13:26 (Washington Time)
Friday, July 01, 1988 ‘C’
Ingrid’s private study
326 South Grove Street, Aurora Hills
Arlington, Virginia, U.S.A.
Ingrid was working on her personal computer, using its computer-aided-design software to work on a new model of aircar which Stanley Hiller had asked her to develop. Stanley had confessed to her during his last telephone call that he and his few engineers were now so busy expanding as quickly as they could the company’s production capacity, while preserving the quality of the final product, that they had no time left for designing new models of aircars. He had thus asked Ingrid to start thinking about an enlarged model of aircar, in effect a sort of small flying bus, a project Ingrid had taken to with enthusiasm. A light knock on her private study’s door and Nancy’s voice then made her twist her head.
‘’Mommy, I’m afraid that you will need to buy new clothes for me.’’
‘’Why? Your wardrobe is… OH MY GOD! WHAT DID YOU DO TO YOURSELF?’’
Nancy was actually wearing the same clothes that she had on this morning, but those clothes were now stretched to the limit, as Nancy was now of a height and size more typical of a nine or ten-year-old girl rather than of a five-year-old child, what she was still supposed to be. Ingrid’s daughter made an apologetic smile in response.
‘’I’m sorry, Mommy, but I was tired of being called the ‘baby of the class’ at school. I also wanted to look more like what my level of education and maturity truly are at now. So, I used my powers of shape-shifting to accelerate my growth until I ended the way I was going to look at nine. Leo likes a lot my new look, by the way.’’
‘’I bet he does! Thankfully, he didn’t ask you to grow tits at the same time.’’
‘’He did, Mommy, and I could have done it, but I told him that it was still too early for that and that he would have to wait until I reach puberty.’’
Ingrid let out a breath while sitting back in her swiveling chair as she stared at Nancy. From a cute and very pretty five-year-old girl, her daughter was now a positively beautiful, some would have said ‘stunning’, early teenager. The neighborhood boys were probably going to swarm around her like a bunch of bees attracted to honey.
‘’Well, judging by how tight those shorts and T-shirt looks like, I guess that we should go on a shopping spree right now, while the stores are open. Where is Leonardo?’’
‘’In the lounge, watching TV, Mommy.’’
‘’Then, tell him to get ready to go out. We will use my Firebird Trans Am.’’
‘’We are not going to use your aircar?’’ asked Nancy, a bit disappointed.
‘’Not today! My aircar still attracts a lot of attention, and we have already attracted too much of that lately. Let me get out some extra cash money first: I suspect that this shopping spree will be a memorable one. As a penance, you will have on our return from the stores to gather all your old clothes, wash those which are dirty and then pack them in boxes, so that we could then go give them to the Salvation Army.’’
‘’Yes, Mommy!’’ replied Nancy, sounding less than enthusiastic.
As Ingrid had predicted, their shopping trip to find new clothes for Nancy indeed qualified as ‘memorable’, with sets of new clothes also bought for Leonardo. The last item Ingrid had to buy at the express demand of her excited daughter was a Halloween disguise Nancy saw while passing in front of a toy store: it was a ‘Supergirl’ costume of the right size to fit her. Leo applauded enthusiastically when Nancy put the still wrapped costume against her chest.
‘’YAYE! I can’t wait to see you wear it while flying around, Nancy.’’
09:10 (Washington Time)
Saturday, July 02, 1988 ‘C’
Ingrid’s kitchen
Ingrid was cleaning the dishes from the breakfast she had prepared for herself and for Nancy and Leonardo when the telephone in her kitchen rang, making her walk to it and pick up the receiver.
‘’Hello?’’
She then heard the voice of a man talking in a calm, paused manner.
‘’I would like to speak with Misses Ingrid Dows, please.’’
‘’Speaking!’’
‘’Good morning, Misses Dows. My name is Rinaldo Carboneti and I am a solicitor who was employed by Mister Tony Bocelli. Before you hang up on me because of that, know that I hold the last will of Mister Bocelli and that it directly concerns his son Leonardo, which I was told now resides with you.’’
