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time to walk away. So she
thought.

 
The Task Force
    May
8, 1984 (New York City)
    At thirty-seven years of age, John Connolly
was only five foot four, weighed 155 pounds, with thick blond hair
and the honest, good looks that attracted women like flies. Behind
his back his colleagues called him Baby Face Connolly. This was not
to say that he lacked respect. On the contrary, everyone had the
highest regard for him, acknowledging his long-sought-after and
well-deserved success in his chosen field. Graduate of both the
police academy and Harvard Law, Connolly was one of the youngest
agents to achieve “Agent in Charge” in FBI history.
    Over a year ago, he took command of the
Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF), which had consisted of fifteen
agents. Today it had over twenty-five agents and was situated in
mid-Manhattan with satellite offices in Brooklyn, the Bronx, and
Long Island. The OCTF’s database included the names of all of the
precinct captains for New York, all of which had been instructed to
report any crimes that may have direct ties to any of the crime
families.
    One of Connolly’s first assignments was to
identify all of the crime families in the United States. He also
created a special unit, consisting of five agents, to see if there
were any links to any crime syndicates in other countries. Lastly,
he realized that to be successful in bringing these dedicated
criminals to what he liked to call the Last Supper-justice, he
would have to identify any influences the crime families had over
law enforcement agencies. Not an easy task.
    In one year, OCTF put together a 250-page
investigative report that listed every suspected member of every
crime family in the United States. The report went on to list other
countries that were suspected of being involved with the shipment
of drugs, arms, and the trafficking of young girls and boys for
prostitution.
    One of the most powerful families listed was
the Giordano family, run by Felicia and Fabio Giordano. Rumor was
that they masterminded the infamous “Last Breakfast at La
Ristorante,” where close to a hundred people lost their lives after
consuming some wine, which had been artfully tainted, resulting in
a well-planned clean sweep. It was also rumored they currently
controlled most of the prostitution, numbers, and drug traffic in
the state of New York, and that they had strong ties to crime
families in most US cities, including Chicago and San
Francisco.
    During that same time period, OTCF enlisted
the aid of several police officers, directly from the academy, to
infiltrate the organization. This was met with heavy criticism when
two officers were found dead with gunshots to the head, only two
weeks after being accepted into the Giordano family.
    Two of John’s top agents, Sam Williams and
Sheila Cooper, were assigned to investigate the murders. Sam
Williams was a veteran agent of ten years, standing at five foot
eight, 185 pounds, and one of the first black agents to join the
FBI. Sheila, on the other hand, was five foot six, weighed only 145
pounds soaking wet, and had only one year in the agency. Both,
however, proved their loyalty and dedication to following the code
they swore to uphold, time and time again. John Connolly had a gift
for recognizing the qualities in people, and he saw these two as
very good in dealing with a situation, especially when restraint
and understanding the letter of the law was called for.
    Prompted by the death of the slain undercover
officers, the two agents visited Felicia at her mansion in New
Jersey, and then later at her favorite restaurant. At one point
during the investigation, Felicia asked the two agents if the
officers had been tortured before they were killed.
    “No, not that we know of. Why?” asked
Sheila.
    “It would be shameful if whoever took their
lives in such a sadistic manner would torture them as well. After
all, they were only doing their sworn duty,” Felicia responded.
Sheila and Sam stared at Felicia with