Deadly Game

by R. B. Conroy

  Once inside, the crowd reacted immediately. There was applause and cheers throughout the packed room. Several folks rushed forward to greet the smiling Ferinnis. A beaming master of ceremonies shouted into the microphone, “They’re here, our honored guests are here! Let’s make them feel welcome. What do you say, folks?”

  Chapter 27

  Vito, a little hung over and sporting a nasty headache pushed the button on his speaker phone. “Yes?”

  “You have a call from Jay Underwood up on the third.”

  Jay was Vito’s in-house investment guy. Very smart, and he had the unenviable task of overseeing all Vito’s many investments. It was a job no one wanted. Jay had lasted an entire year—which was a record for First Financial. His office was in the posh VIP room on the third floor where First’s best and brightest operated. The company’s big hitters loved the VIP room and having their own investment area made them feel important.

  “I wonder what the hell he wants,” Vito mumbled.

  “What’s that, Mr. Taglioni?”

  “Oh nothing. Put him through.”

  “Right away.”

  “Hello, Jay. How are you today?”

  “Fine, sir. Sorry to interrupt your busy day.”

  “Oh, no problem. Just feeling a little under the weather today—if you know what I mean.”

  There was a short chuckle on the other end. Everybody in the office knew of Vito’s extracurricular activities. The seasoned broker made light of it. “It happens to the best of us.”

  “What can I do for you?”

  “I just called to congratulate you.”

  “Oh yeah, what for?”

  “With your recent purchase of ten thousand shares of Verizon common stock, you are now the largest account holder for First Financial Securities. I want to thank you personally for having trust in me.”

  “Oh really?” The arrogant owner knew almost to the penny what his investments were—he checked them almost daily. But he wanted to hear Jay say it. “Just what is my portfolio right now?”

  “Two hundred and seventy-three million!”

  “Hmmm…it’s getting up there alright and during a down market. Good job, Jay.”

  Jay had managed to protect his boss’s money in the recent downturn by investing mainly in small and mid-cap companies. Since the subprime crisis reared its ugly head, Vito’s portfolio had actually grown over ten percent, at a time when most investors were experiencing thirty to forty percent drops in value—Vito was very happy with Jay Underwood.

  “Glad to see you’re earning your money, Jay. Keep it up.”

  “Sure will, boss. Thanks.”

  Vito smiled and fell back in his chair watching the large fan circulate above. The awesome value of his holdings had never seemed to completely register with him before, but after hearing the words “top investor in the company”, he had a sense of the vast amount of money he had accumulated—most of it earned in the past few years as a result of his corrupt subprime deal with Barnes.

  The deal, he and his unlikely bed partner, Barnes O’Brien, had forged some two years earlier, was paying off. Barnes had used his substantial political equity with the Democratic Party machine to help get Vito necessary branch approvals to expand his business to several other cities. The plan, so far, had gone just as they hoped it would. The deal gave Barnes forty per cent of all the profits for providing legal counsel and assisting in the formation and marketing of the huge mortgage-backed bonds. Vito received sixty per cent for providing the vehicle to sell the bonds and finding investors willing to spend tens of millions of dollars.

  Barnes was a wealthy man before the scheme had been hatched; it was all about power and political ambition with him. But for Vito, who was struggling financially at the time, it was strictly about the money. Ever since he was a small boy he had longed to be a rich man. His father, a simple baker’s assistant, would occasionally take Vito with him to the upscale River Forest community near their home in Elmwood Park to deliver a cake. Vito would sit and gawk at the huge estates owned by the local mobsters, doctors and attorneys. And today, for the first time, he fully realized that he had done just that. It sent a chill up his spine just thinking about it. He could blow five hundred dollars a night in a local Indy strip club and never miss it. The purchase of his lavish new home in the exclusive suburb of Carmel, valued at over three million dollars, had hardly made a dent in his enormous holdings. He had a new Mercedes, a membership at one of the finest country clubs in Indianapolis and still had a whopping two hundred seventy million dollars to spare. But even better for Vito, his enormous wealth seemed to gain him cover for his bad boy behavior. And fortunately for him, his beautiful wife, a former model, seemed to tolerate his indiscretions as long as Vito kept her checkbook fat.

