Honor Thy Mother & Thy Father Ch. 24

"Roberto never had anything to do with the Family's business. He was the vice president of a bank in the Milan. His hands were always clean."

Michael asked, "How clean?"

"So clean, when he asked permission to buy the company, it took less than 30 days for INS to give him permission to immigrate here on Permanent Resident Status."

"Don't you find that a little interesting, considering what his Family does. He is a banker. His family has a ton of cash that needs to be washed. Italy's banking system is a joke, and he has access to the books. I wonder who the banks other customers were?"

Bob called Jack Brew at the Treasury Department and asked him that question. He was put on hold for a moment, and Jack came back and asked what they had found out.

Bob told him what had occurred, the circumstances behind it, and the circuitous route that led to the Castronova family.

Jack said, "Keep Philip out of this. You do not want Celeste Mesner Castronova as an enemy. She is a friend of mine; if you want I will speak to her personally."

"Jack, you would have to get Presidential approval to do that."

"I think the President will go along with my assessment, once you have a briefing paper for him."

"I'm going to call his office now, and asked for an urgent meeting on this. I'll let you know what time it is, and you can be there with us."

"Brief Julia, and have her come along also."

"Will do, Jack, let me know about the bank."

******

The President was very grumpy. "You know I don't do 7:30 AM meetings people. This better be good."

Bob Brooks chided the President by saying, "Sir, at least you live in this big white building; we had to drive here."

"Very cute Bob, but I'm still pissed off. What do you four have for me?"

"Prisoners, a money trail, and a problem," the Treasury Secretary said.

"What was the result of the interrogations?"

Michael Free said, "That is part of the problem. Someone got to them before we did. They were so afraid to lie to us; each one gave us practically the same answers. I have never seen anything like it in all my years of law enforcement. Originally there were seven prisoners; when we picked them up, there were only six. In my opinion, whoever had them for that one day made an example of prisoner number seven; and he is now in a hole in the ground."

The President asked, "Did you get any useful information out of the remaining six?"

Jack Brew answered that query. "Yes sir, the money trail. It led to Milan, Italy. It started in Algeria, went to South Africa, Indonesia, San Diego, Mexico City, Jamaica, Paris, and finally Milan. It all looked perfectly legal, until you looked at it backwards, and saw where the account numbers were transposed and the amount was different. This is happened in San Diego, before the money moved on to Mexico City. The initial transfer of funds was for $1.45 billion. When it left San Diego, the amount was $1.25 billion. $200 million vanished in the flash of the computers eye, and the system didn't notice it, until we went looking for anomalies. The $200 million left San Diego, went to Las Vegas, Reno, Salt Lake City, and ended up in St. Louis. According to the banks records, it was dispersed to a flower shop that closed over seven months ago."

"The bank manager didn't think $200 million to a flower shop was a little bit odd?"

"Yes sir, he certainly did. He called the owners. He had them come in to verify their identity. He asked why they need it such a large infusion of cash for their small business. They told him that they were going into the wholesale end of the business. They brought in blueprints of their new structure, cost estimates and everything associated with a building project. It still didn't answer his question about the amount of cash they were withdrawing, but he couldn't refuse to give it to them. We believe it ended up in the hands of the St. Louis mob, and they farmed out to work to the specialists. Some people in Italy are not going to be happy with people in St. Louis, and unless this situation is rectified, blood is going to flow."

"Who in Algeria has the power to move that amount of money?"

"We are looking into that right now Sir."

*******

Bruno Valentino's body was loaded into the cargo hold of a military aircraft for his trip to New York. Victoria, Stephano, and Patricia were seated in the passenger compartment. Michael would not allow Harold and Callie to travel with them. They stayed in Louisiana under close guard.

Only the family was allowed at the church service, but the entourage to the Catholic cemetery in Queens was nearly a quarter of a mile long. The FBI had bomb-sniffing dogs roaming all over the cemetery area where Bruno would be laid to rest. There was a large canopy over the area of the grave, where the family would sit. Everyone was in black attire, and except for the seating arrangements, it was hard to tell who was sitting where.