Ingrid immediately made an imperative sign for Nancy and Leonardo to cut down their voices, then spoke in her receiver, her attention sharpened.
‘’You are interesting me, Mister Carboneti. Please continue.’’
‘’Thank you, Misses Dows. Basically, when I read the awful news about the assassination of Mister Bocelli and of his family, I reviewed my certified copy of his last will, which he had my office produced, to see who the beneficiary or beneficiaries of his estate would be and if any would be still alive. I completed my legal inquiries yesterday and found that only one legal beneficiary is still alive and legally able to inherit Tony Bocelli’s estate: his son Leonardo.’’
Ingrid did not respond at once to that, taking the time to mentally review the possible consequences of this.
‘’Mister Carboneti, you must be aware that Tony Bocelli was an organized crime figure and that his assassination, along with his links to the Mafia are presently under investigation by the FBI. I am not sure that any of his estate is not or will not be frozen or confiscated for being the product of criminal activities. His bank accounts are also probably being kept frozen by the IRS while they review his tax history.’’
‘’You are quite right about this, Misses Dows. However, there are certain things and assets that could still be legally accessible to young Leonardo Bocelli. After all, he is a child of minor age and is to be considered purely as a victim in all this. On the other hand, I know that you have been attacked a number of times in the recent past and that you could justifiably be suspicious about any invitation to go meet someone with young Leonardo. I thus propose to come and visit you at your home, with only my secretary accompanying me, so that we could discuss at your place, with Leonardo present. I would just ask you not to blaze away the moment I show up.’’
‘’Don’t worry, Mister Carboneti: I will hold my fire if you will arrive at a preset hour. When would it be convenient to come visit me?’’
‘’How about this afternoon, at around two o’clock, Misses Dows? That will give me the time to assemble all the relevant legal documents, along with my official stamps and my secretary’s typewriter. Would that do?’’
‘’It would, Mister Carboneti. Do you mind if I also have present with me a federal law representative who is connected to the FBI investigation on the murder of the Bocelli family? That representative could help us by telling us which parts of Tony Bocelli’s estate could still be inherited by Leonardo despite of the said investigation.’’
‘’That actually sounds like a good idea, Misses Dows, as it would indeed clarify important points about the succession of Mister Tony Bocelli. You can expect me at around two this afternoon, along with my secretary. I won’t mind if you decide to frisk us for weapons on arrival: the recent events gave you the right to be ultra-cautious.’’
‘’They certainly did, Mister Carboneti. I will be waiting. Just be aware that the ground level of my house presently looks like a construction site, as it sustained a lot of damage from gunfire five days ago.’’
‘’That won’t bother me, Misses Dows,’’ replied Carboneti, sounding amused, ‘’as long as you have a private setting with four walls still standing.’’
‘’That setting will be my upper floor private study, Mister Carboneti. See you at around two o’clock then.’’
Ingrid then hung up and looked at Leonardo, who had listened on while eating his breakfast.
‘’Your father’s solicitor will come and visit us, along with his secretary, at two this afternoon, in order to discuss your father’s last will concerning you. By the way, do you have with you a key to your family house, Leo?’’
‘’I do, Ingrid! When my father brought me here, he included in my bags my passport and various identity cards, plus a full set of keys to our house, in case I would need to visit it while he was in Italy.’’
‘’Did he include anything else, apart from clothing and hygiene items?’’
Leonardo had to think for a few seconds before answering her.
‘’Uh, there was an envelope containing my birth certificate, a few family photos and a short list of telephone numbers linked to the house’s domestic staff, so that I could contact them about house maintenance. It also contained my bank account booklet.’’
‘’Bank account booklet? You have a personal bank account in your name, Leo?’’
‘’Yes! My father gave me a small monthly stipend for pocket money. Do you want to see it?’’
‘’Yes, get it, Leo! Bring down at the same time the other documents and I.D. cards he left you.’’
‘’Okay!’’
As Leonardo left the kitchen to go to his bedroom, Ingrid grabbed again the receiver of her telephone and formed a number, getting an answer after two rings.
