The Legacy of the Assassin

by Tony Bertot

  "There is no Mill Road exit on the Southern State, but there is one on the Sunrise Highway," she said excitedly.

  They all looked up at her and then at the map.

  "They know we are listening so they are giving false locations," Sam added. "Get some cars to the Sunrise. Send them both ways," he shouted out as officers scrambled to their cars.

  ***

  Over the last few days, Tom and Kathy sat with both Bob and Maria and went over their plans to get Felicia Giordano. Bob tried to talk them out of it. The idea was too insane and would most likely get them both killed. Only after they were convinced there was no other alternative did Bob step up and begin to help them create a plan. Carrying a duffle bag filled with several guns and a loaded AK47, a gift from Bob, they headed toward the Sunrise Highway.

  "Oh, God. Please be careful. Put an extra bullet in her head for me too," Maria said as tears streamed down her face. Maria lost a good friend on that fateful day at La Ristorante and it all came back to her now.

  As they got onto the highway, a taxi driver sitting by the side of the road spotted them and called it in. Within minutes Giordano cars, which now numbered around twenty, headed in their direction. Among them was the car being driven by Theo Gresco.

  "Think they've spotted us yet?" Kathy asked Tom.

  "Probably. Don't matter though. We'll ditch the car in a couple of exits and pick up another one," Tom responded.

  Fifteen miles later they exited and parked the car on a neighborhood street. They started walking south staring at the houses as they walked past them. After almost walking two miles they spotted what they were looking for; a mailbox filled with a couple days of mail. Though there was no car in the driveway, they knew that most people had two cars and there was probably one sitting in the garage. Kathy walked up to the front door and knocked while Tom remained behind as a lookout. When there was no response she tried the front door. Seeing that it was locked she peered through the door trying to spot an alarm, and when she didn't find one she waved to Tom who, within seconds, joined her at the doorway.

  "Doesn't look like anyone's home."

  "Yeah," Tom answered.

  Looking around he put his shoulder to the door and broke in. "Easy as pie," he said smiling.

  They were about to step in when a growling and barking German Sheppard came rushing toward them from a back room.

  "Holy shit!" screamed Kathy as Tom pushed her back out and shut the door on the oncoming creature. The dog stared at them from the other side and was throwing itself against the door, scratching, barking and growling.

  "What the hell! Shit that was close," Tom said as he stared at the dog.

  "Let's just get the hell out of here," Kathy suggested.

  "Good idea."

  They continued their trek down the block when they spotted another house with evidence that the occupants hadn’t been home for a few days. Once again Kathy approached the front door. She waved at Tom who quickly joined her, and within a few seconds they were inside. They both hesitated, expecting to see a German Sheppard heading their way, and smiled at each other when that didn't happen. Making their way to the garage they lucked out when they found a 1983 Ford Capri sitting there with the keys in the ignition.

  "Someone was waiting for us," Tom said smiling at Kathy.

  A few minutes later they were on their way, but not before a young lady spotted them pulling out of the driveway in her boyfriend's car.

  Heading east they stayed off any main highways. A couple of hours later, they were at the Hamptons just a few miles from the Giordano estate.

  "I am sure they are watching for us, so we need to get a hold of a vehicle that won't attract attention," Tom said. Driving around, they spotted a school bus rental company with lots of yellow school buses in the parking lot.

  They drove up to the office and Kathy inquired within.

  "No problem. All you need is a driver’s license and a deposit of two hundred dollars," the office employee said.

  They told the clerk they would need it for a couple of days and would be driving a bunch of kids to Lincoln Center tomorrow morning. A few minutes later, Tom was driving a school bus with Kathy following in the Ford Capri. Several miles down the road, they transferred the duffle bag they had in the Ford over to the school bus and left the car parked at the end of a row of used cars at a Ford car dealership.

  "We'll wait till morning when there are lots of school busses picking up kids before we head out," Tom said.

