Honor Thy Mother & Thy Father Ch. 07

"Sir, I think I will hold a two-hour seminar with you. Just to show you how to sharpen pencils again."

"Fred, don't insult me. I know how to sharpen pencils. I just don't know what the pencil sharpeners look like, or where they are."

Both men had a good laugh over this little joke.

"Sir, I took the privilege of bringing in some pastries this morning for the gentleman."

"Fred, if there wasn't a freeze on, I'd give you a raise."

"It's okay, sir. I am due for a step increase in three months, and I may be able to buy a better car than what I have now."

"Fred, any car is better than the car, you have now. I am amazed every time you make it to work, on time, in the morning."

"Do not mock my car sir, it is paid for."

"It was paid for the year you got out of Harvard."

"It is kind of you to remember that sir.

"Since you're here, why don't you sit in with us, and give us your thoughts on what is going on in New York. I have a copy of the material on my desk. You can run through it, before everyone gets here."

"Thank you, sir; I will get on it right now."

Everyone was sitting at the table discussing matters of great importance to the upcoming arrests: search warrants, places of interest, the police and federal officers would be going to on the night of the raid. Everything that was discussed was done before at the previous trial. The families knew they would go after the top tier plus two or three members below them. The so-called, "Cut Off the Head, and The Snake Will Die prosecution. Fred knew that it didn't work from the '40s through the 90's and it would not work now, unless the government came up with new, blockbuster information, about the inner workings of the mobs operation. With Robbins dead, and no other informants to testify against the bosses, these prosecutions were doomed to fail. At least he thought so, until the Attorney General got up with great fanfare, and went to his vault. He took out the manila envelope and showed it to everyone. He put it on the table in front of him and said, "With this information, we can give them the Federal Death Penalty. William Zabo gave this manila envelope to me personally. In it are three certified letters, sealed and mailed 20 years ago; return receipt, dated, signed, and unopened. Inside are notarized letters detailing the death of Guido Valentino? Eyewitness accounts of the heads of the four families, killing one man. Four bullets; from four different guns; killed one man. Just like in the police reports of the time. These will stay in my vault, until they are needed at the trial. On that day, I will take them out and fly to New York. I will hand them to you, Mr. Fielding, and you can open them in front of the judge. You will show him they have not been opened or tampered with. Three witnesses and they are still alive. William Zabo is one. The others I he will not name, for their safety. One person is living in Switzerland. He is a politician of impeccable credentials. The other lives in New Jersey. I do not think either one of them will have to be called as witnesses, after William is called to the stand. It will be like shooting a dead man again, and again." He pounded the envelopes hard and said, "We finally have these bastards where we want them, and they are going to burn." He picked up the envelope; put it into his safe, and locked it. "Gentlemen, it is lunch time, and I am hungry." The room exploded into applause, like the end of a great summation speech for the prosecution. The loudest applause was from Fred, for his boss: The Attorney General of the United States, Clark Atwater.

Fred slowly drove home thinking about that envelope. He did not know the exact account of the murder, twenty years ago. He was in high school when it happened. He had to hear it from the horse's mouth. He picked up his throwaway cell phone, called a phone number from memory, and asked for information.

"Yes?"

"I need 4 on 1, please."

"Where?"

"Philadelphia?"

"Acceptable. We will call you with a time and place."

"Thank you."

For the next three weeks nothing happened. Fred arrived at work early and left late. He did his job perfectly every day, and never looked, or made a move at the safe. He never did anything out of the ordinary. He was the perfect employee, as always.

The news of the subpoena's started to leaking out of New York County. If these men were not given bail, he would never be able to have his questions answered. Their meeting had to be soon. When he received the exact date the subpoenas were being served, he made another call.

"I have 4 1 1"

"Go ahead."

"Subpoenas are to be served one week from Thursday, 4 AM. Sixty-two male and twenty-seven female subjects, in all five boroughs. 187 search warrants have been issued for all five boroughs. 4 on 1 needed soonest. Emergency situation has arisen."

