The Unsub: Joey Mancuso, Father O'Brian Crime Mysteries Book 7: (Joey Mancuso, Father O'Brian Crime Mystery)
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Emely Wells Norton, the sister and only heir of Ed Wells, was obviously devastated after witnessing the way her brother ended his life. Unfortunately, she has limited financial means and lost any pension she would have received from her brother’s demise. But as soon as I cash in on the IRS whistleblower bounty, I plan to carve a portion to take care of her needs. Maybe an immediate annuity to make up for the income loss.
Which reminds me of James Roth’s mother. She lost the financial support of her son’s income and she, too, had limited means. I’m sorry I don’t remember her name. What I do remember is that she's in a wheelchair and is moving in with her sister in Orlando, Florida. She also owned a free and clear home, so she may be okay financially. If not, maybe another piece of the bounty. I’ll have Jack Ryder find out more.
Speaking of Jack Ryder… As I write this, my buddy is still in Islamorada in the Florida Middle Keys. Max and Odette Logan are right alongside him. Fishing, sipping on margaritas, and enjoying the life. The ringing of wedding bells may soon be upon us. Marcy and I are looking forward to visiting, hopefully before or after the birth of little Mancuso. Jack is doing quite well living off his well-planned investments and royalties from his best-selling novels, so no bounty for him. But a good gift is in the cards for them. Maybe an air fryer? What d'you think?
Detective Robert Logan MBPD is doing his thing. What could be wrong with solving crimes in South Beach, Florida? Nada. Veteran of the Armed Forces. Single and good-looking and dedicated to serving and protecting his community. I’m sure we’ll run into him in the future.
Pardon me for a minute while I greet the NYPD police commissioner who stopped in the cigar club for a meeting with two guests and I’m sure a primo cigar or three.
And now for our unsubs or offenders. We had a few, and we were baffled and stymied at many turns. If you solved this case before the end, I commend you. Maybe send us a note and we might add you to our team. Good sleuths are always wanted. But read on, Holmes and Poirot, I’m going to test you.
Sergeant Edward Wells didn't receive the typical police burial representing honor, service, and gratitude. Instead, he was buried in Miami, along with his wife, and next to his son, Gene Wells. Only a handful of police friends dressed in civies, his sister, Emely, Jack, and Detective Logan were present. There was no celebration of life, and no smiles. Only a somber tone and thoughts of how quickly things can change by uncontrolled rage and revenge. His tombstone reads, "I love you and we forgive you. Your sister." A reminder for others of unconditional love. He did confess to two murders. Were they justified? You decide.
Former Senator Thomas Shenbeck. Yep, that’s correct. First, he gave up his important post in the Senate’s National Security and International Trade and Finance Committee, and soon after that, he resigned from the Senate. The Feds charged him with tax evasion, which carries a fine and imprisonment for no more than five years. He claimed he had no knowledge of the overall activities of the Drakos and their illicit activities, domestic or abroad. His only sin, he said, "was my greed." Personally, I think this guy was up to his eyeballs in involvement with the Drakos, but if he sits in an eight-by-ten cell, he may fear for his life from the long arm of the Czech organized crime element.
Before we get to our last remaining live offender, you should know that thirty-four others were arrested and charged with tax evasion. Politicians from both parties, corporate executives, and New York sports team players. My friend Iggy at the IRS must be celebrating with a wine spritzer from a can somewhere.
Former chief of staff Lance Friedman is facing a multitude of charges and years behind bars. That is, if he survives his incarceration after spilling his guts on a plea bargain. His felony A-1 for murder in the first degree charge was pled down to manslaughter with the ADA. However, he was additionally charged with racketeering and tax evasion. Evidence provided from George Newton's diary showed that Friedman and Bobal were the masterminds in the illicit stock schemes.
According to Friedman, Bobal had the connections for the hacking of the news agencies reporting earnings, and Friedman had simply provided entry into a select group of clients. Friedman asserted and the prosecutor accepted his claim that it was Bobal and the Drakos' organization that ordered the hits on Gene Wells, James Roth, and the attempted murder of Jack Ryder, for fear they had information that could expose the scheme. Friedman claimed that he met with Newton the night he fatally shot him, only to ask his cooperation and that he turn over any incriminating evidence he may have had. They fought, and his weapon went off when they fought for it. No further attempt was made to disprove his allegation.
Hang on a second. The Commissioner is approaching me with his phone in hand.
“Mancuso,” he says as he approaches me.
“Yes, commissioner, perhaps an adult beverage?” I ask and stand.
He smiles, and the move widens his mustache. “Not while on duty. Listen,” he says, looking at his cell phone, “I just got a call from the superintendent of prisons, this guy named Lance Friedman, it looks we’ll be saving money on prosecution and housing him. His throat was slit, and he bled to death in his cell. How’s that for swift justice?”
Shit happens, or is it karma? Maybe both, right?
So now for the last three participants. Mi querida esposa, Marcela Martínez. You probably already know what that means, but just in case, it means my love, my wife, Marcy. My unborn little Mancuso and yours truly, Giuseppe Mancuso. Don’t call Marcy or email her, but I got our obstetrician to divulge the sex of little Mancuso. And, I must report that I lost the bet with Marcy and everyone else on our team. We're expecting a girl, God willing. Name to be determined. Can’t say that I’m sad. I just feel bad for the poor guys who attempt to date her when she grows up.
