Chapter 134: You Don't Even Want to Call Me Godfather
New York.
After getting off the plane.
"I'm afraid we can't rest. The target went directly to Gambino family headquarters," Susan said to Chuck.
"Fine," Chuck had no objection.
Susan first contacted the FBI New York field office, then drove Chuck to the Gambino family headquarters and parked to wait.
"Agent Green, hello, I'm Kate Joyner from the FBI New York field office." Director Kate Joyner, who bore a striking resemblance to BAU Unit Chief Hotchner's wife and was an old friend of his, came in person with backup.
"Hello, Susan Green, IRS Financial Crimes Specialist," Susan smiled and shook hands with Kate.
"Dr. Wolfe, we meet again," Kate said after the handshake, her British accent unmistakable.
"Director Joyner," Chuck nodded to her.
The last time they'd tracked down the bald serial killer who got shot in the head, they'd requested her help—she was a former high-ranking Scotland Yard detective.
The two were somewhat more familiar than when they'd first met.
"You two know each other?" Susan was surprised at first, but then she took in Kate's stunning features, the aura of someone accustomed to authority, and that captivating British accent that Americans found so appealing. Considering Chuck's track record, it suddenly made sense.
"Well, Dr. Wolfe is our agency's best consultant," Kate said with a smile, not catching where Susan's thoughts had wandered.
"How many organizations are you consulting for?" Susan couldn't help but complain.
IRS consultant, FBI consultant, even a gaming commission consultant—she was completely baffled.
Could one person really be a consultant for so many agencies?
"I run a consulting firm," Chuck glanced at her with mild surprise, then looked at Kate. "Director Joyner, is the surveillance equipment in place?"
"Yes," Kate said seriously, getting down to business. "The surveillance van is over there."
"That's it?" Susan asked doubtfully. "This is Gambino family headquarters. They must have counter-surveillance measures..."
She couldn't continue. She caught Chuck's look again. Her mouth twitched as she asked irritably, "What now?"
"This is the FBI!" Chuck said matter-of-factly. "If this weren't Gambino headquarters, there wouldn't be so much trouble. Of the ten Gambino family members inside, seven are probably undercover FBI agents. Now that this is headquarters, security is tighter, but there are definitely FBI assets inside. Setting up surveillance is standard procedure."
Director Kate Joyner smiled but said nothing.
"..." Susan paused.
Only then did she understand why the FBI was the premier law enforcement agency in the country. The number of undercover agents alone was unmatched by any other agency.
Her conventional thinking had limited her imagination.
Director Kate Joyner handed them headphones connected to the surveillance van. Susan took hers, but Chuck pulled out his own headset and gestured for Kate to open the port.
"He's a germaphobe," Susan couldn't help but explain.
"I can tell," Director Kate Joyner smiled.
Soon, voices reached everyone's ears.
"Mr. Stolberg, you're back," a middle-aged man with an Italian accent said.
"Yes, Mr. Gambino Jr.," the elderly accountant's voice followed. "Is Mr. Gambino here? I have something to report to him."
"Dad's not here," the middle-aged man said with annoyance. "You can tell me whatever it is."
"Alright," the elderly accountant hesitated, then recounted his Las Vegas experience.
"What do you think, Mr. Stolberg?" Mr. Gambino Jr. said noncommittally.
"I only know loyalty..." the elderly accountant said. Seeing that Mr. Gambino Jr. didn't even look at him, just played with his pet dog, he continued earnestly: "Most importantly, I'm not stupid. Few people who cooperate with U.S. law enforcement have good endings, so please trust me, Mr. Gambino."
"Of course Dad trusts you," Mr. Gambino Jr. said in his Italian accent. "He said Mr. Stolberg has worked for our family for over forty years. He's loyal, wise, and trustworthy."
"Thank you for that recognition, Mr. Gambino," the elderly accountant was very excited.
His choice had proven correct. The crime family was indeed more reliable than American law enforcement.
"But," Mr. Gambino Jr. said, then changed his tone, "I convinced him that intelligence and loyalty are inversely proportional. The smarter someone is, the more cunning they are. Loyalty only exists when there's no opportunity for betrayal. Mr. Stolberg has always been the smartest man I know, so..."
"Mr. Gambino, I'm not as smart as you think," the elderly accountant's voice trembled. "I'm just an ordinary, honest, loyal man with some professional skills."
"You're indeed not as smart as you think," Mr. Gambino Jr. stood up, walked over to the elderly accountant, and whispered in his ear, "You don't even want to call me Godfather."
