A Lifetime of Vengeance

by Pete PJ Grondin

  “I love you.” Pat hung up the phone.

  “I love you, too” she whispered to the dial tone.

  Chapter 49

  At 9:20 PM, the semi truck pulled into the warehouse at Albertson’s farm. The large bay-sized door closed behind it. Radar told himself to remain cool and wait. He’d made the run across the 1500 yards from where he’d been watching the farm and was now just seventy-five yards from the warehouse. It wouldn’t take any time at all to cross the field behind the white slatted fence to get to the warehouse. There were several entrances to the building. The warehouse was about two hundred feet long by eighty-four feet wide and had double high bay doors. The building siding was steel painted light beige with dark brown trim. It looked like it was painted every two weeks as clean and fresh as the paint job looked. The roof looked to be a standard 4-12 pitch. Not much need for anything greater in Florida.

  After another fifteen minutes, two vehicles approached. The cars parked around the back side of the warehouse so that they weren’t visible from the road. Two men got out of each car. One had a briefcase. He couldn’t tell from that distance what they were carrying, but this was drug business. You had to assume that everyone was carrying some kind of heat. Two more men exited the farm house and went to the warehouse from the front and entered the front service door. The men who’d arrived in the cars headed for the back service door to the building and went inside. The sun had set to the west and visibility was getting bad. Radar got out his night vision scope and put it over his head. He watched the road for other vehicles. He expected at least two more. He noticed a dark van go by the property twice. That was of interest, though nothing to be concerned about. Then he noticed a dark sedan go past the property. The car looked a bit too ‘official’. Just something else to keep in mind. There was very little traffic on County Road 450 and none on Lake Yale Road. It would be easy to keep track of any cars that might approach the warehouse. This is a great location for an operation like this. Time was passing slowly now, as he became more attentive to every detail that came to his senses. There, two more cars approaching. These two also went to the back of the warehouse. Three men got out of the first vehicle, an SUV of some type. Two got out of the second sedan. They also went to the back service door and disappeared.

  Radar looked at his watch. 9:45 PM. Showtime. He started to make his way to the warehouse along the fence line of the pasture. It was an easy path and he knew he had plenty of time to get to the action. As he moved, he took a magazine of 24 rounds and plugged it into the MP5 Carbine. He had plenty of spares should the need arise. It was his hope that all he needed to do was observe.

  Inside the warehouse, a police band radio was crackling. Jason was introducing Pat and Joe to Sonny Albertson. Buddy and Phil were standing behind the group looking on. Sonny was not pleasant and not really interested in meeting the new partners, especially since this deal was particularly large. The tension was already higher than with a normal deal, and Jason had to throw in this twist.

  “I ain’t pleased about this little twist, Jase.” Sonny said to Jason.

  “Sonny, my man, relax. This is going to work out just fine. These boys know the business real well, and they’re real good with their guns. They both got some military background. Have I ever steered you wrong?”

  “No, but I still ain’t happy.” He turned to Pat and Joe and said with a surly grunt, “I’m going to be watching you both real close, you understand?”

  Pat took two steps closer and jutted out his chin, “Likewise,” was all he said. That didn’t appear to make Sonny Albertson happy. Joe shifted a little from one foot to another. He and Pat were packing Heckler and Koch 9mm semi automatics, but they didn’t have the firepower to stand up to an assault by these hoods. They were carrying a couple of shotguns that appeared to be more suited for hunting than guarding a large load of dope. But Buddy and Phil were loaded for bear with M16 A2s. All in all, there were seven Albertsons and associates, Jason, Buddy, Phil, Pat and Joe in the warehouse. The tension was pretty high, but was broken when one of the Albertson boys said, “Are we gonna do this or what?”

  Sonny Albertson gave the word with a mere nod of his head. He remained staring at Pat except when his eyes shifted to Joe. The man with the briefcase tossed it up on a table, opened it and stood back. Jason approached, picked a seemingly random bundle of bills and flipped through them. He didn’t bother to count because that would literally take hours. Apparently they’d done enough business together that there was trust or an understanding that the amount would be correct.