Bruno was a veteran of the Korean War, and his coffin was draped in an American flag. The service at the grave- site took 30 minutes, and as people passed by to touch the coffin of their fallen friend, the casket exploded. Victoria was killed instantly, along with her three daughters, their husbands, and children. Patricia, Stephano, William, and Jemma were eight rows back, for security purposes, and were unharmed. It turned into a madhouse, as people started running for cover. Those in the first few rows were either dead or bloodied and screaming for help.

Two men attending another funeral threw the transmitters into the gaping hole in the ground, as the casket was being lowered into it. Everyone there had turned to see what was happening at Bruno's funeral and did not notice what they had done.

Men from the FBI grabbed Patty and Stephano and tried to get them away from the scene.

Stephano yelled, "Take Patty, they are after her, not me. I want to see my family. I will kill the bastards that did this to them."

Patty saw something in Stephano's eyes she had never seen before: HATE. She grabbed him and held on for dear life.

"Steph, they are gone, you cannot help them now. This is exactly how the other four Families want you to react. They want you back in the fold. They want you to take over Manhattan, just as your father did. If you do this, you will never see me or your children, ever again."

"How would you have me react, Patty? Would you have me lie down in front of them, and say, "Kill me too?"

"Your father killed my entire family, when he killed my mother. Did I kill you? Did I kill your entire family out of hate? I went after your father, not to kill him, but to put him in jail. It was where he belonged. What I did was not exactly legal, but I didn't shoot him. He led a decent life until the end. Why not use your brain, and take down the bastards who did this?"

Stephano's demeanor changed, and his eyes calmed as his soul returned from the devil's grasp.

"Patricia, I will try it your way for short time. If I cannot find the people who did this and bring them to justice, I will do it my way, regardless of what I have to lose, even if it is you."

"In that case, my love, we have a lot of work to do, and a short time to do it. Let the authorities do what they have to do here, and let's be on our way. Your family is with God now. I can guarantee that because my mother told me so. I didn't realize she meant all of them, but I knew your mother would not grieve for long."

When Michael finally reached her, he said, "Patty, you are going to move willingly or I am going to shoot you and carry you off. What shall it be?"

"Stephano and I are leaving, Michael. You will bury his mother by Bruno, and his families together as close as possible. I must say your security arrangements left something to be desired."

William said to Michael, "I am taking care of my son-in-law and daughter, from this point forward. You are no longer involved in their safety. This is the third time they tried to kill them, and I won't have that happen again. I will accept some of your men as guards until I can get my own people as security for them. You will not know where they are. There is a leak in your organization somewhere. Find it, seal it, we are going into hiding."

"William, I have a place that is atomic bomb proof. Can I take you there and show it to you, just for your approval. If you don't like it, you can take Patty any place you want."

"As long as I am free to come and go as I please, you can keep Patricia, Stephano, Junior, and Jemma there."

"That is acceptable. William, you come with me. James, take them to Seventh Avenue. No one and I mean no one gets in that facility without my okay."

******

The initial report from the four-man scout team had everyone in St. Louis euphoric. A phone call was made to Miami, another to Barbados, then to Rio de Janeiro. The final phone call was made to a man named Antonio in Rabat, Algeria. A US spy satellite listened to all the conversations and downloaded them in real time to CIA headquarters in Langley Virginia.

Bob Brooks asked, "Who lives in Rabat, speaks fluent Italian, and can move $1.5 billion?"

A specialist said, "I don't know, but give me two hours and I will."

"Make that an hour and I'll kiss you."

"That will be three hours, Sir."

"Two hours will be fine."

At the diplomatic mission in Algiers, a full alert was called to find out who lives in Rabat that met these parameters. The answer that came back was stunning.

The specialist said, "Sir, we have the man's name, but he supposed to be dead. However he's walking on the beach as we speak. It's Antonio Castronova, and he is alive and well."