‘’Loomis residence!’’ said a female voice, making Ingrid smile.
‘’Hello Carolyn! I hope that I am not disturbing you at this hour?’’
‘’Not at all! What can I do for you, Ingrid?’’
‘’I would like to speak with Greg, if he is available.’’
‘’He is still barfing down his eggs and bacon right in front of me, Ingrid. One moment, please.’’
Ingrid had to wait only a few seconds before Greg Loomis’ voice came on the line.
‘’Yes, Ingrid?’’
‘’Greg, I just got a call from Tony Bocelli’s private solicitor, who wants to discuss with me his last will as it pertains to Leonardo. How close or involved are you with the FBI investigation on the murder of the Bocelli family and the attack on my house?’’
Somehow, Greg then answered with some amusement detectable in his tone.
‘’How close I am to that investigation? Did you forget that I am the Washington District Attorney? This case is presently my biggest one and has number one priority, especially since President Bush ordered that the Justice Department put maximum pressure on those mobsters. Look, I would prefer not to discuss this on the phone, so expect me at your house in a few minutes. Uh, could you make sure that you are wearing some clothes when you will receive me?’’
‘’What’s the matter, Greg? You don’t like it when naked women open their door to you?’’
‘’Oh, I do, Ingrid, especially when they are as appetizing as you. However, Carolyn may not appreciate that as much as me. Well, see you in a few minutes and thank you for warning me about that visit.’’
Ingrid was hanging up when Leonardo returned to the kitchen, a legal-sized envelope and a set of keys in his hands.
‘’Here they are, Ingrid!’’
‘’Good! Let’s spread these things on the kitchen counter, so that I could examine them. Just remove those bread crumbs first, though.’’
Leonardo quickly did so, with Ingrid ending up looking at the content of the envelope. She quickly put aside the family photos as of no immediate interest and also examined the passport, birth certificate and various identity cards belonging to Leonardo, then opened his bank booklet, which bore his name. One look at its balance prompted Ingrid into glancing at Leonardo.
‘’How much per month did your father give you as pocket money, Leo?’’
‘’A hundred dollars a month, Ingrid. Why do you ask?’’
‘’And you regularly spent most of that money?’’
‘’Yes! I should have maybe forty or fifty dollars left in my account. Again, why do you ask?’’
‘’Uh, because there is a little bit more than fifty dollars in your account, according to this booklet, Leo. I suppose that your father had equal access to your account?’’
‘’Yes, he did! He also often borrowed my booklet, so that he could update it at the same time he put funds in it.’’
‘’Well, according to this booklet, it was updated the same day your family left for Italy. Its balance now is 100,043 dollars and sixty cents.’’
‘’ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS?!’’ exclaimed Leonardo, shocked. Ingrid somberly nodded her head in response.
‘’You heard right, Leo. It seems that your father was anticipating trouble for his family and for you and thus decided to ensure that you would have the means to survive if he got assassinated. Your father may have been a mobster, but he evidently cared for you, Leo. Now, Greg Loomis is about to come visit me at my request, in order to discuss legalities concerning the FBI investigation into the mob. I will then check with him to see if your bank account is safe from judiciary seizure. Since it is in your name and not in your father’s name and since you are a minor, I am hoping that you will be able to keep that money, which would come handy to pay for your education.’’
Leonardo could not answer that, instead starting to cry silently, prompting Nancy to pass an arm around him to console him.
‘’Leo, whatever happens, you have me and Ingrid.’’
‘’I…I know and I am most grateful for that. I don’t know anymore how to deal with all this.’’
‘’Let me take care of your interests, Leo.’’ replied Ingrid. ‘’You may not have the legal right to manage your affairs but I intend to make sure that you don’t get trampled by that FBI investigation. If need be, I will personally intercede with President Bush if some justice official becomes too inflexible or vindictive at your expense.’’
‘’Thank you, Ingrid!’’
‘’You’re welcome, Leo. You may put back your documents and photos in that envelope, but leave me the bank booklet for the time being. I will give it back to you after talking with Greg Loomis.’’
‘’Okay!’’
