Where There's a Will

By Robbie McCauley

This is Book 3 in the Maddison Family Story. It is is a story of two men and their battle with the Mafia.
These are two very different men.They each have a strong moral code. but they are different moral codes because each man has had a different upbringing.
Inspector Graham Norris of the Australian Federal Police and accomplished lawyer Joseph Farintino are both honest men.
However, they each have a secret and their honesty and integrity is about to be tested.
They are from very different backgrounds—but were their backgrounds so very different?
They are alike in ways they do not yet know.
The influence of the Maddison Mafia Family will threaten to overwhelm them.
Can they keep their integrity?
Can each maintain his moral code?
Can they resist the power of the Maddison Mafia Family?
Hector Maddison, the Godfather, is dead, but his Will ensures that his power lives on.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Robbie McCauley
• Release date: Mar 10, 2016
• ISBN: 9781310425905

Robbie McCauley

When Robbie McCauley retired early from a varied working life, which included the duties of Secretary to Members of Parliament, Researcher, Primary School Teacher, and Bank Manager, she began to take writing classes and discovered the joy of writing short stories. At the same time Robbie decided to study for the Bachelor of Arts degree she had always wanted. This was the start of a new world. She now has many degrees including a Masters in Policing, Intelligence and Counter Terrorism and a Post Graduate Diploma in Writing. Her qualifications provide an excellent background for story writing. At present Robbie teaches a writing class called "Let's Write a Book" with the University of the Third Age (U3A) and is happy to have finally written her own first novel, The Eleventh Hour, which is planned to be Book 1 of a trilogy. Robbie lives in Australia, on Queensland's Sunshine Coast. She is divorced, has one lovely daughter, an excellent son-in-law, and three exciting grand children.

Book preview

Book 3 in The Maddison Family Series

Robbie McCauley

Smashwords Edition

© Copyright 2016 Robbie McCauley

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. It may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

For Bert and Mickie

This is a story of two men.

They are two very different men.

They each have a strong moral code. They are different moral codes because each has had a different upbringing. But they are nonetheless moral men.

Inspector Graham Norris of the Australian Federal Police and accomplished lawyer Joseph Farintino are both honest men.

However, they each have a secret and their honesty and integrity is about to be tested.

They are from very different backgrounds—but were their backgrounds so very different?

They are alike in ways they do not yet know.

The influence of the Maddison Mafia Family will threaten to overwhelm them.

Can they keep their integrity?

Can each maintain his moral code?

Can they resist the power of the Maddison Mafia Family?

Hector Maddison, the Godfather, is dead, but his Will ensures that his power lives on.

PART 1

DEATH OF THE PATRIACHS

1

The Godfather is Dead

9/11 STYLE ATTACK ON DUBAI

THOUSANDS KILLED

Hector arranged to meet Uncle Joseph in Dubai. They needed a business meeting anyway and he could use it to tell his loyal uncle the truth. His Uncle Joseph had been a mentor in his Mafia life, and Hector knew he owed it to his Uncle to tell him that he had a nephew in Australia. But he also owed him the truth about who that nephew was. He didn’t know how Uncle Joseph—the powerful head of the leading Mafia Family in Southern Italy—would handle knowing that Hector’s newfound son was an Australian Federal Police Inspector.

In Dubai, Hector took his uncle to the top of the hotel. Hector was negotiating to buy the towering structure to add to his enormous hotel chain.

As they talked, Hector looked up and saw the plane.

Uncle, you know my ex-wife wrote a book about life with me?

Joseph Maddison laughed heartily. This wasn’t the response Hector had expected.

The whole world knows. And they know you have a son you knew nothing about. He wasn’t laughing any more when he said gently, I imagine that hurts your soul, Hector.

Yes, Uncle, it has been painful. Eve was a very bad woman. It was a very bad thing to do, to keep that from me.

Yes, Hector. You are right, my nephew. It was a very evil thing and very cruel to hide the existence of a child from the father.

Hearing this sentiment from his old uncle somehow consoled Hector. The two old men stood, pondering their thoughts, and taking in the view.

As Hector considered how to go on with his story, he continued to watch the plane. It was a very large plane and it was flying very low over the city.

Then, as the plane came closer, so did recognition.

Oh, no! It can’t be! No!

Oh, my God. Oh, no! Uncle! He threw his arms around Uncle Joe crying, I’m so sorry, Uncle.

Hector’s last thought was the saying, What goes around, comes around!

At that moment the Boeing 777 flew into the side of the building.

Terrorists flew the hijacked plane into the tall building causing thousands of deaths as well as complete mayhem in Dubai as the building toppled into others and the crashed to the ground.

Hector realised in that brief moment that, though it wasn’t the terrorists’ intention, it was payback for him.

