Aftermath

    
AFTERMATH

      
 
Alfonzo

     
Volume VII

COPYRIGHT 2012 S.W. FRANK

*
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system in any form without prior written permission of the author.

AUTHOR’S NOTE:

This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and events portrayed in this story are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead is entirely coincidental
.

                               
Dedication

This novel is dedicated to those who have triumphed over adversity and who continue to smile and dance to beautiful songs in this precarious life.

                                  -S. W. Frank

"
Life’s the gr
eatest teacher
of wisdom,

The best
students are those who listen."

                    
-
Alberti Luca
Giacanti

       
(Capo de tutti of the Giacanti clan)

The darkest hours pass,

My
love’s
light
’s cast
,

I
s
welcome illumination,

A
blackened
heart’s Hope.

                                       -
Alfonzo

                             
In
tragedy’s
aftermath,

                             
Burnt
ruins remain.

                             
Sift through
its
wreckage,

                             
Grasp sturdy post,

                              Mortar with
Love
,

                             
I
t
’s
solid
anchor,

                             
In which to
re
build
,

                             
Immovable in its strength,

                             
Unwavering
in the wind,

                              Erect pillars
us
–again.

                                                          -Selange

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

THE GATHERING

Palermo
,
Italy. 48 hours after Alberti Luca
’s death
.

Wherever the death occurs, the body is brought back to the family home.
It is embalmed then
placed in an open coffin
where
family and fri
ends come to pay
their
respect. T
o
day was the second day
of viewing
and
mourners
continued to f
low through the doors
to
offer
their
condolences
to Bianca Luca
.
Among the horde
, were n
eighbors, dignitaries
and
friends
. Then there were the 
Mafiosi
who
came with their
triteness
. First, they
paid
respect to the
trio
of suited
Don’s
in the parlor
with armed men in every corner of the room. The visitors
mov
ed
in single file
. They expressed sy
mpathies to Alberti’s son, g
ave a
customary acknowledgement to Don Giuseppe and deference to the
third
man known as Alfonzo.
They
kiss
ed
his
ring then reached in
side
the
ir
fresh
suits for
stuffed envelopes filled with cash
.
Their monetary offerings
were discreetly
handed to
Alfonzo’s
Capo
and placed inside a large
wooden
box
sitting atop a decorative stand
with
in arm’s reach
of the
Big Boss
.
Th
e
display
of reverence did not go unnoticed by Alberti’s wife.
Evers
ince
Alfonzo’s arrival,
high-ranking
men arrived in droves
and their actions were
always
the same.

The
American
was
the
ruling
Boss of Bosses
in Italy and America
, the first
of
its
kind
. His businesses ran
the gambit
from real estate development
, waste management
to
internet companies
.
He’s reputed to have insiders in the stock markets, international banks,
government
offices along with corrupt police and judges in his pocket
on every coast
. He delegated
control
of the gambling and money laundering
operation
to high ranking families
and maintained
dogged oversight
. Alfonzo
steered clear of the drug
, arms
smuggling
and prostitution trades and
prompted
those
in his organization to
do the same. He preferred not to
dirty
his
hands with it.
F
amilies who dabbled in th
ose illicit activities
knew not to use any
businesses
controlled by the Capo de tutti
. The
lines of demarcation were clearly drawn and anyone found in violation often disappeared.

Among the criminal elite
Alfonzo
was both respected and feared
. He was a savvy businessman, low-key
and
not reckless like his cousin Giuseppe
. Alberti’s proclamation prior to his death was spoken
and
he named
Alfonzo
as his successor of the
Giacanti clan.

The further
elevation in
status
gave the youngest of the three
men
p
olitical
clout. Alfonzo Diaz-Giacanti had become a revered man
in the syndicate.
The generous contributions to
election campaigns and
donations to reputable
charities
fostered an air of legitimacy
many in organized crime failed to
attain.
Therefore, h
is colleagues were not concerned with his
minor legal problem in America;
they considered it posturing by
an elitist
government to slow the progression of a
mixed heritage man. He’d grown powerful
behind the scenes
and
in their view
might
upset the status quo.
But, if they looked carefully, the
oppressed
were
r
ising politically and economically
, whi
ch
ultimately is
the
plan.

T
he hoarding and privileged
few were
bigot
ed snobs
who
believed pigmentation
or
wealth
entitled
them
to
rights beyond human ones
. They
were the most reluctant to
embrace
change.
Alberti
had
considered such
people
parasites
on society
and Alfonzo agreed.

Alfonzo’s tactics to break th
ose in opposition
included extortion and bribes. When their will sna
pped
, Alfonzo
received
immense
satisfaction
. Falsely superior men with large egos did not require force, simple coercion worked
and eventually they ben
t
. A scandal of any sort
shatter
ed their resolve and
sense of entitlement
. They were not accustomed to a man
they considered inferior
to wield such power
.
In their racist eyes, he was nothing but a spic, a thug and a second-class man
–until proven otherwise
.

Alfonzo
wore the ring of his grandfather; a jeweled platinum band with the Giacanti crest
.
It was the ‘
Supremo
,’ and t
he stern men flanking him
represented
unity
and af
firmation of his station.
They did not question or disagree. Many heard the stories of the Giacanti’s since they were children.
These men were descendants of a king, their ancestors aided in opposing rising food costs and taxes to the poor. They gave shelter to refugees and provided monetary supplement to destitute farmers in Sicily during and after World War II.

I
n 1944
the
Giacanti
’s
were
believed
obliterated
in
a bloody
massacre. The mournful wails of the villagers some say
were
heard as far as Sardinia. It was a sad
time for many. To learn not everyone perished and
three sons survived and
bore
sons
brought
resurgence
in the
spirit
s of those considered
the underclass.
Th
e
processions of Mafioso were the
descendants of families aided
by Sergio Giacanti and his wife
during those years of war and strife. Their allegiance was ironclad.
 

Alfonzo
gave a
subtle nod
and o
ne by one the men in their Italian shoes
proceeded
across
the
shiny
teak floor
toward the widow.
Bianca Luca
sat
regally
like
a portrait
of an aristocrat in the
huge living-room
beside her husband’s coffin
. She wore
her hair pulled back to display her oval shaped face
. She represented sophistication and wealth clad in
stylish black.
The
sun-kissed skin gleamed
beneath the
natural light
coming through
the
window
. T
he face they saw did not belong to a senior lady, but a lovely woman who looked more like a daughter.