THE HAPPY HAT (17 page)

Chapter 28

Agent Adam Stokely

Stokely picked up the phone and hit the encryption button. “Go ahead Kaplan. The phone is secure.”

Kaplan described his suspicion about Perkins who was triaging the air-evac list well ahead of its physical arrival.

“You think Dr. Norman is involved?”

“I doubt it. This Corpsman Perkins must be part of the internal cast diversion for the cartel. He seems to be living beyond his Navy salary. Check on his bank account and off-hospital relationships.”

“Do you have any more leads within Queens Naval? We’re going to make a move at the end of the month not only at your place but all across the country. The war is over and Washington wants this heroin thing nailed shut and archived ‘secret’. We have a coordination plan to grab the civilian disposal groups at all military hospitals. We’ve identified the top heroin kingpins for this whole operation.”

“When? I have one other suspicious corpsman and he’s linked to a patient. However, they’re both from the Dirty Surgery units. Up to now I’ve been looking for orthopedic personnel and patients.”

“Follow your instincts and training. There has to be a doctor or a nurse in this mix. How did you hit on the Dirty Surgery possibles?”

“One of the patients from a colostomy ward delivers mail throughout the main hospital. He’s been lingering longer here on G-1 and the guy’s from F-1. When I was following up on Perkins I caught this F-1 patient–his name is Sebastian Remo–spying on Perkins. At first I couldn’t figure out what was going on until I zeroed in on Perkins stealing Nam casts for his personal skimming. This Remo must be a cartel man and an insider to keep the Navy operatives under observation.” Kaplan cleared his throat. “What’s going to be my part in the end of the month operation?”

“Fortunately the combined military services did what your Navy people did. They centralized one ward for Vietnam cast collection and disposition for civilian pick-up and disposal. That’s what gave the Bureau the idea of a simultaneous sting. We’ve been following the civilian delivery trucks and know their drop-off points. We’ll have agents and local police grabbing them on the same day because the cartel chemists will be waiting for the deliveries.”

“Two-weeks doesn’t give me much time to find out the nurse or doctor who’s the pivotal Naval Officer cartel administrator.” Kaplan felt butterflies in his stomach as Skagan’s image flashed in his brain.

“Give it your best shot. We’re running bank account checks on all doctors and nurses. Any spikes in deposits will raise red flags. The trouble with the doctors is some of them moonlight in civilian practice and have fat incomes. We’re also checking tax returns for this year and last but if our person is a cartel individual he or she may be hiding the funds via a laundering scheme.” Stokely changed the subject. “Who’s the other corpsman you suspect? We’ll need the name.”

“Achilles Spinelli. He’s a senior corpsman from the Dirty Surgery wards. He’s been thick with this Sebastian Remo who’s also on his assigned ward–F-1.” Kaplan felt more under control now. He sensed the pieces of the cartel puzzle finally coming together. “So what’s my role on D-Day for the civilian pick-up?”

“Think back to your initial briefing on hospital containment and isolation strategy. It’s going to be an FBI and DEA textbook operation. Timing is critical.” Stokely looked at his watch.

“Well I know the day and date because cast specimen collection is fixed. Give me the time.” Kaplan didn’t need to write anything down. His adrenalin was up. Finalization of his two years of undercover for the heroin smuggling infiltration was nearing its end.
And what about Philomena Skagan? Will that end too?

‡

“Remo, today’s payday for our people. Make sure the envelopes are hand delivered.” Acky Spinelli handed Remo the envelopes which had initials and numbers as the only identifier address.

“You don’t have to give me orders like that. I’m over you in our organization.” Remo glared at Spinelli.

“I’m sorry. It’s just this Perkins thing bothers me. I mean if he’s skimming he could also be ready to run to the DEA or FBI if his ass is threatened.”

“Don’t worry about that. Perkins will be managed and plucked from this world soon.” Remo took the envelopes. “I have to get moving with my mail route. By the way, they have that big Boomer guy scheduled for cast removal.”

