Using his state of the art encrypted cell phone; his first call was to Edwin Marcus, a longtime friend and associate. Mel used Edwin to launder much of the illegal money he and John Portman skimmed from the NRBA payments. Ed also provided services that spanned the globe, making him a vital contact. It was he who told Mel about Isla Fortalenza.
Mel dialed the number in Westminster, Colorado.
“Westminster Financial Resources,” a cherry voice answered. “How may I direct your call?”
“Ed Marcus, please.”
Seconds later, Edwin Marcus was on the phone “Hello, how can I help you?”
Using a code word, Mel replied, “This is Abel.”
“Hold on, I’ll switch to the other phone.”
There was a click on the line and then Ed was back on the phone. “There, Mel, that’s better. How the hell are you, buddy?”
“I’m doing just fine, Ed. I’m thinking of visiting the States soon. I’m looking for some investment opportunities at better than market returns. Would it be worth my while to swing by to see you?”
“It’s always a good time, Mel. I’ve got a few things going on that are right up your alley. They’ll be a bit pricey, though. I’m talking about six or seven hundred grand at a clip.”
“That won’t be a problem.”
“What about the fugitive warrants?”
“No problem there either. I’ve got the best paper money can buy. From now on you can call me Walter Simmons. I hail from Chicago and I’m an investment consultant.”
“That works for me, Walter. When am I gonna see you?”
“Within the next two weeks. You can do me a favor in the meantime. Your friends in Cleveland did a great job of surveillance for me when I needed them a while back. Would you contact them and have them ask around to see if anyone is actively searching for Mel Tarkington? I’m curious more than anything else.”
“Sure Mel, I mean Walter. I’ll contact them as soon as we’re through here.”
“Thanks Ed. I’ll call you Friday to see what you’ve found out.”
CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR
Milt knocked on Dennis’s door. “Got a minute?”
“Sure, come on in. What’s up?”
“We found a secret hiding place in the kitchen of Agent Paschal’s apartment and it contained hundreds of nude photos of the four women doing all sorts of sex acts, including the use of whips, chains and all sorts of sex paraphernalia There were also dozens of DVD’s with pornography on them. It looks like BAM might have had an active porno enterprise going. Probably Vennuti knew about all that stuff. He might have even had an interest in promoting it. That wouldn’t surprise me at all.”
“That would be my guess too.”
“We sure were lucky to find this stuff. I know a lot of it is circumstantial, but I don’t think we’ll have too much trouble connecting Vennuti to Special Agent Paschal, especially since he so blatantly singled her out.”
“I agree, Milt, but we have to be careful not to move too quickly. When we close down Atronen I want to have an ironclad case. Vennuti’s participation in the illegal distribution of drugs and suspicion of contributing to the death of at least a dozen people should get him the death sentence here in Ohio, but every piece of evidence needs to be airtight when we move.”
“That’s a day I’m looking forward to. What’s the next step?”
“That depends on your mandate. Are your people satisfied that the deaths of my agents are part of a major crime ring and that our investigation is proceeding at a proper pace?”
“When I told them of my findings, I recommended that I stay here and help with the investigation. They haven’t replied as yet. I’m assuming that you want my help.”
“Are you kidding? I can use all the help I can get, especially someone of your caliber.”
“Flattery will get you everywhere, “Milt replied with a big grin.
“You know that that wasn’t my intent.”
Dennis got up from his desk. “Why don’t you use my phone to call Washington? Make sure that they understand that I requested you to stay.”
“That’ll be fine. I’ll only need about fifteen minutes.”
“See you back here then,” Dennis said as he exited and closed the door behind him.
He returned about twenty minutes later to find Milt relaxing in a side chair with a steaming hot cup of coffee.
Milt looked up and offered, “Can I get you one of these?”
“I’ll pass. I just finished a cup. So, how did it go?”
“Looks like you’re stuck with me for a while.”
Dennis beamed. “That’s great. Good to see those Washington Bureaucrats making a smart decision for a change. Having you around will be a big help.”
“I sure hope so. Well, what’s next?”
“One thing for sure, Vennuti is crippled by the loss of Joan. I’m sure he’ll try to ramp up his use of Marcia, but she is of limited use to him. What he desperately needs is another agent willing to feed him timely information of our ongoing investigations of Atronen and him.”
“What do you think the odds are that he’ll be able to recruit anyone?”
“He’s done it before. He’s very resourceful when it comes to recruiting double agents. I should have Mark do a very discrete background check of everyone having anything to do with the Atronen investigation. We need to find our weaknesses before Vennuti does.”
Bagnold sat quietly while Dennis spoke, but the look on his face showed anxiety. He looked like a kid in school who knew the answer and was anxious to share it. Finally he could be silent no longer. “I’m sure that this is going to sound off the wall, but why don’t we offer him someone?”
“What do you mean?
“Think about it, Dennis. You expect that he will put pressure on Marcia to get him more information about what PDS is doing, right?”
“Yes, I’m certain that he will.”
