Just when I thought I could take the Godfather Saga tape out of the VCR, I'm compelled to put it back in again to check something else. I could swear there was one closeup on Kay during the hearings, and ... voilà, I was right! There is one... BUT it's not where I thought it was , and it doesn't show the reaction I recalled seeing after the McCluskey-Sollozzo question . The camera focuses on Kay only after the chairman poses a different, earlier question to Michael: "We have testimony from a witness... Willie Cicci. He has stated that you are the head of the most powerful Mafia family in this country. Are you?"

But there is a reaction on Kay's face after the McCluskey-Sollozzo question, only it's not in closeup as I first thought. Kay's eyes dart from the chairman to Michael, then settle on the back of Michael's head as she leans forward a little. Mean anything? Well, you have to notice Kay to notice the expression, and she's not the focus of attention in that scene. But, reaction or not, I do think it's Kay's first unflinching realization of what Michael was really up to when he disappeared in 1947-48.

I don't disagree that Kay could have already made up her mind to leave Michael, regardless of what came up in the hearings. It's certainly reasonable. She had already had an abortion, so a plan to leave is likely not far behind. But I think at the very least, this bit of news from the hearing was an extra nail in the coffin.