Worth Dying For Part 26

The camera switched to a close-up shot of James Styles standing behind the police tape. He smiled broadly, showing a full set of teeth as he spoke into the microphone. "Citing anonymity, an unidentified source with the FBI has confirmed that the dead man in the trunk of the car behind me is Jay Marbles Farino. As some of you may already know, Farino was reported to be a hit man for reputed Mob Boss Anthony Castrucci."

A split picture of Big Tony and Sonny Valachi flashed across the screen before the camera cut back to a wide shot of the reporter, and the crime scene behind him.

"Castrucci, along with his trusted Lieutenant, Sonny Valachi, were found several days ago floating in the San Francis...o...b..y." He continued to speak as another picture flashed on the screen, showing the bodies being pulled from the water. "According to the same FBI source, Castrucci died just days before a secret grand jury indictment for child p.o.r.nography and several federal racketeering charges were handed down. It was also reported that Farino was the main suspect in the brutal death of undercover FBI Agent Rheyna Sorento. Her badly beaten body was discovered in this same location earlier this month."

The camera switched back to a close up of the reporter. He smiled at the camera. "This is James Styles, reporting for Channel 2 news."

Chapter 25.

It had taken Edwards a good sixty minutes to drive up the coast to Benicia, and he still couldn't believe what he was about to do. It should have been against his better judgment, but it wasn't.

He drove the sedan slowly through the entrance to the park. For once, he was doing what was right, and this was the right thing to do, even if the law didn't agree. He knew he was taking a big risk and that if discovered, it would cost him his job, and more likely than not, he would also be arrested.

There was no doubt in his mind that all parties involved would keep this secret. He laughed as he thought about Omerta, the Mafia's vow of silence, their sacred oath, and how he was now about to take part in it. He had taken an oath of his own and he had sworn his allegiance to the bureau, but the bureau had let down one of its own when they failed to protect Rheyna, and that just plain p.i.s.sed him off.

He followed the signs leading to Dillon's Point and pulled the sedan into one of the empty parking spots. A glance at his watch showed he was early, and that was fine by him. He could use the time to stretch his legs and shake off some of the nervous energy he was feeling. He walked around to the front of the car and leaned back against the grill.

Lighting a cigarette, he inhaled the smoke deep into his lungs. He needed to quit this nasty habit and he knew his wife would appreciate it. He took another drag, flicked the cigarette across the pavement, and then hoisted himself up on the hood of the car. With his hand raised in front of his face to s.h.i.+eld his eyes from the sun, he glanced around the park. It was larger than he had imagined. He looked to his right and saw a couple of hikers enter a trailhead.

His thoughts turned back to the event that had brought him here today. The phone call he received earlier in the week had surprised him. Actually, it had surprised the h.e.l.l out of him, catching him totally off guard, and that was something that didn't happen very often.

Over the years, he had seen and heard just about everything humanly possible. Sometimes, he got to see the best in people, but more often than not, it was mostly the worst. It was a wonder that he had been able to keep his sanity over the years.

He turned to see an approaching car's headlight and watched as the black limousine pulled into the spot next to his sedan. Vincent got out and came around to hold the rear door open. She's definitely more attractive in person, he thought as Terasa Castrucci slid out of the backseat. He hadn't seen her since Rheyna's funeral, but could tell from the look on her face that the events of the last month and a half had taken their toll on her, too.

She smiled warmly and walked over to him. To his surprise, she put her arms around his shoulders and hugged him. He could see the gentleness in her. She was genuine and obviously loved her daughter more than anything on earth. Her actions and intentions had made that perfectly clear when she phoned him. If Caroline was anything like her mother-and he suspected she was-Rheyna hadn't stood a chance. He understood how she had fallen in love with her.

Terasa turned to Vincent and took the manila envelope from his hand. She handed it to Edwards. She looked at him thoughtfully. "I can't thank you enough for what you have done for me and my daughter, Agent Edwards."

He looked at the envelope, turning it over repeatedly in his hands. He raised his head to meet her gaze. "I hope you understand that we were only doing our jobs, and Rheyna never meant to hurt you or Caroline."

She nodded and smiled. "I do understand, and I also understand that Rheyna was the best thing to ever happen to my daughter, and I think the reverse was true for her as well. When the two of them were together, it was like the sun and sky. I've never been one to believe in soul mates, but I truly believe that's exactly what the two of them were to each other."

