Honor Thy Mother & Thy Father Ch. 12

Michael Imperiali brought three bottles of wine to the table. He open each in front of the men. He put three small glasses in front of Patricia and poured a small amount of each wine into each glass. She drank each of them has he poured the wine into the glasses of each of the men.

He asked if they were ready to order and they did.

Two hours later, Michael Free had bit his fingernails up to his elbows. "What the fuck are they doing in there?"

"We can't tell boss, the parabolic listening devices are of no use. The music from inside his drowning out all the conversation and whatever other noise is going on inside. The windows are tinted so heavily we can't see through them. We do know two things, there has been no shooting, or explosions."

Michael replied, "Is that supposed to make me happy? Screw this, I'm hungry. I want something to eat, even if it's named Patricia."

"Boss, shame on you, you are married. I'll eat her, I'm single."

"In that case, you go into door first."

The five of them were sitting around the table drinking demitasse and having dessert, when there was a knock on the front door.

The three men jumped and reached for their guns.

Patricia said, "If you are smart, give your guns to Michael and sit with me. If I am right, that will be my boss, Michael Free. I am amazed he was able to wait this long. Please do as I ask and everything I promised you will come to pass."

"Michael, if you would please put the guns into a pot of water and cover them with pasta. I will unlock the front door."

Patricia unlocked the front door and said, "Hello boss, what took you so long?"

"I am going to put you in jail for the rest of your natural life for what you did to me today Patricia."

"Before you start threatening me, just you, and one other man is allowed in here. I have made a bargain with these men, and if you do not live up to your end of this bargain, I can guarantee you that the American Banking system will never be the same."

"Are you threatening me Patricia?"

"You bet your ass I am."

"Have I told you lately that I hate you?"

"I believe we do that every day Michael. Come in."

"Patricia, this is agent Weatherly. He has offered to eat you."

"Agent Weatherly, wouldn't you prefer a Veal Parmesan dinner with linguine on the side?"

"That sounds delicious Miss Parent, I accept your offer."

"What would you like to eat Michael?"

"Your head on a silver platter."

"Did you read the Washington Post this morning?"

"Yes I did, and I must admit I had a lot of fun reading it."

"Wait until tomorrow and see what we have for the administrator of the IRS."

"Are you sure Washington Post doesn't have you on retainer?"

"What a wonderful thought. However, when we do the DEA, we will give it to the New York Times if that'll make you feel better. Do you want to know who the special prosecutor is going to be?"

"The President has announced that yet."

Patricia just looked at him.

"Patricia, I do not want to know how you know that information. I do not even want a hint at how you know that information. You never mentioned it to me. Do we understand each other?"

"I hate you Michael."

"What am I going to do with you Patricia?" He reached out and hugged her for the very first time.

"Let's go see what you offered these guys and if I can deliver it."

As they reached the table Patricia said, "I won't bother introducing you, because you all have a long history together. You are not going to be Mirandized; because that is the error which is going to get you out of trouble."

Michael Free said, "What!"

"Michael be quiet and listen. I have promised these three gentlemen the following and nothing more. They are turning themselves in to prove they are innocent of the charges pending against them. You are going to put them into protective custody, not into one of your hovels, but into a place befitting their positions. After you take care of the Colombian problem, these men will be released on their own recognizance, because of the error you just made. You did not Mirandize them because they were not being questioned at the time. They were just surrendering to you so it was not necessary. When they started being questioned, everyone thought they were already Mirandized, and their lawyers will jump on it. I told them that in the future they would be tried for their crimes and with the information you found the warehouse they will be convicted and sent to jail, more than likely for the rest of their lives. Niccolo already wants to make a deal, because he just took over the family his father ran."

Michael Free said, "That's all you did? What the hell have you been doing for the last two hours?"

Joe Lombardo said, "I take it you have never eaten at this restaurant. I have never had such a delicious meal in all my life. This man cooks better than my mother, and if my mother ever heard me say that she would kill me. Then we had wine and told stories and had dessert and a little Italian coffee. It takes time to eat and enjoy a good Italian meal. It is not a meal to be rushed. It is a meal to be savored like a good woman."

Michael picked up his cell phone and called his assistant. He gave a code word and told everyone to stand down. Everyone could go home except his personal aides, who could come in and have dinner.

Michael Imperiali called his daughter and told her to have everyone come back to the restaurant, because they were about to have a rush. His daughter was ecstatic.

The three Dons were taken to the US Attorney's Office and everything that Patricia promised them was done, in triplicate. They were asked one question before the deal was sealed. Fred Fielding said, "We know Montrose was your mole in this office. Did you have a mole in the Attorney General's office?"