“I hope Skagan gets every piece of his cast accounted for and down to G-1 before Perkins cannibalizes any of it.” Spinelli waved to the departing Remo.

Remo remembered his orders from Bizetes. “Do nothing until you hear from us. We have to track how Perkins is marketing his heroin before we make an example of him.” He also thought of his pending colostomy closure. It was scheduled in three days. He was to start his bowel prep tomorrow. Someone else would get his mail delivery and it wouldn’t be any cartel crony until a month from now according to Bizetes. Both his surgery and Boomer Stiles cast removal under anesthesia were scheduled for the same day. Bizetes had reassured him. “You’ve done well and we’ll take it all from here Remo. Once you’re out of the Army and into the VA system we have a nice position for you in Brooklyn.”

So I should relax. Just let it happen
.
No one knows of my ties to the heroin smuggling ring.
Remo entered G-1 with his mail bag and went to the Nurses Station.

“Hey Remo, I see you’re finally on the OR schedule to get your colostomy closed.” Kaplan watched as Remo deposited several envelopes addressed to G-1.

“How’d you find out?” Remo looked around the ward.

“We have Boomer Stiles scheduled for cast removal in the OR the same day as your surgery. You’re both on the end of the OR day’s procedures. The head of the OR considers both of you as contaminated soldiers.” Kaplan looked through the pile of mail. “Nothing for me today–as usual.”

Kaplan went to the cast room as Remo picked up his mail bag. As soon as Kaplan closed the cast room door, Remo quickly plucked one envelope from his bag and went to one of the G-1 patient’s bed where the nurse was checking a post-op dressing.

“I won’t be seeing you anymore ma’am. After my surgery I’ll be going to the VA and then home. I just want to say thank you for helping to get me the mail route. Being active helped my recovery.” Remo extended his hand.

LT Dina Sparrow smiled and shook his hand. “Yes. Sometimes being bedbound is the worst thing for healing.”

Remo left G-1 passing Kaplan who was going back into the Nurses Station. Kaplan picked up the phone and watched as Sparrow continued to tend to a post-op marine.

“Agent Stokely, I think I have the Queen’s Naval Officer cartel medical staff. It’s a nurse.”

“That was quick. How did you pick her out so fast?” Stokely had his notepad ready.

“I’ve been watching the patient mailman closely–the suspect from F-1. He just handed her an envelope which she pocketed discretely.”

Chapter 29

Abraham Linsky

“Puerto Rico? Twice a month?” Bizetes looked at Mindel with the phone pressed to his right ear. “That costs money but we pay him pretty well. He also probably has a huge cash stash to draw from. Where does he go in PR? Does he have a place down there?”

Mindel stopped his paperwork and held his eye contact with Bizetes. The plan for Perkins and Linsky was to get the details of their life outside of the Brooklyn heroin processing warehouse.

“Okay. I think I’ll take a vacation in Puerto Rico at the same place. And don’t worry, Linsky will cooperate himself into our hands totally.” Bizetes hung up and sat across from Mindel’s desk.

“I only heard one side of the call. Linsky’s escape route is PR?” Mindel tapped his pen on his desk blotter.

“Not exactly his escape route. I would call it his main bank and heroin dealer contact site. He’s heading back to PR this weekend and so am I.” Bizetes smiled.

“What about Amstel Perkins?”

“Perkins was easier. The guy is sloppy. He has a local dealer and he’s cooking the plaster-heroin himself. The jerk is actually using a dealer who works for us. Can you believe it? Perkins must think we’re totally stupid.”

Mindel leaned forward. “What do I say when he shows up Saturday for his paycheck?”

“Nothing. Give him his envelope. We won’t have any casts until the end of the month–the last weekend of the month. I understand we have a total body cast worth almost half-a mil with the rest of the lot.” Bizetes stood up. “We’ll process Perkins next weekend after I tend to Linsky at his lush condo in PR.”