  “Mr. Taglioni?”

  “Yes, yes what is it, Claudia?” Vito glared menacingly at the speaker phone he had forgotten to turn off.

  “Cliff would like to see you.”

  “Okay, send him in.” Vito sat up, poked the phone off and glanced toward the large oak door.

  The office manager cracked the door slightly.

  “Come in!” Vito said impatiently.

  Cliff walked hesitantly across the threshold to the office, turned quietly around and pushed the door gently closed and released the doorknob without making a sound. The hard-driving Vito found his young office manager’s entry ritual amusing and his charming personality disarming. It was difficult for him to get as angry with Cliff as he did with the others. Cliff was smart and diplomatic, the perfect fit for his mercurial boss.

  “Good afternoon, sir.”

  “Good afternoon, Cliff. I hope you have some good news for me about the branch filings with the SEC—particularly the Chicago office.”

  “Well, I have some news that’s for sure. I will let you decide whether it is good or not.” He cut a nervous grin.

  “Go ahead.”

  “As I suggested, I contacted our man at the SEC. I told him about the request from Ted Blue for copies of all of our branch approval files and our unfortunate discovery that there was basically nothing in the Chicago file except the original application.”

  “And?” the impatient Vito snorted.

  “He told me that it would be difficult to create a duplicate file because the empirical data and demographics have obviously changed since the time of application. He said he would look into it and get back to me right away.”

  “This doesn’t sound good.” The surly boss, still basking in the splendor of his staggering wealth, sat up in his chair. “Did he get back with you?”

  “Yes, a few hours later.”

  Vito slid to the edge of his chair. “Okay, continue!”

  “It seems as though another large securities firm had applied for a branch approval in Chicago around the same time as First Financial. He said we could use the data from that request to create a file for our Chicago office. All the information in our file will now be dated around the time of the original application.”

  “So, by copying the information from the other file and putting it with the original application, we pretty much have what we need.” Vito exclaimed.

  “Bingo!”

  Beaming from ear to ear at his own brilliant deduction, Vito went on. “I’m sure there was some data from that file that couldn’t be used,”

  “That’s correct, but he felt we could extract enough information to create an “adequate” file for Mr. Blue. He said the SEC would take responsibility for the less than complete file, while at the same time insisting that in the midst of the largest housing boom in our country’s history, less than totally complete files were quite normal and our file met all of their important specifications.”

  “Wonderful! Wonderful! Good job Cliff. There’ll be a bonus in this for you.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  “One more thing, Cliff.”

  “Yes?”

  “I don’t remember any other firms opening up in Chicago around
that time or anytime since for that matter.

  “You’re absolutely right and there’s a reason for that.”

  Vito’s brow lifted.

  “That application hasn’t been approved yet. It’s still pending.”

  Vito grunted a coarse chuckle. “I guess Moretti and his boys have been taking good care of us.”

  “Guess so.” Cliff looked anxiously at the clock on Vito’s desk. “Sir, if you’ll excuse me, I have a two o’clock.”

  “Oh, please go ahead.”

  The office manager hurried from the office. As the door swung shut, his cell phone blared. He quickly answered, “Yes, Barnes?”

  “Are you sitting down?”

  Chapter 28

  “Wasn’t that a wonderful lunch? Let’s hear it for Louise and her staff back there in the kitchen. Come on, loud enough so she can hear, come on!” Those in attendance applauded politely for the popular cook and her staff at St. Celestine Elementary School. A few seconds later, a smiling, gray-haired lady, reluctantly stuck her head out from a door at the back of the multi-purpose room and waved at the appreciative crowd. She pushed the door open further and pointed at her staff that was still busy working inside the steamy kitchen. They smiled and waved their utensils and damp towels at the crowd.

