War on the Family

By JD Jones

Tyler Brown is not an ordinary veteran of his nation's military. Neither does he come from an ordinary family. Though Tyler keeps his distance from the Family concerns, when someone attacks his family's business interests, Tyler is asked to investigate by his uncle. When Tyler is set up for the death of a policeman, it becomes personal. When they kill his wife, it becomes war - Tyler's way.
Tyler's uncle runs an organized crime business that covers the East Coast of the United States. The military trained him to be invisible as well as deadly. When he retired from the military, he set up a private investigator's business in his hometown and enjoys being a struggling businessman who goes home to his loving wife every night. The police still treat him with suspicion simply because of his family ties, even though his best friend is a cop.
Now, sensing something big is underway, he investigates the disappearance of two of his uncle's associates. Every step draws him closer to the man orchestrating this attack on the Family. Tyler wishes to remain the good guy in all this, but the attacker or attackers are not leaving him any choice. If it's the old Tyler they want to see, he'll be happy to oblige them.
Traveling through the southeastern part of Massachusetts, Tyler Brown tears down one set of criminals after another, shredding the superficial facade of illegal activities that the real organizer of this attack has thrown up to cover his or her tracks. Behind him lies a trail of death and destruction like the Bay State has never seen.
Having operated all over the world and escaped some of the best armies and police units the world has to offer, Tyler Brown is uniquely qualified for this job. But Tyler is motivated like never before in his life. These people killed his wife. He will go to the doors of hell itself to avenge her and God help anyone that gets in his way.

• Language: English
• Publisher: JD Jones
• Release date: Nov 18, 2022
• ISBN: 9781005052607

JD Jones

JD Jones now writes full time. As a minister, he and his wife of 30+ years spent their days working with at-risk youth. He has three children of his own who provide him with the source of his belief that he has succeeded. "The greatest pleasures in life are the simple things so many take for granted. All we can do in this life is make a lot of memories. Everything else is just so much stuff."

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War on the Family

Copyright © 2022, JD Jones

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without the express, written consent of the author for any purpose, other than the inclusion of brief quotations in review.

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War On The Family

A Tyler Brown Novel

by JD Jones

Part One

1

Albert Tonto DaCosta was never the smartest kid in the gang. Neither was he the most connected or the best at anything even remotely related to criminal enterprise. What he was, in fact, was the most loyal person anyone had ever met. If he gave his word, he fulfilled it. If he was your friend, he took up for you. If someone called him with a need, he was there to provide support or whatever else he had to give. But he wasn't a nice guy. Far from it. He was the guy they sent to collect things. Money. Property. People. Whatever the Boss asked for, Tonto delivered. Tonto never failed.

He was a six foot, twenty two year old, Portuguese kid with a hard working mother, an absentee drunk for a father and three sisters and two brothers to support. Working at a grocery store, bagging groceries, was not going to get the job done in Tonto's opinion. That's how he ended up running any deal he could find for anyone who would put him to work. But it was his loyalty that got him noticed. When the cops arrested him for driving the car in a failed liquor store hold up, he never opened his mouth or gave up anything. He was smart enough to know that it was his first offense and no one had been injured in the attempt. He ended up with probation and a reputation as someone who could keep his mouth shut. It was a source of pride for him. Tonto could be counted on. Everyone said so.

The girls in the neighborhood found him attractive for more than just his steady job and concern for his family. He was also a dark haired, athletic bodied, flashy car driving guy from the neighborhood. Most people knew who he worked for. Not everyone thought ill of him for his connections. He knew people feared him at some level and he was okay with that. Respect was respect. How else was a kid from the streets with no real education or family connections supposed to make it in this world?

This fine autumn day Tonto stepped out of his cherry red, 2018 Mustang and closed the door. He smoothed back his curly black locks, looking at himself in the car window and thought again about getting a hair cut. It was starting to hang over his ears and the Boss always said the first level of respect was one's appearance. He heard the song of a bird overhead and glanced up into one of the birch trees the town had planted along the street, decorating the sidewalks with a more down home touch. He had no idea what kind of bird it was. It was one of those small, brown ones that flitted here and there with a lot of noise as their wings beat the air. At the moment, it was calling out to other birds about its claim on this tree. He couldn't see a nest or anything but he knew the bird was claiming the tree as its own. At least, that's what Tonto thought as he looked up at the bird. It's what he would be doing.