"Thank you."

Philip answered his throwaway phone the next evening. "Yes."

"Check into the Omni Hotel, 401 Chestnut Ave., Philadelphia. Time 4 P.M. Friday. Sign in using the name of Benjamin Cuneo. No identification will be necessary. Penthouse suite "C" only. Special entertainment will be provided. Bring enough clothing for the weekend. Suits, jogging outfits, swim trunks, workout gear, and casual wear. Parents will arrive Saturday or Sunday; time unknown. Stay with entertainment at all times, no exceptions."

Fred replied, "Thank you."

Fred was rarely given orders, he was given assignments. He was asked to find out anything of value. Anything that would affect the business aspects of the families, now or in the future, they wanted to know about. Currently, he received $7,000,000 a year. If he came up with something of great importance, he received a bonus. All these little dollars added to his bottom line at the end of the year. Currently, he was making an extra $12-$15 million a year. He never spent a dime of it. It was tucked away in several vaults, in West Virginia, in his great- grandmother's name. He was the executor of her will. She had been dead, for seven years. The boxes contained $265 million. He had been working for Clark Atwater, since he was at Harvard. At first, he was a volunteer for his campaign for Connecticut State Attorney General. He was a part-time worker, in his office, while he went to Yale Law School; and Atwater hired him as his law clerk after he passed the Bar Examination. He came in fifth in the State of Connecticut. He turned down several hundred-job offers in the private sector to take this one. Those around him thought he was looking for a political future. However, his destiny was planned for him long before.

His father owned and operated a large garment factory in downtown Manhattan. His workers went on strike during one year, and he could not make payments on his machinery, building, or the fabric he had purchased, in advance. He took out loans from the wrong people, and the only way he had to pay it back was either with lives of his entire family, or with the cooperation of his son.

One evening, with his father, mother, and sister sitting beside him, five men, explained the choices he had. He could say no to their offer and the meal he and his family had just finished, would be their last. If he said yes, he and his family could live a life of privilege for some time to come.

"How long I would have to be tied into this arrangement to pay off my father's debt."

Without blinking an eye, one man said, "25 years."

Fred looked at his father, wondering how much he owed these people, but he did not ask. After calculating his age of fifteen and adding twenty-five more years to it, he would be only 40 years old when this was over.

"Okay, I can deal with that; what do you need me to do."

"We want you to become the best damn lawyer in the State of Connecticut, and you are smart enough to do it. We have seen your test scores, looked at your writing samples, and talked to some of your teachers. You will go to the finest schools, and you will achieve the highest grades or you will pay the highest penalties, if you under-achieve. I think you understand what I mean by that, don't you Fred?"

"Yes, sir, I have no doubt in my mind."

"You will work your ass off, studying from this point on. Any grade below and ninety is not acceptable. Not turning in an assignment is not acceptable. Unclear penmanship is not acceptable. Anything sub- standard is not acceptable, including the manner in which you dress. Mrs. Hastings, you take care of his clothing, if he needs anything, ask. If he argues with the way you want him to dress, hit him, until he understands that you will dress him properly. If he continues to argue, called me, and I will hit him for you. Do you have any questions, Fred?"

"No, Sir, the picture you painted is quite clear. I am a Norman Rockwell painting, and I will stay that way until I am forty."

"That is an excellent attitude Fred. Mister Hastings, your plant will not have another strike. Your workers will be happy and efficient. You will continue your payments as put down in our agreement, and if you have any problem making those payments, you know, there is only one remedy."

"Yes, Mister Lombardo. I know."

"Dad, I thought I was the remedy to your money problems."

"You are the remedy to my past money problems, Fred. What Mister Lombardo is talking about is any future money problems. I have a payment plan to keep my business running smoothly. And in order to do so I have to pay Mister Lombardo's group a certain amount of money every month. If I go into default, I lose my business."

"Dad, your father, and you have worked yourselves to the bone to make that business work. What they are doing to you is not fair. There has to be another way."

Lombardo looked at Fred and said, "There is one way if you wish to take it."

