Why I Hated the Guy From the Fbi

Note: All persons in this story are fictitious. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

38. Battleship Row

Every time Angelina Mancuso took Annarosa out for a walk, in her coach, she had FBI agents, unabashedly, walking with her less than 20 feet behind her. There was not just one group of agents, but several that were with her, every step of the way.

On a Tuesday afternoon, while pushing the carriage, they made her so nervous; she collapsed onto the ground, into a dead faint.

The agents were horrified, because the carriage was now rolling downhill, unattended toward a busy intersection. They yelled to other agents and any person ahead of them, to stop the carriage.

A young mother, with an infant of her own, in her arms, was able to bring the runaway coach to a halt, before it enter the busy avenue. Mrs. Mancuso had suffered a heart attack, caused by stress, and she lie on the side walk unconscious, with agents giving her CPR, while waiting for an ambulance to arrive.

Marco Mancuso arrived at the hospital to see his wife, and find out what happened. The police gave him the report, and he exploded with rage. "You nearly killed my wife and granddaughter, because you do not know where Tony is? You fucking idiots; he is in Milan for his daughter's wedding. I spoke with Donna and Vincent yesterday afternoon. Everyone is having a great time. Antonia beat up on some guy named Charlie, who used to be one of you guys. Tony had to pull her off him before there was blood on the floor.'"

"You are very lucky nothing happened to Annarosa. Anthony would have been uncontrollable, if she had been hurt. There would have been a war the likes of which you have never seen before. The code of families being untouchable would have been thrown out the window. There would have been blood everywhere."

"You are sure Tony and Rose are there?"

"Where else would they be, you fucking idiot. Their only daughter is getting married Saturday afternoon. No Italian parent would miss that, as long as they had a beating heart."

One agent thought there was an opening to get an admission that Tony Caruso was a Mafia Boss, and tried to get it from Mancuso.

"Mr. Mancuso, are you saying that Tony could call in the entire Brooklyn mob and start a war against the FBI?"

Marco did not bite. He said, "Are you dense or what? Tony would call in his family members, as the Russians, the Czechs, and the Greeks do, as a matter of family honor. The men, with sons, would go after the FBI with everything they had in them, until they died. Their wives would get pregnant, by a blindfolded young male, from within the family, in the hopes of producing a son, in memory of their lost husband."

An agent said, "You guys are fucking nuts!"

"No! You would have killed a wife and a child of our family, for no reason, because of your own incompetence. If you had bothered to check in, with Antonia or Frank, you would have found the entire family happily together. They are not in hiding. They are shopping in downtown Milan. They are doing the tourist things. They are preparing for a wedding. However, the FBI, with all its resources, did nothing, and two innocents could or would have been killed. Now you have the gall to call us 'Nuts.' What would you do if it were your wife and child, mister big time FBI agent; what would you do to settle the score?"

The agent did not have an answer. He turned and walked away.

Mancuso took out his cell phone and called Tony. After the initial outburst was over, he thanked the Lord everything had turned out fine, or, as he had predicted, there would have been a war of the size and scope, which had not been seen, since the start of World War II, for the United States; when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, and they sank or damaged every ship on 'Battleship Row.'

During his tirade, Tony said, "If my Grandbaby was hurt, the Federal Building would be dust."

Mancuso yelled at him, "Tony, we are on the phone, please calm down. Annarosa is fine; I swear it, on my life. Angelina is going to be fine. It was a stress related heart attack. There is no muscle damage to her heart. The Feds are going to pay, big time, for what happened today. Do not tell the kids what happened, until after the wedding, or they will want to come home early. Let them enjoy their time away, while I enjoy my grandchild. I still have to tell my father about today. I am not looking forward to that conversation. He will react like you did. I think I will have him hold Annarosa, while I tell him."

"I believe that is a very good plan, Marco. He will not raise his voice, with the baby in his arms, because it will scare her. It will also keep his blood pressure under control. Have him call me on a throw away, after you talk to him. After that I will call the FBI and tell them what I think of them."

"Thanks Tony, I will talk with you again soon."

Tony closed his phone and started to walk out to the gardens.

