by Alec Peche
He'd developed the perfect plan when he heard about an American man talking to those same villagers. He was patient and watched the man on his travels around the island. When an associate in the agriculture office let him know about the application to send an oldenlandia adscensions plant to the United States, he knew he had to move in and stop him. He'd assigned two of his associates along with an initiate to take care of the matter. They did and the man's death was declared an accident. He didn't know any different until he'd received a tip from a funeral home of the arrival of an American doctor and the Carabinieri. The mortician had let him know that the doctor had moved the body to the hospital for x-rays and was overheard telling the police that the death was suspicious. Salvatore had to get rid of the initiate as he hadn't yet passed the initiation ceremony. His men followed the Americans and listened in on the conversations, and then the State had opened a murder investigation.
Looking out at the view of his territory he asked himself aloud, “Why did this plan that had so much promise, go to hell?”
He received no answer back from his lands. His men were tailing the doctor and a bunch of women with her, but the investigation was too far gone for him to shut it down with the doctor's murder. The Polizia and Carabinieri would continue even without the doctor. The only good news he heard from his men was they hadn't figured out where the man was murdered or who had done it. There were no links to him or the family. Also the doctor was puzzled by the plant, she didn't know or understand the man's plan for the plant. Better still, she didn't know his plans for the plant which was so much better than the American's.
For years, the word in a certain region was the wonders of the oldenlandia adscensions plant found near the Entella Cave. Women spoke of its wrinkle and skin cancer fighting properties, men spoke of how it enhanced their virility, and teenagers spoke of the plant as a stimulant that helped them stay up all night studying. Salvatore has assigned ten of his men to investigate. A month later they came back to him with the information that their wives looked younger and their sex lives had been greatly improved. None had been willing to try it on their children. Salvatore was pleased with the information. He'd had his associates investigate setting up a facility that would make anti-wrinkle cream as a front and for money, while they would also make a potion that would sell on the black market to men for virility. His own accountants had estimated a potential one billion Euro market for the two products. His people would be employed, his family the most important in Europe. His reputation and income would rival those of the Mexican drug lords. Sicily would finally rise out of its reputation of the impoverished region of mother Italy. It was a grand plan.
Then the doctor arrived to spoil it all, but she hadn't discovered all of the secrets yet, and so his plan was to murder her and her associates as well as the police and prosecutor assigned. Sure the government would replace them and they would conduct a new investigation into their murders, but they wouldn't discover his plans for the special oldenlandia adscensions plant. He needed to protect his idea at all costs and he feared that the only person who might discover him was this Dr. Jill Quint. She was the top priority of business for his family to resolve. This time he wouldn't dump the body at the volcano, rather they would be killed and weighted down into the ocean off the coast of his homeland. Their absence would be noticed, but they wouldn't be found.
He looked over his shoulder when he heard footsteps behind him and the greeting in Italian.
“Padrino,” the man said, acknowledging Salvatore Denaro as his godfather or head of the clan.
“Yes, Tommaso, what have you found?”
“The doctoro found our listening bugs and removed them. Matteo planned to replace them, but we figured they would just remove them again.”
“True. Do you know what they have found, where they are going? Is the team ready to eliminate them?”
“Yes, we have multiple plans to eliminate them. At the moment, they are in a police van traveling to Contessa Entellina and Campofiorito according to our source. They have a prosecutor and officers from the Polizia, Carabinieri, and Guardia di Finanza. There are five American women inside the van.”
“Five? I thought there was only the doctoro?”
“She apparently has help. One speaks Italian, another seems to do internet searches. We're not sure what they are all doing.”
“So if we blow up the van we will kill five Americans and six cops?”
“Yes,” Tommaso said.
“We need to develop another strategy. Call your men off.”
“Padrino?” asked a confused Tommaso. His Padrino had never called off a kill.
“We will be run to the ends of the earth by the American government let alone our own. We need a new plan. I will convene a meeting to discuss. Let me see how soon we can get our men here.”
Salvatore had muscled his way to the top of his family through ruthlessness and sound, but bold decisions. He wasn't about to bring down his family over a short-sighted decision. He'd put the family on the path to a new source of income that would fund the next generation and beyond, improve employment and infuse new money all over the island. He knew that taking an entire van of people out was a quick fix, but it would have long-term consequences. In his mind he wanted to cull this Dr. Quint out from the collection of people and make her disappear. It would cut the head off of this investigation, but he would see what his men suggested.
Chapter 22
Jill barely survived the trip to Campofiorito given the narrow curvy roads. She kept her eyes on the horizon determined not to vomit from carsickness. She was grateful to get out of the vehicle and stretch her legs and let her spinning stomach come to a rest. While Angela had designed a script to use when talking with the villages, Marie had been searching the businesses in the town to locate who they should talk to – they wanted to focus on pharmacies and physician offices and question people therein. Their plan was to split up into pairs with an Italian speaking person in each twosome. Jill had high hopes about getting information out of people, but in the back of her mind was a niggling concern that if the mafia was involved, would any of the villagers talk to them?
