by Dave Daren
The two FBI agents flanked Galic, who had his hands cuffed behind his back and a scowl on his face. The Serbian’s attention shifted to my client and I, and for a moment I thought he would try to break free and attack us, but then the reporters swarmed around him with cameras and questions.
More feds poured out of the building behind the small group. They led several cuffed men to the black van that blocked traffic, all of whom wore grim expressions. None of them paid any attention to the news reporters that jostled each other in an attempt to snap the best picture, but then, the press weren’t the real enemy.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Flores said from the hastily erected podium. “If you don’t mind, we’ll start our conference.”
“Why aren’t they being arrested?” Anthony snarled.
His hands were in his pockets, but I could tell that they were balled into fists, and he practically vibrated as he glared over at the two corrupt politicians.
“I have no idea,” I said. “I’m going to ask Hisashi.”
I was so happy to see Galic in chains, I almost skipped to the bald agent as I circled the crowd. But the sound of Flores handing the mic over to the mayor was enough to sober me up. I had given the feds more than enough to prove that Webber was on the Serbians’ payroll, and I’d expected the politician to be right next to the Gryffon director in the back of the van.
The Gryffon employees were all led to the windowless vehicle where the feds helped them up into the bench-lined interior so that they could sit down. Galic glowered at me from the back near the doors, but one glance toward the agents with their weapons ready, and the Serbian mobster seemed to think better of trying a jailbreak.
“Hisashi,” I said when I was close enough for him to hear me over the mayor.
“--all thanks to the FBI,” Webber said with a round of applause. “They have been instrumental in our continued fight to bring down the mobsters that have held our city hostage for too long.”
I rolled my eyes at the sound bite. I couldn’t believe that he would stand there spouting his bullshit while his bank account was filled with money from the same people he’d promised to bring down.
“Not now, Hunter,” the bald agent said as he brought my attention back from the podium.
“Yes, now,” I said. “Why are they still up there?”
“Because it’s more satisfying to arrest them in front of cameras,” Monroe said with a smirk.
The younger agent looked like it was Christmas morning as he motioned for two of his fellow men to come with him and his partner. He stayed behind the older man, but there was a bounce in his step that made it seem like he might break into a jig at any moment.
“And here are the two agents in charge, right now,” Webber said with his sleazy politician’s smile.
“Mayor Webber, Chief Flores,” Hisashi said in a solemn voice. “You are both under arrest for racketeering, corruption, and bribery.”
The bald agent motioned for the two other agents to arrest the mayor and the chief of police while a stunned silence fell over the crowd of reporters. It was so quiet that I could hear the click of the handcuffs around Webber’s wrists, but in the next second noise came crashing down as the corrupt politician started to splutter in indignation.
“What?” the mayor snapped. “You’ve lost your damn minds! I am the mayor! You can’t do this to me!”
“We can, and we will,” Monroe said with a self-satisfied grin.
“Mr. Mayor!” a blonde reporter shouted as she held a microphone out to the red-faced man. “Mr. Mayor, are these allegations true?”
“Mr. Mayor,” a dark-haired man said as he pushed his way to the front of the crowd. “Have you been working for the mob this whole time?”
“What will the people of New York think?” a fake redhead asked.
“How long have you and Chief Flores been betraying the citizens of New York?” a young man questioned.
The reporters were worked up into a frenzy as the mayor and the chief of police were led to the back of the van where the Serbian mobsters waited for them. Cameras flashed as they took pictures, while others recorded video footage of the whole arrest for their stations, and all the while the live news crews gave a running commentary on the newest development.
I was so focused on the arrest that I almost missed it when Anthony came up beside me. I glanced over at my client to see that he had a huge smile on his face, and I had to press my lips together to stop myself from laughing when the mafioso lifted his hand and waved to the two corrupt politicians and the mobster director of the Gryffon company.
“I was about to give up on the FBI,” Anthony mused. “But you were right Hunter, this is much more satisfying.”
“Isn’t it, though?” I said with a smirk. “And it’s all on film so we can watch it over and over again.”
“That might become my new favorite TV show,” my client chuckled.
And then I saw another town car roll up and park in the only parking spot left. A man in a well-tailored charcoal-gray suit stepped out, straightened his jacket, and then looked around at the chaos of the press conference as everyone vied for the perfect sound bite. He nodded to someone still inside of the car, said something to the passenger, and then started toward the vacant podium.
“Who is that?” the young Febbo asked as he watched the newcomer clear his throat into the microphone.
“Good morning,” the man said with a bright smile that showed off his perfect pearly whites that stood out against his dark skin. “My name is Samuel Jacobson, I’m the Deputy Director of the FBI’s New York office. I’ll be happy to answer any of your questions.”
The reporters all spun their cameras in the direction of the director, and in seconds the air was filled with questions about the mayor, the chief of police, and the Gryffon director.
I crossed my arms over my chest as I waited to hear what story the Deputy Director was about to spin. I wasn’t sure how much of an explanation we would get, but at the very least, some of the corrupt politicians had been arrested, and the Serbians wouldn’t be able to recover right away with so many of their key men behind bars.