Stepping to the sidewalk, he looked long up and down Rice Street. Traffic was light for a Friday afternoon, especially just off the main drag through town. But traffic was not his concern. Neither was he worried someone might see him entering this place of business. It was merely a habit to always observe his surroundings. In his business, it didn't pay to let one's guard down. Not ever.

Shownboro was a big town but nothing much ever happened here. Boss' orders. Shownboro stayed clean. Always. And the Boss' orders were always carried out. But his orders didn't preclude any bad guys not associated with the Family from sneaking into town and causing trouble. So, Tonto's guard stayed up, even in Shownboro. After all, it's where he'd attack himself if he was of a mind to.

Crossing the clean expanse of sidewalk, the twenty five year old, self-styled gunman stepped through the door into the walk up staircase for Brown Investigations, Inc. It led to an office above a small curio shop. Glancing at the shop entrance a little to his right, Tonto remembered the little brunette that worked there on weekends for Mr. Samuels, the shop owner. She was hot and feisty. Tonto had met her at The Club and he believed she liked him a little. Or maybe she liked the respect he generated when he entered The Club. But he didn't get into town much. Didn't have much time for dating, either. Business usually kept him busy elsewhere. Too bad, he thought to himself as he climbed the stairs. He wouldn't have time for her today, either, eve if she had been working.

The dimly lit staircase led, one flight up, to a darker landing. A single, bared bulb shone from the wooden planked ceiling, throwing its light as far as it could but not creating enough luminescence to really allow one to see their surroundings. What Tonto could see was an old, heavily stained wooden door leading into the outer office for Brown Investigations, Inc. A shiny, brass plated sign on the door identified the office entrance. Without any hesitation, Tonto walked through like he belonged there, like it was something he did every day. He knew where he was going.

Everywhere Tonto went he adopted the attitude. Most of his life he was told he didn't belong. But since coming to work for the Boss, things were different for him. He belonged anywhere he wanted to be or was sent for that matter. He might not be anybody in his own right but when people learned who he worked for, they made time for him and they stepped aside, too.

An older woman sat at a large, cherry stained, wooden desk shaped like an L. Tonto knew it was cherry because she had told him that before on one of his previous visits, when he had had to wait in her office to see her boss. There were clean, official looking filing cabinets and neatly arranged bookcases of numbered volumes of subjects he had no clue as to their meanings. The desk, as usual, was scattered with binders and reference books, all placed in some order making them easily accessed from the woman's seated position. The office always reminded Tonto of some kind of secretarial sanctuary. A secretarial bunker behind which she watched for the enemy.

The woman behind the desk was Mrs. Tippins. Debbie Tippins. She was early thirties and a beautiful, shapely blond that attracted a man's attention whether she tried to or not. Mrs. Tippins was the type of woman that knew she was pretty but never played it up. She just accepted it and went on with her life as though it didn't really matter. Her best feature, the one that got Tonto's attention every time, was her piercing green eyes. They were the kind of eyes that reached out and drew you in and then held you speechless while she tied you up in her web. At least Tonto always imagined that being tied up in her web would be a good thing.

Tonto knew her from previous visits here. She was Tyler's secretary. Hand picked by Tyler's wife, Dianne. Tonto could never figure that one. Why would any wife arrange for their husband's secretary to be a knock out blond? Maybe Dianne had the same effect on Mrs. Tippins that she had on Tonto, was all he could reason out.

Dianne was a handsome woman in her own right. Tonto had seen her many times, too. A tall, willowy red head, she cast a long shadow everywhere she went and turned every head, including most of the women. Dianne was a force to be reckoned with by anyone's account, whether by her appearance or her command of situations. Though Tonto would never admit it in public, he was scared of Dianne. More so than her husband.

Maybe Mrs. Tippins was afraid of her, too. That's why Dianne let her work there. Made sense to Tonto. Mostly, Mrs. Tippins was always nice to him. She treated him like he was somebody even when he was pretty sure she knew he was a nobody. That made her a good woman in his eyes.

Mrs, Tippins smiled when she saw Tonto come through the outer door. She greeted everyone with a smile, whether she liked them or not. She did not like Tonto. Not him personally. She didn't really know much about him, other than what her boss had told her about him. It was more what he represented that she didn't like. He was a criminal and that meant his business was criminal. People got hurt when criminals did business. She did not like her boss consorting or helping criminals or getting involved in anything criminal. Therefore, she did not like it when Tonto or any others of his ilk came calling on Mr. Brown.

Good afternoon, Mr. DaCosta, Mrs. Tippins stood and greeted her visitor warmly, moving out from behind her desk and extending her hand to the young man. What can we do for you today?