She had her answer five hours later after they had visited the two cities and were on their way back to Catania. Someone had put the word out not to talk to them. Despite the evidence of Randy Chen spending time in the two cities, not a single person admitted to seeing him. Any inquiries about folklore remedies for illnesses and they heard the exact same response – they used lavender to sleep at night and chili peppers to make a salve for pain. To a person, they all said the same thing. Jill knew they had been coached.
There was conversation in the back of the van that Jill was listening to with everyone reaching the same conclusion. Someone had prepared the villagers in the two towns and the only source the Italian law enforcement officials could think of was the mafia. No one else had the reach and threats behind them.
“Is there a particular family in this region of Sicily or is the island controlled by one family?” Jill asked of the group behind her in the van.
She heard a sigh from somewhere in the back before someone recited, “There are fifteen families in Sicily. Each of the families has various zones that they control. In the area we were just in, it was under the control of the Corleonesi family.”
Marie said is a squeaky voice, “Corleonesi family? Is that related to the people in the movie -'The Godfather'?”
Jill heard another huge sigh and then a voice said, “Yes and no. In the movie, the clan was called the Corleones, but in reality there is no one with that name, rather it refers to the city that the family hails from. In the 1980s before we broke up much of the mafia on this island, they were a part of the Cosa Nostra federation which is a loosely affiliated gang organization. That federation is greatly weakened here mostly because it no longer controls the cocaine trade. That's controlled by a gang from the mainland.”
“So how do we break through this wall of silence the vil
lagers have around them?” Jill asked.
Angela looked up from her cell phone to say, “We already may have broken through.”
Even Jill took her eyes off of the road in front of her as heads swiveled to look back at Angela.
“What do you mean? Did you just get a message?” Jill asked watching Angela look down at her phone.
“Yeah, I did! We stopped in this pharmacy in Contessa Entellina and while my partner was speaking to the pharmacist, I noticed an older woman shopping in the lotion area, so I went over to talk to her. I explained what we were looking for and she nodded but didn't reply, so I left her my email address in hopes she might say something.”
“Why didn't you say something while we were there?” exclaimed Rosso. “I would have gotten the information from her then.
“I don't think you would have. She watched your conversation with the pharmacist, and then proceeded to lead me into a conversation about the products in front of her, all the while her eyes were expressive about something else. So I wrote my email address out for her and passed it to her outside the view of the pharmacist.”
“Good work Angela!” exclaimed Marie. “What did she say?”
Jill looked back and everyone was leaning toward Angela trying to peer at her phone.
“Naturally it's in Italian, but I believe she wants to meet me tomorrow. She's going to take the train to mainland Italy and wants me to hop aboard in Catania to join her on the ride to Messina. This sounds like someone worrying about being seen talking to us. Will I have trouble getting a last minute ticket for the train? Someone must be bringing her to Catania as I don't think she could reach Catania by noon if she comes from the train from where ever she lives.”
The van was abuzz with noise, half in English and half in Italian. Jill broke through the conversations with, “Angela, I think you should board that train with Nathan for protection. He hasn't been seen by any of these villagers nor the lady from the pharmacy, but he'll watch your back.”
Cavallaro and Rosso wanted to assign officers to accompany Angela.
“Look I want my friend to stay safe as much as the next person, but from what I read about the mafia, you likely have leaks in your organizations. It's safer for the woman and Angela if they just take Nathan along for the ride.”
“Who is Nathan?” asked Lombardo.
“He's my partner and he has a black belt in Hapkido. He doesn't look or speak Italian. He'll look like a tourist heading to the mainland – I'll even send him with a suitcase.”
“That's a great idea, Jill,” Angela said. “He'll do a fabulous job protecting me, and he won't scare away this contact person. What are the rest of you going to do? I think we need to look like we're still searching for clues. This woman needs to be protected at all costs.”
“What other clues do we have to run down?” Lombardo asked looking at the officers from the finance division used to chasing organized crime. “I thought we were only visiting the two towns that we did and it seemed like we talked to all the people we should have so what's our next step?”
The leader of the unit had been discombobulated by the appearance of the women into the case. He'd never before worked with a foreign law enforcement group and these women were not even trained professionals in hunting down the mafia. They were such liabilities, and yet they felt confident to pursue any aspect of the case. They were far braver than the situation warranted. Despite his reticence he liked the doctor's plan for sending the Italian speaking American on the train. Sending a martial arts bodyguard with her seem like a good idea. He also worried that the doctor was correct in that they might have leaks in their various organizations.
