The Watchman of Ephraim (Book Club Edition)

by Gerard de Marigny

  After just completing his twenty-third year with the SEALS, he surprised more than a few fellow officers and friends with his decision to “hang up his spurs,” as they put it. Borrowing a line from one of his favorite movies, “The Godfather,” Ricci simply told them that his brother-in-law Cris had made him an offer he couldn’t refuse.

  The truth was, De Niro had called him a few months before, to ask him if he’d be interested in heading an anti-terrorism consulting firm he was about to acquire. If it were anyone else asking or any other position being offered, Ricci would have declined, but it was Cris De Niro doing the asking and the position was ideal for him.

  Other than the fact that De Niro was a billionaire and one of the most respected businessmen in the world, he had also been married to his sister …and family was everything to Italians. As for the job, from the time the Muslim terrorists had murdered Lisa, Ricci was committed to dedicating the rest of his life to fighting terrorism. His service in the SEALS helped him deal with his grief, though he couldn’t shake the guilt of not being able to protect his sister and the rest of those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001.

  For the first several years after 9/11, Ricci had taken part in countless covert operations with the SEALS in Afghanistan, Iraq and other places to be left unnamed. He was awarded eleven different military decorations during that time, including: the Medal of Honor, Silver Star, Purple Heart, Commendation Medal, and Combat Action Ribbon. A victim of his own success, the Navy also rewarded him with a promotion to Captain and put him in command of the Naval Special Warfare Center. The problem was that running NSWC placed Captain Ricci behind a desk far too often for his liking.

  De Niro hadn’t explained all the specifics of the position, but his brother-in-law did confirm that he would be completely in charge. All Ricci cared about was that he would have the authority to decide who would take part in any operations - meaning he was going to be back in the game, not just coaching from the sidelines. He found out after accepting the position that it paid three times his captain’s salary. Ricci told his brother-in-law he would have taken the job for minimum wage. De Niro replied that he was happy that Uncle Mugsy could finally afford all the gifts he bought for Richard and Louis.

  It took Ricci only three months to resign his commission - typically a person had to submit the paperwork six months out. As soon as the Navy gave him their approval, he packed his bags and per instructions from his brother-in-law, used his new corporate credit card to book his moving van and first-class plane fare to Las Vegas McCarran. With his new salary, he could afford to buy a small mansion of his own but De Niro told him he was welcome to stay in one of the estate’s guest houses for as long as he wanted.

  Ricci liked being close to his sister’s boys and he suspected that his brother-in-law liked his company too. He was well aware that De Niro had virtually no social life apart from raising his sons, since Lisa died. He knew that there was only one person who was more devastated than he was about his sister’s death … and that was Cris.

  De Niro told him that they were scheduled to fly east to meet the staff of the firm he just purchased, on Monday. That gave them the entire weekend to spend with the boys.

  As both men sat back down, an attractive blond-haired woman took a seat on the bleachers right in front of them.

  Ricci nudged De Niro.

  “Do you know her?”

  “Uh-huh,” De Niro replied keeping his eyes on Louis at second base.

  “What’s her name?”

  Before De Niro could reply, the boy at-bat hit a long fly ball to right field.

  De Niro jumped back to his feet and started yelling to Louis, “RUN!”

  Ricci jumped up too. It took him a moment to figure out what happened.

  “GO LOUIS!”

  Running as fast as he could, De Niro’s youngest son slid under the tag of the opposing catcher, a boy twice his size. After making sure he touched home plate, the umpire extended his arms.

  “SAFE!”

  The Yankees bleachers erupted in cheers as Louis’s run ended the game with a Yankees victory. His teammates stormed out of the dugout and swarmed around him.

  While some of the other parents started exiting the bleachers, De Niro remained where he was and motioned for his brother-in-law to join him.

  “Hang here for a few minutes. Their coach likes to talk to them in the dugout after each game. Then we’ll head back to my house. I invited the whole team and their parents to a back yard barbecue.”

  Ricci nodded again towards the woman sitting in front of them.

  “So, what’s her name?”

