Chapter 43: To The Mattresses

August 28, 2000, On the road to Cincinnati, Ohio

“So, what’s the big secret?” Liz asked as I nosed my BMW into southbound traffic on the Dan Ryan.

“Something from my past which might come back to haunt us,” I replied. “Well, not just mine, but Joyce’s, too.”

“Deborah knows about this?”

“And Eve. In fact, Eve knows more than Deborah for a reason I’ll explain.”

“Does this have to do with you and Joyce dating and being lovers?”

“Sort of, but it really started with her cousin Larry. He and I met in eighth grade, the same day I met Birgit Andersson. Larry and I became friends, and he introduced me to his grandfather, who was one of our original investors.”

“Joseph Grossi, right? The one I’ve heard you call ‘Don Joseph’?”

“Yes, he partnered with my dad, as you know from the NIKA history. Anyway, Larry took me to his grandfather’s house which is where I met Joyce, but also had an opportunity to play bocce with his grandfather. I had learned to play in California from a friend of my dad’s, and I was good enough that it surprised the old Italian guys. That was the beginning of a fruitful relationship between Joyce’s grandfather and me. He became a mentor, hired me at a deli he owned in Milford, funded my first business which was software for veterinarians, and had me do other stuff as well. It’s that ‘other stuff’ that’s the issue.”

“What?”

“I called him ‘Don Joseph’ for a reason,” I replied.

“The Godfather?”

“Joyce’s family is Sicilian.”

“NIKA was started with money from the Mafia?!” Liz gasped. “And Joyce...”

“Don Joseph wasn’t a fool. He had legitimate businesses for which he paid taxes and ran according to the law. He saw the handwriting on the wall in the 70s, and did his best to diversify. Joyce inherited his legitimate businesses, and only those.”

“And the other stuff?”

“Went to Joyce’s sister, Connie, and her husband, Anthony. They eventually got muscled out of the business, and now they run a restaurant and club across the river in Covington. The restaurant and club are legit, though they also front for high-end gambling and high-end escort services. No trouble with the cops.”

“Did Joyce’s grandfather have any trouble with the police?”

“Never. And neither did I.”

“What was that ‘other stuff’? I mean, if you can tell me.”

“Mostly acting as a courier or driving. That continued when I came to Chicago. I know most of the Outfit guys here, though they’re pretty much all in the klink at the moment, and most likely to stay there.”

“But you helped take down an Outfit law firm!”

I chuckled, “I’m just that good!”

“You are! But we’re not talking about ‘adulting’! How?”

“I didn’t actually do anything except provide technical help after the fact. The whole thing with Lisa Glass and John Lentz is what took them down.”

“And Littleton?”

“A mobbed-up lawyer, but he was working for Anthony and Connie because of trouble between us.”

“What kind of trouble?”

“I deflowered Connie and wasn’t willing to marry her or get involved in her schemes. She held a grudge which was finally resolved when I helped drive them out of the business. And then I helped Anthony by having him turn informant for the government for drugs that were being run into Cincinnati from Detroit, and eventually helped him start his restaurant.”

“For anyone else I’d say that’s crazy, but it’s you, and it fits - turn an enemy into a friend, or at least make them neutral. Like you did with Dante.”

“Dante was never my enemy,” I said. “I was his.”

“If I read things right, you’re worried about either the Mafia connection being revealed or, worse, RICO charges.”

“Yes. As I said, Don Joseph never had any run-ins with the law because he didn’t believe in violence. And that’s where the weak link in the chain comes into play. When I left Milford to come to Chicago, Ed Krajick took over my role. He was a hothead and liked to wave his gun around, which Don Joseph did not appreciate. That led to Ed being kicked out. Unfortunately, when Don Joseph passed away, Anthony took Ed back and used him as muscle. That led to Ed’s arrest on murder charges which were later dropped because of evidence which purported to give Ed an alibi. I believed it back in the day, but now, I don’t.”

“You think he’s involved here?”

“We don’t know. I have Katya Anisimova looking into any connections between Ed and Volstead and Braun, as well as looking for a mob enforcer who was working for Anthony and Connie who might somehow be involved.”

“Who all knows about this?”

“Only Eve knows everything.”