So, the next bit of news should put a smile on your face. It sure did me.
It's estimated that between the thirty-four clients indicted for tax evasion, there’s a total of ninety-six million dólares sitting in offshore accounts from the Cayman Islands to the Isles of Man, part of the Greek Islands. Which, for those of you who frequent these islands, and you know who you are, it takes one day and nine hours to fly from one to the other.
Now let’s play my own wheel of fortune game. Not all ninety-six million are illicit profits. Some of it is the capital invested. My understanding is that I, Joey, as the whistleblower, am entitled to up to thirty percent of the recovered illicit profits, right? I’m lowballing the profits for the sake of my dream. At ten million dollars, just over ten percent of the total, that makes my bounty, oh, say three million cannolis. Okay, not enough for my Long Island mansion, but paisan, that’s a lot of cannoli!
Just as I'm about to say goodbye, I get a call from Ruth Evans, the managing partner at Bevans and Associates law firm. Remember, we were hoping to get back to work for them. After all, they’re the largest criminal law firm in New York. So, I'm eager to hear what she has to say.
“Joey, how’s your schedule?” Ruth asks.
“For you, we’re fully open. How can we help?”
“Our client, Mr. Marcus Steven’s wife, was viciously beaten and murdered in her home one year ago. Mr. Steven was cleared of the murder from the start of the investigation. But now, a year later, the case is unsolved and is about to go to the Unsolved Crime Unit of the NYPD. You know what that means. Mr. Steven needs closure and is willing to spend whatever it takes.”
I nod. “From personal experience, I do very well. There’re are thousands of unsolved murders. So, you want us involved?”
“I do. But before we reinstate your team, you need to sit with our partners' committee.”
We had been in limbo with the firm after we incriminated the son of a large client about a year ago. And we're anxious to back on their good graces.
“Name the date and time and I’ll be there.”
Join me and the team in our next case. I don’t know the name of the case yet, nor the name of my daughter, but I’m looking forward to both.
Ci
ao for now.
A note from Owen.
As always, I want to thank you for taking the time to read this novel. It was a fun write for me developing the plot and writing the dialogue.
Please take a few moments to write a review on Amazon and Goodreads.com. Reviews are very important in the publishing world. Just go here to add your review:
www.amazon.com/author/owenparr Thank you.
I always attempt to seek the advice of experts in putting together a crime mystery. But, any errors in police procedures, legal proceedings, or anything else is strictly my own doing.
It takes a team to write, produce, and publish any novel. I want to thank the following individuals:
Sara Burgess from Telltailediting dot com. Without her, this novel would just another story. Sara was able to extract more than I expected from myself, and together, we made it much better. My sincere thanks.
Julie Smith and her team at Booksbnimble dot com for her access, suggestions, amazing synopses, and marketing effort and book cover.
The narration by Randy McCarten in the audiobook is excellent. He transforms the novel into an extremely enjoyable and interesting listening experience. Visit Randy at:
https://www.randymccarten.com/
We welcome your comments and suggestions. Please write to us at: owen@owenparr.com and be sure to visit our website: www.owenparr.com
Partial proceeds from all my books are donated on a monthly basis to Wounded Warriors Project
(https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/) and The Gary Sinise Foundation (https://www.garysinisefoundation.org/).
We would appreciate your support to these two and other charities in helping our soldiers and their families. Thank you.
Other titles by Owen Parr
Operation Due Diligence. An Alpha Team Spy Thriller -Vol 1
Operation Black Swan. An Alpha Team Spy Thriller -Vol 2
Operation Raven— The Dead Have Secrets - An Alpha Team Spy Thriller -Vol 3
A Murder on Wall Street —A Joey Mancuso, Father O’Brian Crime Mystery –Vol 1
A Murder on Long Island —A Joey Mancuso, Father O’Brian Crime Mystery –Vol 2
The Manhattan Red Ribbon Killer —A Joey Mancuso, Father O’Brian Crime Mystery —Vol 3
The Case of the Antiquities Collector —A Joey Mancuso, Father O’Brian Crime Mystery —Vol 4
The Murder of Paolo Mancuso —A Joey Mancuso, Father O’Brian Crime Mystery —Vol 5
The Abduction of Patient Zero—A Joey Mancuso, Father O’Brian Crime Mystery —Vol 6
The UNSUB —A Joey Mancuso, Father O’Brian Crime Mystery — Vol 7
UNSOLVED —A Joey Mancuso, Father O’Brian Crime Mystery — Vol 8. (Release February 2021)
Jack Ryder Crime Mystery -Novellas 1, 2 & 3. The Case of the Dead Russian Spy, Murder Aboard a Cruise to Nowhere, Murder at the Beach Cove Hotel.
How to Sell, Manage Your Time, Overcome Fear of Rejection —A non-fiction, Self-Improvement Book
All titles are available at Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, and other online retailers and on as audiobooks at Audible.com