Some six minutes later, Greg Loomis showed up at Ingrid’s front door while holding a briefcase. He smiled to her while showing her the briefcase.
‘’It contains my legal briefs and papers concerning the FBI investigation. I may not allow you to read them, but I will use them to confirm things, so that I could better counsel you.’’
‘’A good idea, Greg. Thanks for coming on a Saturday morning.’’
‘’Ingrid, I am happy to meet with you at any time, no underhanded meaning intended, of course.’’
‘’Of course! Let’s go up to my private study.’’
As he was about to follow Ingrid up the stairs, Greg saw Nancy, who had come out of the kitchen to wave hello to him. He froze at once and spoke in a strangled voice to Ingrid.
‘’What the Hell happened to Nancy? She looks much older than yesterday morning.’’
Ingrid, stopping in mid-stride in the staircase, sighed.
‘’She decided that she wanted to look like a Fourth-Grade girl instead of like a Kindergarten kid and used her powers to accelerate her growth to attain her nine-year-old stage.’’
‘’She has that kind of power, really?’’ said Greg, stunned, making Ingrid smirk.
‘’Does that sound so fantastic, when you compare it to her ability to fly and to throw energy balls, Greg? She now feels better about her body and that is what I consider the most important. Come up and forget about that!’’
Still shaking his head at this, Greg nonetheless followed Nancy upstairs and went into her private study, closing the door behind him before taking the chair offered by Ingrid.
‘’So, Tony Bocelli’s solicitor contacted you about his client’s last will and Leonardo. What would you like to know from me?’’
‘’What I would like to know, if that’s possible or permitted for you, would be to what extent Tony Bocelli’s activities as a mobster could block Leonardo from inheriting from his father’s estate? For one, could the Bocelli family house be inherited by Leonardo, or is it going to be seized as a presumed fruit of illegal activities? And what about Tony’s bank accounts? What is the legal status of Tony Bocelli’s material and financial assets?’’
‘’Those are indeed judicious questions…and complicated ones as well, Ingrid. First, let me precise that the present FBI investigation is centered on the Winter Hill Gang from Boston and the recent wave of violence they committed in the Washington area as they tried to wrestle control from Tony Bocelli and from the Gambino crime family. In that investigation, Tony Bocelli is treated mostly as a victim, along with his family and associates. We tried in the past to indict Tony Bocelli under charges of racketeering, but nothing stuck. While definitely a mobster, Tony Bocelli used his head a lot more than his muscles, contrary to those murderous bastards from Boston, and was uncommonly cautious about the way he covered up his illegal activities and earnings. Also, he was not by far the most violence-prone criminal In this region, although he was always ready to respond when pushed around. Tony was engaged mostly in prostitution, drug trafficking, loansharking and corruption of officials. He also owned a couple of perfectly legitimate businesses, including a large transportation company and a food processing plant, in which we suspect he laundered much of his illegal gains. More of his illegal gains went into offshore accounts which are out of range of American jurisdiction. The money he used for his everyday living and expenses was actually the profits from his legitimate enterprises, which are doing quite well thank you, so the IRS will have a hard time catching him at tax evasion or fraud. Now, to answer specifically your questions: while the Bocelli family house is presently treated as a crime scene, I am not aware of plans by the Justice Department to confiscate or seize it. The department just does not have enough legal evidence to justify such a move. As for his bank accounts, at least those which we know about, I suspect that the IRS will freeze them while they examine Tony’s tax history. As for his other assets, including his legitimate enterprises and his beachside cottage in Atlantic City, I believe that they are presently safe from seizure, again thanks to the lack of proof of criminal activity by Tony Bocelli. Technically, young Leonardo could inherit all of that without fear of being hounded by federal investigators…unless some really mean and vindictive Justice Department official decides the contrary. As you know, Ingrid, I am no such guy.’’