“He knows that she has limited access to information. Well, what if we have Marcia supply him with some dirt on one of our agents and suggest that he attempt to recruit her? We’ll put together something that Marcia can claim she came across using the background check programs she used on Atronen employees. To add to the legitimacy, she’ll ask for money from him to divulge the information. Say, ten thousand dollars. I think he’ll bite. Then we’ll have our agent feed him false information so we can entrap him and Atronen.”
“That’s ingenious, Milt. I can see why you’ve been so successful. You said ‘her’ that suggests to me that you already have someone in mind?”
“Actually I do. While I was doing my original investigation I noticed that one of your agents studied counter-espionage in college. She scored real high, too, as I recall.”
“Well don’t keep me in suspense. Who is it?”
“Special Agent Wendy Farrell. She’d be perfect, especially since she is a member of the PDS and a logistics expert. I’m certain that Vennuti would jump at the chance to get his hooks into her.”
Dennis immediately thought about how Mark would react to the idea. He knew that Mark would have the same reservations that he had when Marcia first told him about Vennuti’s offer to her. On the other hand he knew that Wendy would be enthusiastic about the idea. But her involvement would have to be kept from Mark as long as possible.
“Of course, she would be a perfect candidate. I know that she would be more than willing to be involved. It’s risky, but I think we need it as a catalyst to shut down Atronen and Vennuti.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Clifford Melbourne put in a call to Marco.
No pleasantries were expected or forthcoming. “That big shipment is in the pipeline and it needs to go through without a hitch. I need to know if the FBI hears anything about this shipment. Don’t let me down. There is also a new deal in the works with China that will use Atronen to distribute their generic products. The company is called Pharma-Smythe. It’s still in the development stage, but you should be hearing about in
soon. I’m relying on you to be my eyes and ears on the reaction that the rank and file have about it. We’ll be legitimately distributing the product in place of the counterfeit pills we’ve been smuggling in from Eastern Europe.”
Melbourne ended the call without a goodbye.
* * *
Marcia sat across from Vennuti. The waitress had just served their usual drinks.
Marco spoke first “You know that I can help you make your money worries go away.”
“I’m well aware that you have deep pockets. What do you want now that’s making you so generous?”
Marco smiled, “I guess I don’t need to sugarcoat things any longer with you. Okay, I’ll get to the point. You probably already figured out that Special Agent Paschal and I had a special arrangement not too dissimilar to ours. Her death was an unfortunate accident that has left me without an inside informer. I’m looking to fill that void.”
“What’s that got to do with me? I’m not privy to any of the information that she was.”
“Well, actually, I need you to help me find a replacement for her.”
“You’re joking, right?”
“I’ve never been more serious. You have access to that special software that uncovers stuff about people. I figure that you can use that same software to find soft spots in the backgrounds of the special agents in your office. In fact, I heard that the Justice Department assigned a special investigator to do background checks on all your agents. I imagine that you would be involved in making these checks. All I’m asking is that if you find a weak link, you withhold that information from them and give it to me. The same thing you did for me before. For that, I’m willing to pay you a twenty-five thousand dollar bonus; sort of a finder’s fee.”
Marcia already started the background checks for Milton Bagnold. She wondered how Vennuti figured that out. This was her chance to introduce Wendy to Marco without arousing his suspicions. He was playing right into her hand.
“That’s awful risky. You’re asking me to betray the Bureau. I just don’t feel right about spying on people that I work with.” She allowed her voice to crack as she spoke.
“Save that patriotic drivel for someone else. I’m not asking you for state secrets, for God’s sake. I’m just trying to protect my company from the incessant interference of the government. You know that. You haven’t had any trouble helping me so far. You’ve been taking my money all along.” Marco stopped a minute, pointed a finger at her and said, “Let me put this another way, Marcia. You’ll do this for me because I’ve asked you to. I have ways of hurting you. Exposing you would backfire on me, but there is always the chance that you may meet with an accident. I don’t want to get physical with you, but if you don’t cooperate, your life won’t be worth a plug nickel. Now take the deal before I change my mind.”
Marco finished his drink. He looked directly at her with a look that told her that he meant business. “So, do I have your cooperation or not?”
For the first time since she started working with Marco, Marcia felt a shiver run down her back. She never sensed any physical danger before. It had been like a game to her, but now that her life was being threatened, she wished that she had never gotten involved with him in the first place. Then she thought about Dennis and remembered how important her role was to him. She knew that the solution to the problem was already worked out. Marco Vennuti was walking right into the trap that the FBI was setting for him.
“Look, Mister Vennuti, I don’t want any trouble. It’s against my better judgment, but if I can do it, I will. I can’t give you any guarantees as to what I will find, but I’ll do my best. Mind you, it’s only for the money. It will make a big difference in my life.”
“I don’t give a damn about your reasons. I want that information by tomorrow night. Bring it here at seven. Now get out of here.”