It was her job to ascertain the business of all who entered the office and she took her business seriously. Tonto understood her role in the business and respected it as much as he felt she respected him when he entered the office. He could never really read the woman but her show of respect guaranteed that he return the same. He would never disrespect the Boss by showing himself as anything but respectful where business was concerned.

Hello Mrs. Tippins, Tonto smiled and shook the offered hand, holding it a little longer than just a greeting. He could see in her eyes she recognized his extended care in greeting her. Once again, he could not read her emotions. No fear. No curiosity. No nothing. Just that smile. He often wondered if Mrs. Tippins had some kind of special training to keep from being read by others. Tyler had been in some branch of the military or government service. Maybe his secretary was, too. That would explain Dianne's fierce attitude, too, maybe. Trained soldiers had attitudes.

Is Mr. Brown in? Tonto asked cordially as he released her hand. He didn't have an appointment. In his line of work it never was a good idea to announce one's future whereabouts to anyone. He always just showed up.

Still smiling, Mrs. Tippins thought about asking him if he had an appointment and running the game of looking through her appointment book for his name. Instead, she pointedly moved back behind the desk and sat down in her chair. Picking up the phone, she pushed a button. Tonto stood beside her desk looking around the office for anything new. It all looked the same as always. No changes. No changes was safe. Boss always said to investigate anything new in his surroundings. Changes were opportunity. Either for himself or for the enemy. Though this was a safe place, the training to observe everything was still in place.

The L shaped secretary's desk. The book cases and filing cabinets. The several shades of green, leafy hanging plant beside the window getting the afternoon sun, glistening with water droplets as though it had been freshly watered. The small, two seater couch on the opposite wall and the two wooden, straight backed chairs with that old fashioned leather covering occupying the wall in front of Mrs. Tippin's desk. The old style wooden paneling on the walls making the room seem dark and close. Everything was always the same in this office when he visited. Nothing ever changed. He thought that was boring. Probably greatly professional but still boring.

Mr. DaCosta, here to see you, Mrs. Tippins spoke into her end of the phone.

Send him in, a voice on the other end resonated through the receiver loud enough for Tonto to hear it.

Mrs. Tippins stood and walked to the only other door in the office and opened it, showing Tonto through to the inner office. When Tonto had entered, she backed out closing the door behind her. Tonto looked at the man behind the desk in the center of the small room.

Tyler Brown was a thirty five year old, six foot two, two hundred and ten pounds, light brown hair and a well trimmed mustache block of male presence. He still looked very much like the special forces operator he had been only a few years before. Hair trimmed short and above the ears, though not as close cut as his army days. Well muscled forearms stuck out of the short sleeved polo style shirt he wore and every movement caused them to ripple with an easy strain. He obviously still kept in fighting shape. Tonto appreciated that. So many older men let themselves go when they no longer had anything to prove to themselves or others.

Tonto's blue eyes read every detail of the man's appearance as he considered this new environment. He knew there was a Ruger .357 magnum in the top, right hand drawer, which Tyler could reach in a flash. He also knew Tyler had no compunction about using the weapon. Tyler Brown was a good guy but he was also a killer. Tonto could see it in his eyes. The eyes never lied. And the rumors of Tyler's army service never quit. Some kind of special, foreign service detachment. Tyler didn't talk about it. Ever. Not that Tonto hadn't asked. Tyler just never answered. Tonto understood. There were things he didn't talk about, either. He respected those who could keep their mouths shut.

Tyler's ever present polo shirt was yellow this afternoon but Tonto had seen him in every imaginable color the man could find. Always a pullover with a collar. Maybe not Polo brand but similar in style. It was Tyler's everyday wear. He couldn't see under the desk Tyler was sitting behind but he knew the man was wearing a pair of earth tone khaki pants. Dark blue, brown, light tan. And his socks would be dark blue or back. No deviation. With a pair of leather shoes. Serviceable for running, kicking, climbing or whatever else an active man might need to do. It was all part of Tyler's post service uniform. Not too drastically different from his service clothing.

Since he had left the army, Tyler had worn pretty much the same uniform every day. At thirty five, Tyler was a striking vision of a man and even sitting down he exuded a sense of authority and power that few men could approximate. Tyler was a lot like the Boss in that regard. Tonto had often thought the similarities between Tyler and his uncle remarkable. They didn't look alike but they sure had a lot of the same mannerisms. Probably because Tyler had always been close with his uncle. They both commanded attention when they were in the room. Maybe it was a different kind of power but they both represented a personal power that could not be denied.

