn't down which machines would they hit? Honey Bee Havoc, Teenage Beach Blast. It doesn't seem like they stole anything, though. It's all still in there. But probably just kids. Why wasn't the gate down? Well, it was. I mean...
Well, I think it was. I remember doing it. Where was Dorothy? She didn't lock up? Oh, well, I mean, a couple of her friends showed up. She said she needed to kick off early, so I just, you know. What about Mad Dog Corral? I don't think... Yeah, no, I don't think that one got touched Perry Perry who's gonna clean this up? Yeah, somebody really smashed your window to shit, huh? Jesus. You think maybe it was Sarufo? Or maybe Biagi? What? No, why? To send a message.
Usually those guys, their messages are more coherent, you know? Plus, how would they even know what we're up to? Nobody knows, right? Yeah. Where's Frazier? Couldn't raise him. Somebody said he's out on the crime scene in Bensonhurst or something like that. I don't know. I'm gonna mess around down there. I'm gonna take another look at this, all right? I wouldn't worry, Perry. I mean, around here, sooner or later, you get a broken window. Ain't no thing.
I really think I should tell my staff what's going on, you know, for their protection, especially Dorothy. She's my right hand. Uh, no, no, no, not her. Especially not her. What? Not? Wait, what do you mean? We checked her out early on. and there's ways people can get to Dorothy. You know about her drug charge in high school? Plus the neighborhood she grew up in? No telling who she's met. No, no, do not tell Dorothy.
And you should really try to be sure about people before you get involved with them, Perry. Know what I mean? Wow, they really smashed your window to shit. Jesus, Perry! Who would do this? I mean, damn, good job cleaning it up. Yeah, me and Keith cleaned it up. Miss Kazimrak from next door also came and helped out. Oh, that's nice.
A couple of beat cops came by. Beat cops? Well, that's good. Yeah, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I wasn't here. I thought that I told you that I was going to be on Montauk with my dad, but Keith told me to come by. I came by as soon as I... What? Why are you looking at me like that? Dorothy, did you, uh... What? Did I what? Did you rat me out? Did I rat you out? You know, to... Oh my god, to the mafia? Shh! Not so loud, okay? Is that who you think did this? Look, just tell me.
You can be honest with me and move past this. Why would you even think I would know how to go about doing something like that? I'm not like... He said two friends came and picked you up. Who were they? Friends. They're just my friends. Oh, they're your friends? Yeah. Okay, sure. Then why keep it a secret from me? Because it was Nick and Otis from Midway.
I'm trying to keep a good relationship with them. I showed them around the submarine. I want Space Invaders, okay? It's really fucking fun. It can make us a lot of money. I think it would be good for the business. I can't believe you went to Midway behind my back. Don't tell me you would rather it be the mob. That stuff is the enemy, okay?
They're coming for me. They're coming for everything that I love. I hear it all the time. They're taking pinball machines out of bars and bowling alleys and replacing them with Breakout and Seawolf. Harry, it's fun. But then where does that leave me? Okay? Like, suddenly I'm just a guy that's obsessed with something like silent movies. Or whack cylinders. Well then what's your plan, Perry? Is your plan to become the NYPD's favorite arcade?
Or to be a paranoid mess who thinks his friends are trying to get him whacked by the mob? Do you hear yourself? Perry, I don't want you to be left behind either, okay? No space invaders. I forbid it. Fine. Then don't ask me what I think about the business, okay? I'm just glad it all is out there now. Keeping it a secret was the worst part. Shit. Because the thing is, it was never about me. It was about... God.
Dammit. Wow, great question. It was never about me. I knew it would work. From the start. I knew it would work. The milkshakes are good here. You should try one. It's on me. Hey, could we grab two vanilla milkshakes? So Perry, we looked into your break-in. Some local kids told us it was one of them. Uh, Manson. Does that sound right? Yeah, Munson. We banned him. Yeah, well, that'll set a kid off. So why aren't we meeting at your office?
Yeah, well, about that, I, uh... You've been really hard to get a hold of, which is, like, I get it, but... Listen, Perry, do you remember Mitchell, the FBI guy? Sure, yeah, we hung out. Right, right, right, right, right. Uh... So you should know that there's a little bit of a turf war going on between NYPD organized crime and the feds. They think we get in the way of these big RICO things that they're always working on with the mafia. We think.
You know, well, we think that we've got good ideas too, you know? Anyway, so this guy Mitchell... Turns out that Mitchell was auditing us, right? He was spying on us. He sent this report. up to the Justice Department making us out to be a bunch of assholes. Guy said our work consisted of a series of whimsical time wasters. And there was a lot.
About Operation Skill Shot in there. Our thing? Yeah, yeah, yeah. The meetings. The over $1,500 we spent on meals. Long story short, there's been a shake-up. Wilkins and I, we got shuffled over to narcotics, and that's... That's... That's it. That's kind of... That's it. What do you mean, that's it? That... Didn't you tell them how it's all...
