the Made Men

CHAPTER 28

"You told me to let it go. That nothing was gonna happen." Herbert was in Robbin's face. He knew he was supposed to keep his feelings separate. but his gut was telling him something was wrong. If they didn't need a road map they had one now. It was confirmed that the Five had plans for Francis.

"I lied." Robbins remained calm. "They're going to kill Francis Aldo. And there's nothing you can do to stop it."

At the same time, there was a ding from the elevator. And a tall woman exited wearing a pantsuit and carrying a box of folders. "Now, now, boys. That's no way to play." She looked to be mid-thirties and had bleach-blonde hair.

Herbert and Robbins both looked confused and for a second almost forgot what they were arguing about. "Who are you?"

The woman strolled in like she ran the place. "I'm the one who's going to save this operation."

But quickly, Dixon and Kirby stopped her in her tracks. Now she was surrounded by the A.A.C

Dixon squinted when he looked at her. "I'm sorry, can we see some sort of identification?"

"Slowly," Kirby added.

The woman rolled her eyes and then sighed. "Left pocket. Help yourself, red."

Kirby removed the badge from the woman's pocket and then opened it. "Agent Trisha Gluko...F.B.I." She looked surprised. "Why'd no one tell us you were coming?"

"Aw, don't take it personally." She made her brows jump. "When they send me they normally don't announce it." Agent Gluko breezed past them and then dropped the box on the table. "Special Agent by the way."

Robbins questioned, "And what brings the FBI here?"

Agent Gluko snatched her badge back. "The Crazy Eight Fund is not something we would just give to an analyst. No offense."

Dixon replied, "Sorry you had to waste your time getting here but Stefan is as clueless as--"

Agent Gluko cut Dixon off. "--I've been briefed. He's being purposefully left in the dark. I still haven't decided on an angle. Pierre's a little old for my liking, Ezra Junior's too young. I'm hoping to take a different approach. Maybe have at it with one of the Right Hands. The only one single and somewhat attractive...Vincent Gambino."

Kirby picked up. "Your intel is outdated."

"Oh?"

Herbert responded. "Vincent Gambino and Judy Bruno are...well you know."

"You have proof of this?"

Robbins looked at Kirby who looked at Herbert who looked at Dixon.

After a soft sigh, Dixon pressed a few keys on his computer. A recording from the hotel bug played noises of what sounded like two people heavily breathing, kissing, and moaning. "Undetectable monitoring...my idea."

"Got it. Thank you." Agent Gluko took a seat at the table. "What else have I missed besides a boy-band bickering contest?"

Officer Robbins looked Agent Gluko up and down. It was something about her that he was attracted to. He couldn't tell if it was her dominant personality or her physique. "All business, huh? You don't want to get to know us first?"

"I'm sorry, did you want to braid each other's hair and tell bedtime stories?" Agent Gluko chuckled. "I've read all your files." She first looked at Dixon. "Barthalomule Dixon III, impressive resume with the CIA. A helping hand in The Phases. The brains." Then she looked at Kirby. "Donna Kirby. Almost threw away her career trying to do the right thing, dedicated to her work. The loyalist." Then she looked at Robbins. "Cole Robbins. Goes wherever the job can advance his career. The wanderer." Then she looked at Herbert. "And lastly, Clarence Herbert. Lied on his job application but lives to tell the tale. The opportunist."

"Donna?" Robbins laughed at Kirby. "Wow."

Herbert looked at Dixon. "A helping hand in The Phases?"

Agent Gluko looked around. "I assumed you all were past pleasantries. What have you been doing all this time?"

Kirby rolled her eyes. "And let me guess, you're quite the saint?"

"Oh, the contrary." Agent Gluko smiled. "Never married. Controlling. Manipulative. Arrogant. Never wrong. I lie often to get what I want and I say exactly what's on my mind. Because of my job, I have no personal life. Should I continue?"

"Traits of a leader if you ask me," Robbins smiled at her.

Dixon rubbed his chin. "What branch did you serve? I'm guessing either Coast Guard or Navy."

"Not bad." Agent Gluko grinned. "Navy."

"I was never good with water." Dixon nodded then pointed to his wheelchair. "Army. Iraq."

Kirby couldn't help but roll her eyes. The boys of A.A.C swooned over Agent Gluko like she was a new puppy.

Robbins sat next to Agent Gluko and then asked. "What can you tell us about The Crazy Eight Fund?"

Agent Gluko shrugged. "It's the biggest college admissions scandal dating back twenty years."

"So that's it?" Herbert asked. "Aurora Morelli is going down?"

"It's not that simple. The fund is bigger than Aurora Morelli." Agent Gluko tried to keep it simple. "The foundation is solid. The fund is backed by a strong network. Closing shop would take years of unlimited resources and access. We would have to go back to the beginning and work our way forward. Who went through the fund, who all was involved, money trails, witnesses."

"That's easy, right?" Herbert questioned.

"That's not the right question. The question becomes would you charge a dead man for a crime he committed years prior? Who do we charge and with what? We need facts...evidence for a solid case to stick. And frankly, we don't have the manpower to muscle through the paperwork. The time it would take to dig through records we could just start a new investigation. Which is what we've been doing. Starting over. Year after year."

"There has to be some sort of paper trail," Kirby added.

Agent Gluko replied. "The fund is not consistent. They might go public one year and then take the next six years off. The parents change. The kids change. The advisors change. The admission officers change. The Crazy Eight Fund board changes. The leadership changes. It's too many moving parts to tell which way is which. It's a never-ending loop." She lifted her brow. "But anyway we have plenty of time to talk about the flaws of the fund and our approach. What were you all arguing about when I arrived?"

Robbins looked at Herbert and then said, "The Five believe they have someone talking to feds ie. us."

Herbert snapped back. "The Family has decided to kill Francis Aldo."

"What proof do they have?" Asked Agent Gluko.

Herbert immediately responded. "Speculation. Unfortunate timing and bad luck."

Agent Gluko went to the corkboard. "Of the Right Hands, Aldo wouldn't be my first choice of a snitch. It would be Stefan Sergio. His rise to the top was questionable from the beginning. Everything worked out almost too perfectly."

"I mean, you tell us. Is he one of yours?" asked Dixon.

"No." Agent Gluko shook her head. "But that still doesn't mean he isn't vulnerable to be the fall guy in the future. From what I can tell he hasn't taken the Oath of Omerta yet."

"The Oath of what?" the A.A.C asked in unison.

"The Oath of Omerta...It's the code of honor amongst the Five. It's what officially makes one a made man or woman."