“Is the mayor really under arrest for racketeering?” the blonde reporter said as she stood against the velvet ropes.
“Unfortunately, Mayor Webber has been charged with racketeering, bribery, and corruption,” Deputy Director Jacobson said. “He, as well as Chief Flores, have been connected to the Serbian mob. There are several high-ranking Serbian family leaders that are currently under arrest, including the director of Gryffon, Mr. Galic.”
“Is that why we’re here?” the dark-haired man asked. “Is Gryffon a front for the Serbian mob?”
“We do have new evidence that the Gryffon Company has been used to funnel funds into the United States,” the well-dressed man said. “The FBI has been in contact with the Andorran and Serbian governments in order to arrest the head of the organization, a Mr. Petrovic, as well as several of his men that had hidden themselves in Andorra.”
I looked over at Anthony and saw that my client had a pleased smile on his face. I was happy to see that his shoulders had relaxed, and his eyes were glued to the man behind the podium.
“This is amazing,” the mafioso said. “Pops is going to be thrilled.”
“And I won’t have to defend anyone against murder charges,” I added.
The young Febbo rolled his eyes at me, but his grin stayed in place as he turned his attention back to the press conference.
“How far does the corruption in the New York City government go?” the younger reporter asked from the side of the throng of people.
“Our investigation is ongoing,” Jacobson answered. “However, our anonymous source has provided us with enough information that you will be seeing many more arrests in the next few days.”
“Can you give us any hint as to who else will be added to the charges?” the fake redhead asked.
“At the moment,” the deputy director said, “The only thing t
hat I can tell you is that there will be more elections coming, and that the people of New York should ready themselves for their civic duty as voters.”
“What about your anonymous source?” the younger reporter shouted before Jacobson could end the press conference.
A cold wind wound its way through the buildings, and a shiver ran up my spine as I braced myself against the chill. I glanced at my watch to see that the morning was almost gone, and I still had research to do on the Serbians.
Hisashi caught my attention with a wave before he shut the doors of the windowless black van. The bald agent tapped the metal a few times before he turned to walk over to us with his partner right behind him.
“Did you enjoy the show?” the older agent asked with a smile as he strolled up to us with his hands in his pockets.
“It was pretty fantastic,” I said. “Worth waking up at the butt crack of dawn for.”
“Stay up late drinking?” Monroe asked. “Or were you planning your next murders?”
The younger agent looked over at my client with a smirk. He was a little taller than Anthony, but the mafioso glared at him so ferociously that the fed blinked first. Monroe scowled when he realized what he’d done, but the battle had been lost, and Anthony lifted an eyebrow in challenge as if he wanted to see the fed try again.
“I did have an extra glass of wine,” I confessed as I brought the attention back to me. “But it wasn’t anything that a strong cup of coffee couldn’t help.”
“This is just the start of the arrests,” Hisashi said as he glanced at the deputy director. “We found several names on the server, including two DAs and the warden at Rikers.”
“Let me guess, Ordman and Adams?” I asked.
“How did you know that?” Monroe asked. “Did you go through all of the data before you gave it to us?”
“Of course, they did, Monroe,” the bald agent said. “I expected that. But, I think you knew that they were on the Serbian’s payroll before you had the information from the server.”
“I might have suspected something,” I hedged. “Just based on the way they were harassing some of my clients. I’m glad that you know who they are, now.”
“It was a pleasure working with you, Mr. Morgan,” the older fed said as he offered me his hand. “Though I suspect that the next time we meet it won’t be quite as cordial.”
“Probably not,” I said. “You’re a good man, Hisashi.”
“I hope that I never run into you again,” Anthony said when the agent offered him his hand.
“Oh, I’m sure that I’ll see you around,” Monroe sneered.
The two feds exchanged a look before they went to join their deputy director at the podium. Jacobson waved them over and thanked them personally for the break in the case while he refused to comment on any other questions about the anonymous source. As soon as he’d given Hisashi and Monroe their dues, he ended the press conference, and strolled over to talk to his assistant and the two feds.
“That guy is going to be a pain in the ass,” my client grumbled as he glared at Monroe.
“But for the moment he was useful,” I said. “Let’s go. I don’t want the reporters to think we had anything to do with this, and so far we’ve been lucky that they haven’t noticed us.”
“Good idea,” the mafioso said.
We hurried across the street and into the alley where I’d parked my car while the news crews were still focused on the feds and trying to cajole more answers from the well-dressed Jacobson.
I pulled the car out onto the street and pointed it toward Floral Park while Anthony tugged his phone out of his pocket to call his father. I could only hear one side of the conversation, but it sounded like the head of the Febbo family had been watching the live updates about the breaking case on citywide corruption.
“We still need to find out who tried to shoot at me,” Anthony told his father. “Have Jovanni’s guys been able to figure anything out?”
My client put his phone on speaker for this part of the conversation, and I listened intently as I merged onto the LIE.