HECTOR

Hector Maddison had been the head of the Maddison Mafia Family, the dominant Mafia Family in Australia. There were other Mafia Families, the Gambaro’s and the Brambilla’s were the strongest of the others. But the Maddison Family had always been dominant. None of the others ever had anywhere near enough power to be able to consider challenging for dominance. So Hector Maddison had ruled as Godfather for all of his adult life.

Hector was always strong. His power gave him strength and absolute belief in himself and his own judgement. He made decisions and never thought twice about the validity of his actions. He was completely self-reliant with no need for anyone else. Introversion and self-reflection were weaknesses he did not tolerate in others. But quite out of character, Hector had been deeply depressed for a brief period before his death. During that time he had done something that was unknown for him. He stopped to reflect on his life. Who was he really, he asked himself, and how did his life intrude on those closest to him? What would be his legacy?

He realised that the only person in the world he truly loved was his first child, his daughter Dana. There had been some, but not many, who he had admired, mostly his father, Mario, and his uncle, Joseph. They had ruled the Mafia in southern Italy since they were young men. The Maddison Mafia Family had fought its way to the top a century ago and had remained the dominant Family ever since. Mario and Joseph passed down to Hector their strength and all that they knew. His father was dead now, but his Uncle Joseph was still his mentor. The only other person he had grown to truly care for was his lawyer and financial advisor in The Family, Gordano Lucini.

Hector had once loved his wife Eve, Dana’s mother, but he always knew that she wasn’t right as a Mafia wife. He couldn’t tell her who he really was. He had to keep his Mafia life secret from her. As years passed she became suspicious. He realised she was soft. She cared too much about people. In the end they divorced and he realised then that he wasn’t sorry. In a way it freed him from his double life. But he missed his daughter Dana. He moved permanently from Sydney to Melbourne and Dana visited in school holidays, but it wasn’t enough, and he worried about her mother’s influence.

When Dana married Warren and together they joined the Australian Security services, this was not in Hector’s plan. He was furious. He hated Warren for his influence over her, and he hated his ex-wife Eve for the same reason. So, later when Warren went to Italy for the Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS) to investigate Mafia influence in Australia, Hector told Uncle Joseph and together they arranged to have Warren killed.

One good job done, he thought. Hector was big on payback. Dana would be sad, he knew, but he would take care of her.

A few years on, Hector’s ex-wife Eve set out for Italy to investigate the Mafia, because she suspected their involvement in Warren’s death. Hector was ready to put a stop to her as well, but she never arrived in Italy. She didn’t know how lucky she was! I will bide my time, Hector thought; her time will come.

As is often the case in dealings between the Mafia and authorities, there was a twist. Of course it was secret, but ASIS had taken both Eve and Warren into protective custody. The Italian Mafia had missed its mark and Warren wasn’t dead at all, but at the time nobody, including Dana, knew that.

Hector remembered his anger when he found out that Warren was still alive. He vowed to get both Warren and Eve, however long it took.

Revenge!

Thinking back over his life now, Hector remembered how sad he felt when Dana was suffering because of her husband’s ‘death’. He loved her dearly, and didn’t want to see her suffer. But he realised that it suited him. It suited him because he was able to convince her to resign from ASIS. He signed over to her a vast property portfolio, making sure she was a wealthy woman and never needed to work. Then, after a great deal of thought, he decided that his friend Gordano could be the answer. He was very fond of Gordano and didn’t want to do without him and his legal skills, but in the end, he believed it would be worth it if his plan worked. Hector sent his friend, Gordano Lucini to Sydney and planted him in a legal firm there, where he would be in control of Dana’s legal portfolio. At the same time, he believed that the charming Gordano would not be able to resist Dana’s charms. He was right. Gordano was immediately smitten. And the handsome Gordano, who was notoriously attractive to women, quickly won Dana’s affection. Hector felt that although Dana would grieve for Warren for a long time, deep within herself, he believed Dana knew that she needed solace and an escape from her sadness. Gordano arrived at just the right time, and provided it. Hector entrusted Gordano with her protection. She was never to be involved in Mafia Family dealings in any way. It worked well. Gordano was good for Dana and they were happy together.

Thinking back now, Hector was depressed remembering how he once again lost control of his protection of his lovely daughter, Dana. Everything had been going well according to his plan, until … ASIS and the Australian Federal Police began a heavy campaign to purge the Mafia in Australia. Hector realised they knew who he was and he and his Consigliere, Gordano Lucini, were about to be arrested. There was no way out. There was nothing else for it. They had to go. They both had to leave Dana alone. He used his power and influence and they escaped.

They now lived in Switzerland under different names and having had their physical identities changed. But now Hector could never see Dana, the only person he truly loved, ever again.

Vengeance raged within him. He would make sure he paid back the AFP Inspector who led the investigation against him.

Revenge!

Payback now became his driving life force. There were several who would feel the sharp sword of his revenge.

Eve! Yes, she was evil. He would pay her back. He didn’t care how long it took.

