CHAPTER 29
Agustus was a little worried for the first time in his climb up the ladder of power. Some things were getting out of his control, and he didn’t like not being in control. When he phoned the Doctor, he was almost desperate to get control back. I need your help Doctor… just one more time… it is sort of a rush job.
I told you both before and after that last job I was retired… besides you know I don’t do rush jobs… I need time to set things up… time to study it before I move… That is what makes me a professional.
I know that… but if we don’t take care of this one now we could both lose our business ventures.
That’s why I retired… there’s a lot more at stake now these day… with the political situation I’m getting much closer to my lifelong ambitions… it was time to call it quits… I’ve already ended the business venture with my expertise in resolving difficult situations.
I’m not talking about losing the business of your expertise in resolving difficult situations… you could lose out on your lifelong ambitions… this involves all of it. We need to talk… can you meet me at the usual place at 3?
I’ll be there… the conversation ended abruptly.
He knew there would be details to be worked out and decided that would have to come when they met in person. There could be no mistakes, no recorded phone calls, nothing to tie either of them to what he was planning.
…
The Chief made another call to his friend in the FBI… FBI Field Director Lawrence Redman was a strong leader much like Chief Dobbins. They had known each other since college. Both had risen through the ranks of their respective careers using intelligence, good organizational skills, and a sharp mind to get things done that it seemed others were unable to accomplish. But probably the most important likeness was that they both were dedicated to law and order and protecting innocent people from all the mayhem the criminal element spread throughout the country they served.
Director Redman this is Chief Dobbins… It seems I have something else here that might interest you… we’ve been talking to Sophia Grendandino… it started as another case from the Organized Crime Task Force’s work… but with Balboa’s testimony incriminating her… it has escalated up the ladder from there… I figured you would like to know about it.
I appreciate your cooperation Mark, it’s good to know that local law enforcement is willing to share jurisdiction for a change… we usually catch a lot of flak for stepping on local toes… The Director was pleased with Mark’s willingness to cooperate.
That’s ok Larry, we’ve been friends now for a long time now… the least I can do is keep you informed when a case we’re working on appears to fall within the jurisdiction of investigations your people are working on… and it works both ways… when you tell me about things your teams are on it help us too.
You might want to send several of you best people over… this time it’s even more critical and the possibility that others want to keep her from talking to us is a lot greater since the stakes in this one are much higher…
If you can hold a lid on things for a while, I’ll send several people over… I’ll also make all the arrangements for our end of the deal… I am assuming it’s about the same as the last? The Director was wondering whether the suspect had wanted immunity again.
Yes the same situation. Only I believe this time the information is a lot more valuable. The Chief was trying to emphasize how deep he thought it went without saying too much.
Ok, once you have her statement we can work out the rest of the details between us… From there we’ll take over protection and handle things like we did the last time… Does that sound good to you?
Sounds good… Thanks Larry… I’ll wait for your people to arrive with the deal and then contact you once we have her testimony…
The conversation ended with both of them satisfied by the arrangements they had made. The Chief broke into a full smile at work for the first time he could remember in a long while… only no one was there to actually see it.
…
Roger wasn’t too happy with having to contact Darby again, but he knew that Darby would probably be the only one who might have information on where Isabella Grendandino disappeared to. This time the plan was to meet in a small parking area on the parkway drive. Before the creek that ran along the parkway became polluted from industrial waste it was a very popular spot for fishing buffs. Now almost no one frequented the spot, with the exception of teenagers, who only gathered at night. It would be a safe place to talk since you could see cars coming from either direction for quite a ways from there. Roger pulled into a parking space and waited for Darby to show up. A few minutes later a white panel van pulled in next to Roger’s car. He could see Darby sitting behind the wheel. Darby lowered the passenger window and learned over toward the door.
Glad you got a hold of me first this time… before you talked to Bobby… he really doesn’t need to get involved in this any more than he is already.
Roger responded in kind. I wish I hadn’t talked to him the last time… it may have caused him some problems… seems he’s attracted some interest… someone tried to take him out.
Darby smiled. I know… put a good scare into him didn’t it? … except for you, I’ll bet he hasn’t breathed a word of what I told him to ANYONE!
Roger stared at Darby with a look of surprised understanding. It was YOU! … you did that… to keep him quiet.
I talked to him before I realized it was you that was behind his interest… I wanted to make sure he kept it to himself… figured if he thought someone was after him he might lay low and keep his mouth shut.
But this current request of yours… it has almost been a bust for me… I really couldn’t find anything concrete on the former Isabella Grendandino.
So I have taken the risk of meeting with you and you’re telling me you can’t find anything… GREAT… I might as well HAVE asked Bobby and stayed safe myself.