She leaned against the side of the car and sighed deeply. "As for Anthony, I guess deep down, I always knew it was only a matter of time before it came to this," she said, looking out over the bluff. She absentmindedly fumbled with the top b.u.t.ton on her blouse as she collected her thoughts. She struggled with the words now caught in her throat, and Edwards could see the pain in her eyes.

"I did care for my husband, Agent Edwards, but even I have a breaking point. I'd had enough. I just couldn't take it anymore. I made a decision to no longer stand idly by and watch him destroy yet another life. It makes me sick to my stomach to think of all the decent people he's ruined-or worse yet, killed. Some of those people meant the world to me."

Edwards felt for this woman. She was a good person, and through unforeseen circ.u.mstances, and no fault of her own, she had been thrown into the Mafia way of life-a life fueled by greed, power, and crime so brutal, it usually resulted in death. It was inevitable. It was the La Cosa Nostra way and always would be.

"You know I could lose my job and possibly my freedom for what I'm about to do," he said, sliding his hand inside his jacket pocket. He pulled out the ca.s.sette tape from the surveillance room and handed it to her along with a small, white envelope. "But I don't really care. I think you and Caroline have suffered enough and it's the least I can do to repay you."

She watched him take out his pocketknife and cut a slit in the envelope. He pulled out several sheets of paper. He looked at the offsh.o.r.e bank account numbers used to launder the money from Baysh.o.r.e. He quickly scanned the sheet containing the names of several high profile officials on the mob's payroll and their payoff schedules. It also included the amounts they had already been paid.

He felt his stomach knot up as he removed the photos paper-clipped to the top of the page. He shook his head in disbelief as he looked at the photo showing Special Agent Carl Stevens accepting an envelope while shaking the outstretched hand of Sonny Valachi. He thumbed through the photos, each one showing Stevens at a different time and place as he met up with Big Tony's right hand man. He stuffed the items back into the envelope and took out a cigarette.

"Thank you, Terasa," he said, opening the car door.

Terasa and Vincent got back in the limo, and Edwards watched them leave as quietly as they had arrived. He waited until the limousine's taillights disappeared over the hill and out of sight before getting into his car. He took a drag from his cigarette and blew the smoke out the window.

How could Stevens have done this? They were supposed to be best friends. Their wives shopped together, their kids attended the same schools. h.e.l.l, they even went on family camping trips together. How could he have been so heartless to do this to Rheyna-and for what, a few extra thousand dollars?

From the beginning, he knew this didn't feel right; he felt it in his gut sitting in his office the night the team had their first meeting, and somewhere deep inside, he had suspected Stevens could be the leak. There were just too many coincidences. He had discovered that in some way or another, Stevens had direct access to the information coming from the bureau's relations.h.i.+p with the informants. Each time he found an inconsistency, he excused it away with some sort of rationalization.

He just didn't want to believe it, and although the hard truth was staring him in the face-along with the doc.u.ments and pictures to prove it, he still had a hard time accepting it. He should have known to trust his gut and because he didn't, his agent paid a very high price. He felt responsible for what happened to Rheyna. He broke his own rule-he forgot to practice what he preached.

Laura had reminded him not too long ago to look at the little details inside the big picture. She gave him a taste of his own medicine, and he hadn't heeded his own advice. All along, the details pointing to Stevens were there, and he ignored them.

He let his mind drift back to when he first entertained the idea it could be Stevens. It was the conversation with Laura after Paulie and Georgie were killed in front of the delicatessen. Stevens blatantly ignored the notion a hit was going to take place, and he ignored Laura's suggestion to contact the L.A. field office.

However, it was when Laura commented on Aldrich Ames that he seriously considered the idea. Ames had also been a thirty-year man in the bureau. It was obvious by Laura's comment that she had also entertained the idea of it being Stevens. What Stevens had done was comparable to the heinous acts perpetrated by Aldrich Ames' betrayal to America.

At the time of his arrest in 1994, Ames had been spying for the Soviet U.S.S.R. for nine years, having received nearly two-million dollars. His betrayal turned out to be one of the deadliest in U.S. history, costing several Russian informants their lives. Ames had sold the ident.i.ties of those informants to the KGB and once the KGB had the informants' names, the men were rounded up, arrested, and then executed.

Edwards started the engine and backed the car out of the parking lot. He glanced down at his watch. His flight back to Was.h.i.+ngton was not due to leave for another three hours. That would give him plenty of time to hang out in the airport bar for several much-needed drinks. Laura and Stevens had left the day before and would already be there when he arrived. He picked up his phone and dialed Laura's cell number.