"That's sneaky bastard; Italy doesn't have an extradition treaty with Algeria. He could stay there forever, and with nobody looking for him, could live out his days in luxury. Why would he be after these two Computer Programs, and kill the two people who created them?"

"Sir, the simple answer is Money. He could lock these away in his family's custody for two generations. When the world needed them the most, one of his progeny could say he invented them, patent them in Italy, and no one could prove otherwise. They could become a completely legitimate business taking money and from governments all over the world."

Michael said, "I made a promise to William Zabo I would tell him if we got a break in the case. I have to keep that promise, before he goes out on his own."

Michael and Bob were one-step behind William, however.

Colonel Canyon and his elite team were already in Africa. Six men were in Algeria, and 16 more were in Morocco on a ferry, transferring to Sicily. They were now augmented by eight female assassins, acting as wives and sweethearts, touring Italy and its treasures.

As was part of his usual routine, Antonio Castronova walked down to the beach to get some sun at 11 AM. He found two nubile young women sunning themselves topless not far from his normal spot. He turned his chair slightly so he could watch them.

Every once and again they would sit up and oil themselves to protect them from the rays of the sun. They saw the older gentleman looking at them, and waved. He waved back.

They continued sunning themselves for another 30 minutes, then ran into the ocean until their hips were submerged. They took off their bikini bottoms, threw them on the shore. They waved at Don Antonio to come and play with them. He demurred.

They continued playing, until one young woman suckled the breast of the other, and her hand slipped between her legs. Her head slipped back in a groan of passion that was not missed by Antonio. He decided to join them. What could happen to him in 3 feet of water?

The young women saw him coming and waved at him. As soon as he was there, they started kissing his lips and chest. One of the young women lowered his bathing suit. She put his cock into her mouth, and played with his balls. This has not happened to him in many years, and the sensation overloaded his instincts.

He did not feel the Velcro cuffs being strapped around his ankles, or the rope being pulled taut by the submersible 20 feet off shore. Without warning, he was pulled under the water and dragged out to sea; deeper and deeper. While he was still alive, a second diver showed him a whiteboard. On it, in large letters it said, "Complements of William Zabo."

Don Antonio's struggles were useless, as the submersible continued circling until he was dead. It continued circling for another three minutes afterwards, just to be certain. It towed him slowly back towards the beach, and the two young lovelies that were waiting for him. The diver unstrapped his feet and maneuvered him towards the flashing anklets the girls wore. He handed the body to the young women, removed their anklets, and joined up with his buddy on the submersible. They sped away to the zodiac which was waiting for them.

After pulling him ashore, the girls screamed for help. They started doing CPR on him immediately. One young woman was a nurse, on vacation from Germany. The other, was a student on vacation from Michigan. Their credentials were impeccable.

When the authorities got to the beach, and questioned the two young women they told the same story. The old gentleman never ventured out beyond the 4-foot level of the water. He was never more than 20 feet away from them, and suddenly he was gone. They yelled and went to search for him, but they could not find him anywhere. The water was calm, with hardly any waves at all. There were no bites on his body, so it could not have been a shark attack or anything like that. The authorities would have to do an autopsy to find out why he died.

There were other people on the beach, who had seen them playing together, so no foul play was suspected. The two young women signed their statements, gave their addresses in their home country. They were due to leave in two days, and agreed to come back if any questions about this incident came up.

The police filed the incident as a common drowning, and closed it. The man had no next of kin in their country, as far as they knew, and froze his local bank accounts, until someone came to claim his money. It was a substantial sum.

William received a satellite call that lasted one second. "Strike 1."

Even the best surveillance satellite needed more time than that to zero in on the caller and recipient.

"William, this is Michael, we've had a break in the case. I promised I would tell you as soon as we had one, and I am keeping that promise. I know you remember a man by the name of Don Antonio Castronova."

"Of course I do, he died several years ago."

