The Birth of an Assassin

by Tony Bertot

  “Why wouldn’t the authorities welcome the death of career criminals,” he thought to himself.

  After much consideration Theo decided, to his grandparents discontent, it was time to return to the United States and deal with some unfinished business.

  At around 5:30pm he got up, showered and dressed for his dinner appointment with the Randazzo family.

  Stepping out into the rainy night he turned left on South Wabash and headed a few buildings down on the same side of the street where Benito Randazzo and his family lived. As he approached the building, he saw a woman holding two bags of groceries while attempting to put her key in the front door.

  “Can I help?” Theo said.

  The woman jumped almost dropping one of the bags.

  “Oh my God, you frightened me,” she told Theo.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to,” Theo responded.

  “Who are you? I’ve never seen you here before?” she asked alarmingly.

  “I’m here to see the Randazzo family. They’re friends of mine,” he replied.

  Theo was immediately captivated by the girls beautiful green eyes and her warm smile.

  His response seemed to put her at ease.

  Grabbing the keys, Theo opened the door and helped her with the bags.

  “The Randazzo’s are in apartment 2A,” she said now smiling at him.

  He thanked her and went on in as she laid her bags in front of apartment 1C.

  As he ran up the stairway, he glanced back and almost tripped when he caught her staring back at him. Reaching the top of the stairs, he walked straight and found the apartment on his left.

  Theo was welcomed with open arms into a warm atmosphere. It was a warmth he lost a long time ago, before his family was torn apart. The smell of food cooking in the oven and the general atmosphere was something he now realized he missed more than ever.

  Theo remembered his mother and father both had this same warmth and here it is resurfacing in their friends’ house.

  At that moment Theo realized this is what he could never have, it was beyond his reach. It has been lost forever. He swore to himself that the innocent who cross his path would never suffer his fate. He will be the hand that justifies any wrong.

  Benito Randazzo immediately got up from his comfortable chair and offered it to him.

  “Theo, please sit here! You are the guest of honor. But only today, you understand? After today, you cannot sit in my chair anymore,” he told Theo laughing.

  “No. Please, I don’t want to sit in your chair,” Theo responded.

  “I’ll sit on the sofa and anyway I don’t like my back to the door,” Theo told him.

  “Well, in that case. Fine,” Benito responded smiling.

  Sitting on the sofa were Calito and Davino Carmine.

  In the kitchen, laughing and preparing the meal was Ana, Benito’s wife, Sonia, Carlos’ wife, and Maria Carmine, Davino’s wife.

  Benito offered Theo a beer, which he declined, and settled for a glass of water instead. After about twenty minutes, they were summoned to the dining room. Carlos and Sonia’s children, Teddy and Debbie, joined them.

  They were about to start eating when there was a knock at the door.

  “Sylvia, please come in. We were about to sit down to dinner and you know you are always invited to join us,” Ana had said to the person who came in.

  “If you’re inviting me, of course I’ll join you. My mama didn’t raise a fool. Never turn down a free meal from a great cook, especially when the table is filled with handsome men,” she responded as she entered the dining room.

  Benito responded with,

  “Ah, you finally noticed me?”

  “I think she meant me,” said Carlos.

  “Oh don’t listen to these ugly men. Of course she meant me,’ said Davino.

  “I meant all of you. You included, stranger,” she said now looking at Theo.

  “Sylvia this is Theo Gresco, a good friend of ours. He is like a son to me,” Benito said.

  “Pleased to meet you,” Sylvia said.

  Theo stared up at her, smiled and nodded but said nothing.

  Sylvia took a seat to the right of Theo who was sitting at one end of the table.

  Before anyone started to eat Ana wheeled her chair to the other end of the table, grabbed Benito’s hand, and asked that they hold hands while Benito said grace. For Theo this was awkward as he never held another person’s hand before, much less a woman’s. When the prayer was over Theo quickly withdrew his hand as if he had been stung.

  “I’m sorry, did I hurt you?” Sylvia asked Theo.

