Fahrenheit 1600 (Victor Kozol) (17 page)

Chapter 32

The FBI

At 9:00 a.m. the next day Karen called her Uncle
John in Philadelphia from a friend’s house. She spent several minutes
recounting, as best she could recollect, this one of a kind story.

Later that same day Agent John contacted Vic at the
number Karen had given him. “Listen Vic, don’t say anything just write this
down. Take Karen’s car and get on the northeast extension of the turnpike
heading south. Exit at Allentown and head west on Route 22 to Route 100. Look
for the Holiday Inn Hotel. When you get there go directly to room 401. Leave
right now.”

Karen had already taken Vic’s suburban to work and
left the keys for her Toyota behind. One hour later, upon turning off Route
100, Vic sees two signs. Left is for the Stroh brewery tour and right is to the
hotel. Ahead is the five story brick brew house. Vic knows where he would
rather go.

Finding room 401, Vic is greeted by a tall red
haired fiftyish looking guy in a gray suit. This is agent John Flaherty,
Karen’s uncle. Standing next to him is a younger, taller guy in another gray
suit looking equally as official. This is Agent Robert Kleckner.

“Come on in Vic. Coffee?”

“No thanks, I’m not thirsty right now.”

Agent Flaherty directs Vic to a green upholstered
chair and the two agents sit on a love seat opposite him.

“First Vic, I believe your story. We were quite
surprised that the notorious DellVeccio family has penetrated Pennsylvania for
the first time in our memory. For this I take personal offense, because now
they are operating in my territory.”

John further knows that the mob is getting a lot of
heat in New York from prosecutors like Giuliani and a newly energized,
non-Hoover FBI. It was J Edgar who never seemed to want to go head-to-head with
organized crime. It was even alleged that Hoover, being a major horse track
gambler himself, was ‘in bed’ with some crime figures. John knew these days of
avoiding mob crime were over and he would not get resistance from higher ups in
the agency if he mounted this investigation. It might, if successful, even get
him a promotion. He continues. “Getting rid of incriminating evidence,
especially bodies of people they have offed, has always been a high priority of
crime families. So, I am not shocked that you were enlisted to help in one of
their operations.”

“Now, as to your involvement Vic, I can’t promise immunity
from prosecution or any deal at this time. We simply know too little about this
scheme to talk particulars. In fact, we only know the second-hand story from my
niece at this point. What I will say, if all of this proves to be true and you
help us, we will go to the proper authorities at the appropriate time and try
to work out the most favorable deal possible for you.”

So, Vic recounts for the two agents all he knows of
the DellVeccio syndicate through his contacts with Sam and Vinnie. He fleshes
in the details of the general story Karen already told them.

“Okay,” Vic says, “I told you everything I know.
Keep me posted on how it works out, see you guys later.”

“Not so fast Vic, we have very little to go on here.
First, all of the bodies and their remains have been destroyed by the
cremations you performed. Even any ashes are long gone into the Chesapeake Bay
by now. And the fire that destroyed your crematorium has wiped out any forensic
evidence we could get there. We will link up with Mike Shoemaker the Fire
Marshall to see what evidence he has, but we don’t think any of it will trace
back to the DellVeccios in New York. Let’s face it, any evidence we have traces
back to you only, Vic.”

“I knew I shouldn’t have come. My situation is
hopeless. I’ll just have to take my chances. Thanks anyway guys.”

“Vic again, you’re jumping to conclusions here. I
didn’t say we could never reach the people who set you up, but we probably
can’t get to them without your help.”

“Hey John, really that’s all I know. Can’t you use
your Dick Tracy wrist radio and put out a warrant for their arrest and round
them all up?”

“Like I said earlier Vic, round them up for what? We
need for you to re-establish contact with Sam and Vinnie so that we can catch
them in the act of illegally disposing of a body they have murdered.”

“You mean I pretend everything is still kosher with
them, and try to trap them?”

“Something along those lines Vic.”

“This option sounds more dangerous for me than
keeping them happy.”

“Vic, now that we know about it, that option for you
is gone. We either have to prosecute you for what you say you did, or cut a
deal with you to go after the big fish.”

“Somehow I knew there was more to this than just
driving down here and talking.”

Vic is conflicted when he leaves the hotel for the
return trip to Duryea. He can see light at the end of the tunnel, once Sam,
Vinnie, and the others are locked up. But, he also knows any wrong moves while
dealing with them and that light at the end of the tunnel could be an oncoming
train.

Just as when he got into this bad deal, he is now in
with the law in an effort to extricate himself from Sam and company. In two
days the FBI sets up a command center at the Woodlands on Route 315 about five
miles from Duryea. Vic is called in for the first meeting on Monday morning. He
is now sitting in a hotel room at the hotel with Agents John and Robert, plus a
third guy they call Gus. Gus is an electronics guru who is manning computers
and a tape recorder set up on a long table.