Five hours later, Edwards pushed through the double doors of the J. Edgar Hoover building. He noticed Laura sitting on one of the sofas with two armed guards standing a few feet away. She stood up, walked over to him, and waited as he flashed his badge to the security guard behind the desk. Then the two of them, along with the guards, stepped inside the elevator. They rode up to the fifth floor in silence, both knowing that nothing was worse than arresting one of your own for a crime. What made this especially bad was the crime hadn't only been against a fellow agent, but a minimum of seven informants had lost their lives in the process.

When Edwards had phoned Laura on the way to the airport and confirmed that Stevens was the mole, she was not the least bit surprised, and like Edwards, she felt guilty. She felt guilty for not being able to answer her cell phone and for not pus.h.i.+ng the issue harder with him regarding her suspicions. She listened as he filled her in on the details.

Afterward, he was grateful that she was professional enough not to say, "I told you so." It wasn't her style, and he knew it. She was too cla.s.sy for such pettiness, and he appreciated it.

Although it took only seconds to reach the fifth floor, it felt like forever. Normally, Edwards dreaded moments like these, but all he felt right now was anger-blood-boiling anger. He stepped through the open doors and felt an immediate rush of adrenaline.

Stevens was standing at the end of the hallway near the conference room. A puzzled look crossed his face as he looked at Laura and then at Edwards, and then at the two guards walking beside them.

Edwards walked up to him and stopped. He leaned forward and brought his face within an inch of Stevens'.

Edwards glared at him, feeling nothing but rage. He looked Stevens squarely in the eyes. "You're under arrest, you son-of-a-b.i.t.c.h," he said through clenched teeth.

Stevens held his hand up to protest, and without giving it a second thought, Edwards drew his arm back and hit Stevens squarely in the mouth with his fist. The impact sent Stevens reeling backward into the wall. He instinctively put his arms up in front of his face as Edwards drew his arm back to strike him again.

"No, Kyle, he's not worth it," Laura said, grabbing Edwards by the arm, pulling him back.

Stevens slowly got to his feet. He used the back of his sleeve to wipe the blood from his mouth. He started to say something and stopped when Edwards and Laura both turned their backs to him.

Edwards nodded at the guards, who proceeded to slam Stevens up against the wall. They pulled his arms behind his back and as they cuffed him, doors began opening along the hallway. Several agents came out of the adjoining offices and watched with a look of dismay as one of their own was led away in handcuffs.

Terasa stood at the door for several minutes looking at Caroline. She was glad to see Caroline had gained some of her weight back, and she was equally thrilled to see that she had finally left her bedroom, even if she was only standing on the outside balcony.

The past month and a half had been so hard on her. She thought about Edwards and the risk she herself had taken. What she had done would have been unfathomable if her husband were still alive. In fact, she would have paid the highest price for her betrayal. She would have paid with her own life.

Terasa went outside. She leaned against the rail next to her daughter. Caroline smiled as Terasa wrapped her arm around her waist.

"I love the view from up here," Caroline said as she looked out across the bay.

Terasa looked around the expansive property and nodded in agreement. She sighed heavily. "The view is what first sold me on the property when we decided to build the house."

It felt like a lifetime ago. She turned to Caroline and reached up to brush a few stray hairs back from her face. "You know, I have truly loved only one person in my life," she said, and then paused to collect her thoughts. "I met her in Sicily while attending college. I was twenty-two at the time, she was twenty-four." She laughed at the surprised look on Caroline's face as the realization of what her words meant sank in.

"Oh-wow, Mom, I had no idea," Caroline said, unable to keep the surprise from her voice.

Terasa smiled and looked back out at the bay. "When my father found out, he forbade me from ever seeing her again." She laughed again at the shocked expression on Caroline's face.

"What did you do?"

Terasa chuckled. "We sneaked around until we got caught, and when your grandfather found out, he sent me to America. He arranged for me to marry your father and told me that if I cared about Serena, I would do as he asked, or she would pay the price for my disobedience."

Caroline turned to look directly at her mom. She reached up and wiped the tears from Terasa's cheek. After all these years, she could clearly see the pain in her mother's eyes.

"She was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen, with hair like black silk and piercing grey eyes. In a lot of ways, Rheyna reminded me of her."

Terasa smiled as she thought about how much Serena and Rheyna resembled each other. There were times when she thought if Serena ever had a child, she would look just like Rheyna. "I wanted to die. Just knowing that Serena was out there somewhere without me was unbearable," she said, her voice shaking with emotion. She turned to look at Caroline. "But I loved her enough to let her go."

