Honor Thy Mother & Thy Father Ch. 12

"If you get any updates on your son's condition, I expect to hear them immediately."

"Yes Mister Lombardo, as soon as I hear them I will call you."

"I am telling you there were no plastics in this building. There was cardboard, some metal, about a ton of newspaper, but there was no plastic. The bomb was made up of diesel fuel fertilizer and a couple of other inert ingredients. It set off by an inexpensive timer. Whoever set this up knew they were being watched. They were hoping to catch us inside, when it went off."

"Thank God for the dogs, we would've been roasted along with everything else. Now we have to find out where they really hid their files. Send this as a Priority 1 Flash to the director.

Michael and Patricia were still together when the message arrived. He said, "They tricked us, they thought we were onto them and they tricked us. They should only know we blew it, your friends picked up on it, and they watched us make a fool out of ourselves anyhow."

Patty asked, "What happened, Michael?"

"The building in Sloan contained no plastic. No plastic means no computer disks, and no hard drives. There was only one ton of paper, but it was all newsprint, and not computer paper. It was all a setup to get our people inside the building and blow it up. They wanted to kill some of my people, and that is against my rules. No one kills my people and gets away with it."

"There's a silver lining to that cloud, Michael. We know where their information is, unless they were able to move it in the last 25 days without a big fleet of trucks leaving the same facility, and not being noticed. If you can get a warrant to search that warehouse, that's where all their computerized information has to be."

"You know what else Patricia, it is in New Jersey, and we don't have to deal with the same federal judge. I love you. I have to call Clark, and ask him to get me a warrant."

At 4 AM the next morning, over 200 agents of the FBI, DEA, US Marshal Service, New Jersey State Police, and local law enforcement officers raided the Dunwoody Supply & Transfer Warehouse. It was a massive 14-story warehouse and every inch had to be hand inspected, and sniffed by the powerful noses of police dogs. The men and women who worked there were questioned outside the building, about any hidden rooms or basements.

They asked the supervisor, "What goes on in this building?"

He responded, "No wun, nos, nuttin, abot nuttin."

That is the way it would have been, if a police officer had not tripped over his dog. As he lied on the ground with the dog licking his face he saw a red beam of light that he decided to investigate. He had to move a large palette so he called for help and three more police officers came. They moved pallet and red light became visible 2 inches above the floor. They still did not know where it started or where its termination point was, so they called for their chief to find out how he wanted to handle this. One agent realized the light was emanating from the floor and said find where it ends you may find a corner; they did. Then they found two more. The light made a perfect 30-foot square. The floor was made out of steel to bear the weight of trucks running over day after day. This area did not look like it had any seams. The lead agent for the supervisor in and said, "What is under this floor?"

"Nuttin."

He said, "Before I put a load of C4 on the corners of this area, tell me what is under this floor?"

"Nuttin"

"Sam, arrest him, reading his rights, and chain him to that pillar. Warren bring me 2 pounds of C4 and four blasting caps, I want to see if the computer disks and hardware are under this floor. Leave him here when we detonate explosives."

The supervisor said, "Computer not unda dat flur. Its unda dat flur," pointing to his right.

The agent asked the supervisor, "What is under this floor?"

The supervisor replied, "Cars."

"How do I get the floors to come up?"

"Computer duz it."

"Where is the computer?"

"Behind da red bottl."

They moved the fire bottle and opened the passage door. A wireless computer was there, with a schematic of the first floor. It showed them how to open each subterranean bay; there were 12 of them, but they did not say what was in any of them. They went back to the supervisor and asked him what number he had pointed to and he replied it was number 11. He was told never to open number seven.

When they asked him why, he said he was told by his boss never to open that bay.

They opened Bay 11 and it held the Holy Grail. Everything they wanted from computer disks to hard drives, paper printouts to hand written notes. It would take years to go through all of this, but the prosecution of the mob figureheads; politicians and business leaders, who were working hand in glove with them, was going to be a slam-dunk. People were finally going to go to jail for a very long time.

Phone calls were made to Director Free and the Attorney General to advise them of success of this mission. They also told them about the other items that were going to be found in this building and about the mysterious subterranean bay they would not touch, until all other useful evidence had been removed from the building.

Phone calls were also sent out to Joe Lombardo, Mike Caifano, and Niccolo Oliveto telling them that the federal agencies had discovered all of their hidden information.

Mike Caifano said, "Why don't we meet and set up a joint strategy to deal with this problem."

Oliveto agreed and even though Joe Lombardo was not enthusiastic about them being together he agreed also.

He said, "Let's do it tomorrow, between 11 AM and 4 PM. Keep your people with you, and we will call each other in rotation, until we all agree to meet at a particular place. If one of us says no; we wait until all of us say yes to a particular spot. Agreed?"

Patricia and 35 of her merry computer friends were attacking the FBI's host computer looking for anyone who had made inroads into piggybacking material off the mainframe. They had already been successful. She called Michael on his cell phone.