Listen Roger, this whole thing about me having a cloud hanging over my head is just a cover… in fact I have even helped to perpetuate the myth… it keeps people out of my business… but it’s all mostly rumor… think about it a minute… have you ever really had any situations in dealing with me that turned bad for you? Sure you heard about some… everybody that knows me has… but have you even really been in one yourself?
The truth is Roger… I’m really one of the good guys… I try to keep an eye on things, help when I can, and most important I protect my friends!
Well… Darby… you have always been a good friend… I realize you have your own motives, and you try to look out from others… I’m just frustrated that you couldn’t find anything on her.
I didn’t say that I hadn’t found anything… I said I couldn’t find anything concrete… but as for rumors, possibilities, and info passed on from insiders… I have a lot of that… it’s just not confirmed info is all I am saying.
Roger’s eyes widened as Darby told him her current suspected identity… I got this from those who might know… but with no actual physical records to confirm it. I am guessing that Mr. Big hired people to help change her identity… it was a real professional job … no loose ends… he may have even used inside people in government agencies he had control over… either way I have no real proof. You will have to find that out for yourself.
Darby raised his passenger window and pulled out from the parking space. Roger left also heading the opposite direction of Darby. He was dialing his cell phone as he exited the parkway and headed out to savor a bill of fare that was in his mind for a much anticipated lunch.
…
It was little over an hour before three FBI agents the Director sent over arrived with the deal for Sophia. Chief Dobbins escorted the three of them, two male and a female agent, to the viewing room.
I’ve made arrangements with your director for our department to take the lead for now. Since it was our department that cracked the case in the first place… your Director is allowing my
people to work with her and get all the information she has to give us on a video. Once we have the recording of her testimony you can take custody. This is our main recording room, and you can ‘watch the session from here … if you want a drink or snack there’s a room two doors down to your left that has vending machines… I’ll be back in a few minutes after I have my people all in place. The Chief stepped out of the recording room and headed up to Det, Lutz’s office, where Dave and Berry were working on a list of exactly what information they wanted to get from Sophia.
After telling Dave and Berry that everything was ready for them to take Sophia’s statements and handing them a folder with the deal for her, the Chief returned to the recording room and closed the door behind him. I figure you’ve probably been recording since they entered the room Mr. Johnson… but you can add the digital time stamp now for this session… Detective Lutz should be here in a few seconds… let’s make it official. Benny nodded and turned toward the equipment to enable the video recording’s time stamp.
As they were heading for the interrogation room Berry’s phone buzzed and when he looked at the front he saw Muffin’s name on the caller ID. Got little time Muffin… what’s up? Yes… you did? ... and?
Berry’s face changed from indifference to reflect his new found interest in what Muffin had to say. REALLY? How sure are you? OK, at least that’s a start… maybe I can get some confirmation from here… we’re getting ready to talk with Sophia Grendandino… yeaw, well we shall see my friend… thanks! As he closed the phone to end the conversation, Berry reported to Dave… maybe an important development… tell you about it a little later… I need to get some confirmation first… he smiled.
When they entered the room this time, Berry sat at the table opposite the attorney and Dave sat in a chair next to him opposite Sophia. It appeared very natural, but they had actually discussed the seating arrangement and had moved to their desired location as it had been rehearsed between them beforehand. Dave reached across the table in front of Berry and handed her lawyer the deal they were offering Sophia… it was almost exactly the same thing they had offered Vinnie. Berry was the first to speak.
You can look through the paperwork if you want before we start… just to make sure it’s what you want… the lawyer didn’t look up but continued pursing the folder’s contents.
I want to point out, if you look toward the back of the folder, that they are also offering witness protection if you want it… before Berry could continue he was interrupted by Sophia’s quick response.
I will not leave my home… no witness protection… I will deal with the consequences of my own actions… she looked at her lawyer and he simply nodded back to her.
Since it appears you have provided what I have asked for… I am not unaware that what may happen to me depends a lot on who you are able take down. That is why I am willing to tell you all that I know… so that you could be able to remove those who might retaliate.
But before I start, I want to clarify my position. There are some things I know about that came from others… I was not personally involved. They are things that go back to when Papa was young… back to when he was just beginning the build the family business. Then there are other things I know… things that come from my own personally involvement in the family business… you need to understand the progression… to fully understand what I know and use it to your best advantage… so first… a little history.
My father started out in his early teens running numbers for one of the established crime figures at that time. When he was twenty, he met a man of little political power but with a lot of money. Papa wanted to build his own family business and his acquaintance wanted to gain political power. That is how Papa started his own family business. In exchange for the money to recruit and built an organization of his own, Papa provided muscle for his power seeking partner.
