The Body Mafia (18 page)

He leaned forward, putting his hand on my shoulder. “No, CeeCee, that’s not what I meant. It’s just that people do different things when they’re grieving. I’ve never seen you grieve before, so I didn’t know how you’d handle it. That’s all I was trying to say!”

Running my good fingers through his hair, I realized it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that he was sitting here with me right now.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get defensive. I will tell you, honestly, I cared for Joseph as a friend, a good friend. I’m sure your previous dealings with him weren’t the greatest, but he truly was a good person! He didn’t deserve to die.” My tears emerged once again.

Michael had an unusual look on his face, like he wanted to tell me something, but he relaxed and continued with the events that had led up to tonight.

“Let’s just leave it for now and get back to the important stuff.”

I nodded.

“If you only knew the times I was so close to you I could’ve reached out and touched you, you’d be shocked. We were always five minutes behind, just
missing you. When I knew you had survived the explosion at the warehouse, we found you, finally, in Cleveland and followed you to the nightclub where you met Joseph. We had every intention of taking you into protective custody.”

“You did? They were shooting at me there! Why the hell didn’t anyone help me? Or Joseph?” I couldn’t believe it.

“We tried, CeeCee. When you guys walked out and Antonio fired the first shot, the shot that hit Joseph, we started shooting back. A lot of the shots you heard came from us.”

I thought back and merely shook my head. If only I could’ve known.

“As soon as Antonio and Petey began chasing you down the alley, I was right behind them. They realized I was after them, and they cut out in the opposite direction. I lost you soon after that.”

The thought that entered my head at that moment made me close my eyes and groan. I hoped I was wrong.

“You didn’t happen to run down the dock along the river, in the flats, did you? The one that ran in front of the strip bar?” I didn’t want the answer but I asked anyway.

“Yeah. Why?”

I began shaking my head. “Because I was underneath the goddamn dock in the freezing water, hiding. I thought you guys were Antonio and Petey!”

It was unbelievable, really. To think that as I floated, on the verge of hypothermia, in the water underneath the dock, my husband—my “dead” husband—ran precisely six inches above me. And I never knew it. I thought it was the bad guys.

“You were under the dock?” Michael looked dumbfounded.

“Yup. That’s when I ran into the strip bar and called Justin. I tried Naomi and Coop first, but they didn’t answer. After that, you know the rest.” I had a thought. “How did you find me at the funeral home?”

“I’m assuming you and Justin had a fight in the truck?”

“Yeah, how did you know?”

“A lot of people called in a domestic to the highway patrol. We were monitoring all of the police channels and heard it come across. When the plate returned to Justin, we put it all together.”

“But how did you figure out the funeral home?”

“Because of you, Cee. Remember, right before I left? You had investigated the doctors and thought they had something to do with it. It didn’t take long, but I had a hunch, and had Richland Metro check for cars in the lot of Quinn-Herstin. They ran the plates. There were two cars there, one registered to Donovan Esposito, the other to William Petrosini. That’s when I knew Justin was headed there, and I quickly organized the SWAT team.”

“You got there just in time.” I shuddered, remembering how close to dying I had come.

“Thank God. There’s a lot of loose ends that need to be tied up, but for now, it’s over. Justin and Petey are dead, and the rest are in custody, except for William Petrosino and Henry Mastragna. William somehow managed to get out a side door before we entered, but don’t worry, we’ll find him. Henry is in the Philippines.”

“I remember Justin’s face when he died.” I paused. “It’s something I’ll never forget.”

“You can thank yours truly for taking care of him.” Michael gave a sly smile.

“You shot Justin?”

“Honey, he drew his pistol on me right when I came in the door. It wasn’t like I had a choice or anything. After what he did to you, I think he went out way too easy.” He was right.

We sat for a long time in silence, absorbing everything that had been revealed. The sun had come up a short time ago, but we were oblivious. I think I speak for both of us when I say that still things felt like a dream. I know we were both exhausted mentally and physically, but we had both been through major trauma. A post-traumatic-stress type of ordeal. I mean, come on, my husband was dead and then reappears. It would make any human being feel slightly off. Michael broke our silence with a question that unnerved me.

“CeeCee, I have to ask you something.”

“Go ahead. Ask anything, Michael.”

He took a deep breath. “Did you break into Salvatore Iaccona’s house and confront him?”

It was a long time before I answered him. But it was apparent that I would have to answer several questions about my actions in the upcoming months.

“Yes, Michael. I did. And if you want the truth, I had every intention of killing him that night, but Petey came home. I barely got out the window.” I sighed. “I guess I should tell you this now, so there are no surprises. I did a lot of things in the last couple of weeks that could be construed as unethical, if not downright illegal. As a matter of fact, there are several things I could probably go to prison for—for a long, long time.”

