Chapter 15: Oh What Fun It Is...

‘Sometimes you get the bear and sometimes you don’t.’ That was the thought that kept going through Amy’s mind as she plied her skills. ‘The man from Detroit and her made a good team’ she thought as a smile slowly crept upon her face.

‘Team’, yes that’s what he was to Amy. In this line of work there were not many who were or became a ‘team’. The man from Detroit had a similar feeling about Amy. Looking at the age difference she could have been his daughter, grand daughter even; but there was a certain something about her he noticed and liked.

The three subjects for today lay now in pools of blood and body parts. Amy was the ‘Maestro’ and they her ‘disposable’ instruments.

She had grown hearing stories and tales of ‘How Interrogation Got Results’ from old time Nazis to modern day Chinese, Japanese and Arab inquisitors. Her ‘tools of the trade’ were varied, from ice, scalpels, drugs, bamboo slivers, razors to pruning shears.

The best, most effective means to garner the truth were drugs and unadulterated terror. Fear; tapping one’s innermost fears were sometimes all that were needed. Here the man from Detroit made Amy a ‘friend for life’. She was ready to call it a day when he asked, “Should we bring in their families next ‘Herr Doktor’?”

The look on one captive’s face said it all to her. She was not done with her questions, no, not by a long shot.

What started as a ‘simple’ effort to merely confirm what ‘everyone’ already knew turned up more ‘gold’ than was in Ft. Knox. So much so that she asked Chelle to call Vito for instructions. It started with skimming a few million here and a few million there. In short order the sums got larger as did the number of those involved.

What began as three ‘soon to be departed souls’ turned into more than thirty ‘wannabe millionaires’. Never one to ‘dis-obey’ the boss Amy made a decision, one which was not only ‘out of character’ for her but one which would have far reaching consequences. Her ‘buddy’ the man from Detroit looked at her then smiled. He made his own calls, some in fulfillment to Amy’s request and two on his own.

Amy’s questions had confirmed some rumors he had heard about Vegas. Taking no chances, as if he had lasted so long by taking risks; he called his Capo then made a call to Vito.

“I call you to let you know several things Don Vito. First your Amy, I think if I was forty years younger I would be in love with her. She is one in a million. Things in Vegas are much worse than most realized, your girls here will provide the details of what was learned.”

Don Vito just mumbled something then a ‘click’ was heard as another phone was lifted up.

“Don Vito, my Capo wants you to know this disease has spread to New Jersey. He cannot say who is involved other than the old adage. ‘Trust no one’ is good advice to take in this situation. Someone you trust, trust very much should ... how do I put this ... must ‘clean up’ this mess for you.”

He paused a bit.

“Thirty or so are known as ‘bad apples’ in Vegas, my guess is 100-150 should go. Miami, Dallas and Phoenix can, with your approval provide a temporary fix to staffing until your girls make other arrangements. Taking people from the Jersey operation only would make things worse.”

He paused, knowing the next words would not be well received.

“These ‘guests’ will themselves have to be ‘removed’ in the future. Perhaps though the Devil known is preferred over the one who hides in the shadows. There is no easy and simple solution to this problem. ‘We’ know this only because we were ‘asked’ to ‘remove’ you. This of course meet with the expected reaction; those who asked ‘now sleep with the fishes’.

After the call ended Vito hesitated enough to cancel the next call. He was pleased that Michelle and Amy had been so successful. Not at what they uncovered but that his ‘trust’ in them was so justified.

It was with that same belief he again placed his next call.