Sophia mused a little. I remember when I was a young child he would visit Papa and I would see them in the study standing together… Papa looked like a giant standing next to him… he was such a small thin man…
As I got a little older I remember thinking that Papa seemed to always want to please him… it was not what Papa said, but the way Papa treated him… not like others.
When Papa was killed he came to my sister and I and offered to take care of us financially… our oldest sister had already moved away… it was just Isabella and I then… Isabella decided to go away… I think she just couldn’t deal with it… he made all the arrangements. I decided to stay. We hadn’t really kept in touch… and then a few years ago he contacted me… offered me the same deal he had made with Papa… promised to give me back control of the family business… I felt I owned it to him… and the family. We called him Papa’s silent partner… others call him the Magician. His name is Agustus Rensillere.
Sophia began to relate details about all of family business she had carried out on his orders... physical violence, damaged property, threats, dirty tricks, muscle and pressure… all of which could get Rensillere several years in prison if convicted… but nothing that would put him out of commission for a very long time. Then she dropped the other shoe on them.
I also know he was responsible for the death of Senator Parks.
How do you know his death wasn’t an accident? Dave was getting anxious.
It was made to look like an accident… by a professional… I know this because he first came to me. He wanted me to take out the senator… wanted it to looked like an accident… it is the first time I ever refused him… he was not happy… quit angry in fact… but I was able to convince him that the family organization did not have people with the experience for that type of contract… and that to play it safe… he needed a professional… he is usually a careful man… and this time was no exception… in the end, he decided that that I was right.
Dave stared hard at Sophia. Do you know who he hired?
No… not personally… but I do know that in the past he has been known to use a professional they call the Doctor… they say has the ability to make a hit look like an accident… would have been perfect for the job… but I hear costs a lot… around a million or more... but if anyone could afford it he could.
Berry realized that with all the information Sophia had given then she never once mentioned the Loften murder. What about Charles Loften? Was Rensillere behind that too?
Sophia looked at Berry with a bit of what looked like regret on her face. He was not involved in that. That was for family.
Berry pressed her further. Family? … you mean it was a job that was sanctioned by the Family Business… the drug dealing business?
MY family does not get involved in the drug trade. Sophia sounded indignant. There may be the darker areas of our business… but since Papa started we have NEVER been involved in the drug trade. Agustus Rensillere had nothing to do with the Loften’s killing… like I said, that was strictly family business… there’s no need to discuss that.
Dave sounded a little irritated. Mrs. Grendandino, in case you have forgotten, the murder of Charles Loften WAS the reason we brought you down here in the first place. I have a need to discuss that… unless you want to forget our deal. Dave reached out toward the lawyer with his palm up and motioned flipping his fingers as if to say “give me back the folder”.
Sophia softened a little when she looked at Dave. I had hoped that the information I gave you was enough… I don’t want to get others involved that really have nothing to do with Rensillere and all his plans… that contract was personal business… like I said, for family.
Dave was insistent. A man was killed and whether it has to do with Rensillere or not doesn’t matter. I want to know ALL the facts. We can sort it out ourselves… and decide whether it is relevant… what you need to do is give me the details… or you can forget our deal and we can charge you with contract murder… it’s your choice.
Sophia relented. I was trying to protect my family … I did a favor… against my wishes… for my sister… she i
s a very smart person, but a little naïve and so engrossed in her own little world of research that she can’t see what is going on around her… Rensillere has had some contact with her over the years… she thinks he is just a smart powerful man… she has no idea what he is really like… he has a very strong influence over her… he has had it since she was young… she respects his opinion… he can be very persuasive. He has a lot of money and was willing to fund her projects… and with her research at stake she was willing to listen to him… but he had ulterior motives… he used her to accomplish a small part of his plan… and left her in an un-defendable position… so he could keep control.
Berry’s mind had been working on all the connections as Sophia had recounted her story and gave them her side of the situation. He had almost put all the pieces together already when she told them about her sister… and that’s when it came to him.
I know that your sister, Marie Burton, has been doing research on the psychological roots of physical violence. I believe that Rensillere not only funded the organization she founded and that gave her national prominence, but he also funded all of her research and backed her from behind the scenes in her rise to a nationally respected lecturer.
I believe what you are saying is that somewhere along the line Rensillere convinced her that by using LSD as a catalyst to psychotic events she might be more able to determine the psychological side effects of violence on the subject’s psyche reflecting their involuntary responses to external stimuli … and… Berry looked over at Dave and realized by the glazed look in Dave’s eyes that he had gone way too far into the details…
Put simply, under Rensillere’s influence she came to you for a source of LSD to use in her research and you helped supply the drug to her… Rensillere used her organization to further his own cause… and may have implicated her for the use of LSD… and maybe even murder… by having several students killed with evidence of the drug in their system… that in some way could be linked back to her… so you took out the link you had arranged for to protect her.
