The Legacy of the Assassin

by Tony Bertot

  The Legacy

  of the

  Assassin

  Novel by

  Tony Bertot

  The Legacy of the Assassin

  Tony Bertot

  Copyright @ 2010 by Tony Bertot

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  This book was printed in the United States of America.

  ISBN-13: 978-1460925218 (CreateSpace-Assigned)

  ISBN-10: 1460925211

  Discover other titles by Tony Bertot at Smashwords.com

  Table of Contents

  Chapter1-An Identity Search

  Chapter2-OCTF Headquarters

  Chapter3-Great to be Free

  Chapter4-OCTF Alert

  Chapter5-Awaken

  Chapter6-A State of Dilemma

  Chapter7-The Past Catches Up

  Chapter8-Old Friends

  Chapter9-Discovery

  Chapter10-Good Ole Wabash

  Chapter11-Wisconsin Penitentiary

  Chapter12-Felicia Giordano

  Chapter13-A Warrant is Issued

  Chapter14-Nick Costello/Tyler Santiago

  Chapter15-The Incident

  Chapter16-The Chicago Gathering

  Chapter17-Theodore Skowronski

  Chapter18-Tracking Tyler

  Chapter19-Close Call

  Chapter20-Change of Plans

  Chapter21-The Call

  Chapter22-The Gatherings

  Chapter23-Thanksgiving Dinner

  Chapter24-The Cheektowaga Assassins

  Chapter25-The Setup

  Chapter26-Tom and Kathy Diasparra

  Chapter27-The News

  Chapter28-Saying Goodbye

  Chapter29-No More Running

  Chapter30-Retribution

  Chapter31-Surprise Visit

  Chapter32-Merry Christmas

  Chapter33-In Breaking News

  Chapter34-The Plan

  Chapter35-The Final Curtain

  Chapter36-In Conclusion…

  Remembering those that have passed on before us

  Some had a chance to live a full life while others were taken too soon.

  Luz Selenia Arroyo Gonzalez (NY)

  Isaia JHernandez (Ike) (NY)

  Ernesto Gonazlez (NY)

  Richard Charles Hillman (NY)

  Sidney Ortel 3rd (Scooter) (NY)

  Eugenia Wlosinski Skowron (NY)

  Thaddeus Charles Skowron (NY)

  Anastasia Wlosinski Warmus (NY)

  Kathleen Mary Sievert (Ws)

  Janet Baker Cedeno (FL)

  Nancy Dean (NY)

  Patsy Jo Smart (Canada)

  Maryann Coppola (NY)

  They remain in our hearts and prayers.

  Let us also remember those new arrivals:

  Born to Lance and Roxanne Sullivan

  Orion James

  &

  Skye Lynn

  I would like to thank the following people who have helped in the process of writing this book: My lovely wife, Sylvia, for her guidance and support; my brother, Louie, for all of his advice and encouragement; and my editor, Angela, for helping me tell the assassin's story.

  And a special thanks to all my readers and to the below listed establishments for promoting my book;

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  Editing by Angela Kay at Soap Box in My Mind:

  An Identity Search

  August 19, 1984/California

  Tyler found himself on a dark street at two o’clock in the morning as a light rain soaked the city. Though the streets were empty, Tyler's instinct told him his life was in danger, so he quickly pulled out his .38 revolver. As he moved swiftly between the cars, he saw a lone figure partially obscured by the darkness up the block and across the street. Keeping his eyes on the man, Tyler moved cautiously towards him. Suddenly, he saw the stranger raise his arm and a second later saw a flash. Though Tyler heard no noise, he felt the bullet wiz over his head forcing him to duck. He returned fire as the stranger turned and ran into the nearest alley. Tyler quickly recovered and pursued. As he reached the entryway to the alley, he stayed low and took a quick glance toward the direction the stranger went. Another flash and the stone above Tyler's head shattered.

  "Crap!" Tyler said to himself as he fired back blindly into the alley. Cautiously, he took another look and saw a single silhouette running toward the other end of the alley. Tyler chased after him with his gun extended in front of him, hoping for a clear shot. When the stranger reached the other end of the alley, he turned to fire, but Tyler was ready and fired first. The bullet met its mark; the stranger flew backwards over a parked car and disappeared behind it. Tyler continued his run, keeping his gun aimed in the general direction the stranger fled. As he reached the parked car, he peered over it and saw no one. He quickly ran around the car only to find his target had disappeared. He looked up and down the street, but there was no sight of the stranger. Then a noise from above caused him to look up. There he saw his assailant perched atop a building, looking down at him through a scope. As if by magic, Tyler suddenly found himself looking through the crosshairs of a sniper’s rifle aimed at his own head. A second later, he was again on the street looking up. In an instant, he saw the flash.

  Tyler jerked awake and realized it was only a dream. As he rolled out of bed, he stepped on the picture he had dropped to the floor. The one of his mother holding a baby beside the man; the man he shot and watched fall into the East River.

  It all came back to him now. He had arrived yesterday. They gave him a car and the keys to this house. It appeared to belong to the man known as Theo Gresco, alias Nick Costello, or whatever other name he went by.