“Which explains why she carries a gun and basically acts as your bodyguard.”

“Yes. Deborah knows enough, and Joyce knows quite a bit, but not all. I’m giving you the same level of information that Eve is privy to.”

“In all your run-ins with the FBI, they never linked you to the Mob?”

“They did, but only in ways that could be, and were, explained by our business dealings with the unions and the Outfit-connected companies with whom we did business. We got out of transportation for two reasons - the main one was we were spread too thin, but the other was that the Outfit controls all of it and everyone knows that.”

“If I understand correctly, your biggest concern is Stephanie’s husband.”

“Soon to be ex-husband. She’s divorcing him for playing around on the side with their babysitter.”

Liz laughed, “He should have negotiated YOUR arrangement!”

“You have met my sister, right?” I asked with a grin.

“I have, and I’d put that in the ‘not bloody likely’ category.”

Not quite true, but I wanted to preserve Stephanie’s reputation in that regard.

“Exactly. There is a lot of history there, which I can’t go into because it would violate Stephanie’s privacy, but suffice it to say there are reasons Ed might want to screw us. I’m not saying he did, but he certainly has the means, motive, and opportunity.”

“How do you think Volstead and Braun would use it?”

“If that’s the route they’re going, it would be to somehow elicit testimony from me in open court to Don Joseph’s history. The bad PR alone could kill us, and a RICO investigation, even if we were cleared, would make NIKA toxic.”

“So how do you prevent that?”

“That’s why we’re going to talk to Joyce and Deborah.”

“And you didn’t want to do this over the phone because you never know who might be listening.”

“Correct. When I’m talking to lawyers, the Feds have to hang up if they have a tap.”

“You think they do?”

“No, but I’m not going to take the risk. We have the offices swept for bugs regularly, but there’s little we can do about a phone company tap.”

“Was Stephanie ever involved?”

I shook my head, “No. Well, she was Ed’s girlfriend, but she wasn’t a ‘gun moll’.”

Liz laughed, “The thing is, I could see your sister being ‘Bonnie’ to the right person’s ‘Clyde’.”

“Yeah,” I chuckled, “me. But without the romantic relationship. And hopefully without the same ending!”

“I thought Eve was your ‘Bonnie’!”

I chuckled, “She does have the personality for it.”

“I have to say I’m somewhat surprised by all of this. I would never have guessed you had something like that in your past.”

“And?”

“I love you,” Liz said softly, “so it doesn’t matter. Your wives don’t know?”

“No, they don’t. Some of my friends know bits and pieces, or have an inkling, or knew I was doing something back in High School. But Chicago? Only Eve is fully aware, though Melanie Spencer does know some of it. I do have a contingency plan in case it somehow blows up in my face, or if it looks certain to, but I haven’t put that in motion.”

“Who knows about that?”

“Two people know who to call and what to say.”

“You know that you just proved how much you love me.”

“Did I?”

“You trust me not to betray you. You could only do that if you truly loved me, and if you knew I truly loved you. Eve loves you, doesn’t she?”

“She’d debate that with you from now until the heat death of the universe, but yes, she does.”

“And so does Deborah. And I’m guessing Joyce.”

“Joyce and I dated very seriously in High School. She couldn’t handle my chosen lifestyle. She was one of the first people to insist I pick one girl and stick to her.”

“A fool’s errand.”

“Later on she came to understand me better, but by that time life had led us different directions.”

“She knows about you and Connie?”

“Yes. And there was some serious tension between those two. And I helped it, unfortunately. Connie started after me almost as soon as Joyce and I started dating, and to rub Connie’s nose in it, Joyce insisted that we have sex in Connie’s bed.”

“Now THAT is low.”

“I agree, and it set off a long chain of events that resulted in some pretty bad blood between the sisters, with a lot of Connie’s ire directed at me. That’s where all the Littleton stuff originated.”

“So, I guess that makes me your consigliere now that Deborah has moved on?”

“Yes, and you and Deborah will need to help me get out of this mess.”

“But we don’t even know what the mess is at this point!”

“You’re right, but you’re also the smartest young lawyer I know. And we’ll figure it out, and figure out how to deal with it.”

“Would you like to hear my opinion?”

“I pay you for your opinion, Counselor!”