  Pat said to Jason, “I thought that business was conducted in the farm house? I really don’t like it when things happen unexpectedly. I think that you, me and Sonny here ought to take this part of the business in the house.”

  Sonny simply barked at Pat, “We’ll do business where I say, and we’re doing it here.”

  “Okay, but next time when I’m told something, I expect that it goes that way. Either of you have a problem with that?”

  Sonny looked at Jason then back to Pat and said almost in a growl, “You’ll do business how I say. If you don’t like it . . .”

  Jason stepped in. “Sonny, cool off. I told him that’s how we do it and he’s right. If we say we’re doing something a certain way, we should do it that way. Pat, if you don’t mind, we’ll do it here this time. Look, we’re all going to make lots of money. We can work on details next time. Okay?”

  Tensions eased slightly but the tension was still high.

  The inside of the warehouse had a gantry crane that was large enough to ride over the semi’s trailer. As they were talking, the Albertson boys, Seth and Will were making preparations to move the crane to a position where they could remove the contents of the trailer. Beside the trailer were several vans with their doors open, ready to load. The first pallet of bales was being lifted and moved to the first van near one set of roll up doors. By Pat’s calculation, it would take about 45 minutes for the vans to be loaded. It was no wonder why men took the risk to deal in drugs. It was a multimillion dollar profit every year, and you only had to do this a half dozen times a year. Dealing was risky, but the risks were minimized when you had an efficient operation like this one.

  Radar was standing beside the service door near the back of the warehouse. He listened for any activity inside the warehouse, then cracked the door open ever so slowly, listening for any squeaky hinges. He had the door open just enough to peer inside. It looked like everything was going smoothly. He counted heads to make sure that everyone was accounted for and slipped inside the door. He moved behind a set of shelves that held farming equipment parts and other garage mechanics supplies. His movements were slow and stealthy and he maintained visual contact with every member of the crowd. He listened to the conversations going on, but there was little in the way of small talk. These guys were all concentrating on the business at hand. The only thing he noticed was a bit of tension between Pat and Sonny Albertson. He decided that there would be no ambush in here so he moved back to a position closer to the door. He was settling in to a surveillance position. This would be a short night. No problems. Once the deal was done and the warehouse cleared out, he could leave without anyone knowing that he was there at all.

  * * *

  Back in the City of Umatilla, the Lake County Drug Task Force was getting their gear ready. Several members of the Orange County Drug Task force were there as well. Johnny Poleirmo headed up the Orange County Unit. He’d been reinstated. Internal Affairs turned up evidence that his captain had conspired with Ray Krebs to protect one Jason Roberts and his organization.

  Sheriff Henry ‘Hank’ Franklin was the lead for this operation. They had six sheriff’s cars, one surveillance van, and a spotter car involved in the bust. The brief was over, and they were ready to move on Hank’s signal. The plan was to go in silent from both ends of Lake Yale Road so that there was no escape path for any vehicles at the farm. They would approach without lights until they were at the wareh
ouse, then make a loud speaker announcement that the place was surrounded. Hank hoped to have this wrapped up peacefully. He’d had suspicions about Sonny Albertson’s kids, but he had no idea that the old man was involved. Hell, they went to church together. “Alright, men, let’s ride.” It sounded like a posse in a western. The cars moved out, one by one, each with their assignments. No lights, no alarms, no warning until everyone was in place. No radio contact either. It would take about five minutes to get to the Albertson’s farm. The ride was tense. Johnny rode with Hank in the lead car.

  “How’d you find out about this deal, detective?” Hank asked Johnny.

  “I’ve got two guys on the inside. I’ve known the one for a long time. We were friends for a while, but then his life got screwed up a bit. He straightened himself out though. Spent some time in the military. His brother, too. Marine Special Forces. They’re a couple of fine men now.”

  “Well let’s hope that this goes off without a hitch, and we’ll see where we go from here. If these fellas are as good as you say, I’d like to thank them when this is over.”

  They rode the rest of the way in silence. When they were about 200 yards from the farmhouse on Lake Yale Road, they heard a siren off in the distance. It sounded like an ambulance but they couldn’t be sure.