  The Giordano estate was surrounded by an eight foot wall with two heavily guarded entrances, one at each end. There were several men with guard dogs constantly patrolling the area. The only way to get inside was to pretend to be someone else, someone they were expecting; a delivery truck of some sort.

  The next day, with Tom slumped down in one of the seats, Kathy drove the school bus down the road that crossed in front of the estate. There were several cars parked on both sides of the streets with a couple of police cars there as well.

  "What the hell is going on?" she muttered under her breath as she nervously passed them.

  A couple of miles down the road they pulled over.

  "Crap. Didn't expect that. Now what do we do?" Tom said aloud.

  "Hon, maybe we should abandon the idea," Kathy said.

  Tom stared at her and nodded. "Maybe you're right. There is no way we could get through that without someone noticing us," Tom replied.

  As they were talking they didn't notice a police car pulling up behind them until the officer stepped out of his car and was walking up along the driver's side. Tom got down between the seats as Kathy quickly got behind the wheel and started the bus up. She began to pull out when the officer knocked on the side of the bus with his stick. She hit the break and waited, opening the driver side window. "What's going on Officer?" she asked looking down at him.

  "I was about to ask you the same thing," he said.

  "Oh nothing. I... I dropped my drink and stopped to retrieve it," she quickly responded.

  The officer stared at her and saying nothing turned, waved and headed back to his patrol car. Kathy stared as the officer got back into his car and picked up the radio. She slowly pulled out, keeping an eye on the patrol car. No sirens. She figured she was ok. The patrol car pulled out and was now behind them. It was a one car lane and Kathy suspected the patrol car was waiting for the opportunity to pass her. When she got to the next stop sign she turned left. The patrol car followed.

  "Shit. He's still behind us."

  "If you see another school bus, follow it. Hopefully it will lead us to a nearby school," Tom suggested as he continued to duck between the seats. After a few blocks Kathy saw a school crossing sign, and just beyond that she spotted several school busses lining up as they entered the school facility. She pulled her bus behind the last one and was relieved as the patrol car continued on. She remained in line until she saw the opportunity to go out the other side of the school driveway.

  "Kathy, let's give it one more try. Check out the other estate entrance. Maybe there is another way through there," Tom said.

  "Ok, hon. We'll give it a try," she replied.

  ***

  "We just received a message that Kathy Diasparra used her credit card just a few miles from here," Leo reported to Felicia.

  Felicia stared at Leo for a few seconds before asking, "What was it she bought?"

  "She rented a school bus," he replied.

  "A school bus! Now what would she want with a school bus?" she asked herself. "Let the guards know to be on the lookout," she ordered.

  ***

  "Sir, we just got a bleep on Kathy Diasparra's credit card. She rented a school bus out at the Hamptons," the detective told Sam.

  "Son of a bitch! She's headed to the Giordano's estate," Sheila said.

  ***

  Kathy drove half a mile out of her way to avoid being spotted by anyone covering the front entrance to the estate. She stopped several blocks away so Tom could position h
imself to get a clear view without being seen. With no cars in front of her she moved slowly towards the entrance, and now only a block away she could see a couple of guards.

  "I can see two guards," she shouted back to Tom.

  "Ok. Just take it slow."

  As they were getting closer she spotted one of the guards pointing towards her.

  "Something's wrong," she said as she conveyed what she was seeing. Tom, who was still ducking, quickly moved to the front of the bus and peered out. They had already gone past the intersection and the streets were too narrow to make a u-turn.

  "Go a little faster. It's probably nothing," Tom said as he opened the duffle bag and reached for a couple of handguns.

  As they got closer, Tom noticed the men had their guns out and were hiding behind the columns. "Gun it!" he shouted to her.

  "No. I'll just go by at a normal speed. They're just nervous. Let's not give them a reason to shoot at us," she said nervously as she continued at the speed limit. Suddenly, about half a block in front of her a car coming in the opposite direction swerved, blocking her path. "Shit, they are trying to trap us," she shouted. At the same time another car was coming up behind them.