‘’You do reassure me a lot, Greg. I can tell you in exchange that Leonardo wants nothing more to do with the Mafia and wants to cut all his father’s links with organized crime. I now have one last question for you, Greg. I just found out, along with Leonardo, who was as surprised as me on realizing it, that Tony Bocelli transferred 100,000 dollars into Leonardo’s pocket money bank account, and this the same day he left with the rest of his family to Italy. Here is the bank account booklet, which is in Leonardo’s name. It seems that Tony feared that something bad could happen to him and that he then made sure that, whatever happened, his son Leonardo would have something to help support himself. My question is this: is that money safe from seizure by the authorities? Can Leonardo use that account without fear of seeing it be frozen by the IRS?’’
Greg examined carefully the content of the booklet before shaking his head.
‘’I doubt very much that anyone will want to freeze or confiscate the content of this bank account, Ingrid. It is in the name of a minor with no criminal history or links, apart from being the son of a mobster. Keep this to yourself but, when we investigated Tony Bocelli for racketeering in the past and found nothing that stuck, young Leonardo was also investigated, but only to ascertain to which level he knew about the criminal activities of his father. The picture we got was that of a young boy who knew that his father did illegal things but who also despised those same activities and had often verbally objected to them with him and with the rest of his family. In one reported instance, Leonardo was beaten up by his older brother Gino, who was said to be hoping to inherit one day his father’s criminal organization, for protesting once too often about it. The story is that Tony then slapped around his older son, telling him never to touch his younger brother again. While he was no angel, Tony Bocelli seemed to believe in a few moral principles and to follow them, like never touching the families of those he extorted and never hurting children. In that, he was a very traditional kind of Italian mobster.’’
Ingrid scratched her head at that.
‘’Well, I have met some true human monsters in the past and I must say that, the one time I met Tony Bocelli, he didn’t strike me as the most despicable man around. I have in fact seen some so-called respectable businessmen and politicians who did as badly as him in terms of fraud, embezzlement and theft. One last thing, Greg. Could I ask you to be present as a witness when I will meet with that solicitor at two this afternoon?’’
‘’I will be happy to help Leonardo in any way I can, Ingrid. I will come in advance, at fifteen to two, if that is okay with you.’’
‘’I am fine with that, Greg. Thank you for helping me in this.’’
‘’Hey, I have been owning you a big one since 1955, when you saved my two kids from abduction at the hands of Big Joe Bolsano. See you after lunch!’’
Now alone in her private study, Ingrid rehashed in her head what Greg had told him, then went down to the lounge, where she found Leonardo and told him what Greg had said to her, concluding with one question to the boy.
‘’Leo, if you inherit all this, will you want to keep all or parts of it? Think well before answering, as your financial future may hinge on those assets.’’
Leonardo lowered his head, obviously at a loss on how to answer. He finally looked up questioningly at Ingrid.
‘’Ingrid, you are much more experienced and mature than me. What would you do in my place?’’
‘’I would say: sell your family house, since you are now living here with me and Nancy, and reinvest the money from that sale into your father’s two legitimate businesses, meaning his transportation company and his food processing plant. Those two companies employ many people who do hard, honest work, often at low salaries. If you want to, you can then lower the profit margin of those companies to the minimum while at the same time increasing substantially the salaries of the lowest paid workers. As for that cottage in Atlantic City, did you like it?’’
Leo nodded his head in response.
‘’It is a nice one, Ingrid. It has its own private access to a section of beach and is in a good state. I spent some good days there in the past Summers.’’
‘’Then I say: keep it!’’
‘’Hey!’’ exclaimed Nancy, who had been listening on while sitting on the same sofa as Leo. ‘’What if we invite our old classmates for a beach party weekend there? We could even loan its use to the Congressional School and turn it into a seaside school Summer Camp house.’’
Those words fired up Leonardo at once.
‘’That’s a great idea, Nancy! I love it! If I inherit it today, maybe we could invite our friends to spend the Fourth of July there, on the beach.’’
‘’Well, technically, it still belongs to your father, who in turn is not going to stop you from using it now. You can thus use that cottage as long as it is in your family’s name, Leo. However, before we start inviting your friends, we better inspect it first to make sure that it is still in good state and equipped properly for a kids’ beach party.’’
‘’Can we do that today, Mommy, once that man will have visited us this afternoon? We could get there quickly via aircar.’’