“They did,” Sal said. “But they couldn’t find out who ordered the hit. Hold on...”
The sound of a reporter grew louder, and I could just barely hear the voice of the blonde woman through the line.
“This just in,” she said. “It seems like the FBI has just brought out some of the materials that were discovered in the Gryffon Company building. According to my sources, the machine guns behind me were discovered in none other than the Director of Gryffon’s office. Mr. Galic is currently under arrest for racketeering and bribing a public official, but I’m sure that murder will soon be added to the list.”
“Son of a bitch,” Anthony huffed. “He ordered the hit.”
The news channel went silent, and I guessed that Sal had muted it after the woman told them what they needed to know.
“He can still be taken care of,” the older mafioso said. “As soon as he goes to trial, he’ll be stuck, and we have some friends inside that’ll make sure to pay him a visit.”
“Good,” my client said before he ran a hand down his face. “Find out if the guys that Jovanni found out about are on the arrest records, too. We’ll want to make sure that they're safe until after the trial. That way it doesn’t come back to us. But, we can still send a nice thank you card.”
“I’ll make sure that they get the message,” Sal said.
There was a long pause before the older mafioso cleared his throat.
“You did good, kid,” my client’s father said. “And Hunter, you didn’t do too bad, either.”
“Thanks, Pops,” Anthony said around a lump in his throat.
“I appreciate that, sir,” I said. “Do you have any updates on the house?”
Sal snorted into the line.
“That’s going to take a week, at least,” the head of the Febbo family said. “Gulia is going crazy in this townhouse. It’s too small, apparently. Never mind it’s got a bigger kitchen than most in this area. She still plans to host a family dinner tonight. I expect both of you to be there.”
“Yes, sir,” my client said. “Let me know if you need anything.”
“Mmmhmm,” his father muttered as Gulia’s voice drifted through the line. “I’ll text you if your mother needs anything. You two stay out of trouble. There are still plenty of eyes on us.”
Without another word the mafioso hung up.
Anthony tucked his phone back in his pocket with a contented sigh. He had proven to his father that he could handle the family business, and do it the legal way. Well, at least for the most part.
I turned into my driveway and put the car in park before I looked over at my client. It had been a long year and a half, but I’d finally helped him to stop the Serbians that had first framed him for murder. I was eager to watch the rest of the news coverage and find out who else the feds had arrested, and I wanted to compare it to the list of names that we had from the laptop and the server. In fact, there was a long list of things I needed to do, but it was nice to enjoy that moment of quiet before we both climbed out from the car and walked into the house.
“That was the best thing I’ve ever seen,” Tommaso said as soon as I walked in.
The curly-haired paralegal had brought his laptop into the living room and had the local news playing on my massive flat screen TV. He had a glass of water and an empty mug on the coffee table, and he was in the process of making what looked like cannolis.
“Did you tape it?” I asked.
“Of course,” he responded with a smile. “I want to watch Webber’s face every day for the rest of my life. You know, I always thought that the guy was a sleaze, but I didn’t have any proof.”
“Now the feds have it in spades,” I said. “Have you kept an eye on your email? Some of our cases may be dismissed given the current situation.”
“I’ve been checking it every ten minutes,” the young man said with a nod. “So far there hasn’t been anything, but I expec
t that we’ll hear something in the next few days. Especially since Ordman and Adams have been linked to the scandal. They even showed the video of Rossi in Rikers when they killed that guard.”
“Oh, wow,” I said. “I didn’t think that they’d be able to show that on TV.”
“They blurred out the blood,” Tom said with a shrug. “They said there’s going to be more on the RICO case later tonight on the six o’clock news. I already have it scheduled to record on WNBC, WNET, and ABC7.”
“Perfect,” I said as I dropped my briefcase on the couch.
There was a knock on the door before I could even take off my tie, and my hand immediately went to my hip as I prepared for another attack. I doubted that Galic would go down without a fight, and I hadn’t been paying enough attention on the LIE to notice if anyone had followed us.
“Who is it?” I called as I neared the front door.
Anthony was right behind me with his own pistol in his hands, and Tommaso stood at the end of the hallway with a knife in his hand.
“Hisashi,” the bald agent called through the slab of wood. “I didn’t have the chance to fill you in on everything at the press conference. Especially with the director right there.”
I rolled my eyes, slid my Glock back in its holster, and then unlocked the door to see the two FBI agents on my doorstep.
“And here I thought we’d said our goodbyes,” I said.
“I couldn’t exactly stand there talking to you with Jacobson right there,” Hisashi said with an easy smile. “I prefer to keep my anonymous informants anonymous.”
“Of course,” I said. “Come on in. Tommaso is making cannolis.”
“It’s a celebration,” the long-haired man said with one of his easy grins as he went back into the kitchen.
“Don’t mind if I do,” the older fed said while he strolled past me.
His partner huffed like he didn’t agree with his partner’s decision to come talk to us, but he followed after without any hesitation.
“Told you that you’d see me again,” the younger fed sneered at my client.