“Vic, before we get into this, are you ready to take
a lie detector test?”

“Sure Bob, anything you say to get this done.”

“Okay, this will come later, but for right now we
have to give you your introductory 101 course on being an informant. There are
some do’s and don’ts that have to be abided by you at all times.”

“Do I carry a gun from now on?”

“Vic, we don’t think that would be in your best
interest.”

“Yah, but I have this suspicion that they always are
carrying in my presence.”

“Let’s shift gears and get back on track. They are
never going to return to Duryea unless we can get the crematory back and
running as the bait. It’s the key to the whole operation, Vic.”

“Well see, there is a financial problem there. The
crematory leasing company isn’t going to give me another one, if I don’t pay
them back nearly $50,000 I owe for the one that got destroyed. Before you say
insurance, I screwed up there, and don’t have any, just for the building.”

John knows that the mob is too savvy for a pretend
scheme; he needs to build a real crematory in Duryea. They go back and forth
the rest of the morning trying to figure out a way to get around this problem.

Finally, Robert says, “Vic, I just got off the phone
with my superiors, and here is what we are going to do. You will build a
smaller garage for maybe half of the $60,000 insurance and we will come up with
the other $20,000 to pay off the retort. This will clear the books with the
crematory company and you will be able to lease a new one.”

“You might have to up that to $30,000 because they
will also want an upfront deposit on the new lease.”

“Okay Vic, consider you have the money and let’s get
the project rolling.”

If only Sam knew that the FBI was facilitating the
new crematory just to help them bring in more bodies,
Vic thought to
himself.

“We will tap both incoming and outgoing calls on
your phones. This will allow us to monitor you when you give Sam updates on the
progress of the new crematory. We may even have you invite Sam down for a
progress tour at some point. Then we can get pictures and maybe some more
critical information.”

“Do I really have to meet with him again?”

“Afraid so Vic, he is your contact with the family.
Vinnie appears to be only a low level runner and muscle man.”

Vic can attest to the job description for Vinnie.

“You said that you are going to have to go to New
York and pick up the next body.”

“Yah, that’s their way of punishing me for letting
the retort burn down.”

“We will have you wear a wire for that trip and have
your SUV equipped with cameras.”

“You don’t think these guys are not going to search
me and the Suburban?”

“We don’t know, but the New York office will be
alerted to provide backup should anything get out of hand.”

“Out of hand? This sounds like the movies where
everyone comes out shooting. Everyone except me who doesn’t have a gun,
remember?”

“Vic it is our job to see that it never gets that
far. You’ll just have to trust us on this.”

Chapter 33

Sam Tells Almost All

The scheduled meeting at Rosselli’s is not all
wine and roses. During the business session Carlo calls on Sal Travisi to
report on his area of collections and enforcement. Sal, looks every bit a
seasoned gangster, complete with scars and other markings testifying to an
earlier life on the hardened streets of New York. Now a boss, Sal has others to
break bones or sometimes wack offenders.

“It is unfortunate that our collections are down,
and I feel it is because there is a lack of fear on the street, because nobody
is getting whacked for gross infractions of rules and extreme debts. We are
owed in excess of $500,000 up from $200,000 a couple of months ago. Worse, we
have a couple of “canaries” out on the street who might end up in the clutches
of the FBI. These are the most unpredictable of the problems. We just never
know when they can be picked up or surrender themselves to the law and start
singing. Sal ends his commentary asking when can we start eliminating these
problems again?”

For the answer to this, Carlo turns to Sam. “You
need to give us the answer, your ‘firestop’ was the key and now we have lost
it.”

Sam takes the floor. He is going to tell them most
of the facts about the Duryea operation, but keep the details of Victor’s
negligence out. Sam knows this will only reflect back on him, who at an earlier
meeting assured Carlo and the others that he could control Victor even though
he was an outsider. So, Sam stays positive. “We have told Victor Kozol that he
is to rebuild the crematory post haste. While he has insurance covering the
loss, he needs time for permitting and the construction of a new garage. The retort
will be the last piece, and then we will be ready to resume “shipments.”

“Give us a date,” barks Sal. “I don’t want to hear
how you build a watch, just tell me the time.”

Carlo who has heard enough looks at Sam, “You go to
Pennsylvania and you get this project expedited ASAP. Further, since this
Victor guy has no track record with us, I want him put under surveillance. If
he proves to be a traitor, you have my permission to take him out.”

“Consider it done,” responds Sam.

Meeting adjourned.

Sam now has two reasons for his unannounced trip to
Pennsylvania. First, he will stop off and meet with Sonny Boddega, the Don of a
smaller and less violent crime family in Northeast Pennsylvania.