  "Gun it now! Go through them!" he shouted.

  The occupants of the car in front of them jumped out and began firing as Kathy rammed the bus toward them. Bullets were flying everywhere as the windshield began to shatter under fire. Tom stood up and fired the AK47 causing the men to scurry out of the way of the oncoming bus. Kathy hit the back side of the car as she plowed through, bullets riddling the bus.

  "We made it!" she shouted to Tom.

  "Good driving, baby. Now let’s get the fuck out of here!" he shouted back to her.

  As she reached the intersection, she looked up at the rearview mirror and noticed two cars approaching quickly. "Honey, behind us!"

  Tom ran to the back of the bus, smashed the backdoor window and began to fire at the vehicles. Though the light was red, Kathy saw her opportunity and stepped on the gas. As they reached the other end of the intersection one of the pursuing cars kept going only to be hit by an oncoming car. "Yeah, baby!" exclaimed Tom.

  The second car managed to avoid the entanglement and was in hot pursuit. With the next intersection backed up, Kathy went between two parked cars and was now on the sidewalk shouting and hitting the horn as surprised pedestrians ran, jumped and quickly moved out of the way. Suddenly, as she approached the intersection she saw a blockade of police cars on both sides of the street. She brought the bus to a screeching halt. The cars following, not seeing the police, continued into the intersection. Tom shouted for Kathy to get down as he turned and fired at the Giordano car. Suddenly a barrage of gun fire filled the air as the police and the occupants of the Giordano car exchanged firepower. Both Tom and Kathy lay flat on the floor of the bus. The sound of gunfire filled the air as bullets shattered the bus's windows and flew just inches above their heads. Just as suddenly as it had begun, it stopped.

  "You in the bus, come out with your hands up!"

  Tom and Kathy slowly got up and looked around. The car containing Giordano's men looked like Swiss cheese. Tom could see two men lying on the ground in front of the car and another on the side. There was no doubt these men were dead.

  With their hands up, Tom and Kathy jumped out the back of the bus and slowly walked toward the police. Five minutes later, they were handcuffed and standing at the back of an ambulance as a paramedic attended to several cuts they both sustained during the shootout. As they reached the scene, Sam and Sheila rushed to the ambulance.

  "Tom and Kathy Diasparra. Or should I say Joe and Kathleen Coleto? I am agent Cooper and this is my partner agent Williams. We're with the FBI. You are to come with us," Sheila told them, hiding the joy she was feeling.

  As the paramedic nodded that it was ok to take them, Sheila grabbed Kathy by an elbow and Sam grabbed Joe, quickly leading them towards their car some twenty feet away. Unfortunately, it wasn't quick enough. Suddenly, Sheila felt a warm spray hit her face as Kathy flew backwards pulling her to the ground. A second later, Tom too was flying through the air. When it was over, both Joe and Kathy Coleto lay in a growing pool of blood as their lives slowly drained from two bullet holes centered in the middle of their foreheads.

  Retribution

  New York/California

  New York

  Now sitting in her living room, Felicia stared at the news anchor as he reported on an incident that occurred on Long Island. Showing no remorse for the men she had sent to their deaths, she smiled when she heard that two people were shot by a sniper. And though it had not been confirmed, it was believed that the two were husband and wife.

  A few minutes later she was joined by Leo and one of his sons. "We just got a call from him. He confirmed making the hit," Leo said. She didn't need to know who it was that had called. She knew; they all knew.

  Felicia was especially pleased this day because, just twenty minutes earlier, one of her contacts was kind enough to give her a bit of news that made her day. She turned to Leo with a big grin on her face, "Did you know that his real name is Theo Gresco?"

  "What? You know his real name?" Leo asked, astonished by her remark.

  "Wait. Wait it gets better. He has a son, and his name is Tyler Santiago," she added.

  Leo stared at her in disbelief. It was Leo's son who inquired further, "But... But wasn't Tyler Santiago the detective who was guarding the judge?"