He squeezed my hand. “I can promise you right now that you are not going to prison, okay? Now, as much as I hate to bring this up right now, I have to. Do you have the files and tapes you acquired during your investigation?”

“They should be at the FBI office as we speak, all sent anonymously, of course. I had initially sent them to a friend in Atlanta, but I called her before I left Youngstown and told her to mail them overnight to the FBI in Cleveland. There is enough information to bring down every member of the Iaccona family.”

“Thank God, it’s finally over,” he whispered.

He surprised me by forcing me down on the couch. Before I realized what his intentions were, we had our clothes off and were making love—over and over and over.

It was late afternoon before we eventually settled down and got some sleep. I took a brief opportunity between our lovemaking to call the girls and talk to them. They couldn’t wait to see me. To think I would be able to tell them that Michael was alive was a miracle in itself. Michael missed Sean horribly. We talked about our reunion with all of the children and how it would transpire. We talked about everything. We both slept all night, clinging to each for dear life.

Michael had several phone calls to make the next day. The case was far from being closed, so he was in his office for a while and even had to leave for several hours—despite my protests. I found him later in the day sitting in our bedroom, staring at the ceiling.

“Honey? What’s wrong?” I was concerned.

He sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed, patting the area next to him for me to sit on. He put his arm around me as I sat down.

“What is it?” I asked again.

“Oh, I think you’ll consider it good news. Alan received the files, and he told us to ‘hold on to our asses.’ They’ve gotten other information, and he told me this whole thing is going to explode very soon, no pun intended.” He smiled. I did not. “Something else…I was going to tell you last night, but I wanted to know all of the details for sure first.”

“Tell me what?”

“It’s about Joseph, CeeCee. Joseph Filaci is alive.”

“Say that again.” My heart skipped.

“Joseph is alive. He survived the shooting.”

Jumping onto my feet off the bed, I stared at him, a smile widening on my face. In the last forty-eight hours, two men that I cared about had risen from the dead. I’d never play another lottery ticket for the rest of my life. The luck I was experiencing couldn’t possibly get any better.

“Where is he? I want to see him! Is he okay?” I felt exhilarated.

“CeeCee, just calm down for a minute, and
sit down
!

The bullet that hit Joseph in the chest barely missed all of his major organs. An FBI agent was with him within minutes, calling for an ambulance. He was taken to an ‘undisclosed hospital,’ where he was rushed into surgery. Needless to say, he came out of it perfectly.

“I have to be honest with you, Cee, I thought he was dead, too. I ran right by him and he didn’t look good. Alan called and told me the night we were at the hospital, but he didn’t know any specifics yet. Joseph was still in surgery.”

“But he’s okay?”

“Yes, he’ll be fine. He looked fine when I saw him this morning.”

“You saw him!” I stood up again.

Michael raised his eyebrows and nodded at the bed, signaling me to sit down before he would even consider telling me the rest. I sat, anxious to hear it.

“That’s why I left this morning, to see him. Alan called and told me he was okay. He also was there when Joseph woke up early this morning. He said the first thing out of Joseph’s mouth was his asking if
you
were okay.”

“Michael, please, you can go with me, but can we please go see him?”

He sighed. “CeeCee, listen to me. It’s a little more complicated than that—”

“But you said he was okay!” I interrupted, but then had a horrifying thought. “You guys arrested him, didn’t you?” I was furious. “That’s why I can’t see him, because he was taken into custody, right? This is bullshit, Michael!”

“God damn it, CeeCee, will you just listen for a minute?” His voice rose angrily before he smiled and began to laugh. “How could I possibly forget what a persistent cop you are?” He shook his head, still smiling. “No, honey, he has not been arrested. I wouldn’t have allowed it after what he did for you.”

I smiled. I had underestimated my Michael.

“There were two agents posted outside of his door for his
own
safety. I went to see Joseph, to thank him for helping you. As you might guess, he was shocked to see me alive and was a little on the defensive. Joseph has some serious feelings for you, Cee. It was obvious.”

“I’m aware of it. Move on.” We’d get into that later.

“Okay.” He took the hint. “So I thanked him, and he was less than gracious. I understood why. He looked at me like I had failed his brother, which I had, and I told him as much. After I admitted I had fucked up, he started to come around. He told me I had an amazing wife and that I was very lucky.”

“And…?”

“And at that point, we started talking. He told me how you opened his eyes to the life he’s been living, and he didn’t want it anymore. He said he envied me. I had everything that he wished for. I think that meant you, but…”

Waving my hand and shaking my head, I wanted Michael to stay on track. Something that was seemingly hard to do.

