The Romen Society

by Henry Hack

  “Do we finally have something?” Walt asked.

  “He heard from Mark about an hour ago. The meeting of the disciples is set for eight this Friday night at Mark’s apartment in Whitestone. Mark promised to show them some great photos and to give them their first assignments to get in on the action against the so-called radioactive poisoners.”

  “How should we hit them?” Nick asked. “Right after they all get inside?’

  “Maybe we should wait until they’ve had a chance to talk,” Danny said, “and pick them off one by one as they leave.”

  “What if Jason splits before the meeting?” Alicia asked.

  “In one of my conversations with him,” George said, “I told him, in no uncertain terms, it was in his best interests to play the game with us as planned. He knows – because I emphatically told him –every one of us would love the opportunity to shoot the shit out of him for what he did to Pop. I believe he got the message.”

  “I sure hope so,” Harry said. “This is it. We have to make this happen. We need some arrests – now.”

  18

  Peter had returned to his group of disciples in Washington, D.C. and Joseph to his in Philadelphia to supervise and coordinate the next round of their attacks. Likewise, Mark and the nine other apostles would meet with their groups of disciples on Friday night to distribute their targets. Ninety-five disciples would be unleashed on Monday and Tuesday of the following week. Those marked for death included contractors, employees, managers and suppliers working for the nuclear power industry. The emphasis would be on the truckers and handlers who removed and transported the poisonous radioactive waste to the depositories in the western mountains. “If we can stop the transport of the wastes,” the Savior had said to his apostles, “they will have no choice but to shut down once their on-site storage areas are filled.”

  They had all agreed it was an excellent idea, and as the weekend approached, confidence in their future success grew. The Savior told Mark he would bunk in with him a few more days. “While you’re giving out the assignments to your disciples this Friday, I’m going to pay a visit to my brother and sister. I’ll bring some clothes because I’m sure they’ll invite me to stay for the weekend. I’d like to be with them to see their reactions when the real fireworks begin on Monday.”

  Joe Gillenbock was in the kitchen preparing burgers and hot dogs to cook on the outside grill. He had a month off since the semester ended, but would begin teaching two summer courses beginning on July 6. He looked forward to their last holiday weekend before the grind began again. Saturday would be a beach day for both families and Sunday would be spent at Missy’s house for the big barbecue. At a few minutes after four the front doorbell rang and when Joe opened it, his smiling brother said, “Hello, bro! Happy Fourth of July!”

  Joe hugged Ted chiefly to hide the shocked look he knew must have been on his face. His brother, the Savior, was here and Joe was terrified. How was he going to notify the Task Force? Why hadn’t Ted called first? Did he suspect anything?

  “Wow, what a greeting,” Ted said. “How are things going?”

  “Going great – hey, I quit smoking.”

  “That’s terrific! How about Missy?”

  “Not yet, but we’re all working on her.”

  “Good. Gee, I hope you don’t mind this sudden visit. I hadn’t known I would be in the area, so I didn’t have time to call before I showed up.”

  “No problem. Come on in and let’s have a beer. I’m getting dinner ready. You’ll stay and eat with us.”

  “I was thinking of staying over with you or Missy for the holiday weekend. If that’s all right.”

  “Of course, of course, we’d both be glad to have you. I guess the new job is going good and you’re all settled in?”

  “Huh? Yeah, all settled in, and that’s why I am finally able to get a few days off.”

  “What brings you to New York?” Joe asked trying to calm his insides down.

  “I was in Washington first for a conference and then Manhattan for another, so I figured I’d come out here before flying back home.”

  “Conferences? Boy, my big brother must be getting to be a big shot in the Colorado Conservation Department.”

  “I guess I am,” he said with a smile.

  Yeah, thought Joe, a big shot who couldn’t be found by him or the cops with all the latest computer records at their finger tips.

  “Where is everybody?” Ted asked.