  “Thanks again to you and your staff, Louise. You’re a jewel.” The emcee smiled warmly.

  Nearby, Butch Ferinni fidgeted in his seat, as he nervously waited for the coming introduction. Maria squeezed his hand gently to reassure him.

  “Thank you all for coming today. It looks like we’ve had a pretty good turnout for our friend, Butch Ferinni!” A burst of applause erupted throughout the room.

  The emcee paused and cleared his voice. “Ladies and gentlemen, it has been my pleasure to serve as President of the Elmwood Park Chamber of Commerce this past year. And nothing gives me more pleasure than what I am about to do. Butch Ferinni and I go back a long, long way. Believe it or not, we were classmates together here at St. Celestine elementary school. I was just a little kid, skinny and sickly from a severe bout with pneumonia as an infant. It was not unusual, I’m sorry to say, for some of the boys here at the school to pick on me from time to time.”

  A groan spread across the room.

  The emcee smiled and turned toward Butch. “That was until one day when Butch Ferinni saw a much larger boy punch me and knock me to the ground right out there.” He nodded toward the playground outside the back windows. The emcee smiled and looked over at a blushing Butch. “Butch was playing catch football nearby, and when he saw the bully knock me down, he ran over as fast as he could and kicked the larger boy right here!” He lifted his ample backside toward the crowd and pointed at it. The crowd burst out in laughter. “Then he told the boy if he ever saw him near me again, he would beat the crap out of him. Butch wasn’t the biggest boy in school, but he sure was the toughest.” He looked at Butch again. “I’ll never forget that day.” A slightly embarrassed Butch smiled broadly.

  The animated emcee quieted the crowd, and then went on for several minutes describing the many charitable contributions made to their community by Butch Ferinni.

  “I don’t know who came up with the idea of giving out a Citizen of the Year Award first, but I do know this—in all my years serving this community, I have never seen a more deserving candidate for this award than the man I am about to announce. Ladies and Gentlemen, the winner of the Elmwood Park Chamber of Commerce’s Citizen of the Year Award, Alonzo “Butch” Ferinni. Let’s hear it for Butch!”

  Those in attendance jumped to their feet as the aging mobster stood and approached the podium. He grabbed the large plaque from his friend and lifted it toward the crowd, beaming from ear to ear as the applause continued.

  Chapter 29

  “Damn it, Barnes! I thought you said Montrose reassured you our little plan for skimming money from the bank was foolproof.”

  “He did. It’s just that Crane got suspicious and sent Dulin up there to snoop around and he may have figured out what Jack was doing.”

  Vito shook his head as he stared out at the noisy traffic on Meridian Street. “May have?”

  “Well, yes. We’re not certain that he knows, but Montrose thought he was acting very secretive that day. He wasn’t sharing and discussing things with him like he usually does. For that reason, he thinks Dulin may be onto something. Anyway, we can’t take any chances—we have to assume he knows.”

  “Oh damn! If Crane knows about this we could all be going to prison,” Vito snorted. “I don’t know why you had to get me involved in this thing. Now you’ve gotten both our asses in trouble.”

  Barnes frowned, “Don’t go there again, Vito. Just shut up and listen.”

  Vito glared at Barnes.

  “There’s more.”

  “More?”

  “Yes. We just had our monthly board meeting at Midwest and the board voted in favor of paying back the TARP money.”

  “What?”

  “Yes, and your friend Lisa was the deciding vote. She voted with Alex in favor of the payback.”

  Vito’s face turned beat red. “Why, that snooty bitch.”

  Barnes shot back, “I guess you weren’t as convincing as you thought.”

  “Listen Barnes, I did my best. I tried to help. Edward’s your best friend. What about that?”

  “It really doesn’t matter who’s at fault. The fact is, it happened. And now, we’ve got a giant mess on our hands.”

  “The question is how do we get out of this situation?”