  “Uh… No,” Theo responded trying to smile but feeling awkward.

  Theo, not being one to mix words, almost caused a panic when Sylvia asked him what he was doing in Chicago and he responded with,

  “I came looking for the men who killed my father.”

  Benito quickly interrupted and asked Ana what was on the desert menu. She immediately responded with two choices, a blackberry pie or a marble cake. Sonia had baked both and was proud of her culinary temptation.

  Shocked by Theo’s response, Sylvia quickly recovered and turned to Ana saying Sonia’s marble cake is the best in the state.

  From Theo’s point of view, he saw no wrong in what he had said though most would beg to differ.

  After the desert, the women excused themselves, while the children returned to one of the back rooms where they could play and watch television. Benito pulled out a large cigar and handed one to his son and cousin. Theo declined the offer of a cigar but welcomed the chance to chat without any women present.

  “Did I say something wrong?” Theo asked Benito.

  “It is not appropriate or customary to talk about killing at a dinner table in the presence of women and children,” Benito told Theo.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset anyone,” Theo apologized.

  “It’s alright. You didn’t know,” Benito told Theo.

  The men stared at Theo, and from his mannerism realized that he had a difficult childhood and obviously lacked some social skills. Benito’s heart was heavy for the boy and wondered how life could be so cruel to any one person. No wonder he was this way, he thought to himself.

  Sylvia, on the other hand, had seen the worst and the best in people. Her father had been a drunk who was abusive toward her mother. His accidental death was a welcome relief though her mother cried for days afterward. George, her brother, left home at an early age to get away from their father. He returned four years later when he learned of his father’s death; killed when he staggered into oncoming traffic. He tried to persuade their mother to move to New York with him where he had joined the police force. Nevertheless, she refused, noting that all her friends and family were here and that here is where she belonged. Sylvia, though wanting to leave as well, would not desert her mother and remained.

  As the evening wound down, Benito refrained from mentioning anything to do with what happened after Theo and his mother left Chicago. He felt it was inappropriate at this time and actually felt it would be in the boy’s best interest if they could put it all behind them. When Davino almost brought up the subject, his cousin quickly changed the subject and gave him a look, a clear indication that he was not to go there. The rest of the evening, filled with idle conversation on the latest news and sports left Theo uneasy. When Carlos tried to include Theo by asking what he thought of Karl Spooner, Theo responded with, “Who?”

  “Everyone knows Dodger, Karl Spooner. He struck out 15 New York Giants in his first game,” Davino said almost laughing.

  Davino, realizing he made Theo uncomfortable added, “Of course you wouldn’t know, you just got into town,” and apologized for his comments. Davino, though a kind person, was sometimes blunt to a fault.

  Such comments were usually followed by a long silent pause and would be interrupted by Benito who would either bring up a joke he heard or ask if there is anything he could get Theo to drink. By the time the even
ing was over, he asked Theo six times if he could get him a drink or something.

  At around 9:00pm, Theo got up and told everyone he was leaving. He needed a chance to rest up after the long trip and was looking forward to a good night’s sleep. Everyone got up to say goodbye. Davino gave Theo a hearty handshake and patted him on the back, which made Theo uneasy. Calito could see it in Theo’s face so he just smiled at him and nodded. Benito gave him a hug and so did Sonia. Ana asked him to bend down so she could hug him as well. Sylvia walked him to the door and shook his hand.

  “I hope I will see you again,” she told him hesitantly yet anxious for their next meeting.

  He stared into her green eyes and once again felt awkward and nodded. No other woman had affected him this way. Her free spirit and light heart were as foreign to him as world peace.

  Saying his goodbyes, he left the second floor apartment building and though greeted by a cold brisk wind, was glad to be out in the open. Two minutes later, he was back in his apartment.