  De Niro sighed with an audible exhale.

  “Her name is Lauren, she’s a mom of one the boys’ teammates.”

  “Where’s her husband?”

  De Niro shook his head knowing where his brother-in-law was leading with his line of questions.

  “She’s divorced.”

  “Did you invite her to the barbecue?”

  The woman stood up and started walking down the bleachers as he asked the question. Moving quickly, Ricci intercepted her and offered his hand.

  “Hi, I’m Louis. Richard and Louis … on the team are my nephews.”

  “Nice to meet you, I’m Lauren.”

  “Cris De Niro is my brother-in-law. Do you two know each other?”

  Joining them, De Niro answered.

  “As a matter of fact, we do. Pay no mind to him Lauren, my brother-in-law is a former Navy Seal and they tend to be a little … high strung.”

  Lauren smiled at De Niro.

  “Is that so? Well in that case …”

  Ricci shot De Niro an angry look.

  “Uh, Lauren, do you know about the barbecue Cris invited everyone to?”

  “Yes, the coach told me about it.”

  “Will we see you there?”

  Lauren beamed a big smile, more to De Niro than his brother-in-law.

  “I wouldn’t miss it for the world!”

  De Niro returned her smile but didn’t reply, so Ricci did.

  “Great, we’ll see you there.”

  As soon as the striking blond was out of earshot, De Niro punched his brother-in-law in the arm.

  “What?”

  “What was that all about?”

  “Cris, are you blind?! Lauren is drop-dead beautiful … AND she’s available!”

  Paying no mind to him, De Niro made his way over to his sons. Fist-punching both, he grabbed Louis around his shoulders.

  “Now, THAT’S the way to run bases! Richard, did you see your brother drop it into high gear!”

  Ricci wouldn’t give up.

  “Cris, you have to be blind if you don’t move on her at the barbecue!”

  “Who are you talking about, Uncle Mugs?” asked De Niro’s oldest son, Richard.

  “One of your teammate’s moms is super-hot and she’s coming to the barbecue. I was just telling your dad that he’s an idiot if he doesn’t try to move on her.”

  “You didn’t say I was an idiot, you said I was blind.”

  “Same thing,” Ricci shot back.

  “Is she nice, Daddy?” Louis asked.

  “What does that matter, Louis?!” Richard snapped at his younger brother.

  Ricci admonished his oldest nephew, “Hey Richard, take it easy!”

  It was obvious Richard didn’t want his dad to even look at another woman. Louis, on the other hand, didn’t seem to mind.

  Richard glared in fury at his uncle, as De Niro tried to put an end to the whole topic.

  “Hey, Mugsy and Richard … Louis asked me the question. Louis, to answer your question, yes, she’s a very nice lady, but I have absolutely no interest in, as your fool-of-an-uncle puts it, ‘moving on her.’”

  The boys threw their bags into the back of De Niro’s Cadillac Escalade and everyone got in.

  Ricci buckled himself in and grumbled.

  “You’re crazy! That woman is drop-dead gorgeous, she’s nice, she’s hot …
she’s got the greatest smile … the greatest personality and…”

  “… and she’s not my type,” De Niro interrupted.

  “Yeah,” Ricci shot back, “and what is your type?”

  De Niro didn’t reply prompting his brother-in-law to mutter in frustration.

  “…yeah, yeah, I know your type … my sister … my DEAD sister is your only type!”

  De Niro remained quiet. A moment later Ricci regretted what he said.

  “I’m sorry Cris … it’s just …you shouldn’t be alone. For the boys, you shouldn’t be alone!”

  “Don’t bring us into it, Uncle Mugs!” Richard shouted from the back seat.

  Ricci turned to face the boys.

  “But wouldn’t you guys like to have a mommy?”

  “We have a mommy!” Richard snapped, “She’s just sleeping, is all!”

  Ricci turned to see De Niro grinning. He threw his hands up in mock defeat.

  “I give up. I think you’re all crazy!”