“Let's spend the morning in a meeting as a group. We have a room in our building that we can check for bugs. After that we can split up into say five or six groups and head out for other cities in the region to question folks. Meanwhile, Ms. Weber and your partner can board the train. We'll need to meet the train in Messina as it can be a two-hour train ride north from Catania, but just over an hour by car. We'll be wasting a lot of time tomorrow, but I don't see how to avoid it,” said Maggiore Leggio.
“Are they any stops along the way where I could get off the train if we finished our conversation?” Angela asked.
“Yes, you could get off in Taormina which will come about forty-five minutes after you leave Catania.”
Angela has been typing away on her phone while the discussion took place inside the van. She tapped the screen a final time then looked up and said, “I just told my contact that I would board the train and be wearing a soft yellow jacket so she would remember my appearance. We're good to go now, and we just need her to show up.”
Jill texted Nathan to notify him of the change of plans for the next day in case he needed to notify any wineries of a change in plans.
Jo suggested, “Marie and I have never explored Catania. How about if we spend the majority of the day being tourists. It should be safe and confuse anyone watching us. We're leaving soon so it would be nice to see something of Catania and we don't have anything to research at the moment.”
“I like that idea.” Jill agreed. “Why waste your time stuck inside a building when beautiful Sicily awaits. If we get new information from Angela's contact, we'll be researching hard in the afternoon. So, I think we have our assignments laid out. Angela and Nathan to the train, Jo, Marie, and Brenda exploring Catania, and the rest of us meeting somewhere in Catania tomorrow. It's the best use of everyone's time and should blow smoke at whoever is watching and listening to us.”
Jill listened as a conversation took place in Italian, then she heard a question asked "What happens next in the investigation?"
Jill thought through the evidence in this case and listed the facts they had resolved.
"I don't believe we have followed the trail of the chloroform. There's also the transportation to sort out. We could also head to Entella Cave and look for the plant and maybe set up a camera to see who else has an interest in that plant. Let's keep our fingers crossed that Angela's woman gives up the clues we need to resolve Mr. Chen's murder as anything else is much more difficult."
With these remarks, the van was largely silent as it completed its journey to Catania.
Chapter 23
Angela stood on the train platform jittery with a sense of anticipation. Nathan stood looking at his phone, suitcase at his side about 10 feet away. As promised she wore the soft yellow jacket. She went over the woman's features as she remembered from the previous day. She looked around the platform for her contact.
Cavallaro had indicated that the train likely contained multiple cars and Angela wondered if she should simply not board if she did not see the woman on the platform – maybe she boarded at another station or simply decided not to come. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched an older woman approach the platform. She focused and decided with relief that she was her contact. She watched the people around the woman to see if anyone was tailing her and no one appeared to be. She was wheeling a large suitcase that fortunately seemed well oiled. She was short in stature with beautiful olive skin, shiny brown hair, and a trim figure. Her clothing was neat and formal and Angela guessed her to be sixty to sixty-five years old.
She knew Nathan was watching the platform to see if anyone is following herself, but no one was catching his radar. He drove the two of them to the airport, then they caught a taxi to the train station.
Angela was startled when the train went into the station blowing her hair around her face. She watched the older woman surge forward and into the front door of the train car, while Angela and Nathan entered the back. Given the time of day the train was not full and Angela easily made her way to sit next to the woman.
In Italian, Angela said, "Excuse me, is this seat taken?"
The woman looked up into Angela's face studying her for a few seconds before replying in halting English, "Yes of course my dear. How did you like that face cream I recommend?"
As planned, Angela r
eplied, "I used it last night and it was soft on my skin," feeling a little like she should be in a James Bond movie. Nathan settled two rows back. He could hear them conversing, but he could only understand the odd Italian word.
Angela leaned toward the woman and said, "Hi, I'm Angela Weber."
The woman replied, "I'm Sophia Carlucci. I'm on my way to Germany. Once I reach Naples on the train, I'll fly to visit my daughter in Hamburg where I'm moving permanently. It's colder there, but safer."
"You feel unsafe in Sicily? It seems so quiet and beautiful here."
"Sicily needs tourism so we work hard to welcome people, but under the surface the Mafia controls everything. They bought the people and this land and it will never get better."
Angela put her arm on the woman's hand saying, "That must be so hard for you. I can see you love it here."
"It is hard. I was in the pharmacy yesterday to buy my favorite lotion as it's made locally and I can't get it in Germany.”
Angela thought maybe this was the special potion that Randy was looking to develop.
"What's so special about the lotion?" Angela asked.
"It's made from a local plant and everyone in the village uses it. We put it on our young children and we've never had a case of skin cancer. We've had other kinds of cancer and my fellow Sicilians who don't know about this lotion have gotten skin cancer, but no one in the village that uses it ever gets skin cancer."
“That sounds like a wonderful product. You have it with you? I'd like to take a picture of it, just so I can remember what to purchase."