Honor Thy Mother & Thy Father Ch. 07

He carried her to their seats. "Try not to overthink everything, Patricia. Let your heart guide you some of the time. It judges love between two people better than the mind does. The only time it doesn't is when you find your mate in bed, with another person. Then use your mind; steady your gun hand, and shoot him or her where it hurts the most; usually, it is in the pocketbook."

"Stephano, where can I buy a gun?"

"Toys "R" Us, Gymboree, any child store will have one for you."

"You still have not kissed me."

The lovers locked themselves in a fierce embrace, and rarely came up for air.

The flight attendant smiled at the two of them, and said, "Please fasten your...Oh fuck it."

An hour later, while they were eating 'a barely edible airline meal', and sipping on $300 Cristal, Patricia said, "You have one more thing to do, before we can get married."

He quickly answered, "Pop your cherry, and get you pregnant."

"Are you sure you went to college, Stephano that was two things. You have to ask my father for permission to marry me."

"Why, you are not even talking to him?"

"I have to take care of that problem myself. I said things that were very hurtful. It is the way I felt, but I should not have said them. My mother never hit me, and when he threatened to, it all came rushing out of my mouth, uncensored. I have to apologize to him for that mistake."

"Give me his number, and I will call him now."

Jemma answered the call and was surprised to hear Stephano's voice. "Hello Stephano, is everything okay?"

"Reasonably so, Jemma; is Mister Zabo there, I would like with speak with him. You can listen in, if you would like."

William picked up the phone, "Yes, Stephano is she alright?"

"No sir, she is very confused, as a matter fact I think she is going insane."

"Why Stephano, what is going on?

"With your permission, Sir, she has just agreed to marry me. I know our family's history is not good, but Patricia and I would like to change that. We are deeply devoted to one another, and we would like your blessing to get married."

"This is a very strange time for all of us, Stephano. The four of us, and I include your father, in that number, are in grave danger. You and my daughter want to start a new life in this perilous time. It could either tear you apart, or bind you together even closer then you are now. You have my blessing, and my hope for a long and happy marriage."

"Thank you, sir. Patricia, would like to have a word with you, if you have a moment."

"I would make time to speak to her."

"Papa, I am so sorry I yelled at you. I said some awful things that should never have been allowed to come out of my mouth. Mom adored you, and even though I thought you betrayed her, I should have understood how she felt for you. I will never forgive myself for what I said to you."

"Patricia, since the day you said those things, I have gone over every day since my wife passed away. I tried to think of a reason I did not bring you and your mother to Italy, to be with me. There was a three-year difference between my wife's and Laura's death. I cannot say I grieved, because my wife and I had fallen out of love many years before. Our marriage was for our religion and children's sake only. I do not know, and I could not understand what happened during that time. However, when I received your Telex, it was like I was reborn. I became alert. My mind became sharp and focused once more. I returned to the days when I knew what was happening around me, and I knew how to take care of myself again. You instilled that new life into me. It was too late for your mother, and I regret that tremendously. I am truly sorry we lost her, but I am happy that you are starting a new life for yourself."

"Thank you Papa. Stephano and I will not be getting married right away. We want Jemma and you to be there by our sides. I also want Stephano's mother to be at his side for the wedding. She has not hurt anyone and she deserves to be there."

"We will find a way to do that for you both. How soon would you like the wedding to be?"

"Stephano said he wants me to keep my virginity intact for at least five or six more years..."

Stephano grabbed the phone from her, "Mister Zabo, I told you that your daughter was going crazy, that last statement should prove my point."

William laughed at his future son-in-law and said, "Stephano, you must realize she has had her virginity intact for twenty-two years. For her, another five or six years would be nothing. For you, however, sleeping in the same bed at night, it would be like a lifetime."

"Mister Zabo, the Constitution of the United States forbids Cruel and Unusual Punishment. I would have to teach your daughter a lesson in the proper care and handling of a husband."

"Tell Patricia for me if she needs any pointers, I will lend her Jemma for a week of advanced training."

Patricia had been listening to the conversation, and yelled, "I heard that Papa. Tell Jemma I want no part of her behind training."