"Do I want to hear this, or do I want to shoot myself?"

"Don't you dare shoot yourself; I want to do that."

"What do you have for me, Patricia?"

"Do you have any enemies in the government?"

"I don't think so. Why do you ask?

"The NSA, DIA, Treasury Department, the IRS, and the DEA are all piggybacking your computer illegally. Would you like me to send them a message?"

"You have no idea how I would like to say yes to you Patricia, but that would be illegal."

"Maybe you didn't hear me Michael, what they are doing to your computer is illegal. They did not get approval to tap into it. They are using specific operators to get information into your computer and out of it."

"That is the information I needed to know. Those are the people whose names I need on my desk when I get into work later today."

"I have already sent them emails to be at your office at 2 o'clock this afternoon. If you were not going to fire them, I was. They are sloppy, stupid, and inefficient computer technicians. They should be sent back to computer school to start all over again. That is why these agencies probably co-opted them. All but one of them would fail first year Computer Dynamics."

"I would love to hire all your people Patty, but until Congress gets off its ass and starts paying you what you are worth, we will continue to have to hire third and fourth rate people. Look at what I have to pay you per day to get you to come to work for us."

"I know Michael, but I also do a lot of things pro bono for you. Bruno Valentino is in custody, you have all the mobs computers in your warehouse. Who knows what else you will find in that building in New Jersey. I wonder if Jimmy Hoffa is in Bay Seven."

"Jimmy Hoffa was probably served as hamburger on US 1, in North Carolina 50 years ago."

"I am happy you said 50 years ago, he was served before my time. I am angry at those five agencies for hacking into your computer. I am going to shut them down for five minutes. I'll talk to you later Michael. Good bye."

"Patricia, don't you do it, don't you shut down the NSA. They can get very, Patricia, Patricia.... That woman is going to give me another ulcer."

Later that afternoon Patricia called Michael again. "Yes Patricia what did you find out now?"

"The NSA was listening to traffic between Medellin Colombia and New York City. I listened to it for a little while. They are planning assassinations there Michael. The mayor, the chief of police, and the Commissioner. They are going to make it look like the Italian Mafia is having a war. They want to take over the crime syndicates in New York. From what I could ascertain from the conversation, they have already hit two mob bosses already and they are going to start the street violence very shortly. Why haven't they told you this Michael? Why are they keeping this a secret from you?"

"I don't know Patricia, but I am going to the Attorney General; and from him to the President to get the authority I need to stop this right now."

"I am going to do something also Michael. I think I can help, if they will listen to me."

"If who will listen to you Patricia?

"The three remaining Don's; they have no reason to trust me, but at least I can warn them."

"You are not to leave Washington, Patricia. Do you understand me; you are not to leave the city."

"Are you telling me what to do again Michael?"

"This time Patricia, yes I am telling you what to do. If I have to have put you in jail, you will not leave this city."

"Goodbye Michael, good luck with the President."

"I hate you Patricia."

"May I speak to Joseph Lombardo please; this is Patricia Parent calling."

"I don't know who you are, but this is a poor time for a joke."

"Tell Mister Lombardo that I was in your Miami facility helping track down William Zabo. They had to rush me to a hospital in Miami, because I was very ill. If he wants more specifics tell him about the ice bath they watched me take on televisions from another room."

"Hello Ms. Parent, are you calling to gloat."

"No Mister Lombardo I am calling with a warning, and I am hoping to help you. I am working with Michael Free, the director of the FBI. Earlier today we listened to an intercepted conversation from Columbia to New York. We know these people have already killed two Don's, and they have more killings in mind. They do have an ulterior motive, and you are not going to like it. You may have heard some of the rumors about it already. The Colombians are planning a big move. They want to take over New York, and they want the Mafia out. They want total control of your criminal empire. As far as my boss and I are concerned, both your factions could fight it out until you are all dead and buried. However, we have heard discussions between the Colombians that it is not the way they want to play it. They want it to look like an all-out Mafia war. They want to assassinate the Mayor of New York, and Police Commissioner, and the chief of police They want the front page of the newspapers to be filled with blood. If it takes every FBI agent, police officer, and law enforcement agency and the tri-state area, New York City will remain safe. Do you understand me Mister Lombardo?"

"Yes I do, but how can I possibly help stop this?"

"You are going to think I'm crazy; no you are going to think I'm insane for even suggesting this. The easiest way to stop this from happening is for you, Mike Caifano, and Niccolo Oliveto to turn yourselves in. There will be a big firestorm over it. The press will be all over it. The three of you will profess your innocence and say you were turning yourselves in as proof of your innocence. Just like the last trial you will be found innocent again. What the people won't know is that you are not be arrested, or put in jail. You will be put into protective custody, until we can ferret out the people who are supposed to cause the riots. Once they are out of the way, you will be released on your own recognizance, because of a clerical error."

"You are out of your fucking mind."