  “Oh shit!” was Hanks only comment.

  Inside the warehouse, Sonny Albertson heard it too. He signaled for his boys to stop the crane. They listened as the siren appeared to get closer to the Albertson Farm.

  Sonny pointed to two men and said, “You two, out the front service door and see if that cop’s coming here. If you see him approaching, get your asses back in here.

  Radar tensed as he listened to the siren get closer. He wasn’t watching for police though. His eyes were darting from man to man to see if anyone was freaking out, or if they were keeping their cool. One of the Albertson boys on the crane was beginning to fidget around a bit. He looked as if he could dive off the crane to the floor. He reached to the floor of the crane and picked up his shotgun and gave it a once over. He appeared to be ready for a fight. That might be my first target, Radar thought.

  The two men went outside the warehouse door and looked down the road in the direction of the siren and saw nothing. They stood there for a moment longer and were just about ready to step back in when they saw the cars approaching the warehouse. Then they saw the mounted flashers on top of the cars. They were only about one hundred fifty yards up the road and closing fast. The two ran back inside the warehouse and shouted, “Cops! Right up the road!”

  Sonny turned to Jason with an angry look on his face. “You told me that these two were clean.” He glared at Jason a moment longer then raised his 9mm and pointed it at Jason, then shifted it towards Pat. Before he could get a bead on Pat, Radar let loose with a short, silenced burst from his MP5. The whispering sound of the rounds could be heard, but was merely confusing to the crowd in the warehouse. Joe was the only one who recognized the sweet sound of silenced death. Sonny Albertson was knocked back by the impact. Radar wasted no time re-sighting on the Albertson boy in the crane. Another quick burst and he was dead, falling from the crane to the back of the semi truck. Two of the men ran to the vans and started to open the high bay doors. They started the vans and squealed the tires in an attempt to get out before the sheriff’s cars arrived. One van tried to make it through the doors before they were open. The roof of the van caught the bottom of the door, making a loud scraping noise. Once the door was clear, the van sped off around the back of the warehouse. Their escape from the warehouse was cut off by several Sheriff’s cars. The second van had a similar fate. Both driver’s got out and raised their hands, knowing that they had no chance of escape.

  Inside the warehouse, Jason Roberts looked at his fallen business associate, Sonny, and ran to the east side service door. Phil and Buddy followed. Pat and Joe retreated behind a work bench at the west side of the warehouse. They went down on one knee behind the bench on the same side of the warehouse as Radar. Pat and Joe were looking around the warehouse for any threats. Joe spotted Radar, and was confused by the figure in military style uniform, sporting a night scope on top of his head. He thought that this guy was really out of place. Where did he come from? He didn’t remember seeing him enter the warehouse. He tapped Pat on the shoulder and pointed in Radar’s direction. Pat gave a similar look of confusion. Joe recognized the MP5 Carbine with attached silencer and figured he must be on their side. He’d taken out Sonny Albertson before he could shoot Pat.

  Their attention was drawn to gunfire that was coming in their direction. It was M16 fire from Buddy and Phil. Jason Roberts also had a pistol firing in their direction.

  “I guess the partnership is over,” Pat said to Joe.

  “Looks that way. I guess they aren’t happy with the arrangements anymore.”

  They both raised their 9mm pistols to return fire, but couldn’t get much of a view from behind the shelves. They sat there with guns in hand and hoped that they weren’t rushed or they’d be dead men. Then another silenced burst headed in the direction of the west service door. They heard a groan and someone shout, “I’m hit, motherfucker, I’m hit!” They heard the service door open and close and there was silence inside the warehouse. They heard car doors open and close and lots of yelling outside. There were no more shots fired. It sounded like the Lake County Sheriff’s department had things in hand. Pat and Joe cautiously stood and looked around the warehouse. There appeared to be no threat left inside, so they laid their guns on the floor and stood. They looked over to where the uniformed gunman had been, but he was nowhere to be seen. They walked out away from the shelves, continued to scan the empty warehouse, and kept their empty hands in front of them. The doors to the warehouse flew open, startling the brothers momentarily. The Sheriff’s deputies ordered them to lay face down on the ground, hands spread. They did so gladly.