"No he didn't. Apparently they faked his death. He's been living in Rabat Algeria all these years, free as a bird. We have men going after him now. We followed a money transfer that started in Algeria and went all around the world, and $200 million of it ended up in St. Louis. There are several mob related organizations that work out of there, and we are looking into every one of them. One of those organizations hired people to kill Patty and Harold. They can no longer get to the Programs, but whoever sent them the money, has not called off the dogs yet."

"Michael, If it started with Don Antonio, it means Milan is involved. You know that as well as I do. You can't drop a dime on those streets, without Joseph knowing about it. They own the cops, prosecutors, and the courts. I don't even think Rome will take them on. I have friends, but I don't think they would try to get into that city. It's much too dangerous. I can try if you want me to, but my friends might not be willing to take that risk."

"We have the same problem you do. They know what our diplomatic mission is doing before we get into our cars. We are going to try to draw them out into the open, it's our only chance."

"Michael, it won't happen. Joseph will stay on the estate. Antonio Junior will stay with him. The line of succession will stay intact. They will send out the younger brothers to do the work. The family is much too strong and the people love them. Your only chance, wait, Don Antonio is still alive. Can you arrest him in Algeria?"

"We have a problem there. The only crimes he has ever committed are in Italy. Italy can't extradite him because they don't have a treaty."

"I can help you there if you give me the okay?"

"William, stay out of this please."

"You kept your end of our bargain, so far, Michael, so I will keep mine. I will stay out of it as long as you continue to keep me in the loop. You are doing good work, keep it up."

102. All Hell Breaks Loose

"He's dead."

"What the fuck do you mean he's dead? He was alive four hours ago."

"He drowned in 4 feet of water. He was playing with two mermaids. He was swimming no more than 20 feet away from them, when he went under. They shouted for help and looked for him until he finally surfaced. One of the women was a German nurse. She started CPR on him, but he was gone. The authorities came and took the statements of everyone who was nearby. No foul play is indicated. The son of a bitch just died."

"Perfect timing don't you think? Make sure they take a 'tox' screen. Tell them we will pay for anything they don't have the money for. Do every test under the sun; I want to know if that son of a bitch was killed."

"They may take that as an insult, Sir. We are barely friendly as it is."

"Ask them nicely, ask them very nicely. Kneel down before them, bow your head, and plead with them if you have to, but get those results. I want them as soon as possible. I want them before Joseph knows his father is dead. He may not know about this for days, or weeks, depending on how they communicate with one another. They can't bury him in Italy again. Track their family's movements. Grease as many hands as you have to; money is not an issue on this case, results are."

"Yes Sir, we are on a full-court press from this moment forward. We could use some extra hands."

"We will send six people in from Cairo. They will be there in 12 hours."

******

Tourists arrive by the thousands every day, by bus, by train and air, in Milan. Money passes through Philips bank by the millions every day. The Castronova family prospers every day. They can dole out money to the poor in the city through charities they endow and no one goes hungry in Milan, because of their largess. They could sell drugs openly on the street corner, and the populace would not say a word denigrating them. The police would walk by the sellers and never see them. Their paychecks were small compared to what they received in the little envelopes every few weeks that they did not have to declare taxes on. The district attorney drove around in a red Ferrari that his salary alone could not justify. Judges live on palatial estates owned by the Castronova family, and paid a pittance in rent. Everyone owed their lifestyle to Joseph Castronova and his family. Warrants were not issued without Joseph's approval. The Castronova family ruled Milan, and Milan had one of the lowest crime rates in Italy because of it.

One day at an exclusive private school that all the Castronova children attended, eight armed men burst in, and sealed all the exits. Eight others killed all the guards stationed outside of the building. In Italian, with a Neapolitan accent, the leader said, "We want all the Castronova children placed in a separate room for their safety. We are looking for the son of the rapist and murderer of our sister; Angelina. Where is Francisco Delgado?"

The headmaster stepped forward and said, "Sir, I guarantee you, we have no one at this school by that name. I will show you our records to prove it. You have come to the wrong school."

The leader hit the headmaster with the butt of his Kalashnikov and said, "Don't you lie to me, our sources said he was here. If you hide him we will kill all of your students."