by Van Fleisher
Vik had compiled the habits of Frank DiVinci, a high-ranking Capo in the mob. He knew that on Wednesdays, Frank would say good night to his wife and kids and go out for his weekly evening shift at “work.” Actually, it was his night to use a buddy’s house for a visit from a prostitute. Frank would arrive between 9:00-10:00 p.m., and a hooker would arrive at 10:00 p.m. Vik’s plan was for Louie to intercept the hooker, pay her off and then ring the bell at 10:00 and kill Frank.
Vik had Louie drive to the address, and then join him in Vik’s car, parked nearby. They watched as a taxi cruised down the block, and Vik gave Louie the go-ahead. Louie met the cab, stopped the hooker as she was getting out, and explained that plans had changed; then, he gave her enough money to make her and the taxi driver smile.
When the taxi drove off, Louie approached the house. He rang the bell, and when Frank opened the door in his plaid boxer shorts, white, wife-beater t-shirt, and black socks, Louie froze.
Frank shouted, “What the f,” before Vik, who was shadowing Louie, put two silenced shots in Frank’s chest, pushed Louie inside, and closed the door. Louie was still in shock.
Vik took the gun from Louie and pressed the one he’d just used into Louie’s hand. He thought for a moment, saw Frank’s gun on the coffee table, and with his still gloved hand, picked it up and fired a single shot into Louie’s forehead. He then placed Frank’s gun in its dead owner’s hand and quietly left, congratulating himself for his foresight, quick thinking, and thoroughness, as well as having saved $50,000.
***
CHAPTER 11 – UNWELCOME NEWS
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. The morning after Vijay and Jennifer’s talk about the FBI info-sharing plan, Vijay got a call from J. Edward.
“Good morning, Vijay,” J. Edward boomed from his office speakerphone. “Have I caught you at a good time?”
Vijay was concerned to get a call from J. Edward, given all that was happening, but he tried to stay positive, “It’s always a good time to speak with you, J. Edward. How can I help you today?”
J. Edward got straight to the point, “Are we still cooperating with the FBI and sending them the names of Final Notice recipients with guns?”
Vijay was on high alert, but answered honestly, “Yes. Same as we all agreed initially.”
“So, we’re not giving them additional information?”
Vijay’s heart was racing, but he replied honestly, “Nothing has changed.”
“OK, Good. That’s what I thought.” And before Vijay could ask why, J. Edward said, “Say hello to that beautiful wife of yours for me. Ciao.”
Vijay knew that J. Edward was only asking because Kalin had asked him. But why was Kalin asking questions about their cooperation with the FBI now? And why the question about giving them more information?
Vijay was still pondering those questions when the phone rang again. It was VitalTech’s in-house counsel, someone new, who told him that he was to cease and desist all further development concerning VitalTech immediately and that an extraordinary Board meeting was being called for this afternoon to remove him. The lawyer added that as a current Board member, at least for the moment, Vijay was free to attend and that he would shortly receive an e-mail reiterating their call and details of the meeting.
The burning question in Vijay’s mind was what prompted Kalin to ask J. Edward about it? Cautiously, Vijay asked Jennifer if she’d spoken with J. Edward recently.
She said, “No,” and asked why he was asking.
He summarized his call from J. Edward and the second one from VitalTech regarding the Board meeting.
She replied, “You’re not going, are you?”
“I’m not sure. On the one hand, I expect Kalin already has his votes lined up, so it’s a done deal. On the other hand, this cooperation has been going on for almost two years, and J. Edward sanctioned it. And I prefer to face my accusers.”
“To what end?”
Vijay smiled at his wife’s practical wisdom. He knew it would be a tough meeting, and he knew it would be hard for him to maintain his composure. He said, “Good question. Let me think about it for a bit.”
Jennifer had a bad feeling.
The e-mail from VitalTech had arrived, confirming that he had been removed from the VitalTech Healthcare Enhancement Team. And sure enough, when Vijay tried to log in, his access was denied. But then he tried again, using a newly established alternative entry point, and he was in.
At MIT, Vijay was friends with a couple of brilliant fellow-Indian students. They were currently making pretty good money from the Federal Government to test-drive software and look for vulnerabilities. They had never been stumped. One of the terms they used for back door software strategy was “whack-a-mole.” Vijay hadn’t understood the phrase until they showed him the game where you hit a plastic mole on the head as it popped up from its hole, only to see another mole pop up from another hole. They explained that once you hacked into a system, be sure to create additional entry points in case you get whacked.
Vijay’s phone rang again, and it was Alek. He’d just heard the news that Vijay was off the team. Vijay hadn’t spoken with Alek for a while, and it was nice to hear his voice. Alek told him that the team was still making good progress and a number of them, knowing that Alek and Vijay were friends, said to say hello and that they would miss his input and guidance.
Alek asked if Vijay could share the reason for his removal and Vijay told him it was mainly because of his poor relationship with Kalin, but also because of a disagreement regarding VitalTech’s cooperation with the FBI.