What's up, Tonto? Tyler got right to the point. He didn't like dealing with his uncle's minions but it was impossible to avoid. If it happened in this town or anywhere else on the east coast, his uncle had a hand in it or knew the people who did. If it was illegal, that is. Some legal connections, too.

Boss wants to see you, Tonto relayed the message he had been dispatched to deliver.

I'm kind of busy today, Tyler smiled at the younger man noting the 9mm bulge underneath his left arm. Expected. Not sinister.

Boss says it's urgent and will only take a few minutes of your time.

Still busy, Tyler offered again.

Why bust my cookies, Mr. Brown? Tonto remembered to be respectful. Not for Tyler's sake, though that was a careful consideration, but because the Boss demanded it. Family deserved respect. No matter how straight Tyler's business was, he was still Family. No one disrespected Family. Not even Tonto.

Because I'm busy, Tyler answered with the obvious, but he couldn't repress a smile.

You know you're going to come, so why give me a hard time? Tonto made sure he sighed heavily to accent his request. A sign he was not enjoying this banter.

What is it this time? Tyler smiled again.

I have no idea, Tonto admitted. You know he doesn't confide in me.

Tonto, you're the best informed person in the whole Family. If he doesn't confide in you then you've got the best network of informants and snitches ever devised. Tyler didn't want to hurt Tonto's feelings, just rib him a little about his role as errand boy.

I'm not Family, Mr. Brown. But you are and you know when the Boss calls, you have to come. It's part of the rules.

Rules. Tyler knew the rules Tonto referred to. The whole Family lived by them all their lives and were still living by them no matter where they lived. Their uncle had been the head of the Family since before Tyler was born and he still ran things with an iron fist. This summons was just another part of the Family life that had become normal to all of them over the years.

The Rules kept everything clean and above board with regards to the Family. Nothing illegal ever touched the Family. Ever. Every gun that came near the Family was legal and registered properly. Every dollar was legal and properly washed before it went into any account with the Family's name on it. All Family bank accounts were monitored for discrepancies and any odd infusions of cash for their own protection. Every associate of every Family member was vetted by Tyler's uncle's machine. Nothing was ever allowed to touch the Family that might fall back on them. None of the Family had ever gone to jail. Not once. The Rules ensured they never would. Everyone followed the rules. Everyone. Even Tyler.

Who all's coming to this party? Tyler asked, standing up and retrieving his coat from the coat rack in the corner behind his desk. Then he retrieved his Ruger .357 magnum revolver from his desk. Tonto watched his every move. Not out of any fear. It was just the way he had trained himself to observe everything. He had asked Tyler once why he carried that revolver instead of a 9mm automatic like most people. Tyler had smiled and said that people shot with a .357 didn't get back up. It had made Tonto smile at the time. But every time he saw the weapon it reminded him that Tyler never shot to scare or wound a person. His aim was to kill if he drew his weapon. Army training, Tonto guessed. Maybe it was part of the Family training, too. Tonto could only guess at that since he was not an actual Family member. And Family never talked. Not to Tonto anyway.

You're the only one I was sent to bring in. Tonto shrugged.

2

A half hour later, Tonto pulled his Mustang into the circular drive of the old House on Pear Street. Tyler got out but Tonto stayed in the car. He had only been sent to retrieve Mr. Brown. His instructions were to send Mr. Brown in and wait on him to come back out. Tonto always followed orders. It was part of being a loyal employee.

Tyler looked at the big house and was immediately inundated with all the good memories that flooded through his mind. As much as he dreaded coming back here, he never could deny all the great things he experienced on this street. He had grown up in this house when it was a rental property and just down the street in another house when his father had been able to buy his own place a couple years later. This was his street. Pear Street. It was the Family's street. Literally.

When he had lived in the house, it was a three story apartment building and his mother and father had rented the second floor apartment. His uncle had owned the apartment building and had lived a few doors down in a modest ranch with a big, above ground pool in the back yard. Tyler was always amazed at how fondly he remembered his childhood. One would not think that growing up in the shadow of one of the largest, independent crime families in New England would result in such a wonderful childhood, but his had. He could not imagine asking for a better life as a child.

Inside the house, Tyler met Conner. Conner Jenkins was his uncle's personal body guard and long time friend. He relieved Tyler of his weapon and showed him to his uncle's study on the ground floor. Tyler gave up the .357 without even thinking about it. The Rules. No guns. Not even Family. No weapon was allowed beyond the front door. Except Conner's.