“Meet face-to-face with Nathan Edwards. Find a way to settle this.”

“I’m not sure Braun’s kid would accept any settlement.”

“You tell Edwards there’s something in the past which will ruin his firm if it ever comes out. Tell him you are precluded from telling him, but that he should ask one or both of the Brauns about it.”

“Sow dissension in the ranks?”

“Exactly. And point out that it WILL come out in any trial.”

“But so might the Mob ties.”

“You’re smart enough to avoid falling into that trap during questioning, but call it Mutual Assured Destruction. They can’t avoid the fallout for Braun’s behavior in the past. And casually mention that you’ll ask for all their source code in discovery to see if Braun is using any stolen intellectual property. Granted, it might be precluded by laches, but it could be used as ‘unclean hands’.”

“You know we want to stay out of court, right?”

“Yes, this is you and Nathan Edwards talking. You had a relatively positive relationship with him, right?”

“Sure. I was annoyed that he tried to buy Lone Star, but I wasn’t angry with him. I was more concerned he was colluding with Dante, but that turned out not to be the case. Are you suggesting a monetary settlement?”

“Whatever it takes to get the armistice and then a lasting peace. But it has to be ironclad.”

I chuckled, “Tell me another fairy tale, Counselor!”

“Your contract with Dante.”

“OK, but that was only because I made it worth his while.”

“Yes...”

“The problem is, I’d be funding my competition. They aren’t going to go away. And I wouldn’t trust Braun as far as I could throw him.”

“Then you go to the mattresses.”

“I’m not sure having you watch both Godfather movies with me was a good idea.”

“There are three, right?”

“I refuse to believe Godfather III even exists. You know that!”

“I do,” Liz replied with a soft laugh.

“And I can’t go to the mattresses with you at this point!”

“I didn’t mean THAT euphemism, I meant the other one!”

“Obviously. What?”

“Report Volstead and Braun to the Ohio Bar Association, or say that you will. Both for the software theft and for the interference with your deal to buy Lone Star. As far as I’m aware, there is no statute of limitations for ethical violations, and anything in your past can keep you from the Bar.”

“Volstead and Braun are dangerous litigators.”

“Again, you’re seeking a truce. They cease and desist, and you don’t take any action. If they do, then you do. Again, Mutual Assured Destruction. And, to be honest, you can hurt them worse than they can hurt you.”

“How so?”

“Let’s say they manage to wreck your reputation. You sell NIKA to Cindi, Elyse, and Julia, and retire. Your wives earn plenty of money, and you can do whatever you want at that point, including taking a job as a programmer, or running a consultancy, or being a philosopher, or teaching karate. If Volstead and Braun lose their law licenses, they lose everything. In other words, even if they win, they lose, and they lose much bigger than you do.”

“I know I pay you to be analytical, and that’s a good analysis, but sell NIKA?”

“Put aside your emotions for the moment and consider this purely logically. Some day, what I said WILL happen, because you’ll want to retire, even if you remain some kind of figurehead or have a seat on the board, or whatever. NIKA will survive you doing that, whether it’s now or forty years from now.”

“You don’t think RICO charges would stick?”

“A settlement which saw you sell the firm and pay a civil fine would make that all go away. They’d have a hell of a time proving anything other than some of your seed money might have come from the Mob. You could claim ignorance, and that would make it even more likely they’d settle for some kind of civil plea.”

“Unless Ed is fucking us.”

“That’s a different problem for which I don’t have a solution. Did you talk to Stephanie about that?”

“She suggested killing him. I suggested that was a bad idea.”

“She’s a bit volatile, though nothing like Penny.”

“You didn’t know Stephanie when she was younger. She was extremely volatile. Ironically, Ed helped her to fix that. But I suspect money could fix the issue with Ed. My sister has plenty and Ed has shown himself to be venal in the past. On that one, I’ll wait to see if Katya turns up any links between Ed and the guys in Cincinnati.”

“You’ll consider my solution?”

“Of course. It’s a matter of coming out of this without any stain that’s vital. This is way different from the Dante situation, though the final act there with Lone Star’s tax shenanigans did have the risk of staining NIKA. Let’s run this by Deborah and Joyce, and if they’re in agreement, I’ll put in a call to Nathan Edwards.”