Rose and Antonia were looking at him as he walked away from the group and said, simultaneously, "There is a problem at home." They turned, looked at each other, and laughed.

Rose said, "I better find out what it is, before he gets too upset."

Antonia said, "Are you kidding, I would not miss this for the world."

The two women tried to walk up quietly behind him, but Tony said, "Women, they read your thoughts, and then break down your resistance, until you tell them every little detail they want to know. God, why couldn't you leave our ribs alone?"

'It is not ribs, dad; it is side.' "God took a side of Adam and made woman."

"What idiot made that change and forgot to tell the rest of mankind."

"It was an incorrect translation of the ancient Greek scrolls, dad. Everyone knows that by now; well almost everyone."

"Twelve years of Catholic school was not wasted on you after all, Antonia."

"No dad, I learned that, a few weeks ago, in a literature class."

"You had to go and burst my bubble, didn't you?"

"That is what bubbles are for, dad. Now, what is going on at home, that is weighing so heavily on your mind?"

"Apparently Vincent and Donna left there Christmas tree lights on and there was a fire that gutted the entire house. It spread to the house next door, before the fire department arrived. Thankfully no one was hurt, but the house is a total loss."

Rose looked at Antonia and asked, "You or me?"

"He is your husband. You can have the first shot."

"Tony, you poor defective dear; do you remember when you had Vincent's new home gutted and made into the magnificent looking residence it is inside."

"Yes Rose, I do."

"Anthony, I will bet you everything that is in the boxes, that it is still beautiful as we speak; would you like to know why?"

"Go ahead Rose, I am all ears."

"That is correct husband, when you lie to us; you are all ears and no brain. You had the electricians put those 'fault detector receptacles' everywhere in their home, just in case, a baby stuck something in them and they would not receive a shock. Are you ready to tell us the truth now?"

"No Rose, take the boxes and have fun."

"Is it as bad as that Anthony?"

"I have been good. I have been open and above board, with the FBI, for more than four months. Today they did something that was unforgiveable. I have not been this angry in my entire life, and I am ready to go back and take retribution on the people that caused it."

"Dad, please do not do anything that will ruin this week for me. This is my only chance for happiness. Like mom, I am only going to marry one time. I have found the only man that can accept me for who I am, and how I behave. I may change as I grow up, but I may not. I need Frank, but I need you and mom also. Please tell us what happened, and maybe we can help."

Tony Caruso bared his soul to the two women in his life, about the day's events, and this time Rose was not acting. If Anthony was angry, Rose was livid. However, Antonia went ballistic.

When she finally calmed down, she asked, in her sweetest tone of voice, "Father dear, do you have the telephone number of a high ranking FBI official, so I can rip his tongue out of his head?"

"Yes, Antonia, however he is on vacation and does not know what happened today."

"Just dial the fucking number and give me the phone. He is about to have his vacation ruined."

Ed Cross was having a family dinner, when his cell phone rang. He excused himself and said, 'Ed Cross." He pulled the phone away from his ear, before he lost all hearing in that ear."

His family could hear the screaming across the room, quite clearly.

Antonia's tirade went on for five minutes, before Ed begged her to give him a chance to respond to her accusations.

She said, "No, you fucking idiot. Check with your inept agents. Mrs. Mancuso is still in ICU. My niece is not dead, because a young mother was brave enough to stop a careening carriage, from entering a busy intersection. My father and mother have been where they told you they would be, at the time and place they told you they would be. We are going to sue the FBI for Billions. That is Billions with a B, Mister Cross. Tomorrow morning, we will be contacting the New York Times, CNN, MSNBC and any other news outlet that wants an interview, with my father, mother, the Mancuso's, Vincent, Donna and Annarosa, and my husband Frank and me. Our lawyers will be with us, however, we will be the people doing the talking and crying on worldwide television. The press will be all over you guys, and I cannot wait for the congressional hearings to start. That should be very entertaining television Mr. Cross. Enjoy the rest of your vacation Mr. Cross, it may be the last one you have for a very long time."

Ed Cross knew Antonia was correct. He ran to the bathroom and started giving back everything he had eaten, for the past few days. Heads were going to roll, and one of them might be his.