His 9mm hung in a shoulder holster everyone who entered the house knew was there. His job was to protect the Family, especially his uncle. There were other men in the house, strategically placed in case of an attack or for whatever else their services might be needed. Part of their job was to remain out of sight and allow the Family to live a normal life. Of course, lately that was only his uncle and his aunt. The children had all moved out to live on their own. They were still on the street but they had their own places, now.

After Tyler's family had moved out of the apartment building, his uncle had moved the other tenants out into other buildings he owned and converted the big building into the current version of the big house it was now. Tyler had been twelve when it was converted and he was amazed at how clearly he remembered the former layout of the apartments and how they had been changed to accommodate the new, single family house. A good deal of his life was wrapped up in the history of this house.

Sit down, Tyler, Uncle Ted greeted his favorite nephew.

Got any ice tea? Tyler always asked for ice tea when he visited his uncle. It was a throwback to when he was younger. His dad always drank ice tea but he and his brothers and sisters were forbidden to have tea. Mom always said it would stunt their growth. Some caffeine thing back then. But Uncle Ted always let him have ice tea if he wanted it, which he always did.

Uncle Ted was six foot three and in very good shape for a man of sixty two. He played tennis regularly and jogged occasionally. He swam everyday and ate right because his wife refused to let him live like a slob and she believed eating good family meals at least once a day was a sign of a good family. No one doubted whatever the lady of the house believed.

His short, black hair was peppered with gray and little shocks of gray at the temples gave him a very distinguished look. His easy smile and good nature made him likable and the authority he exuded never seemed to become over-inflated or oppressive. He was man sure of himself and his surroundings and content to be at ease with his life. Even when Tyler had seen him deal with tough matters, tricky situations, he had always remained calm and in control. Tyler recognized that the confidence his uncle had in his position was very much like his own confidence in dealing with people. They both possessed a power they felt they could call upon if necessary but never felt the need to advertise. For both the power was the same, a dangerous side that could explode into action if called upon. His uncle carried absolute authority over life and death. Tyler employed a list of learned skills that held the same power as surely as his uncle's. People seemed to understand what they sensed in both men without really thinking about it. Both men used their particular brand of power to their own benefit without realizing they were doing so. It was part of who they had become in life.

Uncle Ted waved Conner away and Tyler knew he would return with a glass of ice tea momentarily. Tyler chose his favorite chair, an over stuffed, over sized, muddy brown, cloth cushioned chair close to the big fireplace. There was a small fire burning more for ambiance than heat. Uncle Ted moved to a smaller chair across from where Tyler sat. The fire crackled cheerily between them, not a large flame. Just a small fire at the back of the fireplace. Real wood, not one of those gas things. Tyler could smell the oak burning. It was a familiar smell from his childhood, also. Many a day had been spent lounging in front of the fire here, deciding on what adventures they could undertake, he and his cousins and the other neighborhood kids.

Before they were fully settled in, Conner returned with Tyler's ice tea and a glass of apple juice for his Boss. As they both took a sip from their glasses, Conner slipped out of the room, quietly, without being asked. Rules.

What's up? Tyler asked, licking his lips from the sweetness of the tea,

Don't I get a hello, first, nephew? Uncle Ted asked with a slightly amused smile on his lips.

Since when have the niceties of social convention suited you? Tyler challenged with a playful chuckle.

Since I've started to get older. Uncle Ted laughed at his nephew's bluntness. A man wants to be remembered for something other than business.

With your business, that's going to be pretty unlikely, He had often reminded his uncle that the illegality of his business ventures pretty much ensured that he would be remembered as a bad guy by most people outside the Family or the neighborhood.

Tyler took another big sip. His Aunt Jane made the best sweet tea. Paula, his mother, made okay tea. But too sweet for him. His Aunt May's tea was always weak. She was in too much of a hurry to let it steep properly. It was always Aunt Jane's tea he coveted a sip of. It was a precious memory of his childhood. He had always been able to tell which of the three sisters had made the tea with one sip. Ice tea always brought back memories of the three sisters. The Family.

Maybe so, Uncle Ted laughed at the idea as much as Tyler's boldness. So few people dared to tell him things straight out. Tyler seemed to take a perverse joy in doing so. His forthrightness with that ever present high minded attitude had always endeared the child to him. Something about the boy made him think of himself. Since the boy had lived a strictly legal life, he had often thought that maybe he would have been like Tyler had he not chosen the path he had. It was a thing he thought more and more about as the years wore on. All lives had regrets. Didn't they?

