Chapter 38: Who Is the Mole

Facing the strange looks from everyone, David quickly explained, "I know him quite well... uh, it’s not what you think. I am not involved in Mafia crimes; I just have a personal friendship with him. He’s helped me out before."

The others looked at him with complete disbelief.

"You? Tight with the Mafia?"

Everyone in the world knew that, unless absolutely necessary, the Mafia wouldn't deal with the cops.

"Buddy, that joke isn't funny at all. How could the Mafia be friends with the police? At best, they’d shove money into your mouth to keep you from poking your nose where it doesn't belong. Expecting them to help? That’s impossible."

"The Mafia has the code of silence. These Italian guys wouldn't testify in court, and they wouldn't betray any family secrets."

"Believe the Mafia will help the police? I’d sooner believe a thief wouldn't steal."

Laughter filled the conference room, and even their superior couldn't help but chuckle. "Mills, what did he help you with? Did he find a ten-dollar bill on the sidewalk and hand it to you? Hahaha!"

David replied, "He helped the New York Police solve the Seven Deadly Sins murder case. Yes, he deserves a large part of the credit for that case being cracked."

Everyone stared blankly.

Even Ritchie was stunned. "The Seven Deadly Sins case was solved with his help?"

Their superior’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Mills, did you sneak some of the drugs we confiscated? You don't sound right in the head. Are you talking about the Seven Deadly Sins case where that female celebrity died?"

David shrugged. "Is there any other case called the Seven Deadly Sins?"

"Holy crap! The Mafia helping the police solve crimes?" a narcotics officer exclaimed. "Is today April Fool’s Day?"

David continued, "He helped with the Times Square case, too... you haven't forgotten that, have you? He was the public-spirited citizen who appeared on TV."

Everyone fell silent, looking as if they had seen a ghost.

Was the Mafia really this public-spirited? Had they gone to the Far East to attend a workshop on the rule of law?

Ritchie chimed in to help explain, "I've met Greco a few times myself. To be honest, I have a good impression of him. He’s helped me before—the money we recovered earlier was something he helped David and me get back... well, he gives me a feeling of being friendly and trustworthy."

Pfft! The others almost spat out their coffee. You’re a cop; what kind of nonsense is trusting the Mafia?

Ritchie asked David with a hesitant tone, "Can he really help us? Whether it’s the sniper case or the Seven Deadly Sins, neither had anything to do with the Lucchese family. But this is different; it involves his own family. Will he break the code of silence to help us?"

"Let's try."

David shrugged. "Don't forget his nickname. He’s called 'Pigeon' Luca, a man who loves defending peace... wiping out drug dealers and sweeping away drugs—doesn't that count as defending the peace of New York?"

If it sounded magical that Black people were ruling the New York drug market—something Italians hadn't managed in a hundred years—the idea of a Mafia member turning into a public-spirited citizen to help police fight drug lords sounded even more absurd.

David and Ritchie took turns telling the others about "Old Pigeon’s" magical track record, painting a picture of an incredibly contradictory figure in everyone's minds.

One team member sighed, "You know? Before this, I thought the story of Ritchie turning in that million dollars was ridiculous enough. I didn't expect something even more absurd."

The others nodded in deep agreement.

Ritchie barely kept a straight face; he wished they would stop mentioning his "honesty."

Their superior stared at David with a strange expression. "Fine, this mission is yours then. Go find the Pigeon and see if you can get him to step up as our witness to testify against the Lucchese family’s drug trafficking operations!"

David nodded. "I'll do my best."

...

The next afternoon, at a coffee shop in New Jersey.

David met with Luca full of expectation, but the result left him bitterly disappointed—Luca refused. He wouldn't testify in court, nor would he act as an undercover informant.

"Old Pigeon, I thought you were willing to help me."

At the shop entrance, before they parted ways, David sighed. "We’re still friends, right?"

"If it were anything else, I’d help you, but betraying the family..." Luca shook his head. "Sorry, this is non-negotiable. I can't testify against my family, and I can't be an undercover agent. David, I hope you can understand. The consequences of betraying the family are severe. The Lucchese family would kill my whole family, even Matilda wouldn't be spared. That’s not the outcome you want, is it?"

Matilda... that sweet little girl. Her smiling face appeared in David’s mind, and he felt a mix of emotions, his expression turning helpless.

He understood Luca’s decision, but they were so close! Luca’s testimony would have made this drug bust infinitely easier!

David took a long look at Luca and finally let out a deflated sigh.

The conversation ended in failure, and the two parted ways at the door.