39. An Old Don and a Big Party

The Castronova family knew they were running out of time, for the Don to get his 'heart transplant.' A decision had to be made, in the best interest of the 'Family,' to let the Don receive a fictitious transplant, and keep him in Switzerland for an extended recovery period, or have him die, have closed coffin ceremony, and have him run the business from Morocco. Morocco has no extradition treaty with Italy. He would be out of the reach of Italian law enforcement; he would not be doing anything illegal according to Moroccan law; and if he kept a low profile, no one would ever think of looking for him there. The decision had to be a family one, but out of respect for the Don, his word would carry a heavy weight. Their business was suffering and the decision had to be made quickly, before they lost more of their market share.

The Don came up with a different plan. He wanted to go home to 'die.' He said the authorities could trace a heart back to the donor and would find none. If he stayed in Bern and died, there would be the problem of transporting a dead body across the Swiss border, without the body being certified. He said if he was extremely ill at home, and passed away, with everyone mourning his passing, a closed coffin would be less suspicious, and spiriting him out of the country would be easier.

"With age comes wisdom," the Don said, and his children; extended male family members, agreed and applauded their leader.

The decision was made, and the mechanics of the operation were now being planned to the last period. The 'Family' would fly the Don back to Milan, Sunday morning, and place him in 'Home Hospice Care' 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. His condition was guarded, and he was not expected to live much longer. His heart was extremely weak, and he was now suffering from congestive heart symptoms, that could not be reversed. His doctors told the authorities, that they were only keeping the old man, "as comfortable as possible, without hastening his demise."

His bedroom at home was turned into a hospital room with all the necessary equipment to assist the nurses and doctors, who would be in attendance. Everything was now in place, and the timing would have to be perfect.

Thursday evening, was the bridal shower and bachelor party. You could not have believed two more disparate parties could be going on, for a couple about to be married.

The female party was set up by Celeste, the Maid of Honor, at a hotel, close to the Cathedral of Milan. It was a wild and raucous affair; with wine flowing like water; and dirty jokes being told one right after the other. It was a scene right out of a men's smoker. She even had two male strippers at the event, which embarrassed Rose, to the point that her face was the color of her name. All the young bridesmaids and the young married women were having a really wonderful time, and an all-female band played, until the small hours of the morning. The room was very big for a party of 30 women, and some of the women did things to Antonia they would never have done under normal circumstances, and lived! Luckily, Donna did not attend this bridal shower. She spent the evening sightseeing with Vincent.

Philip went the reserved route, and the men had a blast; and I mean a blast. He took them to a Private Shooting Club, and for games of chance with handguns, rifles, and finally, a very expensive sniper rifles, at extreme ranges. Bets were limited to $100 per target per person, and there were a total of 50 targets. It would give everyone a chance to see how everyone else shot, before making a decision to either keep what they had won up to that point, or to go all in on the last round, and play for "Winner takes All."

There were two former FBI agents, Charlie and Frank. A mafia Don, Tony, a sport shooter, Philip; and Frank's father, Philip, who had not touched a gun, since his days in Viet Nam.

Vincent was not allowed to attend, because he had no formal training with any weapons at all. Tony did not want him to be hurt, even accidentally.

Philips family members begged off, because they were planning for the return of the Don.

It turned out to be just the five men, and it made it a more intimate, and collegial affair. The competition became more personal for Charlie and Frank, because thought that either one of them was a sure thing to take the hand gun competition. The first three rounds, standing, sitting and laying down were close; however, Philip Gennaro was eliminated; followed by the second Philip. Frank was amazed, when he was beaten and Charlie became angry when he lost to Tony. Tony grinned widely, and said, "Beginners luck."

Charlie and Frank did not laugh, nor did they believe a word of what he said.

The mid-range rifle completion took a very long time, also. The competition was fierce. Philip Gennaro was the first to be eliminated, again. Then it was Tony, Frank and Charlie. Philip Castronova hooted and hollered at his hard earned victory. He said, "Three thousand dollars a year in dues, and I finally have something to show for it."