So, how have you been? Tyler gave in to his uncle's request for civilities first.

Very well, thank you. Uncle Ted smiled. I've been hearing that you're involved with that Senator whose making all the noise about cleaning up Massachusetts from the crime and drugs.

He's got some good ideas, Tyler smiled. He knew that Senator McBain was no threat to his uncle and the Senator was not the purpose of this visit. They had an understanding. His uncle would never ask him to do something illegal and he would never fold on the Family in any way. Both fully trusted the other with their lives. He knew nothing about the Family business and could therefore not tell anything, anyway. His uncle would never seek him out to further the goals of the Family business. So, this was not about his relationship with the Senator.

Indeed, Uncle Ted smiled. We've already reached out to some of our friends to talk to him about not spending so much time and wasting so much of the taxpayer's money on futile efforts. We've seeded his idea men with much better goals for a man with his future aspirations.

Good luck with that, Tyler laughed and took another sip of tea. He's like a bulldog with a bone as far as crime is concerned. He used to be a cop in Boston.

I'll keep that analogy in mind in any further dealings, Uncle Ted smiled, fully aware of the man's history himself.

So, why am I really here?

Can an old man not just want the company of his favorite nephew? Uncle Ted teased him.

You sent your muscle boy out to drag me in for just a visit? Tyler played along.

Uncle Ted laughed. It was a throaty sound and very much amusing, even to Tyler after all these years. His uncle had always laughed so easily. Like the time Tyler had strung fishing line across the driveway when his brother and cousins were riding their bikes. Never mind it had almost decapitated his brother by cutting into his neck. He remembered his uncle laughing and almost rolling on the ground even while his dad had threatened to beat him within an inch of his life.

Tonto never dragged anyone, Uncle Ted sobered up. He thinks the world of you and he's scared to death of you.

I don't think he's scared of anyone, Tyler pointed out.

Oh! He's smarter than he pretends, Uncle Ted said. Don't let his dumb crook act fool you. He watches everything and he knows more than he lets on.

That much I've seen, Tyler admitted.

He always says that you'd be the most dangerous criminal in the world if you ever took the notion.

Let's hope I never take the notion then, Tyler smiled, not giving the criminal life another thought. It was never an option. His mother and father had made sure he understood that from an early age. No matter the Family business, Tyler was aimed at higher things as were his brothers and sisters. Tyler's Dad may have skirted the legal issues from time to time, but he and Tyler's Mom were adamant about where their children would stand when all was said and done. Like Tyler, they would never go against the Family or Uncle Ted, but they also made sure their children chose paths that led them away from any life that involved crime. It was a badge of honor for them. Uncle Ted did not take any offense at it, either. He always said he had only chosen the criminal paths because all other avenues were closed to him at the time. He urged his own children to go legitimate, too. It was one reason for the rules. To give all the family a chance to make it good without ending up in jail.

The reason I called you here is because two associates of mine have gone missing. Uncle Ted changed the subject, getting to the point of their meeting.

You know I don't want to get involved in any criminal enterprises, Tyler reminded his uncle.

I'm not asking you to get involved in anything criminal, Uncle Ted claimed. Just poke around a little and see what you can discover. They've just fallen off the face of the earth. None of my usual sources are turning up anything.

Doesn't that mean what it usually means in your business? Tyler asked the obvious.

There's no sign of any foul play and no word on the street about any killing or other criminality concerning them. One day they were carrying on as usual. The next day, no one can find them.

Again, I ask, wouldn't that mean someone has made them disappear? Tyler drank down the last of his tea.

Not with these guys.

What makes them different?

It requires special permission from the other Families to take them out. I would know about it if that was the case. Uncle Ted took a sip of his apple juice.

Would someone possibly make a move on them without telling the proper authorities? You know, like someone trying to muscle in on their territories?

Possible, Uncle Ted admitted. But if that was the case, there would have been some noise on the street. There also would have been someone taking over or moving in after they disappeared.

How long have they been missing? Tyler asked, still looking for a way to turn this job down.

Three weeks. Assumed dead by now but the circumstances and the possibility that others at the top might be targeted are making my colleagues nervous.

But not you? Tyler noted that others were nervous.

No more than usual. Besides, you know me. I keep a low profile and never get involved personally. I'm not much of a target. And because their business interests fall back to me in their absence, I'm more of a suspect than a target.