Ingrid smiled at her daughter’s suggestion: this idea of turning Leo’s family cottage into a beachside school Summer camp truly appealed to her.
‘’A fine idea, Nancy. However, let’s not sell the bear’s fur before killing it: we still need to see what is in Leo’s father’s last will.’’
13:51 (Washington Time)
Front door of 326 South Grove Street
Rinaldo Carboneti turned out to be a polite and distinguished man in his fifties who was accompanied by his secretary, a portly woman in her forties who carried with her a typewriter case and a leather briefcase. On their arrival, Ingrid invited them at once to go up to her private study.
‘’Sorry for the mess at ground level. Thankfully, this gunfight happened in the Summer, rather than in Winter. If not, our house would be simply unlivable until repaired. However, we will make do as best as we can until the repair works are completed.’’
The secretary, a Miss Fontanelli, eyed with dismay the multiple bullet impacts which had ripped the walls and the furniture of the lounge.
‘’My God! You were lucky not to get killed then, Misses Dows.’’
‘’Pah! They shot like pigs. Well, let’s go up.’’
As they were climbing the stairs, Ingrid twisted her head to speak at the solicitor.
‘’Mister Carboneti, I want to tell you that I invited as a witness and legal counselor an official from the Justice Department. He however is a certified lawyer and promised me that all that we will say today will be covered by professional confidentiality.’’
Carboneti did hesitate for a fraction of a second, but then nodded his head.
‘’Then, I will have no objections to his presence, Misses Dows. I am in fact here to ensure that the succession for Mister Bocelli’s estate is done correctly and legally.’’
‘’Well said, Mister Carboneti. This way, please!’’
The trio then entered Ingrid’s private study, where both Leonardo and Greg Loomis were waiting for them, sitting in a sofa.
‘’Mister Carboneti, Miss Fontanelli, let me present you first Leonardo Bocelli, the younger son of Tony Bocelli, along with Mister Greg Loomis, federal District Attorney for the Washington area.’’
Carboneti’s eyes widened on hearing Greg’s title but shook hands with him and Leo nonetheless.
‘’Nice to meet you, Mister Loomis. Leonardo, please allow me to present you my most sincere condolences for the death of your family.’’
‘’You are too kind, sir.’’
‘’Miss Fontanelli, you are welcome to set your typewriter and other office supplies on top of my work desk over there. Mister Carboneti, if you will take this easy chair.’’
‘’Thank you, Misses Dows.’’
Once he had sat down, the solicitor opened at once his own briefcase and took out a number of documents, handing two of them to Ingrid and Leonardo.
‘’I made an extra copy of the last will, so that both of you could read it at the same time. This should simplify and accelerate our discussion.’’
‘’A good idea, Mister Carboneti.’’ replied Ingrid while taking the copy offered to him. As for Leonardo, he let Greg read his own copy over his shoulder as Carboneti spoke again.
‘’As you will see in this last will recently updated by Mister Tony Bocelli, young Leonardo is now the only beneficiary named in it and still alive, thus there should not be any legal objections possible to him inheriting the properties and financial assets of his father. The same applies to the last wills of his mother Maria, of his brother Gino and of his sister Livia. While the assets held in the name of his mother, brother and sister are actually limited when compared to the assets of his father, both Maria, Gino and Livia were covered by life insurance policies, as was his father. The premiums from those three life insurance policies thus will go to Leonardo, as everything that belonged to Tony Bocelli is now his.’’
Leonardo’s head suddenly felt light as he digested those words.
‘’And how much do those policies represent, Mister Carboneti?’’
‘’Your father’s life insurance policy, written with your mother as its first beneficiary but with you succeeding her, was worth by itself 300,000 dollars. Your mother’s life insurance coverage was worth 50,000 dollars, while those of your brother and sister were each worth 10,000 dollars. I will ensure that the insurance company delivers you cheques for those sums in your name within the next few days. Since Monday will be an official holiday, that may however delay these cheques by an extra day or two.’’
‘’I…I will get 370,000 dollars in life insurance money?’’ said with difficulty Leon