"I said you he would think I was insane. How about this, I am going to try something insane also. What is the price on my head?"

"$5 million, alive.

"Good! Tomorrow afternoon at 1 o'clock I am going to start living a normal life again. How far I get starts with you. I will be at a little Italian restaurant at 234 Street and Kingsbridge Avenue, in the Bronx. It is called Imperiali's. My mother used to work there many years ago, and the owners name was Michael Imperiali. I do not know if he or his family still own or operate the restaurant, but I know it is still there. I will reserve a table for the four of us. You can kill me, and save $5 million, or you can come with me to the US Attorney's Office, turn yourselves in and probably save your lives. The choice is yours."

Lombardo repeated himself, "You are out of your fucking mind."

Michael Free was relieved when he arrived at home that evening and sat down to dinner with his family. Patricia was there also.

"Thank you for listening to me Patricia. I know I am hard on you at times, but it is for the best. You have to stay away from New York, until this thing blows over."

"What did the Attorney General have to say about it?"

"He couldn't say much, because the NSA refused to comment on the conversation you overheard. They said it was classified, and you did not have a clearance to hear it."

Melody and Harmony Free laughed at Patricia. Michael looked at them and said, "That was not very nice girls."

Melody said, "Patricia did a very nice things for you, dad, and that's what we were laughing about."

Patricia put her hand in front of her mouth to cover her laughing.

Michael said, "Oh no, not you too?"

"No Michael, not me, I know what I was going to say. They picked up on it. They are very good girls, and they love you a lot."

"Okay, what is going on here?"

Melody said, "Patricia thought about the evil thing she is doing to do to the head of the NSA tomorrow and was going to say it out loud. Then she said to herself that she shouldn't say it, because you will say you're getting another ulcer. That's when we laughed."

Harmony asked her father if he wanted to know what Patricia was going to do tomorrow.

Michael said, "No, it would ruin the surprise."

After dinner Dolores and Patricia walked into her home office, and talked about her problems concerning sex. They discussed the solution the three men had talked about with her, and more important to Doctor Free, what her feelings about those discussions created inside her.

Patricia explained that at first she was very angry at herself for being so stupid about creating a problem where no problem existed. As she continued to think about it she felt a kind of lightness come over her. She was able to relax when she thought about sex and when she thought about Stephano.

Dolores asked, "What do you picture your next six months being like Patricia?"

"I don't know if I'm going to be alive in six months, Doctor. I am going to do something that may help save many people; but it is going to be putting my life in danger. If it works it will be worth it. If it doesn't, tell Michael it was not his fault. It had to be tried."

"From what Michael has told me about you, it appears that you always have to put yourself out in front. You had yourself injected with a lethal amount of a radioactive isotope and barely survived. You get great rewards, for other people, but at great price to yourself. Why must you continue living your life that way?"

"I want to be normal again. My mother and I were always normal people. I never knew we had a lot of money, until after she was killed. I never had to take a risk in my life until after she was killed. After she was killed, I was no longer normal; I was super special Patty. I know my mother did not plan this for me, but once the Valentino family found us, and killed her, my life was written in stone. I had to follow her roadmap exactly, and her roadmap brought me to your husband's desk. My mom knew what I; no, what we developed in a computer program. Once I demonstrated it on the FBI's computers, I had to be protected; not only from the bad guys, but from other federal agencies also. In the wrong hands it can destroy a country. In the right hands it can save countries. I could hand it to you right now and you would not know what to do with it, because I am the only one who knows the queues. They are not written down anywhere. Without me, the programs are useless. It is why Michael and I get along so well. He knows he cannot threaten me, and he knows that I know he cannot threaten me. He has one set of the Flash Drives. I have the only set of the queues. Tomorrow morning, the head of the NSA is going to look like an idiot, because of what he did to Michael and the Attorney General today. The Washington Post is going to be running a list of their 100 dirtiest tricks on their front page, with his picture next to it. It was found by a group of graduate students, doing repair work on the FBI's computers. They found an illegal line coming in from the NSA, to the FBI's computers mainframe. While tracing it back to the source, this is what they found."

If the NSA, or any other agency continues to screw with Michael, my friends will take care of him for as long as he holds that position."

"Patty, you make it sound ominous. It is like you have already given up any thoughts of making it through this next problem you're facing."

"Doctor, it is a 5 million to one shot, and I am on the short end. I know I don't have to remind you of this, but I am; this discussion is between a patient and her doctor and not the doctor's husband."

Dolores said, "You have my word Patricia, I will not say a word to my husband."

Callaway walked into work the following day with a smile on her face and a spring in her step. Her fellow nurses started in on her immediately.

"Callie, turn off the smile your blinding us. We know you got laid."

"You old married ladies are just jealous. You didn't get any and I got a lot; girls, did I get a lot."

"Did you get another marriage proposal?"

"No, but flowers will be coming this morning; and a proposal should come by our next date."

"You are full of shit Callaway, no one proposes that fast."