Alfonzo (30 page)

Alfonzo sat patiently, certain more was to come.

“My schoolteacher, aware of the danger, kept me in France and secured Anthony’s safe
passage there
.
Our identities were changed and after many years we returned to our beloved Italy.
We could not tell anyone we were the sons of Sergio Giacanti. We began anew with
the
assistance
of
my schoolteacher and his family.”

“Why go back?”

“My father
unbeknownst to me
entrusted
important documents into my care. I found them in a trunk filled with my clothes. L
edgers
filled with the names of his affili
ates
, i
dentities of informants in Europe and abroad and detailed records of monetary transactions. There were billions of dollars in dummy accounts across Europe and America. I went back for revenge and with these ledgers it came easy.”

“What exactly has this to do with me?”

“
Frank Monticelli
was my father’s friend and the man who betrayed him. He fled to the Americas and with the protection of his associates has remained untouchable. I suspect he knows my identity and the existence of the ledgers. When I die you must
escort my body home. Alberti will make the introductions to my affiliates. There can be no lapse in leadership in Palazzo Enterprises. You must stay there until you have established your position as my heir. Your mother will be safe here but you will not. In time the United States government will seek to
bring you to justice simply due to who you are. You are not safe here anymore.
”

Alfonzo frowned, “I can’t leave my family.”

“Then
you will put them in
danger. The only way to ensure they are safe is to gain the respect and power of my affiliates. Use the ledger to persuade when necessary. You must take over the company Alfonzo…you have no choice.”

“I do have choices old man.”

The Giacanti lineage remains a threat.” Luzo took a dee
p breath, “Frank Monticelli is a threat. He holds a grudge against my father and his clan. He will extinguish our lineage if he can
,
but you must keep it. You and my brother’s son
are the last male descendants of the Giacanti’s
.
You are a threat.
”

Luzo
frowned;
the boy would not understand the old ways. The honor of men pledged
to La Costra N
ostra.

Alfonzo sighed, “Why should I do anything for you?”

The boy was being difficult, “Hate me but
it is not for me
you
do this, but those you love
.” Luzo said.

Despite Alfonzo’s feigned disinterest, he would do the honorable thing. Luzo
understood
enough about human nature to know this to be true.
H
e weakened
with
each breath, “As long as the Giacanti family survives, they are
a
threat
to Monticelli
and stand between him and power.
”

Alfonzo growled
, “You’ve burdened me with your sins and your father
’s
as
an inheritance.” He spoke vehemently, “Thanks!”

“I know you will honor me. Remember under no circumstances
share this with anyone. Do not l
iquidate or transfer
any of the Palazzo assets. Right now, your uncle controls the business and when you
’
r
e
ready he will teach you everything. Only my brother’s
waste management companies partake in any
illegitimate activity.
”

“Why indulge in any illegitimate activity?”

Luzo smiled at this idealistic pretense, “Certainly boy you must know even respectable men
make not so respectable deals.
You are green and have much to learn.
”

A
lfonzo rose
,
the man
had cleansed his soul. He thought about the biblical verse
which
sp
eaks
about the sins of the father being visited upon the son.
Luzo Palazzo’s sins were rivers of blood.
What w
as he to do
with
this knowledge? The immediate threat was not his father but
the woman he married.
“Where is your wife?”

“She is being taken care of, do not worry.”

“And the hitman
she hired tell me
how
to
find him
.
”

“Alberti will assist in that matter, he is loyal
,
and he
will be your most trusted advisor
. Your uncle
Carlo
will help as well.
There are enforcers who are instructed to do
as you ask.
I have brought them here as added protection.
”
Luzo withheld a secret about
Alberti,
one the you
th
did not need to know, yet and a secret Luzo sought to keep.

Alfonzo moved to the door. He pitied the dying man.
“
M
ay God have mercy on you
papa
for what you have done to m
y mother and
m
e.
”

“Son,” he said to the retreating figure, “I
am sorry
, I do
love you.
Possono
i
santi
vegliare
su
di
te
;
may the Saints watch over you.
”

Alfonzo said
nothing;
the prayer fell on the head of the damned. He
opened the door and walked past
the guards. He stared ahead into the sterile halls into nothingness.
His world
was
forever altered by revelations he could not ignore.
He
waved away Alberti as he approached and walked outside into fresh, crisp air
alone
.

In a trance he
hailed a cab
and leaned against the cracked rubber seat as he
absorb
ed what he was told.
Uncle Al, Selange’s mom, Shanda, Jay, all innocent victims…and a hitman with one
name…Freddie
.