Marcia rose quickly and left. As she walked to her car a broad smile appeared on her face. This was going to be easier than she thought. She couldn’t wait to tell Dennis, but she delayed calling him until she was on the highway. Her previous feeling of fear was replaced by the satisfaction of being part of something so much bigger than her. “It happened just like you and Inspector Bagnold said it would,” she told Dennis. “He asked me to get something incriminating on one of our agents so he could recruit her to spy for him. He’s even agreed to pay me twenty-five thousand dollars.”
Dennis was elated. “That’s fantastic. Let’s get everybody involved to a meeting off-site and plan our next move.”
He made arrangements to meet later that day with Wendy, Marcia and Milton at the FBI house in Lorain where Mark was living. Mark was still visiting Centerville, so the privacy that they needed for planning the next step in the investigation was assured.
Milton and Marcia were already at the house when Dennis arrived. Wendy showed up ten minutes later.
“I’m sorry I’m late, but there was a bad accident on the highway.”
“That’s okay, Wendy,” Dennis assured her. “We just got here ourselves. Help yourself to some ice tea or water and let’s get started.
“I guess it’s no surprise that I asked Wendy to help us out with this. Under the circumstances, she is the best person for the job. Has anyone come up with a good enough story about Wendy that would justify her being blackmailed by Vennuti?”
Bagnold gestured with his hand. “I had a case a few years back that may be helpful. Background checks were more primitive back in those days. A lot of the checking was done by letter or phone. We didn’t have the internet or sophisticated computers networks to connect the dots for us. A female agent, a bit of a rarity in the fifties, came to us as a graduate of Northwestern University. She claimed to have majored in Criminal Justice, and according to her application she was valedictorian of her class. The Bureau was anxious to recruit women and jumped at the chance to sign her on. They did a very limited background check on her. She did exceptionally well at Quantico, and upon graduation was assigned to the Spokane, Washington office. She was an excellent agent, a really bright woman and very good at her job.
“It took the Bureau almost fifteen years, and then only by accident, to finally uncover the truth about her background. She had stolen the identity of a woman she knew who died of an overdose, in order to cover up her own record of teenage abuse and prostitution. I should be able to build a profile based on that case. Give me about a half-hour to polish it up.”
When all the details were finally ironed out, Dennis reminded them that Wendy’s special assignment was not to be shared with anyone outside of the four of them. “As tough as it might be, Wendy, that means you are not to discuss this with Special Agent Matthews.”
Wendy nodded in agreement.
After the meeting, Dennis stayed behind to talk with Wendy. “Are you certain that you want to do this? Vennuti is a very dangerous man, and after what happened to the Bennetts and Agent Paschal there is no telling what he might do.”
“Look, Dennis, Joan was a friend of mine. I want to find out what really happened to her. Besides, Vennuti more than likely had nothing to do with her death. It doesn’t make sense that he would kill off one of his Bureau contacts, seeing how desperate he is now to get another. I think she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“That does make sense, but we can’t let our guard down for a moment until we know for sure what really happened.”
“I’ll be careful. From what Marcia said, Marco Vennuti is anxious to get information about our investigations. Something big must be ready to go down. He’ll especially want to know what’s happening with the Pharmaceutical Drug Squad. He’ll be too interested in what we feed him to be suspicious about my loyalty. I’ll just have to find his Achilles’ heel. They all have one.”
“You’re probably right, but be extremely cautious, nevertheless.”
Later that evening, when she spoke with Mark, Wendy realized that for the foreseeable future she would have to lie to him about what she was working on and wha
t her plans were. That can’t be helped. I know he’ll understand after we’ve nailed Vennuti and closed down Atronen. She also realized that he might have to do the same with her sometime. It came with the territory.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
“Make that two,” said Bruce. They were sitting in a booth at Barry’s. Mark had just ordered a colossal breakfast.
“It’s good to be back in Centerville. Let’s wait until we get to the office before talking business. We have a few days before I need to get back on the road. Right now I just want to enjoy my breakfast and some personal chit-chat.”
“That’s fine with me.”
Bruce Crandall appeared to have lost some weight since Mark’s last visit. “You look thinner since I last saw you. Have you been working out?”
“Twice a week. I’ve dropped eight pounds in the last month. Of course, not having you dragging me off to Barry’s for big breakfasts all the time has probably helped too.”
“Drag you? I don’t see any ropes on you. Methinks that thou doth protest too much, my friend. I distinctly remember hearing a note of excitement in your voice when I suggested having breakfast here.”
“Touché, I do love coming here, but let’s not do it too often, so I can keep on track with my weight.”
“Agreed. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy for you losing that weight. I’m glad my metabolism keeps my weight under control because I hate working out. All that mindless repetition gets to me after a while.”
“It’s not so bad. I watch TV while I’m working out. The time is up before I know it.”
“Well, anyway, I’ll bet that Angelina doesn’t have any complaints, except that its one less thing she has to nag you about.”
Their breakfasts arrived and the chatting ceased as they dug into the generous portions. Ten minutes later they ordered coffee to go and headed to the office. When Mark and Bruce arrived at International Investigations Specialists, Mark liked the new look and ambiance of the offices.
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