Chapter 20
Russo pushed the door open quickly when the limo rolled to its stop at the Bishop’s plush hotel. His two personal body guards leaped to his sides and fell into step.
“Anthony?” Russo said.
“Yes, your eminence, how can I be of service?” the dark haired guard said.
Anthony Soteri had grown up on the streets of Chicago. Like Russo, life had been tough and it developed a certain hard edge to both of them. Russo looked for power to control mankind and Soteri found his power in whacking people. He had been a small time hit man and soldier for the Chicago mob when he bumped into his old friend, Johnny Russo, at the baptism of his sister's little girl.
The two struck up right where they left off. That drew the attention of the Family’s Don. He knew that Russo was headed for the Vatican and he wanted to make sure that his investments were watched over. Anthony moved with Russo as his personal aid. He was rarely seen with the priest in public. It hadn’t been until years later that Soteri moved into his role as bodyguard. When he did he brought along a friend—a polish kid, named Chuckie Hat.
“I want you two to go right now to Matthew MacDonald’s house and I want that S.O.B. taken out,” Russo told them.
“Killed or beaten and killed?” Chuckie Hat asked. No one really knew Chuckie’s real name. Only Soteri and Russo were privy to that information. Actually, most people who got close to Chuckie died. He was a psychotic: full blown and out of the closet. His choice would have been to beat, then beat again before beating again and killing. Everyone else hated the sandy haired snake. Everyone except for Russo. The Bishop had felt a strange kindred spirit when they first met. Anthony was more faithful to the priest but the Hat could be trusted to get the job done.
“Just killed. I want it to look like a burglary. I don’t want to get any questions but I do want you to bring me a few items.”
The three had reached the Bishop’s room. After Chuckie and Anthony did the hit on MacDonald he wanted another matter taken care of—a Polish Cardinal that stood in his way.
The Bishop dropped into an overstuffed leather chair and sucked in a deep breath before speaking. “I want all of his computer storage and all of his hardware. You can leave the monitor but everything else will most likely have incriminating evidence. I want it done. I want it done now!”
Chuckie leaped from his chair and grinned. He always liked it when he could use his particular gifts and talents on the job site. An hour later the two of them pulled up in front of the MacDonald house.
“We’ll wait until he falls asleep,” Anthony said as he lit a cigarette.
“You know those things are going to kill you,” Chuckie Hat said.
“If they don’t I’ve got a feeling Russo will. I’ve known the guy for who knows how many years but lately there’s something really strange going on with the dude. It’s like someone else lives inside his body with him. I don’t like the vibes I get from that other thing,” Soteri rattled.
“Strange. I really like the vibes I get from his Bishopship. I feel energized just being near him. I haven’t felt that way since I lived in Florida.” The Hat went quiet.
“So what happened in Florida?” Anthony asked in hopes that his partners story would help make the time go by faster.
“I used to do these cocaine deals with a guy from the islands down there. Man, what was his name? Goyo. Yeah, that’s it. Goyo. Anyway the dude used to play congas for some stupid disco band but before that he played for the Santaria.”
“I never heard of that group. They didn’t play the blues I take it?” Soteri said.
“It ain’t a group. It’s a religion down there. Kind of a cross between voodoo and Catholic. Anyways, this Goyo took me to a few parties of this bizarre offshoot of the Santaria. They weren’t like any church ice cream socials that I went to when I was a kid. These people got down. It was like the whole group would get possessed of the devil and go chasing around all crazy like.”
“Did you ever get possessed by the devil at those meetings?” Soteri really wanted to know but at the same time didn’t want to know. After being with Russo he felt an uneasiness around all things devilish. It was something he felt and a few times he even saw something. It wasn’t that Hell scared him. If there really was one, Soteri knew he was headed there on a fast train.
“I don’t know what it was but I kind of went into a trance and drank this horrible stuff that I think would have killed me if I wasn’t all hopped-up on pot. Then suddenly it was like this roaring lion leaped inside of me and I felt powerful. I mean really powerful. I started tearing chickens apart and eating their guts. After that I don’t remember much. Although someone told me that we sacrificed a kid and ate it. That part I didn’t believe. No matter how hopped up I used to get I never ate kids.”
“I’ll remember to keep my sister’s kids away from you. Just in case,” Anthony said just before the bedroom light’s turned off and caught his eye.
“I don’t see him anymore. I guess he went beddy bye,” Chuckie joked. “Nighty night. Sleep tight. Don’t let the bed bugs bite.”
“We go in a half hour,” Soteri told his partner as they checked their watches.
The half hour passed and the two slid from their vehicle then moved quickly and quietly across the street to the house. Anthony cut the wires to the alarm system while Chuckie picked the lock on the back door. He slipped inside and Soteri was right behind him.
“Let’s get this done and get out of here as fast as we can,” the dark haired man said.
“I’d prefer to have a little party with the Mrs. first,” Chuckie sneered.
“No time. We can’t get caught. Let’s do them, grab the stuff and we’re out of here.”
“Spoil sport.”
“It’s a good thing they don’t have children or you’d be out back firing up the grill,” Anthony whispered.
“C’mon now, a guy eats one little kid and you have him as a psychotic kiddie cannibal.”
“If the shoe fits, partner.”
They both went silent as they reached the hallway. Soteri motioned for the Hat to climb the stairs first. He slipped up them quietly using the side portion of the steps to prevent creaking. The Hat reached the top and Soteri ascended them next.
“Which one is their bedroom?” Chuckie mouthed in the pale moonlight.
Anthony pointed straight ahead. He wasn’t sure but they had to start somewhere. Right choice. Pushing the door open slowly they could see the two bodies sleeping in the bed. Anthony started across the room when his foot struck something large and hard. He went tumbling over the sandbag in the middle of the room. He crashed to the floor. The Hat thought quickly and leaped over him to the bed. He pumped four shots into each body but no blood came out. Only feathers fluffed into the air and floated slowly back down.
Chuckie whipped back the sheets.
“Crap! MacDonald is gone! The Bishop is not going to like this,” the light haired man said.
Soteri pulled himself back to his feet while the Hat flipped on the light. Anthony stared around. “Hey, ya gotta give the guy credit. This is some elaborate set-up. This ain’t some dumb jerk doctor here. I better call Russo.”
The dark haired bodyguard pulled his cell phone from his pocket and punched in the Bishop’s private number.
“Is it done?” the voice said as it came on the line.
“No, Your Eminence, MacDonald has already split.”
“Split?!” There was a long silence before Russo spoke again. “Grab the computer stuff and get back here. No, wait, look around and try to find anything that might give you an idea of where he could’ve gone. Everybody slips up somewhere. Don’t let this be where you two slip up.” The cell phone went dead.
“We need to search for a clue as to where they went,” Soteri said to Chuckie Hat. “You look around up here and I’ll check downstairs.”
Soteri went into Matthew’s study and started packing up the computer equipment. He grabbed everything that might have data storage on it. Then he went to the desk and yanked open the drawers dumping the contents on the floor.
Soteri said to himself,“It looks like you grabbed all your addresses and correspondence, Matty boy. You are starting to gain my respect. Of course, I’ll still kill you but I’ll respect you in the morning.”
As he was raising up from the last drawer his eye was drawn to a piece of paper caught at the back of the desk. He pulled it out and looked at it just as he felt another presence enter the room.