  “Diane’s picking up Melissa at volleyball practice then they’re going shopping for bathing suits. Then they have to pick up Teddy around six from Little League practice. They should be back here by 6:30, and I’m under strict orders to have these burgers and franks hot, sizzling and ready to eat.”

  “The typical crazy suburban family life,” Ted said.

  “You should try it someday. Get a good woman, settle down, have a couple of kids.”

  “I’m not ready for the domestic life yet. Got more important things going on in my life.”

  “The job?”

  “Yeah, keeps me busy and so does my outside environmental activities.”

  “Get your things from the car and I’ll crack us a beer.”

  Joe watched his brother walk down the front steps. He yanked his cell phone from his pocket, and with shaking fingers he punched in the numbers, praying for a fast answer.

  The entire Task Force was assembled in preparation for the evening’s action at Mark’s house when the phone rang. Nick picked it up before the second ring and said, “Task Force, Faliani.”

  “It’s Joe Gillenbock. He’s here. My brother’s here at my house. He’s going to stay the night and probably the weekend.”

  “Calm down,” Nick said. “Remember, play it cool. We’ll get surveillance out there, but you have to keep us informed. We have to know when he leaves.”

  “Okay, I gotta go; he’s coming back inside.”

  They all looked at Nick expectantly. “The fucking Savior is at Joe Gillenbock’s house now. He’s supposed to stay the night.”

  “We have to get somebody out there,” John said. “Two teams at least. If he leaves for any reason, we have to scoop him up.”

  “That will leave only two of us to tackle Mark and his crew,” Nick said.

  “Make that four,” Harry said. “Walt Kobak and I will be a team. We’re going with you.”

  “The PC and the assistant director of the FBI?” George asked. “Suiting up in body armor and going out in the field?”

  “Don’t you think we’re capable anymore?” Harry asked, and he was not smiling.

  “No, sir,” George said. “We’d all be happy to have you.”

  “You can be excused, George,” Nick said to take the heat off him. “You haven’t seen these two in action. I have.”

  “Okay,” John said. “Danny and George and Joe Ramos and Spider head out to Joe Gillenbock’s place. And by the way, Carl Petersen and I are going out on this one also, so we’re now up to a total of five teams. Any objections?”

  There were none, of course, for everyone in the room knew John McKee, as well as Walt Kobak and Harry Cassidy still had the smell of Pop Hunter’s blood in their nostrils, and the only way to make that smell disappear was to smell the blood of the Savior.

  “What do you think of your congressman being strung up on Shoreham’s front gate?” asked Ted as he sipped his second beer.

  “Awful, just awful,” Joe said. “These Romens are brutal, despicable murderers and I hope somebody stops them soon.”

  “Yes, they commit terrible acts, but think about the results.”

  “Are you saying the end justifies the means?”

  “Absolutely, little brother. The gas-guzzlers are almost non-existent. Smoking in public is a rarity. Gasoline prices are down, pollution is down, cancer deaths are down, the tobacco companies are almost bankrupt – what’s not to like?”

  “Murder, Ted. Lawlessness, fear, terror, that’s what’s not to like.”

  �
�You fail to see the big picture, I’m afraid.”

  “There is no way you or anyone else can justify this wanton killing. I can’t believe my own brother agrees with these fanatics.”

  Ted swallowed down the rest of his beer and his eyes gleamed bright as he said, “Do you think I’m a fanatic, Joe?”

  “If you believe in the Romens – yes, you would be.”

  “Suppose you thought I was involved with the Romens, perhaps a member myself. Would you turn me in?”

  “Ted, you’re my brother. I just found you. I don’t want to lose you.”

  “But if it came down to turning me in if I were a Romen, or keeping silent because of sibling loyalty, what would you do?”

  “I’d try to convince you to quit the Romens or turn yourself in.”

  “And if I refused?”

  “I’d keep my mouth shut, but I don’t think I’d want much to do with you anymore.”

  They sipped their third beer in silence and then Ted said, “Could you be convinced to come over to the Romen’s side – to my side?”