  Tyler glanced around the house, looking for anything that could tell him more about who this man really was. Nothing much could be determined from exploring the neatly kept house.

  Realizing the house bore no evidence that he could see, he decided to call his aunt who had been like a mother to him since his own mother had died. Of all the people, he knew she would probably be the only person who could shed some light on who this man was. Sitting down next to the phone, he dialed her number.

  "Mom, it's me Tyler. How are you? How are you doing?" Tyler asked.

  "How am I doing? I am doing fine. But the real question is how you are doing and where are you?" she challenged.

  "I'm in California visiting a friend, and I am fine. Really I'm fine," Tyler lied. "Mom, I have to ask you something. Did you know my father?"

  "No, Tyler, I never knew who it was your mother married," she responded.

  "Married?" he asked.

  "Yes, your mother was married in Chicago. I know his name was Theodore something, nice Italian boy. That is all I know. Your uncle was furious with her because she kept it a secret from him until the very last minute. He did attend the wedding, but due to his job he had to get back here and could not stay long enough to get to know the young man," she told him. "You know how your uncle can be. He would have given Theo the third degree and done a background check and all," she laughed.

  "So you never got a chance to meet him?" Tyler asked her.r />
  "No. Your uncle went alone and was back in a few days," she responded.

  "Ok. You ok? You need anything?" he asked her.

  "No, Tyler. I'm fine. Please take care of yourself. I love you," she told him.

  "I love you too, Mom," Tyler responded. "I'll let you know what's going on. Please don't worry about me. If you need anything you can reach me at this number." Tyler gave her the number and hung up.

  After staring at the phone for a couple of minutes, he picked it up and called his aunt once again. "Mom, sorry but I have to ask you something else," he said.

  "Sure, dear. What is it?" she asked.

  "You said my mother got married in Chicago. Do you remember or know the address where she lived?" he questioned almost desperately.

  "Well, I don't remember right now, but I'm sure I have the address somewhere. Let me look for it and I'll get back to you. Is that ok, dear?" she asked him.

  "Sure, no problem," Tyler bid her goodbye, trying not to sound disappointed, and hung up.

  It was several hours later when his aunt returned the call with the information Tyler requested. He now had a starting point.

  Apparently his parents had lived on South Wabash Street in the heart of Little Italy. Armed with this information, Tyler decided to go to Chicago. First, he would try to find out what he could about the man who owned this house.

  After questioning some of the neighbors, Tyler discovered that the man who occupied the house was known as Jack Ferrari. He assumed that Mr. Ferrari must be an associate of Theo Gresco.

  Tyler called the people who had contacted him, to find out if they knew anything more about Jack Ferrari. The information he received led him to Jack's lawyer and accountant, David Spencer. A few minutes later Tyler put in a call to him.

  "Hello, who did you say you were?" inquired the voice on the other end of the phone.

  "I'm looking for a Mr. Jack Ferrari," Tyler stated.

  "What did you say your name was?" David asked Tyler.

  "I didn't. But if you must know, my name is Tyler Santiago," Tyler responded.

  "Oh my God, Jack told me about you. He said you would be calling," David said aloud.

  "What?" Tyler asked, caught by surprise.

  "I guess Jack, excuse me, Mr. Ferrari, won't be coming back, huh?" David speculated.

  "What do you mean?" Tyler asked.

  "Look, Mr. Santiago. I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, but my instructions were quite clear. In the event I do not hear from Mr. Ferrari in more than three months, I am to assume he is no longer among the living. Also, if I get a call from a Mr. Tyler Santiago I am to forward you several envelopes," said David Spencer.

  "What do these envelopes contain?" pried Tyler.

  "I have no idea, but the instructions were for me to physically hand them over to you. Mr. Ferrari was quite clear on this as well as in anything and everything he did," Mr. Spencer informed him.

  "So when can I meet with you?" asked Tyler.

  "Well Mr. Santiago, you're the client. You tell me," David advised.

  "I am not from around here. Please, give me a suggestion," Tyler said.

  "Sure. How about the restaurant on the corner of Washington Street and Sullivan Avenue? Say around six p.m. tomorrow," David proposed.

  "Not a problem," Tyler confirmed, and after jotting down the information, hung up. Not knowing what he was getting into, Tyler decided to check out this so-called David Spencer, so he called his old partner Eric Romano.

  "Hey Eric, it's me Tyler. How you been?" he asked.

  "How have I been? Man, the FBI is looking for you. Where are you?" Eric interrogated Tyler.

  "What the hell do they want with me?" Tyler demanded, ignoring his question.

  "I don't know, but the captain was in there with Sam and Sheila for about an hour. They were going back and forth. Finally, they left and they didn't look too happy. What's going on Tyler? You in some sort of trouble?" Eric asked him.

  "I don't know and I ain’t got time for them right now. I need a big favor. I need you to look up a guy for me. Will you do that?" Tyler asked.

  "Yeah man. No problem. I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for your ass saving my life on a couple of occasions. Least I can do. But you got to call the FBI and find out what they want with you. Do that for me. Ok?" Eric pleaded with Tyler.