  The Call to Bolnaldo

  Chicago/New York

  Sitting in his New York office Bolnaldo Costellino was amused when he got the word that Al Giovanna wanted to speak with him. Both he and Clemente knew that Al Giovanna had not set him up; they figured it out. They now knew that Ricardo Gallo set him up when he gave him a coat and hat similar to what he was wearing when he entered La Ristorante that night. No one noticed it until one of Bolnaldo’s men saw Ricardo Gallo leaving the scene half an hour later. He was dressed exactly as Bolnaldo. Allowing the Giovanna family to believe that they succeeded with their plot to target Bolnaldo gave him the advantage of doing things his way, without having to clear it with the Sabrisio brothers or any member of the Giovanna family. In fact, to convince them, Clemente, on Bolnaldo’s orders sent the four men, Mario Pierina, Rico Vitalia, and the brothers Louie and Eddie Bertolonia back to Chicago with the message that as a gesture of good faith he was sparing their lives.

  It had also been reported that the four police officers who happened to be at La Ristorante on that particular day were from Queens and they had received four dinner gift certificates valid for that particular day and time. It did not take an Einstein to figure it all out.

  Over the last twelve years, Bolnaldo had expanded his enterprises into the Bronx and had doubled the number of soldiers working for him. Joining him were his sons, Tony and Bolnaldo junior as well as two new Lieutenants; Joseph Coleto and Malco Lombardi.

  Joseph Coleto was instrumental in incorporating street gangs to traffic their drugs and run numbers. Most were under age and when captured could not be prosecuted as adults and for most, being first offenders, were released back onto the streets. As an incentive, Coleto warned the kids that if captured they could no longer work for him. The kids quickly adapted and came up with ingenious ideas on how not to get caught.

  The money and the disadvantages these kids faced was another incentive on why many of them later became the drug dealers of the future. One of those kids, 12-year-old Louis Sanchez, became the leader of the Black Aces, a ruthless gang who brought in young new clients by throwing parties where drugs of all kinds were readily available. Over the next seven years, the Aces became more and more dangerous as they began to carry guns and semiautomatics to protect their business. Though young, Sanchez’s fearless attitude and his streetwise mouth earned him the respect of his peers and those older than him. He would rule for almost seven years and would lose his crown and eventually his life, when he mistakenly underestimated a seventeen year old, Jose Torres. Such was the law of the streets.

  Speaking with Al Giovanna, Bolnaldo agreed to come to Chicago to hash things out.

  From Bolnaldo’s point of view, he had become much stronger and was now prepared to meet the Sabrisio’s and Giovanna family at an equal footing. As a precaution, six of his best men would accompany him to Chicago.

  A Ray of Sunshine

  South Wabash/Chicago

  Two days after Theo had dinner with the Randazzo’s he was staring at the collection of pictures sprawled out on his bed. This is all he had left of the memories he shared with his parents. Of better times when his world did not know the agony of losing the people he loved most. His heart ached to see his father once again or to have his mother hold him in her arms. The pictures brought him back to that fateful day his father died. No, not the day he died, but the day he was killed, thought Theo.

  Theo’s thoughts were interrupted by a knock on his door.

  It was Benito Randazzo’s cousin, Carmine Davino.

  “Theo, it’s me, Carmine.” Theo heard Carmine say through the closed door.

  Theo did not really care for Carmine. He had nothing against him. There was just something he did not like about him.

  “What do you want?” Theo asked him after opening the door.

  “I want to talk to you. About what happened. You know about the day your father was killed,” Carmine said.

  Theo stared at him for a few seconds, digesting what he had said.

  “Come in,” Theo said stepping aside and allowing him passage into the apartment.

  “I am sorry to bother you, kid. But I wanted to tell you about what happened that day. Why I wasn’t there to help your father,” Carmine said as he walked on into the apartment.

  “What are you talking about?” asked Theo.

  “Theo, I was in charge of protecting the storeowners from getting harassed by those thugs. That’s why they hired me. On the day your father’s shop was bombed I left the area with a girl I had met. We went to the beach. It was my fault. I should have stayed, but she insisted and I was weak. I screwed up. If I had not gone, I might have been able to stop those men from harming your father. I’m so sorry, Theo. I am here asking for your forgiveness,” Carmine said on the verge of tears.