I see, Tyler thought he did. You want me to discover what happened before others start pointing fingers your way.

Partly, Uncle Ted smiled. But they really were my friends and I am curious as to what has happened.

Interested in a little revenge? Tyler goaded his uncle.

Possibly. That magnanimous smile broadened. Mostly, I need to know what happened to them.

Can't you get someone else to do this? Tyler questioned. You know I try to keep a good distance between me and Family business. For your sake and for mine.

I understand, Nephew. But this is different. If I send any other PI out looking for them and he reports his findings to me, anything that happens to these perpetrators would naturally come back to me. I need a level of discretion that I can only expect with you. Besides, I hear that you're a month behind on your office rent. I'm betting that Debbie hasn't been paid lately, either.

Things are a little tight, Tyler was mad that his uncle could learn whatever he wanted to about him. Not surprised. Just mad. He hated this part of the Family life. The connection ensured that he was always monitored. Even when he had been stationed overseas, he had felt the long arm of the Family around him. Nothing made Tyler madder than knowing he could never be free of the Family. It was how the Family protected itself. Sometimes he faulted his mother and father for investing so much in his moral and ethical education to keep him out of the Family business. It would have been so much easier on his mind to just accept it and be a part of it.

Well, this is a paying job and you have a blank check to do whatever you need to. And I've told Conner to give you a ten thousand dollar retainer fee up front. If you don't use it all up, keep the rest for some future job. Matter of fact, if you'll let me, I'll make a monthly retainer of five thousand available to you for future jobs. I need someone respectable and legitimate investigating things for me from time to time. Let me hire your firm.

You don't need that much investigative work done, Uncle Ted. Tyler smiled at his uncle's offer. And a monthly retainer would not help me keep much distance from the Family business, now would it?

I suppose not, Uncle Ted laughed. Just wanted to help. You know I have legitimate businesses, too. Uncle Ted reminded his nephew.

I appreciate the offer. Really, I do. Tyler always felt guilty about denying his Family connections. Not enough to join in with them but just enough to make him feel like he was trying to deny his history. He despised people who did not acknowledge where they came from and the people who had helped make them. It smacked of ingratitude to Tyler and he never wanted to be anything but grateful for what he had received in life. His life may have had tainted sources at times, but his childhood and subsequent adult life were all that any man could ask for. Hard work and good reward were staples of Tyler's desires and his life.

I'll look into this disappearance of your friends for you because I am slow right now, Tyler gave in to his uncle's request as they both knew he would. But I don't think that a long term financial relationship would be in my best interest at the moment.

Good! Good!, Uncle Ted leaned forward in his chair. He always offered Tyler a grand scheme with a lesser plan to accept, knowing Tyler would take the lesser of two evils and the smaller of two involvements. It was the same game they played every time. Tyler pretended not to need his uncle and his uncle pretended not to need or want Tyler involved.

Conner has all the information we have gathered about their disappearance and what we know of their movements the last couple of days before they went missing. We don't know much but it'll give you a place to start. He'll give it to you on the way out. But first you better go say, Hi, to your Aunt. She'll kill me if she finds out you were here and I let you leave without telling her.

3

Tyler laughed at the thought of his uncle being afraid of anyone, especially his wife. She was all of five-feet-five, short, like all the sisters. The only memories he had of his Aunt Jane were of a wonderful, smiling woman who always brought him the best birthday presents and treated him with the greatest of respect even when he was a child. She always listened to his stories and never interrupted like other adults did.

She was the oldest of the three sisters and the others looked up to her. Her position as the wife of the Boss may have had something to do with it or it could have been her no nonsense, take charge kind of attitude. Mostly,Tyler just liked her because of who she was. His favorite aunt. He would forever remember the sneaky twinkle in her eye as she gave him something she did not give the others. For all he knew she did nice things for all his brothers and sisters and cousins and her own children, too. But it was the things she had always done for him, personally, that mattered most to him. She always made him feel special. He would always picture her with her short, coal black hair falling across her face and her constant attention to brushing it back out of the way.

The three sisters had all met and married best friends. They were the first generation daughters of a couple of immigrants from the Azores, a small island in the Atlantic owned by the Portuguese government. Hard working florists, they had started and operated a medium sized business that sheltered and fed their family quite well. During their childhood, the three sisters had lived environmentally and culturally cloistered lives for the most part because Tyler's grandfather, Tony Perez, had believed that American ways were disgraceful and sinful according to his strict Catholic reasoning. Tyler could remember his grandmother, Sonya, a small, Swedish woman, whose parents had immigrated to Portugal in the late twenties, always telling him that a good man never did bad things but made a way to do good things, somehow. It had become Tyler's mantra in life. He could not escape his past and was always trying to live up to some teaching from the family.