“Yeah, right.” He focused again. “He, uh…Where was I? Oh, he was saying how he wanted a normal life and such. That’s when I came up with an idea. I pitched it to him, and believe it or not, he loved it. I made a series of phone calls, and it’s getting arranged as we speak.” Michael smiled.

“Well? What’s the arrangement?”

“Joseph Filaci is going into the witness-protection program.”

My jaw dropped. “He is? He agreed to that?”

Michael nodded. “Yes, he did. It couldn’t have worked out better, actually. You see, no one but the FBI knows that he survived the shooting that night. Alan signed him into the hospital under an alias anyway, so it was perfect. Some of the details were sticky, but we managed to come to an agreement.”

“His father?”

“That was one of them. Joseph wanted his father to know he was still alive, and he wanted us to leave his family alone. I told him I couldn’t do it unless we got a little more from him.”

“He saved my life, Michael. What more do you—?”

It was Michael’s turn to interrupt. “I understand that, but the FBI would never approve anything based on that fact alone.”

“I guess I understand. So what did he say?”

“Joseph is going to give up everybody. And I mean
every
body, everybody but his own family, of course.”

I was stunned. “He
is
?”

Michael nodded. “They’re going to do the interview later this evening and start as early as tomorrow to get him processed for the program. CeeCee, the information he’s giving up is going to take down just about every organized-crime family in the country. He even agreed to give us Vincent Vicari.”

Giving up one of New York’s most powerful crime families, the granddaddy of them all, was serious—and dangerous.

“Please tell me you guys are going to really protect him, Michael.”

“Of course we will, but keep in mind, Joseph Filaci was killed in a shoot-out in Cleveland with the Iacconas. ”

“You agreed to leave his family alone?”

“Reluctantly. There wasn’t much we could do, since you gave him all of the files.”

Remaining silent, I looked at the ground. I didn’t know that Michael knew the Filaci files had been turned over to Joseph. But in retrospect, if my act of kindness toward Joseph kept him alive or out of prison, then I’d do it again in a heartbeat. Michael,
understanding my silence as a confession, mercifully moved on.

“He did have one last stipulation before he agreed to the deal. He wanted to see you, Cee.”

“I’m assuming you told him that would be fine.”

“Yes, and I also told him how worried you were about him. He seemed happy about that,” Michael grumbled.

“Great!” I smiled. “So when do I get to see him?”

“It’s going to take a few days to get everything together. For now, they’re putting him in a safe house in Fairport Harbor with twenty-four-hour protection, until he goes permanently. We’re both going to meet him up there in the next week or so.”

“Where’s he going after that?”

“Frankly, they didn’t tell me, and I didn’t ask,” he said matter-of-factly.

It appeared we had passed the point where my enthusiasm for Joseph’s resurrection was becoming taxing for Michael. Therefore, I let the rest of my questions lie and made a sincere attempt to conceal my joy, for Michael’s sake.

Only when I reflect back on everything do the weeks following the night in the funeral home seem like a blur. Alan Keane wasn’t joking when he told us to hold on to our asses. The aftermath of it all was monstrous, to put it lightly.

Within one week, the indictments came down. After Joseph’s information and the information they had taken from informants, pilots, messengers, and others, the FBI conducted the largest takedown of organized crime in history.

They conducted multiple raids in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, California, and Florida. All of the
New York crime families were hit: the Bonazzos, the Rigatis, the Colicellas, and most importantly, the Vicaris. The indictments for the families ranged from murder to racketeering, and most were tried under the National Organ Transplant Act. The New York Police Department had been tracking their own homeless murders for years and was now able to tie them to the families. There were indictments for numerous doctors (including Esposito’s partner, Dr. Neal Schmidt), nurses, businessmen, politicians, community leaders, pro-football-team owners, college-football coaches, racetrack owners, and unfortunately, several police officers who were on the payroll of the crime families.

It was after the feds had searched Salvatore Iaccona’s home and offices that one of the most shocking indictments was issued. Ohio, one of the hardest-hit states, was still reeling from the arrests when the news was made public that the governor, Graham Myre, had been arrested along with four members of his staff.

Governor Myre boisterously announced that he was guilty of nothing but having stock in LifeTech Industries, a business he had thought was legitimate. Unfortunately for Myre, Salvatore had secretly taped several of their meetings together in which they discussed the governor’s cut of the money from the Philippines. Salvatore had kept them for future blackmailing purposes against Myre.

