by Tony Bertot
“Boy, how old are you?” the soldier asked him.
Theo stared up at him and said nothing.
“He is only nine,” Angelina told the soldier.
“Nine. Man, if I could shoot like that I could probably win this war all by my lonesome,” the soldier told them.
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a stick of chocolate and handed it to the boy.
“Boy you saved my life. Crap you saved all our lives,” the soldier told Theo.
“He won’t kill anyone anymore,” Theo said with cold eyes.
“You sure as hell got that right, little man. You sent the blinded Kraut straight to hell,” replied the soldier.
Fernando and Angelina stared at their grandson; not knowing what to do. After a few seconds, Angelina went over to Theo, took the rifle from him, and held him in her arms. Then Fernando walked over to them and embraced them both.
Between the embrace Theo recovered the rifle and held onto it tightly.
The soldier stood looking at them and wondered what in the world could have turned a nine-year-old kid into a cold-blooded killer.
A couple of hours later the rest of the American forces caught up with the scouts who were still at the schoolhouse with the Gresco family.
One of the soldiers relayed the story to his commander who could not believe what he had heard.
“Cap’n he saved my life. Matter of fact, he saved all our lives. The Germans were out to get us and the boy took three of them out without skipping a beat. Then he took out the head Kraut in an unconventional way. He blinded the sucker before he hit the ground,” The soldier said.
The captain walked over to where Herr Kaiser lay and examined him.
“Wow. Aint never seen that done before,” he told the soldier.
“Yea, me neither,” added the soldier.
The commander walked over to the boy and asked,
“Where’d you learn to shoot like that, boy?”
Theo looked up at the captain shrugged his shoulders and said nothing.
“Well I want to thank you for saving my men’s lives. If there is anything, I can do for you, you tell me. Do you understand?” the captain asked Theo.
Theo said something to his grandmother and she stood and walked over to the captain.
“His mother has been killed and he wants to bury her,” she told the captain.
“Well ma’am we sure as hell are going to make that boy’s wish come true,” the captain told her.
After Fernando and Angelina told the captain what happened and where they could find Lucia, the captain gave orders to the men and added the story of the boy as an incentive to rile them up. Within a week, Palermo was taken and Theo, Angelina and Fernando were able to give Lucia a proper burial.
The commander and his scouts carried Lucia’s casket and as they walked to the nearby burial site, the streets were lined up on both sides with American, British and Sicilian soldiers who had heard his story. As Theo and his grandparents passed, the soldiers saluted.
To the people, his grandparents and the soldiers Theo was a hero. All of this was lost on Theo for in his mind all he was thinking was,
“Just aim and shoot.”
Know Your Enemies
New York/Chicago/San Francisco
December 6th 1943
It was a cold winter Sunday night when Bolnaldo got the call everything was ready and they would execute their hits the next day; December 6th. With plans now in place, Bolnaldo could not contain himself with excitement.
Al and Anthony Giovanna were at their headquarters monitoring and coordinating the calls coming in from New York and San Francisco. Accompanying them were six members of their organization.
The planned hit was for 3:00pm EST making it 12:00pm on the west coast. Everything was in place. All eyes had the heads of the Queens and San Francisco families in their sights.
In Queens, three men were assigned to Ricardo Gallo and three men to Sal Manetti. Added to the watch list was Fazio Giordano, who was at his home in the Hamptons. They were reporting to the tenth man who was relaying the information to Anthony Giovanna in Chicago.
In San Francisco there were four men assigned to Eric Russo, four men assigned to Joey Costa, two men assigned to John Battanio and another two men to Ray Spandoza. These last two men, for their safety, came back from New York with Eric Russo and Joey Costa when the incident that Bolnaldo had inadvertently entertained them became known. It was Bolnaldo still stinging from this fiasco who insisted these two men be recipients of their own piece of lead.
Reports were coming in every fifteen minutes to the remaining men who were relaying the information to Anthony Giovanna in Chicago.
