Pisano paused to check Wade’s intake of all of this. “Are you with me?”
”Yes, but what do I talk to Linda about?”
“That depends on whether Linda decides to initiate conversation or you have to initiate it. If she starts the conversation, you talk about whatever she wants to talk about. Just make sure you get your facts right.”
“Like what?”
“Like how long you have known Jamie or how long you have been seeing each other. Whatever you say has to match any information Jamie has given Linda. By the way, you have known each other about six weeks, but the two of you haven’t really gone out on a real date yet. That date is coming, and you can’t wait to get to that stage.”
Pisano was worried about the blank look on Wade’s face.
“Is any of this sinking in?”
Wade simply nodded his head, as he usually did in answer to these kinds of questions.
“I keep having to explain things that you should know about,” Said Pisano, sounding sincerely concerned.
“What if Linda asks me something I don’t know anything about, like hair styling?”
“You’re making this harder than it is. The answer is you don’t know! Don’t ever try to bluff your answer when you don’t know the real answer. It’s all got to be natural and honest.”
The conversation continued for a while, covering more “what if” scenarios. After considering Wade’s shyness, Pisano decided it would be a good idea if Wade brought Jamie a small box of chocolates, nothing fancy or expensive looking. Pisano thought it might provide a prop to help Hanna get into normal conversation. At the very least it would be an object of some conversation.
With Wade’s agreement to pick up the chocolates, the conversation ended.
Pisano had arranged for a young, female, undercover detective to get her hair done by one of the other girls in the shop at the same time Wade’s meeting was to take place. Pisano wanted independent eyes observing the meeting, even if not much of what was exchanged between Jamie and Linda could be heard. It would also give him an independent reading of Linda — her body language around Wade — and perhaps serve to pick up information from girl talk overheard in the shop. Pisano had another undercover agent across the strip center who had a clear vision of the front door and parking lot of the salon. Pisano wanted to be sure Linda was not followed.
Linda pulled into the center in her baby blue Cadillac just before 2:00 pm for her appointment. Wade strolled into the shop to see Jamie, with his small box of chocolates, about a half-hour later. At the time Wade entered the shop, Linda’s hair had been shampooed and was up in a towel.
Wade greeted Jamie by saying, “Hi, I was just in the area and thought I’d stop buy. I picked these up for you.” He handed Jamie the box of chocolates.
Jamie hadn’t known the chocolates were coming but responded perfectly. She said, “Well, Wade that was so nice of you! You didn’t need to do that.” She showed Linda the box of chocolates then walked over and kissed Wade on the cheek and said, “Thank you.”
After the kiss, as if on cue, Jamie put her arm in Wade’s arm, bringing him closer to Linda saying, “Come over here I want you to meet someone.”
Wade came closer to Linda and Jamie said, “This is my long-time friend and customer, Linda.”
Wade said politely, “Nice meeting you.”
Jamie turned to Linda and said, “Wade comes by when he goes to see his aunt who isn’t feeling very well.”
Wade started feeling calmer as he got warmed up to the conversation. He said, “She’s feeling a little better today.”
Linda jumped in, asking, “Does she live very far from here?”
Wade replied that she lived only about a couple of miles away.
Jamie gestured toward the other girls in the shop, and asked Wade, “You remember the girls?”
Of course they were all aware that Wade was there, and they were ready to return his wave and smile.
Jamie turned and told Linda, “Hang on here a minute and talk to Wade while I go to the back and get your coloring.”
That left Linda and Wade alone, facing each other. Wade was not quite sure what to say next, but Linda picked up the conversation. “Jamie tells me you play, or used to play football."
“Yes, I used to play guard.”
“Who do you think is going to win the city championship this year?”
Wade was surprised by the question but very comfortable with the subject matter. “I think it’ll be a repeat of last year.” Wade really found Linda easy to talk to and quickly forgot she was the wife of a crime boss who could, with a word to her husband, have him killed.
After a little more conversation, Jamie returned to the station with the coloring solution.
Wade smiled and said, “I have to leave now. I just wanted to stop by. It was a pleasure meeting you, Linda.”
Linda smiled and waved, and Jamie put her arm in Wade’s and walked him to the door saying, “I hope to see you soon.”
After Wade left, Linda turned to Jamie and said, “He’s a cute one. You can have him come around here anytime.” Similar comments were made by the other girls in the shop about how cute Jamie and Wade were as a couple.
Pisano couldn’t have been more pleased with the meeting and called Wade to tell him he had done a good job. Wade noted that this was the first time Pisano ever complimented him.
Several months went by, and numerous “chance meetings” were arranged at the beauty shop. All of the meetings went very smoothly. In fact, Jamie really started to like Wade and now considered him a real personal friend. Linda was very comfortable with him, as well, and enjoyed encouraging the relationship between Jamie and Wade during girl talk with Jamie.
Everything on both the Hanna and Langer fronts was going well until a set of unforeseen, independent events occurred, which suddenly put the operation in jeopardy. Langer and Hanna’s lives were suddenly at serious risk.
17
Ed Langer continued collecting mob information and selling individual car parts for the gang as instructed by Pisano. He was instrumental in helping Pisano set up several large parts purchases by Pisano’s uncover team. Each purchase got Pisano closer to the top of Coletta’s operation. Pisano made sure Langer at all times remained a low-level street guy within the organization in order to maintain his cover. Langer was never directly part of any of the undercover purchases.
Pisano now understood from his undercover purchases that large orders had to be sourced and assembled from multiple locations and divisions of Coletta’s organization. He saw how these different divisions operated, and he pursued the idea of creating tension between divisions by his purchases. One of the techniques Pisano used was to have his operatives express concern about the quality of parts being received from one division as compared to another division. Pisano pushed the quality issue further by having his operatives negotiate a lower price because of the poorer quality of different parts. Tensions began emerging among Coletta’s various divisions.
Pisano’s sting operations eventually lead to significant arrests of several divisional heads, who in turn ratted on other divisional leaders they disliked. As further arrests were made, word got back to Coletta that certain members in custody ratted on others members. This increased inter-divisional feuds leading to several violent clashes between some divisions. Sanctioned hits were ordered against internal divisional rivals, and bloodshed began within the organization ranks.