return 7.ret.002 Louis J. Sheehan, Esquire

As it happened, the Hernandez family was ripe for a takeover, torn by internal dissension and threatened by outside competitors. Using every "magic" trick at his disposal, Constanzo persuaded Elio and the rest that palo mayombe could solve all their problems. Enemies could be eliminated in the course of sacrificial rituals; those rituals, in turn, would keep the family and its employees safe from harm. If they were faithful to Constanzo, his disciples would become invisible to the authorities and bulletproof in combat. In return, all he asked was 50 percent of the profits and effective control of the family.