It had been agreed that all communications would resume half an hour after the hits were made giving all parties enough time to be as far away from the area as possible. Airplane tickets had been purchased for all participants. Those in New York were to fly out of New Jersey into Chicago where they would be met by members of the Giovanna family and escorted to a safe house where they would remain for two months.
Those in San Francisco were to fly out of San Diego into Chicago where similar arrangements were made to keep them under wraps.
All involved knew this would go down as the best plan since the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre; when members of a crime family, disguised as policemen, raided a stronghold of another crime family, lined them up and machine gunned them down. Both Al Giovanna, his son Anthony and the rest of the Giovanna crime family had bottles of champagne ordered and delivered to their headquarters as well as Bolnaldo’s favorite restaurant where he said he would be when all hell broke loose. There would be reason to celebrate for in less than 24 hours the Giovanna family would become the most powerful crime family in the United States. This would also earn them the support and respect of the crime families out of Sicily and Italy, virtually guarantying them an almost endless influx of additional funds from gambling, prostitution, numbers, weapons and manpower. It was a plan made in mobster heaven.
Monday; December 6, 1943 1:30pm EST, 10:30am PST
Queens, New York
Ricardo Gallo is seen leaving his home and getting into his car and driving off.
Sal Manetti leaves his home, gets into his car and drives off.
Fazio Giordano gets into his car, and gets onto the Long Island Expressway heading west towards New York City.
San Francisco
Eric Russo and Joey Costa have lunch at a downtown restaurant. They arrived in separate cars. Across the street two cars, both with four men in them, watched.
John Battanio left his house and got into his car, followed by a car with two men inside.
Ray Spandoza was being watched as he had his morning coffee, with toast, in the same shop he has been going to for the last three weeks. Fifteen minutes later Ray Spandoza got into his car and drove off with a car containing two men following him.
2:00pm EST, 11:00am PST
New York
Ricardo Gallo is in Manhattan heading south on the East River parkway.
Sal Manetti is in Manhattan heading north on the East River parkway.
Fazio is still on the L.I.E heading towards Manhattan.
San Francisco
Eric Russo and Joey Costa got into one car and drove about two blocks where they picked up two women with two children and drove off. That they were on the move again was reported but their picking up the woman and kids was not relayed to Anthony Giovanna as it was not deemed important.
John Battanio was driving East on 16th street.
Ray Spandoza was also driving east, however, he was on 25th street.
2:30pm EST, 11:30am PST
New York
Ricardo Gallo parked in Little Italy on Mott Street and is seen taking a box out of his car and going on foot. It looked like a wrapped gift.
Sal Manetti stopped about three car lights from the corner of St. Nicolas and Amsterdam and parked his car.
Fazio is now in New York headi
ng south on the East River Parkway.
San Francisco
Eric Russo and Joey Costa pull up in front of 450 Golden Gate Avenue and park. The cars following pulled up across the street behind each other and waited maintaining a watch on them.
John Battanio continues east on 16th street.
Ray Spandoza continues east on 25th street.
Chicago
Back at their Chicago headquarters, Anthony looked at his father as he gave out the last instructions.
“It’s a go, take the bastards out,” Anthony said into the phone. It was done. There was no turning back now.
At that point, the phone went dead and Anthony walked over to the bar, grabbed a chilled bottle of champagne and brought it over to the table where the men sat. He wore a huge grin on his face as he sat with the bottle cradled on his lap. The men stared at him, also smiling. It would be the longest hour of their lives as they waited for confirmation.
2:45pm EST, 11:45am PST
New York
Ricardo Gallo walks over to La Ristorante where Bolnaldo and Clemente are shocked to see him walking up to their table.
“Bolnaldo, I came over to apologize for our rudeness and ask you accept this token of my friendship and apology,” Ricardo told him.
“What the fu...? You brought me a gift?” Bolnaldo asked him shocked and bewildered.
“Yes, Don Bolnaldo. I swear I didn’t know who you were. Eric Russo told me who you were and he would not tolerate disrespect of a well-known “capo”. Please accept my sincere apologies,” Ricardo responded.
Clemente took the box from Bolnaldo and opened it. It was an expensive coat and hat.