"Patricia, if you do not want that, you had better start taking birth control pills immediately."

"I will have to find a doctor, when we get to our destination."

"Where might that be, Patricia?"

"Stephano has a desire to explore an old cave he once saw. We are going there now. He has rented a villa high on a hill for us to stay."

"What a lovely coincidence. We are in the living room of that Villa right now."

"Is there room enough for the four of us, or should we rent another bungalow?"

"We have three bedrooms. Jemma and I only use one. Since Stephano and you are not married yet, each of you can use one of the others."

Stephano took the phone and said, "Thank you Mister Zabo, I will take that under advisement. Goodbye for now, sir; we will see you as time goes on."

William looked at Jemma and said, "I think we should get Victoria Valentino out here, as soon as possible. Otherwise, my daughter may lose her virtue, before she gets married."

24. How To Win Friends and Influence People

He was walking up the corridor with the pole holding the life-giving fluids dripping into his arms when he saw her. If it were not for the aide standing by his side, Alan would have fallen flat on his face. His eyes lit up, he let go of the pole and took a large step forward. It was more than his body could take. His knees gave out, and he was headed down, when the aide grabbed him, and stood him back up.

"Alan, you have to walk before you can run."

"Fuck you, my wife is here."

Susan smiled and grabbed him. When she heard him moan, 'easy.' She released the pressure around his chest and held him close to her body.

She said to him, "You have no idea what a terribly awful time I had this last 10 days Alan. The food was inedible. The accommodations were terrible. The beds were lumpy, and worst of all, there was no room service. How did you spend your time dear?"

Alan looked at her and started to laugh. Then he started to cough, which brought the aide to his side, again.

"Mrs. Robbins, don't do that to him. He will pull on the staples in his chest, and he will be in a great deal of pain."

She snarled at Alan, "Pain! How did he think I felt? I was all alone, in a strange place with 3000 eligible men, and I couldn't get laid, because I got married to this idiot. Then I find out he is back here playing hero, when he was supposed to be in bed recuperating. One asshole in my family is enough. Sergeant calls me and tells me I married another one. I should kick him in head just to see if there is a brain in there."

Alan asked, "Can I say something in my own defense?"

Susan glared at him, "Go ahead."

"I have a witness. She will testify if I did not get out of bed, I would be dead. The first gunman I took down was going to do the world a favor, and kill a man that was supposedly dying; that man was me. The other five were incidental."

"Five professional killers were incidental? Are you out of your fucking mind Alan?"

"That is my story and I am sticking to it. You can ask my nurse. She threatened to kill me if I broke my stitches. She didn't care about the two bodies lying on the floor beside her."

"I am not allowed to hassle you anymore, because Sergeant said he would be pissed with me if I did. He has never said that about anyone in his entire life. What did you do to him that makes you so special?"

"I don't know, Susan. You are going to have to get that answer out of him."

Nurse Callaway was handing out medications to patients in the CICU. She overheard the conversation between Alan and Susan and started to laugh. She said, "Mrs. Robbins, I will tell you what happened, but you have to promise not to hurt my patient. I do not care what you do to the police officer, as long as you do not hospitalize him. Mister Robbins is my responsibility, and he is enough of a pain in the ass as it is."

Alan turned to her and said, "Callaway, be nice, or I will pull the catheter out, and pee on my bed."

"Robbins, watch your mouth; I could always give you your injections in the balls."

"I noticed you didn't say my dick, Callaway. Is it because you love holding it so tenderly, while you wash me?"

"Gee whiz Robbins, how time flies when you are having fun. It is time for your enema, again. I think I will get six bottles this time."

"Oh shit, Callaway, not six."

Susan asked, "Is there anything I can do to help, nurse?

"Thank you Mrs. Robbins, after the fourth bottle, he will start to scream. If you put a pillow over his mouth, and sit on it. He will not disturb any of the other patients."

"Are you women born mentally disturbed, or do you get this way as you grow older?"

Susan replied, "Alan, you know we get this way as we grow older. It is because we are exposed to men like you."

"I think I'd rather be on the table, flat lining, instead of facing you two in the execution line."

Susan said, "Your heart stopped?"