Alan Keane called daily, keeping us abreast of the raids and arrests. When the raids first started, William Petrosini’s house was second on the list. According to Alan, the SWAT team had just rammed the front door of William’s house when they heard a
single gunshot come from upstairs. They found William with a self-inflicted fatal gunshot wound to his head. He was sitting on his bathroom floor.

The FBI’s investigation took them overseas to places like the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Middle East. In the Philippines, they found the hospital that was receiving the organs from the Iacconas. Alan said it was an enormous operation.

Henry Mastragna was finally located. He had paid a Filipino family five dollars to hide him in a back room of their seedy market. Henry stupidly reached for a pistol when the FBI entered. He died right there of multiple gunshots.

As the dust began to settle on the operation, news of the need for organ donors started to make headlines. Impressively, the media got it right, and for once, Michael and I weren’t mentioned. The FBI thought it was best for obvious safety reasons.

The media conducted interviews, taped specials, and put out documentaries on why the need to be an organ donor is so great. Most people didn’t know the horror stories of what went on in the black market. Not to mention, since most of the organs on the black market aren’t tested for blood type, disease, and such, a lot of people die when they receive them. Telling someone every time they renew their driver’s license and decline to be an organ donor that one more person will be killed or mutilated for their organs as a result is a message that tends to hit home.

Organ donation in the United States went up thirteen percent the following year, but it still wasn’t enough to make a dent. Michael said that ninety percent of the population would have to be organ donors to wipe out the illegal trade, and that wouldn’t
happen any time soon. Unfortunately, wiping out the larger organ traders merely made it easier for the smaller ones to rise up and take over. The Body Mafias would, it seemed, continue to exist forever. The raids and the arrests caused the prices of the organs on the black market to skyrocket, since they were harder to obtain, and now more people wanted a piece of it.

When I took the time to think about it, my head spun. It seemed that the only good the investigation did was to make the organ trade business more profitable. Michael told me not to look at it that way.

Several days after Michael told me Joseph was still alive, and the raids were just beginning, I told the girls Michael was alive. He had desperately wanted to see them and Sean. It was difficult to explain. They didn’t understand, and telling them “It’s complicated” didn’t quite make it any easier. Michael left so that I could sit and tell Selina and Isabelle the truth. Selina looked at me like I was crazy. I knew she had been paying attention the last several months as I went deeper into insanity.

“Mom,” she said slowly and loudly, as if I were deaf, “I know you think Michael is still alive, but…have you talked to Daddy about this? Maybe you should see a doctor!”

Laughing, I put my arm around her. “Honey, Daddy knows. If you don’t believe me, then call him, or you can see Michael with your own eyes.”

Isabelle, who up to this point had been more interested in my finger getting cut off than Michael, answered for her sister.

“I want to see Michael!”

Selina rolled her eyes at me and repeated Isabelle’s request.

Michael had his cell phone with him so I could call when it was time to make his appearance. I told him Selina thought I was crazy, but he was excited. He must’ve only been at the end of the street, because he was home within minutes of my call.

Selina looked at me curiously when she heard the front door open, and she almost fainted when Michael walked into the room.

“Still think I’m crazy?”

Selina ignored me as her eyes opened to the size of teacups and she howled loudly. Isabelle, screaming just as loud, raced her sister to tackle him in the doorway. Me, I stood there and bawled.

Michael’s own eyes were tearing like faucets as he caught both girls, spilling backward in a barrage of hugs and sloppy kisses. The girls spent the rest of the night catching Michael up on the last several months of their busy social lives and sports conquests.

“This is gonna be the best Christmas ever!” Isabelle announced. “When do we get to see Sean? I miss him!”

It now dawned on me that Christmas was less than three weeks away. The house hadn’t been decorated, no tree had been put up, and I hadn’t shopped at all. Then there was the dreaded phone call I still needed to make to Vanessa.

“I’m going to call Sean’s mommy tonight and see if he can’t stay this weekend. If so, we’ll all decorate the house together. I’m still waiting on Christmas lists from the both of you!”

Putting it off as long as I could, I eventually found
my way into Michael’s office to call Vanessa. He followed. Michael didn’t want to shock her right off by calling himself. As predicted, she was a complete pain in the ass about my news. At one point, she referred to me as a liquored-up, crazy-skank whore who needed to be locked up in a mental institution. That was when I handed the phone to Michael. Vanessa and I had never gotten along, so it was best that she hear it from him. As soon as he said hello, I could hear her screaming into the phone. Rolling my eyes, I left the office so Michael could finish talking to her.

He joined me soon after. “She said she’s sorry about the ‘crazy skank’ comment.” He was smiling.

“Sorry if I don’t accept. So what’s the deal with Sean?”