  “It’s going to take a while to implement the payback. In the meantime, Ramsey will have to do something about Crane. If he’s no longer president, I can replace him with Montrose. When that happens, I will ask the board to revisit the TARP issue. Montrose will be the deciding vote and we will be able to rescind today’s decision.”

  “Good luck on that one. Crane doesn’t look like he’s going anywhere to me.”

  “I told Ben Ramsey about the board’s vote. He called me back a short time later and said he had just gotten off the phone with the President and said he had never seen him so upset.” There was a deafening pause.

  Vito dropped down in his chair. “And?”

  “He says the gloves are off. Nothing is off the table at this point. He told Ramsey to ‘Capone him’ if necessary.”

  “Capone him? Do you know what that means?”

  Barnes continued, “Yes, and I wouldn’t want to be Alex Crane right now. The President can’t wait any longer; there is too much at stake. He feels he must act now.”

  “Do you think they’re serious?”

  The usually bellicose Barnes spoke almost inaudibly. Vito had to strain to hear him. “I’ve seen enough of these guys to know that they will stop at nothing to get what they want.”

  Vito shouted, “They want to kill Crane?”

  Barnes interrupted, “Quiet down, Claudia may overhear you.”

  “I’m not stupid, Barnes. Claudia is out to lunch.”

  “Listen to me closely, Vito. Ramsey may need your help.”

  “My help? Oh Mother of Jesus!” Vito groaned.

  “Here’s what we need you to do.”

  Chapter 30

  “How did you manage to get us out of there early, my dear?”

  “Yesterday, I told Sammy that I had a meeting and we couldn’t stay for the whole thing.”

  Butch pushed the passenger side door shut and hurried around to the other side and quickly climbed inside the Hummer, hoping to get behind the dark windows before anyone saw him.

  “You shouldn’t have told them your limo was picking us up. You shouldn’t be embarrassed because you have to drive yourself. Most of the made guys drive themselves now.”

  “Okay Maria, okay. Just knock it off please.” Butch exited the school parking area, and gunned it down 77th Avenue, anxious to get away from the school parking area as fast as possible.

  “You shouldn’t have lied to them. It will be a lot more embarrassing i
f people find out we don’t have a limo,” Maria groused.

  “Like I said Maria, knock it OFF!”

  Maria knew her limits; she knew she had pushed far enough. She didn’t want to see the ugly side of her volatile husband, so she stopped talking.

  Butch’s cell rang. He quickly flipped it open. “Vito, you dog! How the hell are you?”

  “Okay Butch, how about yourself?”

  “Couldn’t be better. And what is my big shot, rich guy friend doing calling me on this fine day?”

  “I may need a favor from you, Butch.”

  “Oh yeah?” Butch never liked Vito much, but tolerated him because of his powerful connections.

  “Yeah, well…uh Moretti’s having some problems.”

  “Oh yeah?”

  “Yeah.”

  “And how is Eddie? Got the big head yet?”

  Vito forced a chuckle, “You know Ed. He was never short on self-confidence.”

  “I know, but I’m proud of him.—very proud!”

  “Yeah, so am I.”

  “So what kind of problems is Eddie having? I can’t imagine the President of the United States having any problems.”

  “He’s in a jam, Butch. It seems as though some people are working against him; they’re trying to bring down his presidency.”

  “That’s a shame, but what’s that got to do with little ole Alonzo?”

  Maria was getting curious. She turned toward her husband and listened carefully. He shrugged his shoulders at her. “Oh I see….I see, well…uh Maria and I got some shopping to do, so why don’t I call you later.”

  “Sorry, I didn’t know Maria was with you. Do you think she heard….”

  The wise-guy interrupted, “No, no problem.”

  “One last thing Butch, do you have a number where I could call you that can’t be traced back to you? These cell phones are easy to track. I have an apartment that I use occasionally for some of my extra-curricular activities. The phone’s in my buddy’s name. I’ll bet you have a place like that?”