"I don't know I just remembered this sound in my head that you hear on television and in the movies, when someone's heart stops, and you see a flat line on the screen."

Nurse Callaway stared at him. "Alan, look at your chest. Were those staples there a week ago?"

"No, they weren't. I figured I got shot, and that was the way they went in to get the bullet."

"Robbins, your heart stopped for two minutes and seventeen seconds. Doctor Vincenze pumped your heart by hand, keeping you alive, until Sergeant shot at the heart monitor, and yelled at it to beep. No one knows why, but your heart responded when he yelled at it. Your heart has been beating perfectly since then. They even wrote it on your chart. It says, "Resuscitated by bullet."

Susan laughed. "I knew that asshole cousin of mine was hiding something from me. I have to call a friend and have her give him a present. You think Sergeant would like eating a bagel, Alan?"

Alan looked at her strangely and started coughing so badly he could not speak.

Alan's aide said, "Come on Mister Robbins, you have taken enough abuse from the female gender today. It is time to get you back into bed and get some sleep. Rest is the best thing to heal your body."

When he finally calmed down, he said to the aide, "If you knew my wife, biblically, you would know there is a better way to heal a body."

"Mister Robbins, my wife would take a dim view of that."

"Alan, you are not getting that for a long time. So shut up and dream."

As he entered dreamland, he knew his heart was okay, but his brain kept thinking about Sergeant and a bagel. Then he wondered whose bagel he would be eating. He smiled, as his brain turned to Susan and her delicious bagel, with his cream cheese. He thought about the little tenant growing behind her cervix. Life was going to be fun again very soon. Nothing was going to take that away from them. He made Susan a promise to do anything she desired when this was over. It was ninety percent over. All that was left was the trial. Everyone believed he was dead; and no one would be searching for him, as long as everyone in the Bureau kept their mouths shut. He could recuperate at home for as long as he needed, without anything to worry about. He smiled in his sleep, puckered his lips, and went to kiss Susan in his dream.

His eyes popped wide open, when she kissed him back.

She smiled at him and said, "You are expecting someone else?"

"No, dreams don't normally kiss me back. You have not woken up at my side for a long time, and you startled me. You can do that any time you want beautiful."

"I am still angry with you Alan. You could have gotten yourself killed many times over, and you go running around the hospital, bare-assed, killing people. If you were not so weak now I would take you out to the corral and let the horses run all over you."

"How are the twelve, four-footed children doing?"

"They have been spoiled rotten. You cannot go near them, without them looking for an apple."

"Ream a new ass hole into the one that did it."

"I will let you do it when you get well."

"Chicken shit.

"Did I tell you it was Joe?"

"Did I tell you I was being reassigned to Germany?"

"Chicken shit."

"You are correct as always, dear. Can you lie down beside me and give me another kiss?"

"Are you going to be killing anyone else?"

"I sure as hell hope not."

"In that case, I will try."

They could not get together face to face, but Susan was able to climb up, and snuggle behind him.

His monitors did not like his new position, but Alan and Susan surely did. They stayed this way for several hours, sleeping together, until nurse Callaway had to disturb them.

"Susan, you have to get out of the bed, the doctors are coming, and they will have a fit if Alan is not lying on his back, when they get here."

Susan rolled out the bed, went into the bathroom, brushed her hair, and made herself presentable.

Nurse Callaway adjusted the bed and made Alan as comfortable as he could be.

Moments later, Doctor Vincennes walked in, with his two associates, to check on Alan. They uncovered the wound, looked at the monitors, and checked his chart. Then he said hello to Susan."

Alan asked, "Shouldn't that have been done in reverse order Doctor; after all she is my wife."

"I am sorry, Mrs. Robbins, with the things that went on in this hospital last week, everything has been knocked out of sync, including my manners. Please forgive me."

"It is all right doctor. Hearing that statement coming out of the mouth of my husband, was the funniest thing I have ever heard."

Callaway was laughing so hard she dropped Alan's chart.

"I will get you for that Callaway."

"Check your pills Robbins; you never know which one will be next."

"Doc can you do anything about her?"

"I'm sorry, Alan, there is no way I can touch her."