  De Niro adjusted his rear-view mirror so he could look right at Richard. The boy and his dad’s eyes met and De Niro winked at him bringing a smile to Richard’s face. De Niro reached over and patted his brother-in-law’s shoulder.

  “You know, Mugs, I think Lauren was impressed when I told her you were a former SEAL.”

  Ricci was about to reply when he caught himself.

  To that, both boys and their dad laughed and after a moment, so did their uncle.

  Chapter 4

  Estancia De Niro (The De Niro Ranch)

  Henderson, Nevada

  12:30p.m., Saturday, May 14, 2011

  About a year after 9/11, De Niro decided he could no longer live back east. There were just too many memories of Lisa there. His wife was such a charismatic and social person that her presence and her absence seemed to permeate every facet of his existence – from their favorite restaurants and shops to just sitting on the front porch of their home. Their magnificent estate, their beautiful community, their friends and neighbors – none of it brought any joy to De Niro anymore. He knew he had to relocate, especially while Richard and Louis were still young, so he chose a place that made him happiest when he was a boy. His dad was a hard-working man that had only one vice – he liked to gamble. His old man told him though, that once he married his mom, he’d never gamble again unless he could do so with money they didn’t need – and then only in a place like Las Vegas, lest he’d be tempted all the time. So once a year, every year, his dad would take his mom and young Cris to Las Vegas. He couldn’t remember even one trip when he didn’t have the best time.

  When De Niro got older he continued to meet his parents out in Las Vegas during their annual jaunts. In fact, it was in Las Vegas during one of those trips that he introduced his parents to Lisa. She and he used to talk about moving there when they got older and the boys moved out. Even after her passing, that dream didn’t die in his mind. So one day, after praying for guidance, he just boarded his Global Aviation jet with his boys, flew to Las Vegas and never looked back.

  When they arrived, De Niro checked them into a suite at a resort then spent every day looking for property. It didn’t take long for several of the top real estate agents to get wind of his search. They each tried in vain to lure him to buy one of their exclusive “golf course” properties, where the estates abutted a picturesque hole of one of the private country club courses near the Strip, but De Niro had other plans. He finally settled on buying a 250,000-acre property southeast of the Strip. Most of the real estate agents thought he was crazy for selecting that parcel of land but it was exactly what he wanted. To the north, it offered a fabulous panorama of the entire Las Vegas valley. To the south there were miles of rough, rugged, hilly terrain, and to the west, magnificent views of the sunset. De Niro had constructed a sprawling hacienda-fortress complete with a 30,000 square-foot ranch-style home, modeled after the posh “estancia” ranch homes that he and Lisa loved so much in Argentina; a 4,000 square-foot guest house and 3,000 square-foot butler’s mansion; casita-sized abodes for the hacienda staff members and additional guests, with a community pool and work-out facilities just for ranch staff, and stables for his horses. He converted fifty acres of the land into an organic garden and farm to grow all of his own fruits and vegetables and another one hundred-fifty acres to raise his own cattle, chickens, turkeys, goats and lambs.

  There were horse trails leading to all parts of “Estancia De Niro,” the name his head “gaucho,” Martin Fierro, gave to the ranch. De Niro met Martin in Argentina at a horse and cattle auction a decade ago. Although an accomplished rider himself, De Niro had never seen anyone better with horses – riding them, training them, and caring for them, than Martin. He knew that gauchos were considered undesirables in modern-day Argentina but he never paid attention to stereotypes of any sort. His dad taught him to head the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. - to judge each man by … the content of his character and so De Niro offered Martin an opportunity to come to work for him, to run his stables. At first, Martin turned him down because he didn’t want to leave his wife and children in Argentina, but he was overjoyed when De Niro paid to relocate his entire family with him. That made Fierro extremely loyal to “Don” De Niro.

  As was all of their staff, Martin was broken-hearted from the murder of Señora Lisa, so much so, that he told De Niro that he would gladly fly to the hills of Pakistan to find and kill Osama Bin Laden himself. Though De Niro turned down his offer, it wasn’t because he didn’t think Martin had the skills. He knew the man was equally proficient riding a horse, tracking, shooting a rifle and pistol, wielding a knife and tossing a lariat, but De Niro also knew with his Latin blood, he might very well start a war all on his own.