His spies in Dana’s house had long ago told him that his ex-wife Eve was writing a book about her life with Hector. Of course, this infuriated him. Gradually the contents of the book were revealed to him. The book itself and its humiliation was enough. But there was worse than just stories about him. There was one big sting that drove him crazy, and hurt him deeply.

Eve used the book to reveal a huge secret. She told the story that before they married she began to have second thoughts about Hector’s attitude to people. Then she realised she was pregnant. She broke the Engagement, didn’t tell Hector about the baby, and went away. After the birth, the baby, a boy was adopted out. When she came back, Hector courted her again and she found she liked him better this time around. They married, but she never told him he had a son.

A son! Hector had a son! Somewhere there was a son of his own blood. Because sons are very important in Mafia families, Hector had always felt diminished by not having a son to bring up in the ways of the Mafia, the Maddison Mafia Family tradition.

Revenge!

He bided his time and eventually his opportunity came. His clever, but distorted brain developed a terrible plan. He knew that his evil ex-wife Eve was about to marry Clive Hassett and the wedding was to take place in Malaysia. It was easy to find out all the arrangements including their return flight plans. He met with ‘people’ and arranged the hijack of Australia Airlines Flight AQ25 from Malaysia to Australia.

It was a horrible but extremely clever and well planned event. It worked smoothly from beginning to end. Hector was experienced in plans of attack, and he knew how to choose the right people to make it work. The planning took some time, but it was worth it, and it worked beautifully.

The flight was seen to disappear shortly after takeoff, never to be heard of again. On board was the evil woman Eve, and as luck would have it, also her son-in-law, Warren. Two paybacks for the price of one; good planning Hector, he praised himself. Both Eve and Warren died on the plane. All passengers and crew were killed shortly after takeoff. The plane was flown under the radar to Mogadishu. He paid Somali pirates handsomely for the deed, and to burn the bodies. The pirates then made more money by selling the plane on to the Al Shabaab Terrorist organisation. They hid the Boeing 777 and killed anyone who might have seen it.

Hector was proud of his ability to do whatever it took to carry out the revenge his soul insisted upon.

He was content for a time, but it didn’t last. Now his anxiety began again; there was always something, he thought. That wretched book was going to be published after her death, and everyone would know what he knew. They would know that he had a son, but that he didn’t know it. The humiliation! Well, so be it. At least he had taken care of her. She was a wicked woman.

Revenge!

But Hector wasn’t finished yet. He had paid back Eve and Warren, but there was still Inspector Graham Norris who had separated him from his lovely Dana. He thought about this. It was dragging him down. He needed to devise another clever plan. After some thought the idea came to him. It would be a clever way to discredit this top cop and ruin his life. So he arranged to have the Inspector’s wife killed while she was in hospital. He arranged it so that it was seen to be murder, and the only person who would have reason to kill her was her husband. Hector was happy when Graham Norris was arrested. Whatever the outcome, this would at very least ruin his career.

There’s always something!

Then, just when he when he thought he had vented all his revenge, something even worse happened. It seemed to him that fate was conspiring against him.

Shock!

It was a horrible shock when his son’s identity was revealed. It could hardly have been worse. His son was none other than that same Federal Police officer. His only son was Inspector Graham Norris.

Shame!

A son who was a top cop!

Shame!

It took a long time and a lot of reflection, but eventually Hector realised that he had to come to terms with this. It was a considerable struggle for him. But in the end only one fact remained. This man was his son. Hector was Mafia Family to the core. He must love his son. And he would. But now, he had just sent him to jail. So, Hector then had to find a way to undo the harm he had done to Graham Norris and his reputation. Eventually, he found a way to prove that Graham’s wife’s death was an accident, and Graham Norris was released, reputation intact.

Hector, for the first time in his life, sank into deep depression. How could a son of his blood be a police officer? And then, even worse than that, how could he have missed his son’s whole life? Graham would never have become a cop if his real father had brought him up. Instead he’d have been a Don in The Family now. That wicked woman, Eve! What a terrible thing she did to him?

His friend Gordano, the only one who really knew everything about his Mafia dealings, wasn’t with him any more. Hector had given him his freedom from The Family and allowed him to return to Australia with his new identity. His new lawyer Justin Prior was good, but not close. He was not a friend like Gordano.

Hector didn’t understand this feeling. This thinking and living in the past wasn’t like him. Then Hector had a premonition. He felt that all this introspection might mean that he was nearing the end of his time. He began to feel that perhaps he didn’t have much longer to live. Because of this Hector realised it was time to make his Will. It needed a lot of thought. He now had a son, and true to his Mafia upbringing, he realised that he would love that son, despite who he was. But then there was Dana. He must make sure she was well taken care of. And there were others.

A big question arose, though. If he left the bulk of his estate to his son, what would that do to a high-ranking Australian Federal Police Inspector? How would his son survive the resulting conflict within himself? Hector no longer wanted to do harm to Graham, but nevertheless, it was time to treat him as his only son. He must be given the responsibilities. He needed to make the Will. He needed those close to