Bolnaldo pulled out the coat and hat.
“This is nice,” Bolnaldo told him grinning from ear to ear while thinking to himself,
“You screwed with the wrong man, you stupid imbecile.”
As they were talking, Clemente noticed four police officers enter the establishment.
The proprietor met them at the door and escorted them to a table. Though they did take a couple of glances toward Bolnaldo, Clemente and Ricardo they did not appear to know who they were and went about their business. The time was now 2:50pm.
“It looks like you are having some sort of celebration,” Ricardo commented noting the bottles of champagne and the three tables that were manned by many of Bolnaldo’s top men. The time now was 2:55pm.
Clemente got up, looked up at the clock on the wall, and nodded to Bolnaldo.
“We got to be going,” Clemente told Bolnaldo.
Bolnaldo looked at Clemente, then over to the clock and then over to the four police officers sitting at the nearby table.
“I’m sorry to see you leave. I hoped we could share a meal,” Ricardo said sounding disappointed.
“Well, are you going to at least try the hat and coat on before you leave me here to eat alone?” he asked Bolnaldo as most of Bolnaldo’s men began exiting the restaurant.
“Sure. Sure,” quickly putting on the coat and hat as Clemente rushed him toward the exit door at 2:59pm.
“Goodbye, Mr. Gallo. Enjoy your supper,” Bolnaldo said to Ricardo smiling while all the time thinking this asshole is about to meet his maker.
At 2:59pm, Sal Manetti got out of his car, walked to the corner and turned right, out of sight of the men who were now exiting their car and pursuing on foot.
Fazio had arrived downtown, exited his car, and went into 26 Federal Plaza at 2:58pm. The men following him got out of their car and headed for the entrance to the building.
San Francisco
At 11:58am EST, the men following Eric Russo and Joey Costa stepped out of their cars. At the same time, Eric Russo and Joey Costa along with the two women and children get out of their car and walked into 450 Golden Gate Avenue. Not wanting to lose them, all eight men rushed across the street.
Around the same time John Battanio turned south on Illinois Street and about three quarters of a mile down turned left and entered the north side entrance of a warehouse.
Following behind by a minute Ray Spandoza reached the corner of 25th and Illinois Street and turned north and drove about half a mile before turning right and entering the south side of the same warehouse.
Chicago
3:30pm EST, 11:30am PST
The men sat around the table staring at the phone with huge grins on their faces. Little by little, the smiles faded as no calls came in. By 3:45pm they were becoming anxious and nervous and still no call. Finally, at 4:00pm, Anthony Giovanna could not take it anymore and called one of the numbers. There was no answer. Then he called the second number and again no answer.
No one in the room was smiling now. In fact, beads of sweat began to form on their foreheads as thoughts of what would happen if their attempts on the San Francisco families had failed.
Breaking News
New York/Chicago/San Francisco
New York
On Monday, December 6, 1943, the streets of New York City erupted in gunfire as three separate incidents resulted in the deaths of a number of people. Gunfire exchanged between known criminals and the police occurred at around 3:00pm. The police are not ruling out they may all be related. Names and additional information will be provided as received….
In the first incident, an attempt was made on reputed mob boss Bolnaldo Costellino. Three men opened fire as he was leaving La Ristorante in downtown Manhattan. However, due to the quick thinking of his bodyguard Clemente Marino, who pushed him out of the way, Bolnaldo was only wounded. Other members of the Bolnaldo family drew weapons as a heated exchange of gunfire ensued resulting in six men being fatally shot and three others wounded. Ironically, there were four police officers at the restaurant where the shooting occurred and quickly brought the situation under control. During the exchange, Mr. Marino was critically wounded and rushed to Bellevue Hospital along with Mr. Costellino and other members of his organization. It is also reported that the three men who initiated the shootings were all fatally shot and died at the scene. A police officer fatally shot one of Bolnaldo’s men when the shouts to drop their weapons were ignored.
In the second incident, three men, one carrying a machine gun and the other handguns, tried to enter the 26th precinct on St. Nicholas and Amsterdam Avenue to break out a prisoner. A call had been received that an attempt would be made and police were on high alert.