  “Never. Are you saying you are a Romen?”

  “What do you think?”

  “Ted, are you the Savior?”

  “Thou sayest it.”

  “You’re no Savior – you’re Satan.”

  “Will you turn me in, little brother?”

  Joe hesitated, and then said, “Ted, turn yourself in. I’ll go with you.”

  “Sorry, but that’s out of the question. We have so much more to do to save Mother Earth – your earth. I’m sorry you just don’t get it. But you didn’t answer my question, Joe. Will you turn me in?”

  “No, I won’t, but I think you should leave my house right now. Long lost brother you may be, but I no longer want to know you.”

  “I was afraid you’d say something like that, and despite what you just said, I believe you will be on the phone to the cops before I get into my car.” Ted reached down to the backpack at his feet and withdrew a revolver. “No one will stand in my way – not even my long lost kid brother.”

  “You’re going to kill me now?” Joe asked, his mind racing furiously. He hadn’t planned this confrontation, but the beer and the need to hear the admission from Ted’s lips had foolishly pushed him down this course. He had to limit the damage.

  “I’m afraid I must. Let me ask you – how long have you suspected me?”

  “Since your last visit. I sensed you might have been involved by your sympathetic views of what was going on.”

  “Did you share your suspicions with anyone else? Your wife? Missy?”

  “No, of course not. I refused to believe it. In fact, even though you just told me who you are, and you’re sitting across from me with a gun in your hand, I still don’t want to believe it. Ted, tell me this is not happening. Tell me this is all just a bad joke.”

  “No, Joey, it’s all real and the ideas of the Romens are bigger than both of us. I’m so sorry.”

  Ted shot his brother once and Joe grabbed his chest and toppled over the chair. Ted came around from the table and fired three more rounds into Joe’s chest. It was done, and in the Savior’s twisted mind he praised God for allowing him to pass this most difficult test in his holy mission. He had killed his beloved brother; he had prevented him from turning into a betraying Judas. Nothing could stop him now.

  What to do with Joe’s body? The Savior glanced at his watch – 5:30 – plenty of time before Diane and the kids get back. Despite what Joe had said he knew he could not discount the fact Joe might have shared his concerns with someone in the family, or the authorities. He could leave Joe’s body where it was and make the scene look like a home invasion robbery. Or he could hide Joe’s body to buy more time. Or he could back up into the driveway and take the body with him.

  He finally realized his course of action did not matter. No one knew he was here or he planned to stay the weekend. He’d go back to Mark’s place, pick up the rest of his things and head back to Maryland. What a shame Joe had found him out. He had so looked forward to a weekend with his new found family. There was still Melissa, but certainly not now, not this weekend.

  After donning a pair of his brother’s gloves, Ted went through the house opening drawers and casting their contents on the floor. He took all of Diane’s jewelry and the credit cards and cash from Joe’s wallet and stuffed them into his backpack. He also took about $200 in bills he found tucked into a sugar bowl in a kitchen cabinet. He carefully wiped all surfaces he might have touched prior to using the gloves, especially the beer bottles. He left Joe’s last half-finished bottle of beer on the kitchen counter and put the others in the recycle bin. After a final glance around he took his overnight bag and backpack and walked out the front door.

  “He’s coming out and heading for the Sentra parked at the curb,” Joe Ramos said into the microphone of the car radio. He was with Spider and parked the closest to the house.

  “Ten-four,” Danny said who was parked around the corner with George.

  “He’s coming your way,” Ramos said. “Pick up the primary tail. We’ll back you up.”

  “We see him,” Danny said. “He turned south, probably heading for the Expressway.”

  “Okay, we’re coming around behind you. What about Joe Gillenbock? Should we check the house?”

  “I’ll call the local detective squad and have them do it. We can’t afford to lose this guy.”

  The tail did not last more than twelve minutes going directly from one section of north Queens to another. At 6:30, just as Diane Gillenbock and two detectives from the local squad simultaneously pulled up to the house, the Savior pulled to a stop at the curb in Whitestone. “He’s going into Mark’s place,” Danny said.