Joe Lombardo and Mike Caifano looked at one another and laughed. Caifano said, "You thought we had a mole in the Attorney General's office? I know we are good, but I didn't realize you thought we were that good. Who sold you the bill of goods?"

"Stephano Valentino overheard a comment at your victory party after the first trial was over. He said you were paying someone a ton of money, and he was close enough to the AG's ass to wipe it."

"He must have heard something out of context. We were paying Montrose a bunch of money to keep us informed of what was going on here in reference to our businesses. What would we need to know what was going on in Washington?"

"I can't answer that, but we will discuss that again at a later date."

When their attorneys arrived at the US attorney's office, they were stupefied that their clients had accepted an offer without their approval, or getting it in writing beforehand.

Fred Fielding called the Attorney General and when he picked up the phone he said, "Clark, there was never a mole in your office. I just got that information from Lombardo and Caifano. The only inside information they were getting was from Montrose out of my office. We can put this to bed now."

"You people did great work of their today, Fred. There will be no room on the evening news for anything else."

"Clark, this is not what it seems. We did not arrest them today. They are in protective custody because of the conversation Patricia Parent overheard on the illegal NSA tap. We are going after the Colombians tomorrow morning. They will have their guard down, thinking that their competition is out of the way. Tomorrow will be another big news day. Do me a favor and do not contact your Colombian counterpart until tomorrow morning. It's not that I don't trust him, it's just..."

"I know Fred, you just don't trust him, and neither do I. I am never sure which way his allegiance falls on any issue. Keeping track of his bank accounts makes very interesting reading. We're not sure if he is putting our money in there, or the cartels. It's a hell of a business we are in, when we know the people we are dealing with are being bribed by both sides."

"As soon as Director Free is in the air, I will have him call you on a secure line, and give you the entire breakdown. Goodbye Sir."

"Goodbye Fred, and again, good work, and good luck tomorrow morning."

As they were leaving the U.S. Attorney's Office, Patricia handed Michael the information Bernice had given her. She said, "Michael, I have one last favor to ask of you. This young woman needs to change her name so she can adopt a child. I could do it for her but that would be illegal. I know you don't want me to do anything illegal again. Do this for her as if she was in the witness protection system. Change everything for her and you will make her life wonderful. You can check her out. She is a wonderful young woman. She is not a criminal, she is not a deviant. She comes from a wonderful family. Help her for me Michael, because I want to disappear, and become what I was before my mother died. I want to become normal, everyday, ordinary Patty. I may become a nun, or just go into the cloisters; but I want to live a normal life. Don't tell any of my friends where I am going, I just want to disappear. Will you do that for me?"

"What about your father and Jemma?"

"Mister Director, the cars that were supposed to pick up Mrs. Valentino have been redirected to another area for tonight's briefing. Would it be all right to stop by her home and take her to LaGuardia with us?"

"Okay, do it." (Michael Free thought for a minute and smiled. That's not nice of you Michael. Patty is going to ring your neck. She said not to tell any of her friends. Well, Stephano Valentino is not a friend, and you're not really telling him; you are only going to mention it to his mother. I wonder what his reaction will be, when he finds out Patricia is becoming a nun.) He was going to call his office and realized that all his computer people were in training and he could not ask one of Patty's people to do what he had in mind. Then he remembered the story Patty told him about her friend Steve but could not remember his last name but he did remember the last name of his fiancée, Mobley; Marie Mobley. He gave the name to his aid and said, "Get me this person on the phone now. She went to the same school as Patricia Parent. She is marrying her friend Steve, which means she is in the New York City area. I need to talk to her immediately." Within minutes his aid handed him the phone with Marie on the other end.

"Miss Mobley, this is Michael Free, Director of the FBI. This is not a joke if you want I can have you call my office at the FBI headquarters and have them patch you in to my phone here in New York. I need a favor and I need you to do it quickly. Will you help me?"

"Tell me something about Patricia that no one else should know Mister Free."

"You were in her class at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Your future husband, Steve, has had the hots for her for years. He called her a few days ago to tell her about a deal he is making with a software company for a program he developed. Not to be indelicate but Steve told Patricia that you and he are not having sex, because he does not think it is appropriate to have premarital sex, with the girl he is going to marry. He said to Patricia that he banged everything in college that wore a skirt and said yes, until it came to you. Is that enough?"

"Yes, Mister Free, you have explained my future husband very succinctly. When I see him I am going to smack him across the mouth. I have wanted to get laid so badly this last three months and he has been holding off because of his newfound scruples. I am going to kick him in the nuts."