How are we making it in terms of progress? Like, thank you. Thanks, son. No, I don't know what to say, really. Say that you believe in what we're doing. Okay? Like... Say that you liked my idea from the start because you did, right? Okay, honestly... Honestly, Perry, I may have... I may have puffed it up a little bit to make it seem like my TV tip line thing was paying off.
But I shouldn't have led you on. And I definitely shouldn't have let you believe that you saw Sweetheart Biagi. I did see Sweetheart Biagi. He was in my place. No, Harry. He's in Sicily. And so is Sarufo. The feds have photos. This is bullshit. Okay. Are you even a good detective? Okay. You know what?
Don't be immature. I should have gone to someone else. Jesus. I should go to someone else now. No, no. Perry, do not do that. You can't stop me. Please. Just spare me the embarrassment, Perry, all right? You know what? Spare yourself. I know. Other cops. I know 10, 20 other cops who would be dying for this assignment. Do you? Do you, Perry? Because if you're talking about the guys at the bar, they were all laughing at you, Perry. I mean...
The way you went on and on all night. Get a drink and anybody else they talk about. Girls or sports or their families. I don't know. But with you, with you it's just more pinball. It's pinball all the way down. What makes someone so obsessed? It's freakish, truly. Look, I didn't come here to get nasty with you, Perry, all right? But your work with the NYP is over, all right? That's it. It's done. We're done. You're very ignorant. And you are no longer allowed to get the submarine. What? The...
My arcade. Oh, yeah. The submarine. Right, right, right, right. Of course. Well, Perry, I'm a grown man. So, you know what? That's actually fine by me. Oh, yeah, by the way, my son went to your place. He told me you don't even have video games in there. I mean, what are you, stupid? That's a lot of money, even on the table, or whatever it's called. No kidding, this is the fifth time I've emptied this thing today.
Honestly, I think most of those are mine. I'm so addicted. Yeah, I'm glad I went with the upright model. You know, these little aliens drawn on the side are from an earlier art concept of the game. They actually never appear in gameplay. Really? Yeah. You know, I'm learning. I'm not that good yet. Oh, hey, I heard Williams is kicking off the trade show tomorrow with a pinball machine that talks. Oh!
Oh, I knew it. Yeah? I'll see you there then? Yeah, yeah, definitely. I'm just gonna go fix Banana Barrage. It broke down again. Oh, yeah. All right, cool. I'll see you tomorrow, Pear. Yeah. I'm sorry, we're actually closed. Oh, is that so? Well, do you mind? This might be my only chance. Can I come in? Yeah, come on in.
Did I hear right you got a mad dog corral machine in here? Yes, yes, sir, we do. Playable? Yeah, no, of course. Yeah, it's playable. I keep everything in factory shape. Wow. You know, it's right over there. You mind if I play? I haven't played this one in years. No, I don't mind. Get the feeling you recognize me. Yes. Is that going to be your problem?
No, no, sir. No. I always heard you were a pretty serious pinballer. Oh, yeah? Mm-hmm. You know, I turned this table. Twice. Whoa. I can't even break 18K. Mind if I watch? I like to show off. Got a lot right with this one.
Clean Getaway's another good one, 68. Yeah, the one with the little car, right? Exactly, the one with the little car, the little tin car. Man, that's a beautiful machine. That was like the first table that made it feel like a sport. You really got to muscle it. Muscle, there you go. Can you believe it? I mean, this used to be state of the art. Now it's just something for guys like us to talk about. I mean, we'll get with the times eventually, won't we? Yeah, eventually.
Wow, it's a beautiful opening. Look at that. Look at that, I'm all lit up already. Sometimes you finally get that high score and there's no one around to see it. Yeah, oh god. But that's okay. Because this has always been between you and the game. There we go. Wow. There we go. Beautiful.
more original stories like this, go to the truth podcast.com and check out our Reddit forum, the truth podcast, where you can discuss this story. You can also follow us on Instagram strands and blue sky. Our handle is the truth fiction. Operation Skillshot was written by Hunter Nelson and directed and sound designed by me, Jonathan Mitchell. I also composed all the music in this episode with Daniel Riera on flute. It was performed by David Bluff Band. Ben Rameka.
And if you love our show, please consider making a $5 monthly donation. It gets you access to an ad-free version of the show. Go to thetruthpodcast.supportingcast.fm There's also a link in the show notes. Bullseye! What's your name again? It's Perry. This is my place. I'm Jonathan Mitchell, and you have been hearing... The Truth. Next time on The Truth. We're interested in piano lessons. Well, I don't normally teach those with special... Oh, just for me.
My son is beaming music into my head. And if I don't get it out into the world somehow, I think I'm going to have a nervous breakdown. You never know if it's worse to play along with her fantasies or try and snap her out of them. You're not going to be doing that all night, are you? Jason likes to hear it. You don't say that there is no Jason, that there's no one there behind those blank eyes. Here I am, next time on The Truth.