  Felicia turned to him, smiled and nodded in confirmation. Leo turned to his son and gave him a look, as if to tell him to keep his mouth shut.

  "Drop everything and put out the word. We must find Tyler Santiago. I don't want any harm to come to him. I want him alive. Do you understand that?" she told Leo, emphasizing each word.

  "Yes, of course I understand," he responded as he and his son left the room.

  She stared after them as her smile faded and her eyes turned cold. "You stupid ass. Who else have you told our business to?" she thought to herself.

  ***

  Daly City, California

  With the lights off, Nick stared out the corner of a window at a police cruiser as it slowed down, passing by the front of the house they now occupied. Nick had noticed the police cruising the neighborhood from the very first night they arrived, but thought nothing of it until he saw the pattern of a slowdown emerge. At first he said nothing to Tyler, but when the incident was repeated the second night, he decided he had better let Tyler know what he suspected. On the third night they turned off all the lights, waited and watched. Like clockwork they spotted a police cruiser coming around the corner, and this time it stopped in front of their house for almost an entire minute before moving on.

  "So either we are being watched, or they are waiting for Theo to come back," Nick said.

  "Yeah, but which is it? Maybe it's a combination of both," Tyler responded.

  The next morning, Nick knew for sure something was wrong when he caught the woman next door by surprise as she stepped out to get the morning paper. Without missing a beat the woman picked up the paper and rushed back in without so much as a hello. Nick quickly went inside and relayed the incident to Tyler.

  "She acted as if she knew who I was. My gut feeling tells me we better get the fuck out of here," Nick told Tyler.

  Without thinking twice Tyler agreed. They quickly got all their belongings together, emptied the safe, leaving nothing of value behind. They threw everything into the trunk of the car and took off. Fifteen minutes later the house was crawling with police and FBI agents; fifteen minutes too late.

  Surprise Visit

  New York

  It was about a week before Christmas of '84 when Sheila and Sam got the news of their transfer. The last episode, which had cost the life of Tom and Kathy Diasparra, was the icing on the cake; the last straw. It was now out of John Connolly's hands.

  Their efficiency was deflated despite tireless effort and they simply dropped the ball. Had Sam and Sheila arrived sever
al minutes later, the NYC police would have assumed the burden of failing to protect the Diasparras. Unfortunately, they had the two in their custody, though only for a few seconds before their brains were splattered all over the pavement. It was simply a matter of bad timing and lack of manpower.

  John was now watching them from his office as they emptied out their drawers, wondering how they would deal with desk duty. He noticed that all heads had turned toward the door. Getting up, he walked over to see what all the commotion was about when he almost choked on the coffee he was sipping. Realizing he was looking at Tyler Santiago, he quickly opened the door to his office and shouted out to Tyler, "Mr. Santiago, I would like a word with you. Now!"

  Both Sheila and Sam nodded to Tyler as he passed them and headed to the captain's office.

  "I should have you arrested," the captain said before Tyler got a chance to sit down.

  "For what?"

  "For what? For what? Are you shitting me? I know you know by now that your father was the assassin who took out the judge. You might not have known it before, which is questionable, but you sure as shit know it now," the captain said in a raised voice.

  "Yeah, I found out. But I didn't know anything about that before. I swear it," Tyler responded.

  "Where've you been? Didn't you know we have been trying to get a hold of you? Why didn't you come in earlier?" John Connolly asked.

  "Was busy, and what I was doing is none of your business," Tyler answered.

  The captain stared at him for a few seconds before saying, “Look Tyler, your father is alive and kicking. He just took out two people who could have shut down the Giordano organization, not to mention caused me to lose my two best agents. So what do you say you give us a hand and prove you are on our side by helping us bring your father in?"

  "Haven't you heard? I am not a cop anymore," Tyler said as he stood up and added, "Besides, what do I get out of it?"

  The captain stood up and said, "I can make your life a living hell. You shouldn't be screwing with us."