Terasa tried unsuccessfully to keep the tears from spilling down her cheeks. She placed her hands on Caroline's face so she could look her in the eye. "No person on the face of this earth should ever be forced to pretend to be something they're not, or to live life as a lie."

Caroline's heart was breaking for her mother. "Maybe you can still find Serena. There's no one to stop you now."

"Maybe," Terasa said, taking Caroline by the hand. "Come with me, there's someplace I want to take you."

"And where might that be?" Caroline asked as she let Terasa lead her back into the house.

A sly smile formed on Terasa's mouth. "You'll just have to wait and see," she answered as they stepped outside to the waiting limo and Vincent. He nodded to Caroline and smiled as he held the door open.

Caroline turned to Terasa with a puzzled look on her face. Her mom was up to something and had obviously enlisted Vincent's help in this little adventure. "Can't you at least give me a clue?" she asked after they were settled onto the backseat.

Terasa shook her head and gently squeezed Caroline's hand. "No, I told you it's a surprise." Terasa thought about the strings she had to pull to make this happen and the countless number of favors she now owed. They were big ones, but in a short time, each one would be worth it because Caroline was the only thing that mattered to her. She would do anything to ensure her daughter's happiness, no matter the cost.

Caroline looked out the window and noticed they were heading up the coast. She turned to Terasa. "Mom, what are you up to?"

Terasa feigned ignorance. "I'm not up to anything, dear. What would ever give you that idea?"

"Yes, you are and somehow, you've talked Vincent into helping you."

"Nonsense, you just sit there like a good girl," Terasa said, trying to hide the smile playing at the corners of her mouth. Caroline was too much like her, and she knew she was not about to give up that easily.

Vincent turned onto Topanga Canyon Boulevard and headed south. Caroline looked out the window and turned back to Terasa. She held her thumb and index finger an inch apart. "Can't you at least give me a tiny hint?"

Terasa was not about to give in. She patted Caroline on the knee. "I'm not telling you. I promise we'll be there shortly."

Caroline leaned back in the seat and tried to relax as Vincent maneuvered the car along the winding road. After fifteen minutes of driving, he turned onto a side road and then into the driveway of a small beach house.

Terasa didn't wait for him to come around and open the door. She pulled Caroline out of the car by the hand.

Caroline looked at her with a confused expression on her face. "I don't understand," she said as Terasa led her around to the back of the house.

"Whose house is this?" Caroline asked, continuing to follow her mom onto the back deck. She heard a radio playing Inside Your Heaven by Carrie Underwood and then she heard a dog barking somewhere in the distance.

She turned and looked toward the beach and then stopped dead in her tracks. She looked at the two figures walking near the water. She felt her heart catch in her throat. "Oh my G.o.d-How ... Mom-I don't understand." She turned to Terasa and saw tears streaming down her face, and felt her own eyes fill up with tears.

"Go, go to her," Terasa said, waving her hand toward the beach.

Caroline took the deck stairs two at a time. By the time she hit the sand, she was sobbing. She flung off her shoes and ran down the beach where Rheyna stood playing with Annie.

Terasa felt Vincent put his arm around her waist. The two of them watched Caroline run through the sand.

Rheyna turned to look at the figure running toward her. It took less than two seconds for her to realize who it was. The cane in her hand fell to the ground.

"Caroline!" she yelled, and quickly closed the remaining distance between them. She caught Caroline in her arms and lifted her up off the ground, spinning in circles.

Caroline cried as she took Rheyna's face in her hands. She kissed her with so much tenderness and love. "Please, please, don't ever leave me again," she said between kisses.

"I promise I'll never leave you again," Rheyna said, pulling Caroline close and kissing her deeply.

Caroline pulled back to look at her. "I think you have some serious explaining to do."

"I know I do, but can I do it later?" Rheyna asked sheepishly.

"I guess so," Caroline said as she cupped Rheyna's face and kissed her softly.

Vincent laughed as Annie playfully jumped around the two women and then proceeded to knock them to the ground. She happily licked Caroline's face and then Rheyna's and then Caroline's again.

Teresa turned to Vincent and smiled. He turned his head to keep her from seeing the tears running down his cheeks.

"Are you getting soft on me, Vincent?" she asked, hugging the big man close.

He puffed out his chest and shook his head, trying to compose himself. "Me, soft? Never!"

Terasa knew better. Deep down, Vincent was one big lovable teddy bear. She saw the little smile form at the edge of his mouth as he turned and looked at Caroline and Rheyna laying on the beach, and Annie who had now turned her attention to biting at the waves.

Chapter 26.