  “I’ll call in and see what they want us to do,” Ramos said.

  When Danny Boyland had spoken to the local Queens detective squad he had expressed his fears Joe Gillenbock might have come to some harm. “Whatever you find there,” he had said, “call Captain John McKee at the Task Force as soon as you can.”

  Joe Ramos called in and got Inspector Petersen. He filled him in on the Savior’s whereabouts and Carl said, “Sit tight, both teams. If he comes out and drives away, take him, but make sure you’re far enough away from the house that Mark can’t know what’s happening.”

  “Okay, Carl. Any word on Joe Gillenbock?”

  “Hold on a minute, John’s talking to one of the detectives that responded.”

  After a minute Carl came back on the phone and said, “He’s dead. The bastard killed his own brother. Made it look like a burglary.”

  “Holy crap! How about the sister? She could be in danger, too.”

  “I’ll notify the Nine-Three detective squad in Nassau to get over there and check things out. If she’s okay we’ll provide protection for the family going forward.”

  “Okay, Carl, but what should we do now? I mean if the Savior doesn’t come out of the house? The meeting’s less than an hour and a half away.”

  “I know. I’ll get back to all of you soon.”

  The events had broken rapidly, but now the team calmed down and planned their course of action. “If the Savior comes out of Mark’s house by seven o’clock” Harry said, “which is when we’ll all be there in place, then we’ll stay with the original plan.”

  “And if he doesn’t come out?” Walt said.

  “I guess we’ll have to account for his presence when we storm inside.”

  “All right,” Petersen said, “Let’s re-cap the plan. We wait until after the meeting and we grab the disciples one by one as they exit the house and walk away. Then we enter the house with force and grab the Savior and Mark and their computers and all other records.”

  “You know,” Walt said, “when we grab the Savior, we could luck out and find the names and locations of all the other apostles. This could be a real big night for us.”

  “We sure need one,” Nick said.

  “If we’re ready,” Carl said, “we can saddle up and move o
n out to Queens.”

  “One more thing,” Harry said. “When we bust in, me and Walt are first through the front door, and John and Nick are first through the back door. Alicia will team up with you.”

  “Understood,” Carl said. “Let’s move.”

  19

  Although he had been momentarily upset and a little depressed by the necessity of murdering his brother, the Savior was now elated as he related the events of the past few hours to his Apostle, Mark. “I feel I have been put to a final test,” he said.

  “And you passed with the highest honors,” Mark said.

  “Victory in our third campaign is now assured. I am certain of it.”

  “I will communicate your certainty, and mine, to my disciples shortly. Will you be leaving for your home now?”

  “I was about to, but I was thinking of staying and breaking precedent. How would you feel if I said a few words of thanks and encouragement, in person, to your disciples?”

  “That would be wonderful. They would be thrilled, and I’m sure the risk involved would be negligible.”

  “Yes, I’m certain there are no more Judas’s in our midst. I’ll attend the meeting and stay the night with you. I’ll head home first thing in the morning.”

  Mark’s rented house sat in the middle of a quiet residential neighborhood of tree-lined streets. The July sun was still bright when Danny and George spotted the first person to knock on the front door. The disciples arrived at intervals of five to ten minutes, perhaps by a pre-arranged plan, and by eight o’clock all seven, including Jason Morgan, were inside.

  “All the birds are in the nest,” Danny said.

  “We have four of their cars located,” John said. “The others probably came by bus.”

  The waiting began. The hot, humid night air pressed in on them as they fidgeted and checked their equipment over and over again. At 9:15 the first disciple emerged and George Washington said, “Here comes number one, walking west.”

  “He’s ours,” Alicia said as she and Carl exited their vehicle and crouched down beside it. They sprung out and grabbed the surprised disciple. Alicia put a gun to his head as Carl handcuffed him behind his back. She whispered, “Do not make a sound or I will kill you.”