the Made Men

CHAPTER 22

The henchmen Judy had tailing Francis paid off. They knew where he went and who he interacted with. They even gave Judy pictures and videos. One of which showed that while in Des Plaines Francis was at a casino feeding his gambling addiction. Another showed that while there Francis was talking to two men, one of which showed a badge. It didn't take rocket science for Judy to connect the dots. So naturally, she had to share her findings with Dino.

"You wanted proof for your conscience and there you have it. Francis talking to cops, Federal Agents, whatever. At this point, the sky's the limit." Judy paced back and forth. "Who knows how many trips he's taken to Des Plaines? At this point who knows how long this has been going on? But thank God we caught this when we did so we can deal with it."

Dino shook his head. He loved Francis like a brother. He knew what he saw but refused to believe it. "This video is not enough. I can't make a call based on a brief interaction."

"Ah, Jesus, Don't do this."

"I'm serious, Jud." He continued. "We have no idea what's going on here. For all, we know those could be casino security guards or casino inspectors. We have to keep our heads with this. It hits too close to home."

"Casino inspectors?" She rolled her eyes. "I finally get it." Judy laughed. "It doesn't matter what I or anyone does or says. Your mind's made up. Francis lives."

Dino Ferrero had an ongoing migraine. He followed the hearsay that Judy brought to him only to learn that the rumors were indeed facts. But he didn't know which part pissed him off more. The fact that the family had a snitch, that Francis skipped town, or that Judy made a grave decision without his approval. There were days like such when Dino just wanted to drop everything and leave this life behind.

He imagined a simple life where he was a college professor or worked at a grocery store. A life where he wasn't boss and he had never been born into the life. It was times when the roles and responsibilities of being Boss came crashing down on him. All of the emotions consumed him at once. That's when he grabbed his chest. His heart was beating rapidly and it was as if his body was crashing. Then his eyes closed and he blacked out.

Hours later, Dino woke up in a hospital bed where a nurse read a chart on the opposite side of the room next to Judy and a doctor in a white coat. He felt frigid air, heard the sound of the heart monitor, and smelled cleaning supplies.

"Where am I?" Dino softly let out.

"Northwestern Memorial Hospital," said the Doctor who joined him at the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine, I guess. What happened?"

"What do you remember?"

"My body went numb. I--I fainted."

"Can you tell me your name?"

"Dino Ferrero."

The doctor flashed a small light in his eyes as routine. "Has something like this happened before?"

"No. But I did have a heart attack, right?"

"I wouldn't call it that. Your labs came back normal. Mr. Ferrero, you're perfectly healthy." The doctor paused. "I would say it was more...psychological. Um, cardiomyopathy. You may have heard of it. Some call it broken heart syndrome."

"Broken heart?" Dino looked surprised. "No, that doesn't sound like me."

"Do you know what caused it?" Judy asked.

The doctor said, "It could be a mix of things. Lack of sleep, overeating, abnormal heart rhythm, extreme emotions. Are you under any stress? Work, perhaps?"

Dino looked at Judy and then said, "No."

"Alright, well, take it easy for a couple of days. Drink lots of water." The doctor took notes. "Assuming you're up to it, You're free to go home."

After the doctor left, Judy looked at her Uncle and repeated, "Broken heart syndrome?" Then she laughed.

Dino readjusted himself in the bed and then asked, "I should call the Mrs."

"I tried," Judy replied, "No answer."

That evening, Dino met with his favorite Chicago PD Officer on payroll, an hour outside of the city at a diner off route. They didn't meet often but when they did it was important.

When Officer People joined, he sat across from Dino and observed him. "Jesus, you look like shit." Officer People was an older man who spent his entire career doing what had to be done. Legal or illegal it was all the same to him.

Dino nodded.

"No niece today?"

"She's attending to other engagements." Dino finally cut to the chase. "Are we gonna skip the small talk?"

"Sure." Officer People shrugged. "I watched the video and asked around. The suits are Feds but I haven't heard anything about Francis being any type of informant. Nothing city-wide or federal."

"So what are you saying? My niece forged the video?"

"I didn't say that."

Dino continued. "I mean, what are we dealing with here? Something off the books, on a need-to-know?"

"I don't know." Officer People answered.

"The gambling I can deal with but being a rat?" Dino shook his head. "From where we come from? It was never about the money. It's the principle." He sighed. "And what about that other thing?"

"I looked into that too. I'm not sure where your guys heard that we have a snitch on hand but the city has no one. The Family may have a snitch but it's not happening here in Chicago." He added. "All you need to do is keep your head and lay low. We've seen this before."

Dino folded his arms. "You know if things keep spiraling out of control like this I'll have to clean house...completely, right?"

"I pray it never comes to that."

Dino sighed. "There is one other thing I need you to look into." He paused. He was hesitant to ask but he felt that something was off. And he knew that once he asked there was no turning back. "Find me everything you can on my wife. What's she been up to? The whole thing."

"Are you sure?"