"Miss Mobley, please do that on your own time, I need your help now."

"How can I help you Director?"

"Patricia is going to absolutely hate me for this, but I need you to keep tabs on her secretly. If she thinks anyone is trying to find her she will go so deep that only God will know where she is. She said that you are smarter than Steve, and I hope she is right. You will have to be to keep Patty in sight. Only you and I are to know where she is. No one else is to know. Nothing is to be written down or saved were Steve or someone else can find it. It is that important to me. It is that important to keep Patty safe and secure. Can you do that for me?"

"Do you know how good Patty is? Do you know how much ahead of our class she was at every step of the way Mister Free? Most of the time she was ahead of our professors, and now you want me to trace her. I am honored that you asked me and I will do the best I can, but one day I will get an email from her telling me to stop it or she is going to burn down my computer, and I will stop."

"That is all I can ask you to do Marie. Track her as long as you can and keep it between you and me. Here is my direct phone number, 24 hours a day."

The convoy stopped in front of the brownstone building, and two of his aides got out of the front vehicle to escort Mrs. Valentino into their car. Michael signaled them to bring her into his car instead.

"Good afternoon Victoria, how are you today?"

"You are all over the news Director, congratulations. It is not often that three of the mafia heavy hitters turned themselves in at one time."

"They say they are innocent, as always, and they will prove it when they get to trial. We will see what happens after they are questioned. Patricia Parent set up the meeting that brought this all about. She is one heck of a woman. She is beautiful and talented beyond belief. I tried for hours this afternoon to talk her out of her decision, but she is adamant. She has decided to become a nun. She wants out of all this turmoil. She wants to return to a simpler life. She wants to return to the life she had before your husband had her mother killed. I asked her to give me away to contact her and she would not do it. She promised she would contact me every once and again to let me know she was all right. The way she sounded, I don't think she will do that. My wife said to me this morning, when she and Patricia spoke, Patty did not care if she lived or died. What a waste of a beautiful life."

"My husband has no idea what he did to that child. He ruined her life. He ruined my son's life, and he ruined my life. He seems very good at ruining lives. Would you explain to me why I still love him?"

"You love him because all of this has just come about. You accepted the way he wanted you to live your life. As far as Stephano is concerned, someone should take a 2x4, and smack him between his ears. Patricia had one love in her life and it was him. He screwed up when he let her get away, and from what I understand of their last conversation, his wish will now come true. He wanted no man ever to touch her, and when she becomes a nun, no man ever will. As far as Patricia is concerned, Bruno wanted her dead, just as badly as he wanted her mother dead. The only problem was he missed. Now he is in protective custody, and will be in jail for the rest of his life, because he missed her. Now your son wishes Patricia dead, and when she enters the convent, she might as well be dead.

Thanks to her efforts a criminal empire has suffered a major blow to its commerce. Don't get me wrong, then empire is far from dead, you cut off one head three others pop-up. We know that, and they know that. This information we found will put a crimp in their cash flow for a year, maybe two, but they will be back. Their supply lines are still there. Their people are still in place. We may put three of four hundred people in jail because of the information we have. They have thousands to take their place, and thousands more wanting to get in. This fight will go on forever."

"I don't mean this to sound funny Michael, but at least the police have job security."

"Every one of them would give up their guns to hand out speeding tickets."

50. Separation Anxiety

"Dear dad, this email was supposed to be very short and to the point, but I find I have much more to say than I thought. You and Jemma no longer have to hide. You can travel anywhere you wish to go at any time, in public. Your testimony is no longer crucial to the conviction of the heads of the five families, and they know it. I had lunch yesterday with Joseph Lombardo, Michael Caifano, and Niccolo Oliveto. As you will read in the morning paper they are all in custody and you should talk to Michael Free to get more information about that situation.

You should really get in touch with your friend Michael Imperiali. He recognized me the instant I walked in the front door of his restaurant. He still remembers mom's favorite dish. He was devastated when I told him about her death. He would really like to hear from you, it would be better if you and Jemma would stop by and surprise him. He has a daughter a few years older than me, and she is the light of his life. His food is beyond delicious. Joe Lombardo said Michael cooks better than his mother.

As for me, I have had enough. I don't know how you handled it for all those years of hiding from these men. I have no idea how my mother handled the stress of being alone all those years. I am going to do what you did so well. I am going to disappear. I need things to be normal again. I need to be me; regular, ordinary Patty. No one in school treated me special, even though I was the smartest in the class. They treated me as Patty. I have to find a place in this world where I can be treated like that again. Tell Jemma I love her. Goodbye.