At the mention of the FBI and Final Notice names, Alek felt the floor give way. He wondered if Vijay was threatened and, if he had, was it because he’d thrown out Vijay’s name to Vik. Alek thought he could trust Vijay, but he couldn’t bring himself to reveal what he knew, so he offered his sorrow for Vijay leaving the team and said it would be good to get together some time. Vijay agreed and began to make some notes for the Board meeting.
***
Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston police were pretty sure they understood the mechanics of the Louis Vinzano-Frank DiVinci murders, but they couldn’t figure out the motive. Vinzano’s death was immediate, and DiVinci could have lived for a few seconds, enough time to get off one great shot that killed Vinzano. But Vinzano had no police record, and there was nothing to link him to DiVinci or any mob members. What the police did know, however, was that one more mob member was out of the picture. That was the bottom line, and the case was closed for the police – but not for the Mafia. They knew that the guy who killed Frank DiVinci didn’t do it for himself.
***
Quincy, Massachusetts. Vijay arrived at VitalTech’s new HQ. Following the IPO and sale to KKL, VitalTech moved to a new commercial building and hired what seemed like hundreds of people. There were indeed a couple of hundred cars in the parking lot. What did they all do, he wondered? Gone was the raw start-up infrastructure – ground floor offices and metal circular stairs built with a sense of urgency and economy. Now there was a mostly empty ground floor with a couple of security guards and a bank of elevators.
He announced himself and was asked to produce ID and sign in. “Who are you here to see?”
“I’m here for a Board meeting.”
“Who is your point of contact?”
“Mike Kalin.”
The security guard called a number and said, “There’s a Mister Vijay Patel to see Mr. Kalin.”
“I’m here to attend the Board meeting,” Vijay added while thinking, I’m not here to see Mr. Kalin.
The guard listened, hung up, and said, “His secretary said to have a seat. They’ll send for you when they’re ready to start.”
Vijay smiled and thought, Let the games begin.
When he was finally called up and entered the Boardroom, everyone else was there except for J. Edward. Very few made eye-contact. He had been tried and found guilty. Kalin was smiling and said, “J. Edward is on the speaker from New York.”
That was J. Edward’s cue, “Afternoon, Vijay. Can you hear me?”
“Loud and clear,” replied Vijay truthfully.
“I’ve called this meeting as a result of learning that you’ve been sharing customer information with the FBI. Mike and I spoke earlier, and we have already decided, as you know, to remove you from your role with the Healthcare Enhancement Team, with immediate effect. This meeting is to decide if you should be removed from the Board, as well. The rest of the Board are aware of our concerns, and they’d like to hear your side of the story.”
Vijay began, “It’s pretty straightforward.” Then, with emphasis and a bit of sarcasm, “As you will no doubt recall, during the VT2 test phase, a number of shootings occurred as a result of the Final Notice, and the FBI became involved. They asked to be advised of any Final Notice recipients who had access to a gun. We discussed it internally, both among the VitalTech senior management team, as well as with you and your IPO lawyers, and we decided to quietly provide the information, rather than have the FBI get a subpoena and possibly turn off prospective customers … or worse, reduce enthusiasm for the IPO. Following that decision, the information was automatically sent out to them, certainly until the change of ownership. I don’t know what happened to the feed or policy after that.”
It was clear that more than a couple of Board members had just heard a different story than they’d been told, and one asked, “Is that true, J. Edward? This cooperation started before the change of ownership and with full knowledge by you and all the senior management?”
J. Edward mumbled and said, “Maybe not all senior management.”
Kalin jumped in, “Well, it was kept from me, and I consider that concealing vital information.”
Vijay responded, “I wasn’t the person that hired you. However, if I recall, I did make myself available to you for as long as you wanted me around to answer any questions. You decided to discontinue our session in under an hour.”
Kalin charged back, not realizing that the landscape had dramatically changed, “You’ve kept this from me, from us, and I move that you are removed from this Board with immediate effect. Do I have a second?”
After a complete and lengthy silence, Vijay offered, “I’m happy to answer any questions, either now, or whenever. The VT2 was borne out of my imagination and the collective skills of many people who put their hearts into it. It’s the leader in the marketplace. Let’s keep it there.”
J. Edward’s voice boomed from the speaker, “Well, it looks like the motion fails.”
Kalin’s face was beet red, and he lashed out, “Well, as CEO, I’m removing you from the HET.”
Calmly, Vijay replied, “That’s your call, and I accept that. There are some excellent people there, doing excellent work. They don’t need me. Thanks, have a nice day and see you at the next board meeting.”
Vijay left and knew that he had won the battle but not the war. Of even more concern was what triggered this witch hunt.
***
CHAPTER 12 – A WHOLE LOTTA RUSSIANS
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Jennifer was happy for Vijay that the Board meeting went well, but she was puzzled by Vijay’s indifference to being removed from the HET.