The cab arrived at
his mother’s home
and he
noticed
the curtains peel back.
His mother opened the door and ushered her son to the living room where a large box sat atop the coffee table.
She sat
and
fac
ed
her son
with lines of
stress
creasing her eyes.
Alfonzo loved his mom
but tried to reconcile
the lies. They talked in length and
a
d
eeper understanding ensued. He could not blame her for wanting to protect him from
his father’s sordid life, yet
her attempts failed. His blood was poisoned with the Giacanti’s. He should take a knife to it, cut his veins and bleed it out of him. This would purge the
disease and finally set him free.
His face twisted in agony
. Being born was a curse. He should have died at birth then maybe everyone else will be alive.

Finally
, his mother retired and he sat
alone
staring at the box. He tore off the wrapping and opened the lid. Inside were not ledger
s
but photographs and flash drives which he surmised contained
confidential information.

He took the box to the basement where he retrieved his laptop and sat on the bed reviewing the contents. Hours late
r
and
reeking
of vodka he shut-off the computer, tossed the flash-drives in the box then called Domingo to take him home.

The faces of the
Giacanti clan
were l
ike ghosts come to haunt the present. Nothing numb
ed
the shock
of this day.
Domingo helped
him
in inside then took off
unaware of the man watching from a short distance.

With the rise of the sun he entered the bedroom and fell across the bed
where Selange slept
.
He dropped the box on the floor and its contents spilled across the floor.

Glazed eyes caressed the beautiful young woman
, a
woman he
dreamed
of having a future with, how was
it
possible now?
He apologized profusely in Spanish then blacked-out.

Selange awoke to discover Alfonzo asleep and
fully dressed. Old photographs and multiple flash drives
on the floor.
Lovingly, she removed his shoes then knelt to place the discarded items into the open box. She stopped when she came across a document
;
LAST WILL AND
TESTAMENT of Luzo Palazzo.
The name
was
familiar.
She remembered!
The FBI questioned Alfonzo about Luzo Palazzo after Shanda’s abduction.
She sat at the foot of the bed
. She did not want to snoop but she was curious. She read the document and when she finished she scrambled to her feet trying to hold the contents of her stomach.

CHAPTER T
WENTY-EIGHT

Detective
Winoski sat hunched over her desk staring at numbers
s
cribbled on
the
crumpled paper. She and Marchese brain-stormed late into the night and determined
t
he numbers were a possible lead to their hitman. Finally, they decided to start fresh in the
morning.

The clock on the wall read: seven-twenty. She took a sip of coffee as she settled at her desk
and immediately arranged the numbers into variant combinations.
Marchese sat across the room doing God-knows-what
as she
made cold calls from the list. Some were
businesses;
others were disconnected or
scratched off the list
. Deceased, out of business, etcetera.
Out of 100 combinations, seventy-one were probable contacts.
She
perused the list again, TRIBECA FLORALS, GAYLE HARPER, JUSTIN LIGENER,
HIGHLAND RETIREMENT, HUNG CHINESE RESTAURANT, EVAN GRAHAM,
SANDRA HART……she stopped reading.

“Shit, I think I got something!”

Marchese looked up, “What you got?”

“Evan Graham.”

Telephones rang simultaneously and she shouted over the noise.
“I got an address over on swanky Park Avenue. I want a face-to -face with this guy.”

She was on her feet
before
Marchese reached the car keys.
He caught up
to her
on the precinct stairs
.
Carey’s singular purpose
for wanting to crack the case stemmed from
professional dedication, his, a
more
personal one.

***

Gina placed her luggage in the capable hands of the pilot then ascended the narrow
stairs to
the
lease
d
jet. A smiling flight attendant named
Bob
ushered her to a
seat.
She settled there, deep in thought. Evan failed to deliver as promised
. Luzo’s son lived.
Dichenzo’s henchmen shadowed her everywhere.
In an elaborate escape she entered a woman’s boutique, paid to enlist the assistance of the clerk and changed clothes then slipped out of an employee exit.
When the men discovered her missing she would be flying over the Atlantic.

In flight Gina dozed then awakened in a cold sweat. Nightmarish dreams of the past
left her panting.

Bob came over, “Is anything wrong Ms.
Geraldi
?”

Gina nodded, “Water please.”

He returned shortly with a glass and an unopened bottle of Perrier, “Here you are.”

“Thank you,” she said as he twisted the cap then
filled her glass.

Bob left and she was alone again. The water was tepid, not cold as she liked
but she drank it thirstily
.
Her plan to sit at the helm of Palazzo Enterprises had failed. Luzo’s men were certain to kill her the moment their employer died. She was not going to wait like a sitting duck for the bullet to strike. Oh no, she would seek the protection of Luzo’s rival. Frank Monticelli.
Yes, this was her plan and a man she trusted would be a
t the airport to ensure she arrived without a scratch.