‡

Linsky packed his two suitcases with the pure heroin secreted in the false bottoms. Customs going out of New York’s JFK Airport and going into Puerto Rico was lax about drugs. On the other hand, leaving PR was a more vigilant matter for Puerto Rican Customs. His luggage, like almost everyone else’s, was picked apart looking for drugs destined for New York, Chicago, Miami or other major US city. The same was true with entry into JFK Customs. The New York Customs Agents were looking for import of heroin not export. It had been a dream come true for Linsky.

His 737 landed in San Juan and he welcomed the warm climate and late Saturday sun from the still mostly chilly March New York weather. Linsky paid no notice to the taxi following his rental car to his resort condominium at the snug San Juan resort ocean inlet.

‡

Bizetes’ plane landed four hours after Linsky’s. He was met by the same cab driver who had been following Linsky the past few weeks.

“Did he go to the same condo Jaeko?” Bizetes donned his Polaroid sunglasses as he left the air conditioned airport and emerged into the bright PR sun.

“Yes Mr. Bizetes. His routine is so far the same. He usually goes to the same restaurants and on Monday goes to the bank for deposit from his business on Sunday.” The cabby took Bizetes’ bags, put them in the trunk and sat behind the wheel. He looked in the rearview mirror at his passenger.

“I’m staying in the Hotel Dominguez across the street. We’ll meet with Mr. Linsky after he sells his heroin and has his money. What does he do once he finishes his business on Sunday?”

“Senior Linsky goes back to his condo for about an hour and then goes to a bar in the next block across from your hotel Mr. Bizetes.” The traffic was moving in a disorganized fashion with drivers changing lanes to no particular purpose.

“Good. Here’s our plan for Sunday.” Bizetes leaned forward. “Keep your eyes on the road.”

‡

Linsky put the kilo bags of heroin in a closet safe in his condo’s only bedroom. He went to the balcony and looked at the light-sanded beach below.
Maybe I’ll retire down here. The war is over but the patients will still be coming back for about a year. I’ll have a few million in the bank. I can live here in semi-retirement–maybe buy a beach bar further back in the suburbs.
Linsky would take no more risks and get out of the drug business once he disappeared from Brooklyn. His only loose end would be Perkins. Maybe he could arrange an accident with Perkins–maybe a drug overdose or a strychnine dose by a dealer. He could arrange that easily. He’d seen it done by some of Bizetes’ dealers to eliminate loose cannon addicts.

He looked out at the ocean from his open balcony. A cruise ship was slowly being assisted into the inner harbor and he thought he might take one of those cruises to another island one day. Linsky was totally oblivious to the man with the binoculars looking at him from a balcony on the Hotel Dominguez two stories above Linsky’s condo across the street. The Dominguez was on a curve actually sharing the same beach on the arcuate inner harbor.

‡

Perkins was trying to think of how to get some part of Boomer Stiles’ cast for his own. The main problem was getting into the OR. That could never happen. And then there was that capo nurse Skagan and the OR Commandant Captain Darmin. She would make sure every gram of that dirty cast was accounted for and out of her precious germ-free domain. No, the OR was impossible. He did know the OR’s routine for cutting up big hip spica casts or long arm-shoulder and leg-ankle casts. They removed them in sections immediately bagging and labeling each segment.
There has to be a way to get a part of Boomer’s cast.

They would remove it late in the day and that all-seeing Chief Corpsman Kaplan and LCDR Skagan would walk the two laundry carts filled with Boomer’s plastic cast parts to G-1. He lay in bed looking at the ceiling for a solution. The casts weren’t due for pickup and disposal until next Friday.

Perkins woke up at midnight in a sweat. He dreamt about how he had changed the Nam casts to casts applied outside of the heroin plaster zone. It was a paper change enabling him to just walk away with his heroin gypsum treasure. That was it–substitution. He’d grab a piece of a non-Vietnam cast, dirty it up and exchange it in G-1’s cast room for a piece of Boomer’s removed units
. But how can I gain access to that room?
Perkins went back to sleep and woke up two hours later with the solution.
Dr. Norman! I could visit Dr. Norman when he’s on G-1. I’d done it a few times for routine air-evac business. Yes!