Vijay explained that he wanted to distance himself from the team and the VitalTech database so he could work behind the scenes.
That didn’t sit well with Jennifer. “Has Zoe given you a ‘get-out-of-jail-free’ card?”
Vijay felt a pang of guilt. He hadn’t asked Zoe, so he honestly said, “Not yet.”
Jennifer understood his thinking, but as they discussed earlier, previously, he had been authorized to access the database. Now he was hacking into it and planning to send the FBI even more info. In addition to it being illegal, another part of her misgiving was that she didn’t entirely trust the FBI or government. “What’s to prevent the FBI from using or sharing the information for purposes beyond Final Notices?”
Vijay countered that he was in control and that he could always pull the plug and stop the info flow. To further support his case, he pointed out that recently, two additional Final Notice recipients had murdered.
That quieted Jennifer for a moment, but she didn’t accept that Vijay would be able to rein in the FBI if they veered out of line. She was heading out to a meeting, though, so for the moment, they agreed to disagree.
***
Quincy, Massachusetts. Vik Vasin’s Final Notice army was in a constant state of growth and shrinkage. Growth through recruitment and losses through natural causes, as predicted by their VT2s, or unnatural causes, if Vik decided to expedite the Recipient’s death. Regardless of how it ended for the Recipient, the army was doing its job, taking out turf enemies without revealing who or why someone was doing it. They were, in a sense, invisible. Vik called them his Zombies. Some required more work and creativity than others, and not all his plans were successes, but neither did any of them give away who was behind the murders. Vik made sure of that. There was always plenty of suspicion, but no proof and the cops just completed their paperwork while Vik’s Zombies took out the bad guys. Some of the cops were even grateful.
Vik’s work was recognized at the local Bratva level, but that was about to change. His boss invited him to dinner to meet an all-together different type of animal. This guy wasn’t from Boston or even New York. He got his orders from 4,500 miles away, and Vik had a feeling that he wasn’t interested in bumping off some local hoods.
Vik was introduced to him at a nice club in Boston. They shook hands, but his name wasn’t mentioned. Vik asked, “What’s your name?”
“Call me, Yuri.” With a strong Russian accent, he asked how Vik’s process worked, where he found his “Zombies,” and how he controlled them.
With great pride, Vik took Yuri through his recognition of the power that the Zombies represented: How he first tried to get the names through standard intimidation methods. They even laughed together about Vik’s man getting the shit kicked out of him by a woman. And finally, Vik’s deceptive FBI gambit on a conditioned target to gain access to the VitalTech system and how that system revealed that VitalTech was sharing the data with the real FBI.
Yuri asked questions about VitalTech’s database, and Vik fed him statistics, including the fact that there were ten million users and over six million with guns. Yes, we have their e-mail addresses, locations, and whether they have a gun or not – and we also have many doctors’ names and contacts. Yes, meeting the Final Notice “Zombie” is difficult, but we have a guy that can track them using localized blue-tooth beacons, so we can go to the same stores, even the same aisles as they do. Vik was only interested in the Boston area, but Yuri was thinking well beyond that.
Vik was asked about Zombie management and admitted that it was much less scientific than the rest of the process. Their motivation was always the same – enough money to help their families. And surprisingly, even though they needed the money, only about two out of ten would kill someone for it.
Sometimes the Zombie needed support, even if that meant delivering on their Final Notice ahead of schedule. The goal was to take out an enemy without leaving a motive or connection to the Bratva. Vik admitted – or was it bragged – that sometimes if they screwed up or killed in the process, he could stiff them or their family for whatever money he’d promised.
That last comment wasn’t received with quite the admiration or gratitude Vic expected. It was, in fact, quite the opposite. Yuri looked at him with his cold blue eyes and said, “That is not very smart. If we work together, that will not happen.” Nonetheless, he thanked Vik for the information and said someone would be in touch.
***
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Vijay felt he had finally cracked it! The data checked out with a degree of accuracy that would give Zoe up to a 24-hour lead time for high probability shooters. He sent her an e-mail to arrange a detailed conference call and suggested that she bring in a senior IT person so they could discuss and create a functional interf
ace between the data that the VitalTech system would send, and the end-user system that the FBI would deploy. He also hinted at a game-changing enhancement, but wouldn’t say what it was.
Ten minutes later, Zoe called, and Vijay assumed it was about his e-mail, which in a way it was.
“We’ve stopped getting the Final Notice feeds. Not sure when it happened, as I’ve been away, but our last report was yesterday at 11:35 p.m., EST. Did you need to take it down to work on the enhancements?”
Vijay was puzzled, and he tried to log in to his original back door. Blocked! He tried another door, and the whack-a-mole strategy paid off. He told Zoe he’d get back with her and called Alek on his cell phone.
Vijay had to be careful with what he could share with Alek, although Alek was aware of the original FBI cooperation, so he asked, “Have there been any changes with our agreement to supply the FBI with Final Notice names?”