Growing up in such a protected environment practically ensured that the girls would go wild as soon as they could get away from daddy. Like the preacher's kid who gets his first taste of freedom in college and wants to try out every sin he ever heard of. When the three sisters met the guys, they immediately saw their way out from underneath daddy's thumb and the family florist business, which they all hated. Like other young girls of their time, they wanted excitement, dancing, fun. Daddy's rules didn't allow for any of that under his roof. To them the answer was simple. Get out from under Daddy's roof. The guys provided their first real chance to get away and they took it.

They had been forced from a young age to work in the family hot houses, including growing and nurturing the flowers and waiting on customers at their two retail sites. Tyler's mom, Paula, had often told him how much she hated flowers. Even in their yard at home, she didn't like nurturing the plants. She liked the colors and the beauty well enough. But the work reminded her too much of her childhood and she hated that. She loved that Tyler had a green thumb and nurtured several of the pretty plants around the yard that she loved to look at. But, she had never been allowed to have any fun as a child and she always associated that lack of fun with working with the flowers. She always said that flowers had ruined her life. It was her sad dismissal of her childhood. To her father the only life that mattered was work life. Being a favorite grandchild, always doted on by his grandfather, Tyler had never seen that side of his grandfather. But he respected his mother's view enough to remember how she saw things. People did not adopt such extreme views of things for nothing.

It had been pretty easy for the three friends to court and win the hearts of the desperate, young damsels seeking escape from their father's hard hand. Ted, John and Mickey seemed like a god-send to the sisters. Ted was the leader and a few years older than the other two. John was the prankster and a fun loving all around good-time guy. If he had been in college, he would have been the always drunk friend that was up for any stunt someone could come up with. Mickey was Tyler's dad and he had a serious streak that drove him to succeed at all cost. When he set his mind on something, he saw it through to the end. His entire life was planned around making something of himself. His ideas and lessons of business integrity and success still resided in Tyler to this day.

When the three sisters met the three guys, there was no illegal element to the guy's business interests except maybe taking advantage of a sucker down at the pool hall every once in a while. Ted was the wheeler-dealer and John went along with whatever kept money in his pockets. Mickey, on the other hand, always wanted to make sure that his money was earned and that he would be respected. Respect was always important to Mickey. He had taught that to his kids. Death before disrespect. It was never said in a joking manner around their house. Mickey was serious.

The three guys worked for Tyler's grandfather in Florida. His business down there was all about raising plants all year round and supplying other businesses that retailed mature plants or integrated the flowers into their business somehow, like landscaping and new home layouts. That was how the guys met the three sisters. Unlike a lot of Tony Perez' employees, mostly local immigrants or sons of immigrants, Ted, John and Mickey didn't worry that they were not good enough for the owner's daughters. They embraced the American lifestyle and all its cultural significance. In fact, they believed they were exactly what the girls needed, new American blood. And the girls believed the guys were right.

Tyler's grandfather retailed his flowers and ran the greenhouses in Massachusetts during the spring, summer and early fall but then took his family to Florida for the winter. Every year the girls would start school in one state and end it in another. Such was grandfather Perez' disdain for American schooling that he believed his girls didn't really need any education other than learning to serve respectfully whichever male was in charge of their lives at the moment. It often amused Tyler to think of his headstrong mother bending under the rule of a male like that, even a father, whom she loved. It was probably the number one reason she had hated her childhood so much. He knew it was the reason she got out from under his thumb as soon as Mickey asked her to marry him. She had said so many times.

The sisters seized on this anti-education, serving a male leader, attitude of their father and used it to get their father to okay their early marriages to the guys. In the course of about a half year, all three sisters married, one after the other. Tony Perez had to spring for three small but tasteful weddings in a row. Paying for it wasn't his complaint, though. The fact the girls had decided to desert right during the Spring ramp up to the retail business kicking off in Massachusetts was his biggest concern. Who was going to do all that work? Grandfather Perez was in a quandary he could not answer for himself. His own beliefs had backed him into a corner concerning his three daughters.

Tony Perez didn't believe in married women working. Their husbands needed to support them. And since his girls were marrying his employees, he had two problem. He was losing the girls as workers,