Sophia sat straight up in her chair… Murdered students? What are you talking about? There was never any involvement with students being killed… Loften was killed to protect Maria… my choice alone… but we did not do ANY contracts on college students…
Dave spoke up this time. There were four deaths of students that appeared to be suicide… but when the bodies were examined, it was confirmed that there was LSD in their system’s at the time of their deaths… leading us to believe that their deaths may not have been accidents… but the real problem here is that your sister was in each of the locations at the time of the deaths and had access to LSD… that’s not a drug that is being used a lot on college campuses any more… so where did it come from? … the situation makes her look like a prime suspect.
That’s absurd… she would NEVER employ violence! Ever since the death of her son, she has embraced a different life style than the one she was raised in. She would not even hire anyone to do it… she is always true to her dedication against violent actions… she would never betray what she feels is her calling. Maria could not be involved in that… she may have broken some rules to prove her point… but she would never use violence as a means to her end… besides… making a killing look like an accident… or in this case a suicide… sounds more like the work of someone like the Doctor
Berry continued his thoughts. Like I was saying, Rensillere probably had them killed to implicate Marie. I don’t think Marie was involved… it was done to keep control… maybe to point the finger at someone else if need be… and keep him out of it.
While I’m talking about possible incidents that may be related, do you know anything about the hit and run of a man named Lee Harrington?
Her lawyer responded. As in the agreement, Mrs. Grendandino will only speak about items related to the current incidents and the involvement with Mr. Rensillere… I will not allow you to incriminate her on un-related items…
Did I say it was un-related? I’m sorry… I believe I said that it may be related… if you will look at the agreement, I believe it says that any information uncovered during her testimony that can assist in the resolution of the case will be covered… that means she can tell me about Lee Harrington WITHOUT going outside the boundaries of her amnesty…
Sophia turned to look at her family attorney. It’s ok Mr. Renaldo, they can’t implicate me because I don’t know anything about it. Sophia turned back to Berry. I don’t have any knowledge about this man and I had not heard his name before you mentioned it. I am trying to be totally honest with you… I told you about my sister… which I am hoping doesn’t get her into trouble for her small infraction of the law… it really wasn’t her fault… she was just doing as her financier had suggested… I told you she was easily influenced by him… she has no idea of his real plans for her work.
Berry leaned back in his chair and scratched his head. There was something here that didn’t make sense. If Rensillere had contracted the Doctor to do the student killings, did the professional contract killer make the mistake? Even though it appeared to be a suicide there was the forensic evidence of LSD in their systems… and from what he understood, the Doctor didn’t make mistakes… but if it was done to implicate Marie, why would he want to do that… he needed her organization to become mainstream… he needed her influence to carry out his plans to build amateur sports leagues… why would he jeopardize that aspect? Berry looked intensely at Sophia. Where is your sister Isabella?
His question took her totally by surprise. Isabella, why are you asking me about her? … she went into hiding years ago.
And where is she now? Berry’s stair emphasized his question.
How should I know? I don’t keep track of her.
Berry revealed what he was thinking. I believe she lives very close… in fact right here in the city. It seemed curious to me that another powerful lady… one that has a political stake in all this… and has a similar first name… is married to Senator Taylor… her name is Isabel too you know. What I have discovered is that Isabel Taylor is actually your sister… the former Isabella Grendandino!
Both Dave AND Sophia looked at Berry with surprise… but it was Sophia that spoke up first. How did you know THAT? There are only and hand full of people… mostly family… that know who she is now.
Well, I had my suspicions, I have sources that discovered information suggesting that fact, but I didn’t actually know it for sure… until you just now confirmed it for me.
Sophia had the look of someone who had just betrayed a great secret. You are very devious Mr. Sullivan.
I’m just trying to get to the bottom of all this… and it seems there is a lot more to it than I first thought. How well acquainted is your sister Isabella with Agustus Rensillere?
Sophia looked down at the table and quietly responded. Very well acquainted… they have been close friends ever since he arranged for her to move away… he has looked out for her all these years… like he did for me.
There was an uncomfortable silence in the room… and a thickness in the air that gave the surroundings a rather heavy feeling… the buzzing of Dave’s phone broke the silence. He began pressing several buttons on the phone to retrieve what appeared to be a text message.
Dave looked up at the camera as if he was talking directly to those watching… I’m gonna call for a little break right now to take care of some things. We can sort out the rest of this in a few minutes… Berry you want to come with me? Dave got up and opened the door with the two of them leaving Sophia and her lawyer behind, alone again in the room…