With $15,000 in an envelope that he slides towards
Sonny while having lunch at the old Train Station Restaurant in Scranton, he
makes the deal to watch Victor. He wants Sonny to assign a man to shadow Vic on
a full-time basis and also find out about any unusual associates he might be
meeting with. He is particularly interested in any law enforcement people
hanging around the funeral home in Duryea. He then gives Sonny his cell number
so that he can make timely reports. Next, it’s off to Duryea.

“Hello Sam, I didn’t expect you today. Please come
in.”

Once in Vic’s office, they go over the details of
the project. “Next week the Amish barn builders are coming, and in three days
will raise a pole barn over the ruins of the old garage, which has already been
cleaned up. If all the permits come through, in another week we can expect the
delivery of the new retort. The final thing will be the plumbers and
electricians to hook it up. After that a quick final inspection by the Boro and
I should be ready to fire it up. I am thinking three weeks at the longest,
Sam.”

“Okay, but remember we have about $100,000 riding on
this and I wouldn’t want to be the one to have to answer for a screw up, right
Vic?”

“Absolutely, Sam.”

With Sam gone, Vic is shaking inside, but he hopes
that Sam didn’t notice how nervous he really was.

Vic now calls John on his private cell. “He was just
here, did you get his picture?”

“Who, Vic?”

“You know; Sam.”

“You were supposed to call and alert us if he was in
town.”

“That’s the problem. He just walked in on me. I
couldn’t tell him, excuse me one minute while I alert the FBI, could I?”

“Okay, point taken. Did it go alright?”

“He seemed content when I told him we would be
operational in three weeks.”

“Good, I’ll expedite all your permitting with the
Boro and the State so that we actually meet that timetable. Stay lose Vic,
you’re doing fine.”

John now calls Mike Shoemaker, the fire marshal and
says, “Mike I need a favor.” He then gives Shoemaker an update of the Kozol investigation
I want you to close out the Kozol fire and list it as an accident of
undetermined origin. Submit all the paperwork. After this is over, you can file
the real report.”

“Okay John, consider it done.”

John and the FBI are the silent partners to the mob
on this part of the project. What they don’t know won’t hurt them. The only
thing John regrets is that he missed his chance to observe Sam when he was in
Duryea. To prevent that from happening again he orders a full-time stakeout on
Vic’s two properties. He is determined to not let these targets move around
unobserved.

As the day is quickly approaching for the
installation of the retort, the FBI has to get moving. Vic’s suburban is taken
to Philadelphia for a day where a crack team of electronics experts install
cameras, mics, and a tracking device on the vehicle. The wiring is not the
tricky part, it’s the concealment that they must be absolutely sure is
undetectable.

Meanwhile, Sonny from Scranton has posted a round
the clock surveillance guy on Vic. He notices a plain gray ford seeming to
shadow Vic’s properties, but doesn’t know who it is. It’s not the local police,
but who? He duly reports to Sonny what he observes. Sonny tells them to keep
looking for answers.

Back in New York, Sam receives his first update from
Sonny. Yes, Vic is building the new crematory. The ten ton monster piece of
equipment has been rolled into the newly completed garage. But, what about the
gray, unmarked car shadowing the operation? There seems to be only two answers
here; one, the Fire Marshall or some other local police entity is investigating
Vic on their own. Two, it could be a unit of the State Police Crime
Investigation Department or worse the FBI, which would indicate Vic turned on
them.

In either case, Sam doesn’t like the new wrinkle and
knows he needs insurance that Vic will carry out his end of the operation. If
the heat is on too much, Sam will have to terminate the operation—and the
operator. This is not a pleasant thought for him, as he will have to once again
bear the bad news back to Carlo and the others of another failure.

Pennsylvania is not lost yet, and Sam will only
terminate the operation if he has proof of his suspicions. The investigation
may be only temporary and it will all blow over; then again it may not. Sam
only knows he is not walking away from ‘firestop’ without trying to salvage it.

“Hello Sam,” Vic says excitedly over the phone. We
had our final tests today and the retort is signed off by all local and state
inspectors. We are back in business.”

“Good work Vic, you know the drill from here. This
time we call you and give you an address in the City, and you come to us for
the pick-up.”

“Of course Sam, just give me a little lead time.”

Sam hangs up thinking,
and that’s just what we
won’t give him.

So, how to manage the risks?  What if I give
him a disaster pouch with no body in it for a trial run? Vic will take it back
to Duryea, and if those people who are shadowing him make a move on him there
will be no evidence of any crime that could be connected back to the family.
Vic would be busted, but even he hasn’t broken any laws that they can prove. If
Vic is part of the entrapment, we will know if we see him cooperating with
authorities back at the crematory. Then we lose our investment and move on; it
is a cost of doing business. However, after the smoke clears, Vic will get a
visit and come to regret selling us out. At least, Sam thought, “I finally have
a plan.”