"What is that, sir?"

"We will stop your father's payment plan entirely, if you work for us ten more years."

"If I work for you, until I am fifty years old, you will not take another penny out of my father's pocket. He will not have another strike; you will not burn down his building or stuff like that."

"Fred, we are in the business of making money. If we burn down your father's building, you stop working for us, and we lose a valuable asset. We do not like losing valuable assets, because they make us money. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Mister Lombardo, I do understand. I still don't know exactly what you want me to do for you?"

"Fred, we have picked out a man's coattails for you to ride. One day he may be president, or he will be as close to that office as is humanly possible. He is incorruptible, and you must act that way also. No fancy cars or fancy women. Save your money for when you retire. At fifty years old, you have fifty more years to live. You can live very well on the money you will save."

"Thank you, sir. I accept your offer and will work for you, and get you every scrap of information I can find. I think I should go home now. I have a test on Tuesday, I have not begun to study for. If you want me to get a ninety or better on it, I will be up all night. I just want to be sure that you will honor your promises to my father. He is a free man as of tonight."

Lombardo said, "He is a free man for life Fred. You will have provided an invaluable service to us for a great many years, by that time. Our son's will have taken over for us, and they will live up to our bargains. We will start bringing along someone to replace you well before you retire. You will train him in the art of diplomacy. You will train him to kiss ass, without looking like he is doing it. When you retire, we will expect him to comfortably step into your shoes, and fulfill the promises he has made us; just like you will Fred. You have chosen wisely young man, and so have we."

26. Changing Attitudes? I

Continental flight 6104, landed at the Sky Harbor Airport at 4:15 PM. Patricia's makeup was anywhere but on her face. Stephano had more of it on his face then she did. Her lips swollen from the hours she spent kissing him, and her hands hurt from smacking his hands from roaming around her body.

He kept saying to her, "We are getting married, let's play a little."

She kept saying, "We will play very little, until you say 'I do.'"

"We had better do this soon Patricia, or I am going to die of a permanent erection."

"All we have to do is figure out a way to get your mother out here secretly. I have to go on the pill, unless you want children right away. I do not think that is a good idea, with everything that is going on around us right now. If you wish to abstain for five or six years, that is fine with me, or you can use condoms until the pill takes effect. The choice is yours."

"Your father gave us another choice, if you remember."

"You do not have one chance in 100 Billion to enter that area of my body. You will find an exit only sign there for many years to come."

"You see Patricia, you have acquiesced already. All I have to do is wait. I have the patience of a saint, when it comes to you. I hammered and hammered at you about marrying me. Then I formally asked you to marry me. I told you not to answer me, until all the pressure you were facing was off. You and I stopped talking about it. I am very smart in the ways of a woman. I let you stew in your own juices, until you could not take it anymore. I waited silently, until you said, "YES." Then I spurned you, and twisted your mind into little knots. You could not think straight. You wanted to run away, but you could not escape because the aircraft's door was closed. You were furious with me. You looked at me with daggers in your eyes, but you had so much love in your heart, you did not know whether to kill me or to kiss me. Then, I made you think. Through all that haze, hate, and despair, it was me who made you think. When your mind was finally able to focus on the facts, you ran to me like a teenage girl, and held on to me for dear life. I will wait until our wedding night to introduce you to the magic of lovemaking. When you are ready, I will introduce you to the wonders of your body. You will use words that you have never allowed to come out of your mouth. You will scream with joy, and surrender to your passions, in ways you never dreamed of before. I am very experienced in the art of lovemaking. I will teach you to love it as much as I do."

"Stephano, I will quote a line from an English classic. The Queen mother said to her daughter as she prepared for her wedding night, 'Child, lie down and think of England." I think I will try that approach for the first few hundred years."

Stephano looked at her, and they both began to laugh.

When they arrived at the baggage claim area, they heard people calling their name. They turned and saw Jemma and William waving at them from behind the security gates. They were a welcome sight, but they were also very surprised that they had driven all the way from Sedona to greet them.