  Johnny Poleirmo and Sheriff Hank Franklin entered the warehouse and saw Joe and Pat face down, being cuffed. Detective Poleirmo went over to where Pat lay and said, “Hey Pat, I’d like you to meet Sheriff Hank Franklin.”

  “Hey Johnny, can I get up first?” Pat asked.

  “I guess that’d be alright.”

  Chapter 50

  Pat and Joe met Hank Franklin and shook his hand. They swapped war stories briefly. It turned out that Hank was also an ex-Marine and had been stationed at Camp Lejeune briefly. Another of the Sheriff’s Deputies had been in the Navy on the Carrier Nimitz. He was an MP, not a nuke like Pat.

  Pat introduced his brother Joe to Detective Poleirmo. The detective gave them praise for their part in this major bust. He said that he’d like to talk with them about possible work in the future. Pat asked the detective if he and his wife would be interested in coming to a barbeque in Dunnellon some time. He assured Pat that he would.

  Joe and Pat gave their statements to the Lake County Sheriff’s department and promised to testify whenever the trial was scheduled. They had no pressing matters on their schedules, unless Lisa managed to set the hook. Then Joe might have a wedding to attend. It was 12:15 AM when Pat and Joe left the Lake County Sheriff’s office and headed for Pine Hills. They thought about stopping for a beer, but decided that it could wait. On the way home, Joe asked Pat again who in the hell he thought that this mystery guy was. And again, Pat answered that he had no idea. They both agreed on one thing, they wanted to thank him.

  Joe got to his apartment at just after 1:00 AM. He offered to have Pat stay the night, but Pat refused. He had to get home and see Diane. “I want to look in at my kids and see them sleeping soundly. I want to kiss my wife. I want to sleep in my own bed. I’ll call you tomorrow sometime.” Pat looked at Joe and said, “It’s finally over. We didn’t get to do the honors, but it’s really over.”

  “Those kind of honors aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. You should know.”

  “You’re right. At first, I thought that I’d feel some relief. I thought that killing Danny would make
me happy. It wasn’t like that at all. It was like dread. I think I’ll be going to church next Sunday.”

  Joe headed upstairs to his apartment and was met halfway by Lisa. She threw her arms around Joe and kissed him hard on the lips, then hugged him again. They headed up the rest of the stairs together.

  Pat headed for Dunnellon. He was dead tired from the strain of the evening, but he had no trouble making the drive. When he pulled into his drive, Diane ran out to the car and gave Pat the same routine as Lisa gave Joe. “Don’t you ever do this to me again,” she said and kissed him hard again. They went inside to their bedroom, made love for an hour, and then slept until 8:00 the next morning. They were hauled from their bed by two very excited kids.

  “Hi Daddy. We’re starving,” they shouted, smiled, and laughed.

  “Okay you two. We’re coming.”

  Diane whispered in Pat’s ear, “And we’ll be coming again later tonight,” and she licked his ear.

  Anna said, “Yuck. Mommy licked Daddy’s ear.”

  “Yuck,” Sean repeated after his little sister.

  * * *

  It was the Thursday morning after Brian Purcer and the Hot Licks opening concert. Brian had invited Pat, Diane, Joe, Lisa, Al Michaels, and his girlfriend to the show as his backstage guests. It was a sold out show at the Orange County Convention Center. Brian had three more shows around Florida over the next week. One was in Tampa so he had time to spend the day in Dunnellon at Pat and Diane’s. The whole group came to the barbeque for a late lunch and an afternoon of relaxation. Johnny and Rachael Poleirmo were there, too. Pat had barbequed ribs and chicken on the grill and cold beer and wine in the refrigerator. They were out on the patio enjoying the view of trees behind the house. The six of them were talking about Brian’s concert and how he was really enjoying the early success of the band’s CD. Brian was cautioning everyone that success was fleeting in this business. “It’s too easy to get caught up in the excitement and blow it. Lots of stars die without a dime to their names,” Brain said.