Jamie Fredric
In the Mouth of the Wolf
For All Those Who Have Served
All Gave Some, Some Gave All
In 19th century Sicily, the word “mafioso”
signified a bully, arrogant but also fearless,
enterprising, and also proud.
To this present day, the definition still rings true.
Prologue
Scattered throughout the island of Sicily, in hill towns, caves, around the ancient Greek city of Agrigento, and along the southern coast, the Mafia had hidden vast amounts of supplies, accumulated over the years, and especially during and after World War II. Munitions and weaponry had been “acquired” through raids, bribery, and pure Sicilian ingenuity.
The Mafia (also known as “La Cosa Nostra”), a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct. Each group, known as a “family” (or “clan”), claims sovereignty over a territory in which it operates its rackets, usually a town or village or a neighborhood of a larger city.
Earlier in the year after receiving a tip, La Dogana (Customs) confiscated a fishing boat off Sicily’s northern coast near Palermo. What the officials found was more than just a typical daily haul of calamari, sardines, and octopus. Discovered below deck was a cache of weapons, more specifically, Uzis and M1 Garands.
The original destination for the weapons was the black market in Naples. Instead, Pino Falcone, the “Boss” and head of the Mafia’s Palermo organization, “greased the palm” of a Customs official for half the weapons confiscated by using the simple, effective means called Lira, money. Falcone’s reputation of using other methods of persuasion were not openly spoken about, but they were certainly well-known, making the official more than willing to accept Falcone’s generous offering.
Falcone is a representative of a mandamento, a district of three geographically contiguous Mafia families that make up the Sicilian Mafia Commission. The commission first came about in order to settle disputes between members of the various families and their bosses in order to discipline members of each family. The first Sicilian Mafia Commission for the province of Palermo was formed after a series of meetings between top American and Sicilian mafiosi in 1957. It was suggested the Sicilians follow the example of the American Mafia that had formed its commission in the 1930s.
Luigi Castalani, a mere “soldier” within Falcone’s organization, had in his possession the exact locations of munitions Falcone had stored throughout Sicily, having worked closely with the “Boss” over many years. Castalani looked to the future, his future, and had all intentions to rise above being just a “soldier.”
Knowing how much Falcone seemed to appreciate anyone with new ideas, and if he could make his plan work, there wouldn’t be any reason for Falcone to deny him a place in the upper echelon of the Palermo Cosa Nostra. Perhaps soon he would become a caporegime (captain) where he would be in charge of all the “soldiers.” And one day, if he proved himself worthy, he might even become the “Underboss,” with only Falcone himself being higher.
For months he planned and devised the means to syphon weapons from under the nose of Falcone. All the munitions and all the planning would allow him and his group known as “La Mano del Diavolo” (“The Hand of the Devil”), to prepare for and launch its attack, to infiltrate an American compound, to obtain the weaponry necessary to threaten governments along the west coast of Europe, extorting money, gaining power for the Mafia, for Falcone, and gaining power for himself.
He had to make his plan work, otherwise, there would not be any promotion. His life would be worthless… but more than likely, it would be over. Falcone would see to it either way.
Chapter 1
Grant walked across the beige shag carpeting on his way to a large picture window in the living room. The room itself was very plain, with white walls. The only decorations were a few black and white photographs of Bavaria, boats on the Danube, and the Tiergarten, the oldest public park in Berlin.
Standing by the window, he raised the aluminum window blinds, then rested a hand against the window frame, as he looked south down Ellis Road and the lights of Rhein-Main Air Base. Located adjacent to the busy Frankfurt International Airport, the noise from jet engines this evening didn’t seem to distract him as his mind reviewed the mission he and his team had just completed.
Three months earlier he received orders from Admiral John Torrinson, Chief of NIS (Naval Investigative Service), sending him on TAD (temporary additional duty) to Coronado where he reported to the commanding officer at Naval Special Warfare.
His assignment was to handpick a squad of SEALs and train with them. Eventually, their mission had taken them into Austria, on the hunt for an escaped dictator, who had been put on trial and convicted for genocide and crimes against humanity. He was sentenced to death, but escaped when soldiers still loyal to him, attacked a convoy that was taking him to prison. After months of being on the run, rumors started circulating of possible locations of his whereabouts.
The SEALs received their warning order, and a week after hitting the ground in Austria, they found him hiding in an underground storage room beneath a church in Jaidhof, a town northwest of Vienna.
The sound of a sultry voice interrupted his thoughts. “Having a problem, sailor?” Her arm brushed against his back as she tied the silk sash around her black negligee, the lacy material doing little to hide the willowy figure beneath.
“Only problem I’ve got is you! These visits are way too short!” Grant smiled as she stepped next to him. At 6’1” he was nearly a half foot taller than her, and he looked down into her hazel eyes. “Mmm… you smell good,” he said, leaning toward her.
“It’s just soap,” she smiled. With a deft, unconscious motion, she wrapped the long brown strands of hair behind her ear, then stood on her toes and kissed him. “ I’ve gotta go. Duty calls.” She spun around and headed for the bedroom.
He watched her until she disappeared behind the closet door. From the moment they met in Coronado, they hit it off, with their relationship turning into one that was more than casual and a little more than sexual. But commitment was never in the picture. They each had their careers.
Giving his submariner a quick glance, he followed her to the bedroom. “Look, since you’ve got duty, guess I may as well head back to the BOQ. Maybe I can grab some extra Z’s before the flight. Can you give me a ride?” He reached for a hangar holding his dress blues.
“Sure. Say, how’s that friend of yours?” she asked as she pulled on her stockings, attaching each one to a white, lace garter belt.
“Joe? He’s good. Right now he’s on TAD. Somebody within the higher ups requested he be in charge of an EOD team out of Little Creek. He’s at the new Armed Forces Network facility.”
The phone rang, she answered, then put the receiver on the nightstand. “It’s Senior Chief Moore.” She continued zipping up her uniform skirt, while at the same time trying to balance herself as she stepped into her black heels.
He picked up the receiver. “Yeah, Ray, what’s up?”
“Sir, just checked with BaseOps. Our flight’s been rescheduled. We’ve got an earlier flight leaving at 0630.”
“Very well. I’ll meet you in front of the BOQ at 0530.”
“I’ll request a van for pickup, sir.”
“Appreciate it, Ray.” He hung up. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Terri standing in the doorway, twisting her single-braided hair into a knot at the nape of her neck.
She asked with concern, “Something going on?”
“Our flight’s been rescheduled. We leave at 0630.”
“That’s a weird flight time.”
“One takes what one can get,” he grinned, mischievously, as he tucked his long-sleeve white shirt into his trousers.
She ignored his remark, and said, “I won’t be Stateside for another two months. Do you know if and when you’ll be back here or if we can meet in D.C.?”
“Don’t know. I'll touch base with you in a couple of days, okay?”
“Ha! Where’ve I heard that before? Well, you know where I keep the extra key.”
Ten minutes later they left the apartment.