"Why, does she own this hospital?" "

"No, it's worse than that. She's my wife's little sister. If I fire her, I will never get laid again. Plus she owes me $18,000 for her school loans."

Alan laughed, "Should I bother to ask which one is more important to you, Doc?"

"Isn't it obvious Alan? Look at her, and think of what her older sister looks like. It is definitely the $18,000."

Callaway hauled off and hit her brother-in-law, while everyone else in the room laughed.

25. The Set Up

"Fred an emergency meeting has been called for Saturday, at 10 AM, here in my office. I don't need you to come in. You've been busting your ass all month. Take the weekend off. I can handle it."

"Boss, where are your good pens?"

"They are right here in the upper left-hand drawer of my desk, why."

"Boss, your desk doesn't have a left-hand drawer. Your good pens are in the second drawer on the right."

Atwater looked at his desk and faked a surprise look. "Oh yes, there they are."

"Do you know how to turn on your computer, sir?"

"Just leave it on overnight and I will take care of it on Saturday... You work your ass off for me, Fred. You need to get some sun. I don't want you to wind up in the hospital, because you work eighty-five hours a week. You look like a white piece of paper. You have no color in your skin at all. Go sit by a pool or something. I would like to see you with a little pink on you, when you arrive here next Monday."

"Would you like me to set up the coffee maker now, boss?"

"Good idea, Philip, where is the coffee maker."

"It is in the outer office, sir. How many people are you expecting?" "Mister Free, Mister Fielding, Mayor Bloom, District Attorney Fellock, and myself: so there will be five of us Fred. We should be here about two hours, so make a full pot please."

"I will take care of everything, sir."

"Thank you, Fred. Try to get some color this weekend, please."

"I will do my best sir."

When the office was empty, and Fred left for the evening, a small army of electricians and technicians entered the Attorney General's office, under the watchful eye of Director Free and Attorney General Atwater. They installed micro cameras and recording devices in every conceivable area of the office. The Attorney General opened his safe, removed William Zabo's manila envelope, and placed it in a steel reinforced box. It was placed under a security seal, and removed by a FBI agent. An FBI agent took an exact duplicate of that envelope and opened it, with his gloved hands. He had gone to the Post Office Archives and retrieved exact duplicates of the certified mail slips, cancellation stamps, automated payment stamps, and return receipt cards. The Bureau had period paper stored in their vaults, and typewriters, also of that era. Three different agents read the police reports and were separated to write the statements of what they had seen that night. When they were read by the Attorney General, he said they were too professional and too close in accuracy to one another. Something had to be done to change this.

Director Free said it was not a problem. Each secretary had clearances as high as the agents. He sent one of his men over to the Hoover building, and told him to pick out three of them by tenure. The most senior secretary, a secretary who had been with them, at least ten years and a secretary with less than two-years' service."

When they were in the outer office, they were told what to do, given a thirty-minute time limit, and were left on their own.

When their time was up, they stopped typing, and the men came to look at the women's product. They were perfect. Three totally different essays on what they saw on the night of the crime. The women were given the remainder of the day off, told to say nothing about this to any of their associates, and to forget what they had done. This was a top-secret assignment, and their jobs were forfeit if they ever mentioned it.

Three different men signed the bottom of each letter. It was notarized, sprayed with a phosphorescent chemical agent, folded crisply, and placed in an envelope. The envelope had all the appropriate stamps, seals, certified letter emblems, and return receipt cards enclosed. It was sprayed with the same chemical agent. The three letters were sealed within the manila envelope

If anyone opened the envelope and touched any of the three letters, their hands would receive an invisible, permanent stain that would turn blue under an ultraviolet light. This chemical agent could only be removed from the skin, or clothing, by a specific synthehol-based re-agent. When placed under an ultraviolet light, the chemical would glow bright blue, indicating the person had touched that item. It was placed carefully into the safe, which was closed and returned to its normal position in the room.

At 9:30 AM the following morning, Fred walked into the Attorney General's office to find him looking for the switch for the coffee maker. He looked up and saw Fred grinning at him.

He said, "Fred, I told you to take this weekend off; but before you go, could you turn on the coffee maker?"