  His weary, sad eyes met Theo’s with an unspoken plea.

  Theo stared at Carmine as if he didn’t understand what Carmine wanted from him.

  “So you screwed up and my father is dead. Is that what you are saying?” Theo asked him.

  Carmine was caught off guard by Theo’s question.

  “I didn’t think anything was going to happen. I thought the storeowners were exaggerating the situation. I swear I didn’t think anyone would be harmed. If I had known, I swear I would have never left the area. I would have sacrificed myself for your father. He was a good man,” Carmine told Theo.

  “Carmine, do you remember seeing the men that were in my father’s store that day?” Theo asked.

  “I… I don’t think I ever saw them,” Carmine responded.

  Theo walked over to the bed and started going through the pictures.

  Carmine followed Theo into the bedroom and saw all the old pictures sprawled out on the bed.

  “Oh, my God, these are your pictures. The ones you took with that old camera of yours when you were a kid,” said Carmine.

  Carmine picked up a few and started going through them one by one.

  “Wow. I remember Mrs. Cruz and there is Carlos. He was young then,” Carmine commented.

  “Oh Jesus, here I am walking with that girl, Gina. What was her last name?” Carmine said to himself.

  “I never saw her again after that day. She disappeared. Benito thinks she was planted there to get me out of the area so they could hit your father,” Carmine said, almost to himself.

  “What?” Theo asked, now staring at him.

  Realizing what he had just said he tried to retract his words.

  “Of course, I… I didn’t agree with him. It was just a coincidence. I think she got scared when she heard about the bombing and that’s why she never came back,” Carmine told Theo.

  “Who was she?” Theo asked.

  “Her name was Gina something. I don’t remember anymore,” Carmine replied.

  Handing Carmine a couple of pictures Theo asked,

  “How about these men, do you know them?”

  After examining the pictures, Carmine handed them back telling
him that he had never seen them before.

  Carmine grabbed a handful of pictures and started going through them as he too began to reminiscence on how things were.

  Theo stared at Carmine as he sat on the edge of the bed and was going through the pictures.

  Theo was wondering if he should kill him. After all, he could have saved his father and he didn’t. But, was it his fault, probably not. Plus, he was related to Mr. Randazzo and Calito. They were his friends and they would probably be upset, thought Theo.

  Annoyed, Theo told Carmine, “You need to go.”

  “Oh. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be nosy,” Carmine responded.

  Carmine got up and walked out of the bedroom followed by Theo.

  Turning, Carmine once again apologized to Theo for what happened so many years ago.

  Theo stared at Carmine, nodded and said he understood as he headed towards the door.

  Leading him to the door, Theo saw the honest concern in his eyes.

  “Thank you Carmine for coming over,” Theo told him.

  As Carmine walked down the hall, Theo shouted out to him,

  “Carmine, it was not your fault. I’ll see you later.”

  With that, Carmine turned and nodded back at Theo feeling as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

  Theo stepped back into his apartment and walked over to the bed. He picked up the picture of the two men and that of Carmine with Gina and put them aside. After searching through the pictures further, he found a couple of Nick Costello and added it to the pile he had put aside. After showering, he decided to go to the butcher shop to see if Benito Randazzo knew any of the men in the picture.

  Ten minutes later, he was going out the front of the building and within a minute was at the shop. Once again, the store was filled with customers, some sitting and some standing, waiting for their number to be called. At the other end of the shop he spotted Sonia, Calito’s wife, sitting at a small table going over some papers. To his left he saw both Calito and Benito servicing the customers. Benito, seeing Theo nodded and gestured for him to go to the back. Theo made his way through the crowd of customers and stopped at the end of the four-foot counter, short of going into the back hallway. He watched as both father and son worked together to fill each order as it came in. He also saw Carmine at the other end, also busy cutting up meats and handing orders over the counter to the customers. Benito finished up with a customer and walked over to Theo.