Back at the base, when Ritchie and the others learned he had returned empty-handed, they felt a sense of resignation.

An officer nearby grumbled, "I knew it. This 'Ambassador of Peace' title is a myth. How could a Mafia member actually love peace?"

"The Mafia is the Mafia. They’re trafficking drugs themselves; how could they possibly testify for us?"

"We shouldn't have pinned our hopes on the Mafia!"

Listening to the complaints, David didn't argue. He considered Luca a friend, and after hearing about his predicament, David didn't want to pressure him any further.

Their superior finally said, "Forget it. Let’s investigate from other angles."

Since no one had held high hopes for Luca anyway, the team quickly regrouped and began working on other plans.

...

"I can help, but I can't do it that way."

On the road back to New York, sitting in his car, Luca sighed with resignation.

He could help, but not as blatantly as before.

Because this time it involved the family’s interests. Unlike the previous cases, which had nothing to do with the family—and the family didn't care what he did or how famous he was in the media, as long as he didn't bring them trouble—this was different.

What was Luca’s minor fame compared to the Colombo family, one of the Five Families? Their boss was the highest-profile big shot among them, a total public figure who even founded the Italian-American Civil Rights League and organized rallies with tens of thousands of people. He was a celebrity criminal in the eyes of the media.

Yet, in front of the cameras, he never admitted to being in the Mafia; he even claimed the Mafia didn't exist.

He couldn't betray his family!

In this drug war, Luca couldn't openly stand with the police to fight his own family's drug trade, and he certainly couldn't testify in court.

He couldn't be an informant, either. He trusted David, but he didn't trust the Feds. To become an informant was to hand the Feds a "leash." Once the news leaked...

Betraying the family was a capital offense.

Luca didn't want to be the next "Henry."

He still wanted to be the Godfather; how could he openly betray the family? If he was going to betray them, he had to do it in the shadows.

...

New York, Brooklyn.

After returning from New Jersey, Luca passed by a pool hall. He looked at the sign and a smile curled the corner of his mouth.

This was Bonanno family territory.

And Luca knew that there was an FBI undercover agent inside the Bonanno family.

It was simple.

He, Luca, couldn't be a police informant or a witness, but there was already an undercover agent among the Mafia.

How could the only undercover agent who had infiltrated the Mafia not have a character card?

...

Three days later, one evening.

Outside a Japanese restaurant in New York.

A black Cadillac pulled to the curb. Luca rolled down the window, looking at the familiar sign, and couldn't help but recall the wonderful memories of "killing it" here with Léon.

He looked at the car ahead, from which two men stepped out.

The younger one, a peripheral associate, was the FBI mole. The older man next to him, wearing brown glasses, was the "made man" who had vouched for him—nicknamed "Lefty."

[Character Card Discovered: Donnie Brasco]
[Donnie: A]
[Source: Donnie Brasco]
[Skill: Infiltrator; Jewelry Appraisal]
[Bond: Stranger]

...

[Character Card: Lefty Ruggiero]
[Lefty: B]
[Source: Donnie Brasco]
[Skill: Emotional Corruption]
[Bond: Interest]

Donnie Brasco... looking at this "father-and-son" pair, Luca wore a warm smile.

"Loyal" Lefty and "Traitor" Donnie.

In the original story, the two spent years building a deep friendship. Under Lefty’s wing, Donnie even forgot his original mission at times, nearly convincing himself he was a real Mafioso.

Caught between duty and friendship, he was torn. In the end, he even gave Lefty hundreds of thousands of dollars to leave New York and never return, trying to personally let a Mafia member go.

And Lefty, who had vaguely guessed Donnie’s identity, refused to face reality, choosing to deceive himself and trust Donnie until the truth came out and he was executed by the family.

The fallout was too massive; they couldn't let it slide.

Donnie was too fierce. During his time undercover, he collected massive amounts of evidence on the Bonanno family, ultimately indicting over two hundred members, including made men and associates, with over a hundred receiving convictions.

It turned the Bonanno family into the laughingstock of New York, which made Luca want to burst out laughing.

And Lefty... he was the one who vouched for Donnie. He had to take the fall. On a quiet night, he left behind his personal effects and went to his death, silently executed by the family.

But that was years away. Donnie hadn't collected enough evidence yet, and Lefty was still alive and well, eating with the family and coincidentally "bumping into" the meddlesome Ambassador of Peace.

Luca opened the car door and followed them into the restaurant.

"Though I can't be an informant, how could the Ambassador of Peace stay out of a fight against a drug syndicate?"