“I am curious about one thing - how did you keep Volstead and Braun’s names out of the public eye?”

“We stopped the deposition and never completed it, so it was never filed with the court. That let them skate on any possible ethics complaints.”

“OK. Then I think that’s your best course of action.”

“Not bad for a rookie,” I grinned.

“Is that what you thought in St. Martin?” Liz asked with a silly smile.

“Hell no! Making love with you that first time was out of this world, rookie or not. And it was out of this world all the way through the very last time.”

Liz sighed, “It really was. I love you, always remember that.”

“I will. I love you, too, Liz.”

She put her hand on mine and we rode silently for some time before we spoke again.

August 28, 2000, Cincinnati, Ohio

“Uncle Steve!” Joseph and Amelia both exclaimed when Liz and I walked into Joyce’s house.

“Hi!” I replied. “You guys keep getting bigger every time I see you! Let’s see, Joseph, you’re twelve and Amelia, you’re eleven, right?”

“Yes!” they both replied.

“Do you remember Liz? You met her at my house a few times.”

“Yes!” Joseph declared. “Hi Miss Liz!”

“What am I?” Joyce asked with feigned annoyance. “Chopped liver?”

“Well...” I smirked.

She rolled her eyes but held out her arms for a hug. We hugged, she and Liz exchanged ‘society kisses’ and then Liz and I went to put our things in separate rooms in the guest house. We came back to the main house and were greeted by Donna Grossi, who looked to be in good health despite her rapidly advancing years. I had a feeling that both God and Satan were afraid of her, and as such, she might actually live forever!

“You are still on that diet?” she asked with narrowed eyes. “Those doctors can’t solve the problem?”

“Yes, I am. And no, they can’t solve it.”

“Useless!” she declared. “I tell my doctor all the time that being old is not a disease! But he still wants to prescribe pills for this and pills for that and tell me what to eat!”

“That is what they do,” I replied. “But I can have a very small portion of pasta.”

“Good! I will have dinner ready for you at 6:00pm!”

“Thank you,” I said.

She smiled and went to the kitchen.

“And speaking of feisty,” I chuckled.

“Who were you talking about?” Joyce asked.

“My sister and Penny.”

Joyce laughed, “Those two are as volatile as nitroglycerin, though they have mellowed a bit.”

“A bit. When will Deborah be here?”

“In the next ten minutes. I figured we’d talk before dinner so Jake, the kids, and Grandmother can join us for dinner.”

“That make sense. How are things here?”

“Business is doing well. Cincinnati doesn’t have a lot of exposure to the internet stocks, and P&G, GE, and Ford are all doing OK. Anthony and Connie send their greetings, and he said you should come by the restaurant the next time you’re in town.”

“That might be awhile,” I said. “I have that South America trip coming up and we’re in the middle of the release cycle so work is keeping me hopping, even without nuisances and distractions like EB.”

The doorbell rang and Joyce went to answer it. She returned a moment later with Deborah. She and I hugged and exchanged a quick kiss, then she hugged Liz. The four of us went to Joyce’s study, where she poured sambuca for all of us and we drank a toast to Don Joseph, and then one to NIKA.

“Liz has a suggestion,” I said. “I’ll let her explain.”

Liz laid out the basic plan she’d proposed to me in the car, and I was happy to see both Joyce and Deborah nodding as Liz explained how she thought we should proceed.

“There’s an element of risk there,” Deborah said when Liz finished, “but it seems to me that it’s manageable, and achieves our goals. My question is whether Edwards can stand up to Volstead and Braun.”

“I think they need him as much as he needed them,” I replied. “If Edwards walks, they lose their technical expert and the face of the company.”

“Would he walk?” Joyce asked.

“I suspect I could entice him to come to NIKA.”

“And bring down the wrath of Volstead and Braun?” Deborah asked. “They’d sue over intellectual property all over again. Not to mention I suspect he has some sort of non-compete.”

“Which would be void if there was malfeasance, right?” I asked. “And how is it going to look when lawyers disbarred for ethical violations try to sue the guy who they screwed over? And their firm will collapse, and you, Ben, and Jocelyn can pick up any pieces you want.”