As they took their bags off the carousel, and showed the tickets to the officers, William, and Jemma reached out and embraced both of them.

William said, "Welcome home children, I am so happy to see both of you."

"Hello papa, thank you for coming to get us. I am so happy you are here."

"So am I Patricia. I thought I had lost you forever. My heart was so heavy when I thought I had hurt you, I did not know what to do with myself. Jemma was the only person who could have, and did get me through it."

"Papa, couldn't you at least asked for a shorter savior?"

Jemma laugh. "I can't help it, Patricia, if you were the runt of the litter."

"When you put those heels on, you dwarf any man in the room."

"Your father bought those heels for me. When I have them on, and he lifts up my dress, he goes straight for my pussy, without bending."

"That is not true Jemma; I have to take off my shoes to do that."

Everyone was laughing as they walked to the car. Patricia said, "Papa, you had to buy a new car?"

"Had is a very strong word. When the technicians at the Air Force Base looked at the undercarriage of the car, it was bent. They told me they could straighten it out for me, but the car would never be the same. I did not have it for that long, so I had it detailed to make it look perfect, and brought it back to the dealership. I reamed the salesperson a new ass hole, and told him I wanted to see the owner of the business. I was going to sue him for his entire company. 'How dare he sell me a car with a bent frame?' The salesperson groveled at my feet. "I didn't know," he said. "The mechanics did not tell me."

"I told you on the phone to have everything checked out before I arrived. I did not hassle over the price. I sent you a check to hold the car for me. I am going to retain the best lawyer in this city, and if I am not satisfied with him, I will get the best lawyer in this state to represent me. I almost drove off a cliff because of this car's instability. You are going to pay dearly for your indiscretion."

When the owner arrived from a golf course, and found out what had happened, he was livid with the salesman. The salesman again pleaded ignorance, and blamed the mechanics for not telling him about the bent frame.

"I told the owner I did not care who was at fault. I was going to sue his company for negligence, and anything else my lawyer could think up. While we were standing there, I called a tow truck company. I told them where I was, and asked them to come and take my car home."

The owner said, "Please don't do that. Pick out any new car on the lot, and it is yours free of charge. All you have to do is pay the taxes. We will pay for the title, and the license."

Jemma and I looked around the lot and found this car. It has all the whistles and bells, but it is not the most expensive one they had. One hour later, all the papers were signed, I gave them a check for $460 for the taxes, and they transferred the license plate from the old car to the new one, and sent away for the title. It was a fun day."

"Papa, you have more money than God. Why did you do that to that poor man?"

"I wanted to show Jemma, that it could be done. It was a lesson in negotiating skills. She saw me do it to an airline executive on the first day we met. However, that was impersonal, and over the telephone. I wanted to teach her that it could be done in person, also."

"Does the salesman still have a job?"

"I will stop by in a few days to find out. If he does not, I will accost the owner again, and tell him what an idiot he is. How could a salesman, possibly recognize a bent frame without going underneath a car. The owner makes his salespeople where white shirts and ties. If he expects them to crawl under cars, he should let them wear coveralls. It is fun to be the king."

"Papa, you are hysterical."

"Mister Zabo, I have two things that need to be accomplished in short order."

"Stephano, I would like you to call me, William, dad, or papa, as Patricia does. Mister Zabo is very formal, and you are to be my son very soon. I already know one of your requests and it is being worked on, already. We are attempting to contact your mother, without alarming her. We wish her to know that you are getting married and we would like her to be at your side. When the time is right, we will have you on the phone to speak to her about it. Now, son, what was your second question."

"Dad, it ties in to the first one. We have to get your daughter to a gynecologist immediately. We agree that the time is not right to bring a child into this world. With the possibility of a trial coming up in the next few years, having a little one roaming around is not the best thing for us to do now. So an ounce of prevention is worth it right now. I asked Patricia on the airplane, "Let's play a little, we are getting married."

Her reply was stifling. She said, "We are going to play very little, until you say 'I do'."