Then he shouted, "Boys! Take him away!"
"Mr. Gambino, I'm loyal to you..." the elderly accountant cried out in fear.
"Okay, we can move in," Susan said with satisfaction.
"Go!" Director Kate Joyner, seeing Susan—the IRS financial specialist—had given the word, nodded and instructed her team.
With that, she exited the vehicle, drew her weapon, and headed inside.
Susan followed closely. After a few steps, she suddenly realized something and looked back. "Hey, where is he?"
Director Kate Joyner turned around and followed Susan's puzzled gaze. Chuck had vanished. She shook her head and said, "Don't worry about him."
"Do you know where he went?" Susan looked at Kate strangely.
"I heard about this from a friend, so I have some idea," Director Kate Joyner said with self-deprecating humor. "He probably didn't trust our capabilities and went in to rescue the target first."
Seeing Susan's eyes still held questions, Kate simply explained what she'd learned about Chuck's personality and habits from her old friend, Agent Hotchner.
"Much as I hate to admit it," Director Kate Joyner shrugged helplessly, "when we follow protocols, we're often a step slower, and sometimes that small delay makes all the difference."
"He's a real pain in the ass, isn't he?" Susan commiserated.
"To some extent, absolutely!" Kate nodded.
This naked suspicion and contempt for their law enforcement capabilities really rankled them, but they were powerless to argue.
Because Chuck was always proven right afterward.
This time, since the IRS was taking point and Kate, the field office director, was in charge, the tactical team and other resources had been positioned in advance.
But even so, by the time Susan and Kate followed the tactical team and breached according to standard protocol, entering while ensuring their own safety, those who should have escaped had already fled due to experience.
"What's the meaning of this?" Mr. Gambino Jr., sitting in the boss's chair smoking a cigar, looked at the intruders leisurely and questioned them with dignity.
As the family heir, he was a legitimate businessman who didn't need to run at all.
"I hope that guy can rescue the target in time," Susan whispered to Kate, then pulled out her credentials and began her identification: "IRS Financial Crimes Division. Antonio Gambino, you're suspected of tax evasion. Please cooperate with our investigation."
"Tax evasion?" Mr. Gambino Jr. smiled. "We're a legitimate company. We've hired Dryback Accounting to handle our finances. If you have questions, go to them."
"We will," Susan spotted a familiar figure, her eyes lighting up as her voice gained confidence. "But I think Dryback only handles your legitimate business, and what we're looking for is your real operation."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Mr. Gambino Jr. smiled calmly.
"Oh? Really?" Susan looked at Chuck and the elderly accountant who entered through the side door. "Mr. Francis Stolberg, what do you think about this?"
Mr. Gambino Jr.'s expression changed, and he cursed his men's incompetence. When the FBI broke down the door, he'd ordered his men to take the elderly accountant through the secret passage and eliminate him. It took so long, yet they couldn't even dispose of one old man. Completely useless.
Now they were in real trouble.
The elderly accountant was the one who actually managed their business accounts.
The elderly accountant looked at Mr. Gambino Jr. with complex emotions, filled with grief and rage. He just wanted to be an accountant and mind his own business. Why couldn't he simply be an accountant?
If Chuck hadn't suddenly emerged from the shadows to save him, and he'd chosen loyalty, he would have been strangled to death.
He'd managed the Gambino family's books for over forty years, practically watching Mr. Gambino Jr. grow up. He knew the younger Gambino was obsessed with the Godfather films, often quoting them. He'd even recently secretly financed a related film, specifically casting Al Pacino, the same actor who played the Godfather.
But he'd never imagined that Mr. Gambino Jr. would convince his father to target him, a loyal employee, simply because he kept calling him Mr. Gambino Jr., instead of Mr. Gambino, or even the Godfather.
What the hell!
"Mr. Gambino Jr., you ruined my chance to be a good guy," the elderly accountant said, filled with grief and indignation, his words condensed into that single sentence.
"..." IRS Financial Crimes Specialist Susan, FBI New York Director Kate Joyner, and the entire FBI team were speechless. Everyone except Chuck had grim expressions.
Really?
Cooperating with them makes you no longer a good guy?
Such words, spoken in front of the Gambino family—an organized crime syndicate—sounded utterly ironic.
Chuck remained expressionless.
He was just a consultant wherever he went. Strictly speaking, he wasn't even part of law enforcement agencies. What did the elderly accountant's heartfelt words, with their implicit irony, have to do with him?
(End of Chapter)
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