Charlie asked him, "You have to pay three grand a year to shoot at targets?"

"Yes, but the women you meet there are incredible."

Everyone laughed. "I knew there had to be a catch," Frank said. "We got to shot people for free."

Tony chirped in, "Well, not exactly for free, Frank; there is a cost involved."

Frank agreed, "Yeah, Tony, there is always a price to be paid."

They went into the range office and were handed the most expensive rifle any of them had ever held. It was a $6000 rifle, with a Starlight Scope, and a Laser designator. Except for a few pieces of super-sophisticated military hardware, this rifle was top of the line, in any man's book. It could take down a deer a mile and one half away, without breathing hard. The only problem was, by the time the hunter walked there, another hunter would have found the carcass, strung it up, and field dressed it. Then he would have carried it off, thinking it was his lucky day.

Even in total darkness, the $6000 sniper rifle proved too much for the 500 meter target. Everyone was hitting it regularly. They opted for the 900 meter target.

Philip Castronova went first and missed. Tony missed. Frank missed. Charlie missed. Philip Gennaro missed.

It was time to decide what to do with the winnings; and everyone, especially Phil Gennaro, who had not won anything all night, was for "Winner takes all!" After four hours of shooting, it was no longer about the money. Each of them could afford one hundred times more than was in the pot; it was for bragging rights, and men love to brag.

Philip Castronova lay down on the mat, and aligned the scope. He breathe in, blew it out slowly, squeeze the trigger gently, and missed, short and right of the target. He would have to go to confession, before mass tomorrow afternoon, because of the words that followed. Tony had been on the scope and had seen where the bullet landed, and which way the dust blew afterwards. He now had an advantage, because he could gauge the wind speed and direction better than Philip had. He adjusted the settings on the scope settled into position, fired, and would join Philip at the confessional tomorrow as his projectile missed wide and left of the target. Frank halved Tony's corrections, smiled at him and said, "Thanks dad. You just zeroed the target for me." He lay down, steadied the rifle and fired. The bullet missed the top of the target by a wet cunt hair, and he, also would be speaking to a priest, before getting married.

Tony patted him on the back and welcomed him to 'the family who could not shoot straight.'

Charlie thanked both men for aligning the rifle for him. He did not adjust anything. He lay down on the mat aimed, breathe, squeezed and missed. He screamed, "It is not possible. That should have hit the target dead center."

Philip said "It might have Charlie, if it had not hit that Grouse first."

"Grouse; what in God's name is a Grouse?"

"It is a bird Charlie. I hope you have a hunting license. If you do not you are going to have to pay a fine."

"I demand another shot. I cannot help it if a bird got in the way."

Tony retorted, "Then I want another shot because the wind died down during my shot."

Charlie said, "Let's wait for Phil to miss and then we will all get another shot."

Philip Gennaro said, "Thanks for the vote of confidence guys. Just because you have all my money and I have been eliminated first, in every round, does not mean I cannot get lucky, as Tony did, when he won the overall, in the first round. Philip got lucky twice in the second round; once with the ladies and second with our money. I may just fool you here and take all the money and run away."

"All talk and no action old man; pick up the rifle, if it is not too heavy for you and take your shot, so we can begin again."

Phil Gennaro lay down, hugged the rifle to his cheek, kept both eyes open, spotted a wind gust, aimed, fired, hit the target dead center and knocked the target of the post."

There was not a sound behind him as he stood up. Four men looking down range, through binoculars were still looking in disbelief.

Tony looked at him and said, "Why do I have a feeling you have played us all evening?"

Charlie said, "Nice shot, Frank. It is like you did it all your life."

Castronova joked, "I did not know you could see that far, Phil."

Frank asked his father, "Dad, what did you do when you were in Viet Nam?"

Philip handed his son the expensive rifle, and told him to return it to the Field Office.

As everyone handed Philip Gennaro their money, Tony said, "I did not hear what you said to Frank, Philip. What did you do when you were stationed over in Nam?

Phil Gennaro started running to the car and yelled over his shoulder, "I was a Marine sniper."

Four men started running after him, as he laughed on his way to safety.