The police, who were in plain clothes, were situated in and around the station when at 3:00pm three men attempted to enter the precinct. An attempt to apprehend the three men failed when a shot was heard and the men pulled their weapons and began to fire as police fired in return. It is reported that all three men were fatally shot at the scene. Two police officers were rushed to a nearby hospital with minor wounds. The police could not elaborate on who fired the first shot.
In the final incident, FBI agents confronted three men who tried to enter 26 Federal Plaza with handguns. As the agents approached the men, one drew a gun and fired, nearly hitting the agent. The agents drew their weapons and fired killing the man instantly. The other two men also drew their weapons and fired at the agents as they started to flee. The rest of the agents gave chase as gunfire erupted from both sides. One of the men ran approximately half a block before being gunned down while the last man ran towards a parked car and tried to flee the scene before he too was gunned down by a barrage of bullets. In the exchange, one agent was wounded and all three men had been fatally shot.
An investigation has been started to determine if these incidents are in any way connected.
San Francisco
Today at about 12:00pm, eight men tried to breach the FBI headquarters at 450 Golden Gate Avenue. It is believed that these men were sent here by our enemies abroad to attack us on our own soil. However, their attempts were prevented when some citizens saw the men rushing towards the building and alerted the authorities. The police and agents confronted the men with weapons drawn as they tried to enter the building. Authorities were met with resistance
as one of the alleged terrorists opened fire resulting in a barrage of return fire. People later said it sounded like a war zone. The men were chased out onto the streets as people ran for cover. The entire incident lasted only ten minutes as police in the neighboring areas rained down into the area surrounding the men. Three of the remaining men, who refused to give themselves up, were eventually killed by either police or the FBI. In the end all eight alleged spies were killed, one police officer was also fatally shot and three agents were wounded. The citizens, two couples with their children who notified the agents, left the scene without leaving their names or addresses in fear of retaliation.
In other news, a warehouse erupted in a blaze of fire when an explosion was heard at approximately 3:00pm. Firefighters at the scene are not ruling out arson, as they fight to contain and control the raging fire.
Chicago
December 7, 1943
In early news today reputed mob boss Al Giovanna, his son Anthony Giovanna and other members of his organization were arrested on conspiracy charges to overthrow the government. They have all been arraigned and held without bond until an inquiry is made into these charges.
Two men have turned themselves over to the police claiming they were hired by the Giovanna Family to coordinate attacks on the police and FBI. They have been placed in protective custody while a thorough investigation is conducted.
Twelve Years Later
South Wabash
Chicago/September 20, 1954
On Monday 8:00 am, South Wabash was once more alive as the various stores opened their doors for business. Twelve years later the majority of the people were still Italians; however, the neighborhood now consisted of a small minority of Hispanics and Chinese. Additionally, the corner tobacco store once owned by Sergio Gresco was now replaced with a thriving liquor store owned and operated by a Mr. John Tiziano, brother of George Tiziano of the Sabrisio Family. The only butcher shop in the area was still owned and operated by the Randazzo family. Because of an unfortunate accident, Ana Randazzo lost the use of both her legs and was now confined to a wheelchair. Her stubbornness and determination resulted in her ability to cope with the situation and get around on her own. Though her husband wanted to be around to help her in her daily chores, she insisted he get down to the shop and help their son manage the business. She accepted the challenge of her crippling fate and would not allow an accident to hold her back. From time to time, you would see her rolling down the avenue towards the butcher shop, handling that wheelchair like a jockey on a thoroughbred, chatting and waving at the familiar faces as she cruised on by. Today was no different as she wheeled into the butcher shop where her son and husband were behind the counter calling out and filling orders. At the corner of the shop sat her beautiful daughter-in-law, Sonia, stooped over some papers. She was checking the inventory list against what she had visually checked that morning. Ana wheeled herself a few feet from her, rolled up a napkin she picked up from a nearby table and threw it at her. Sonia almost jumped as the napkin bobbed her on the head.