  "OK, man. You got it," Tyler agreed.

  He hung up with Eric after giving him all the information he had on David Spencer, but lied about having a number where Eric could reach him. Tyler promised to call him back later that day.

  After some time, Tyler decided to call FBI headquarters to find out what was going on. He was about to call them from the house, but decided against it as he was sure they monitored all incoming calls. He wasn't ready to let them know where he was.

  After driving approximately thirty miles from the house, Tyler checked into a motel, paying cash for the room.

  "Hello, may I speak to agent Sheila Cooper or Samuel Williams?"

  After a few minutes and a few rings Sheila came on the phone.

  "Hello, Agent Cooper here. How can I help you?" Sheila said.

  "Hi, Sheila," Tyler said.

  "Tyler!" Sheila almost shouted. "I mean Detective Santiago," Sheila said and then corrected herself. "Sorry, Mr. Santiago. I understand you are no longer with the police force."

  "That is correct. I heard you folks are looking for me." Tyler said plainly.

  "Ye... Yes we need to talk to you," Sheila said.

  "What do you want?" Tyler asked matter-of-factly.

  "We need to ask you a few questions about something that has come up during one of our investigations," Sheila said.

  "And what investigation might that be?" Tyler asked her.

  "I am not at liberty to discuss the matter over the phone, Mr. Santiago," Sheila said in a practiced “by the book” voice.

  "I am afraid you will have to, as right now I am quite busy," Tyler responded.

  "Tyler," Sheila said in a softer voice. "Please come in. We really need to talk to you."

  "About what?" Tyler asked impatiently.

  "I... I can't tell you over the phone. Can we meet somewhere?" Sheila pleaded.

  "I am very busy right now. I promise I will call back in a couple of days," Tyler said.

  "Where are you?" Sheila asked him.

  "Sorry, but I got to go. Promise to call back in a couple of days," Tyler responded and hung up.

  Tyler left the room, paid for the long distance phone call and was back at the house in less than an hour.

  A couple of hours later he called Eric back. There was little to report, other than the fact that Mr. David Spencer was a successful lawyer who also had a degree in accounting. He had a couple of run-ins with the law, but nothing serious. The IRS had called him on the carpet on a couple of occasions, however, his expertise in both the law and accounting managed to keep him out of jail. Additionally, he had successfully defended some shady characters that were believed to have mob ties.

  OCTF Headquarters

  New York City

  As John Connolly, head of the Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF), watched his agents Sheila Cooper and Sam Williams file into his office, he wondered why his superiors did not demote him for his failure to protect Judge Livingston from an assassin’s bullet. He figured it was because they were working in conjunction with New York City police, and his superiors and the city's politicians were too busy blaming each other. However, Connolly was beyond that. It was a joint effort and, as far as he was concerned, they were all to blame. Nevertheless, how could he blame Agent Sheila Cooper or Detective Tyler Santiago when they were both out of town protecting the judge? In fact, they managed to keep him alive long enough to bring him to the courthouse to testify. The assassin simply outsmarted them.

  "Captain, we have been pouring over the information about this Theo Gresco," said Sam.

  "And?" responded the captain.

  "Well, here is what we have; He was b
orn in Chicago to a Lucia and Sergio Gresco. At the age of eight, he witnessed his father's death when the store they owned was bombed. It appears his father pissed off a local crime boss when he refused to pay him extortion money. Immediately after the bombing, his mother took him to Sicily where he remained for most of his youth. While there, he learned how to fire several weapons and became somewhat of a celebrity for his marksmanship. Though I cannot confirm it, there was a strong rumor that he was solely responsible for the execution of several members of a well-known crime family after they had threatened his grandparents. Though his mother is dead, I cannot determine how and when that happened." Sam reported.

  Sheila continued with, "In late 1954 Mr. Gresco, then 21 years old, returned to his old neighborhood in Chicago. He got married to a girl by the name of Sylvia Santiago. Also during that time, he befriended Nick Costello, a neighborhood thug. During the same period, two men were executed on the same corner where Theo Gresco's father owned his store, the one that had been bombed. An unidentified caller, who supposedly witnessed the event, named the two victims as Mario Pierina and Rico Vitalia, and claimed that he saw Nick Costello execute them.

  “Though it took some time and many phone calls, we managed to break through the red tape and get a hold of Theo’s and Nick’s military records. These records show that both Theo Gresco and Nick Costello joined the service within a week after the execution of those men. They did their tour of duty together overseas. Where exactly, we don't know. However, both men were listed for many commendations, including marksmanship. What is really interesting is that both men received numerous Vietnam medals as well when officially we weren't in Vietnam." Sheila said.

  Before continuing she looked at Sam, took a deep breath and went on with, "Of real interest is that Sylvia and Theo had a son. A son they named Tyler."

  "Why would that be of interest to me?" the captain asked.

  Sheila stared at the captain for a second, sighed deeply, and went on, "Because, sir, further investigation found that Detective Tyler Santiago is Mr. Theodore Gresco's son."