  The horse trails also lead to a remote area where De Niro had a compound built deep within the foothills themselves. The only people that knew its location were his sons and his Personal Assistant William Brett, a transplanted proper English butler who Lisa had hired when they first moved to Colts Neck.

  William was the butler for a British friend of De Niro’s, a member of the royal line, who was known as a playboy and daredevil. While Lisa thought Cris’s friend was a bit of an egocentric fool, she was impressed by William. When news reached them of the royal’s death in a boat-racing accident, De Niro and Lisa flew to London, De Niro to attend his friend’s funeral and Lisa to solicit William to come work for them. Although William was taken care of quite handsomely in his master’s will and had no interest in living in the United States, he took a liking to Lisa. As she was prone to do, Lisa finally got her way when she persuaded William by telling him that she was pregnant - with Richard, at the time - and that he could heal some of the loss he was feeling - he practically raised his former master from childbirth and was taking his loss as one would, losing a son - by helping to raise her children.

  William had the utmost respect for Lisa and took her death with the heaviest of hearts. After her funeral, his loyalty to De Niro grew when De Niro offered him the opportunity to become his Personal Assistant. William also became fiercely devoted to Richard and Louis after their mother’s death. In fact, De Niro would entrust no one else with his sons – even making sure to stipulate that in his will.

  Martin and William were the two men De Niro most relied upon. They had both remained with him and his sons through their most trying and depressed times. They not only looked after him but they were fiercely protective of Richard and Louis, partially a result of 9/11. Just as De Niro did, William and Martin both harbored irrational guilt about not protecting Lisa that day. They were two very different men, but they shared an unbridled loyalty to De Niro and the boys. They also shared mutual respect for one another but you could never get either of them to admit that out loud.

  Since 9/11, De Niro tried desperately hard to make sense of it all. His Italian-Spanish blood boiled as his old neighborhood temperament demanded revenge, but something else had taken root in his life too. In the middle of the night and in solitude
, he found himself on his knees praying to his Father in Heaven, calling out as a boy does for his Father to save him from what lurked in the darkness around him …and the darkness inside him. Night after night, after tucking his sons in, he’d cry his eyes out. It was as if a deep crater formed in his heart, in the place where Lisa was ripped from it. That hole, as deep as his soul, was filling with self-pity and rage and both were consuming him. De Niro sensed the cold presence of demons in his midst, waiting for an invitation to let them dwell with him. Something had to give… and it did, on the first anniversary of Lisa’s death, on the first anniversary of 9/11, De Niro felt himself die.

  While the rest of the country mourned and kept vigil; the masses comforting each other with their tears and their prayers, De Niro spent the day locked in his room, missing Lisa so badly he could no longer breathe. Not even looking at the faces of his children could save him. He lashed out as someone would if they were suffocating to death, breaking everything in his reach. Shelves once filled with photos of his wife lay shattered and lying around him in tatters. With his arms and hands bloody and his face covered in sweat and tears, he fell into a deep, dead slumber. It was only when rays of sunshine broke through his bedroom window and touched his face the next morning that he realized he was still alive; he had survived the night, but it was more than that.

  De Niro felt reborn, not of the same kind that some Christians professed, with their hands poked out to the heavens hollering, “I accepted Jay-zus and he saved me,” as if they had already arrived in the Kingdom. De Niro didn’t feel like he arrived anywhere, yet. It was more like he was setting off on a new path, one without his soulmate Lisa, but nevertheless one that he wouldn’t travel alone. And though the rage inside him didn’t abate, over time he believed his newfound faith would teach him how to harness its power. De Niro learned he could live with his wounded heart if he dedicated the rest of his life to honoring her memory. The focus of his life would no longer be just making money; it would be putting all of his vast wealth to work for a purpose. Lisa and he had always given to charities. He continued that giving by setting up a trust in her name but he had to do more. While his primary focus was his sons, he vowed to do more.