Post by lizity on Mar 10, 2013 21:49:29 GMT -5
Years ago when that little minx had walked into his office in Rome he never would have pictured himself doing this kind of work. If work was the right thing to call it. It had turned into something far beyond work. Maybe mission was a better explication. There were days he questioned why he was doing this, money wasn’t everything, not matter how good it was. He was by all purposes an accountant, he knew how to manage money so the question still stood.
He was still there because of her.
It was hard to say no to her when she was face to face with him and not for the reasons that most suspected. He wasn’t in love with her, he wasn’t sleeping with her, but he was enchanted by her like so many other people he’d seen. She had a knack for getting under the skin and staying there long after her physical presence was gone. Now, all these years later he’d just stopped trying. He also wasn’t opposed to what she was trying to accomplish. Still he was sure that she might be the death of him.
He checked the address he’d written down one last time before getting out of the old sedan that had seen better days. The thick wool of his pea coat blocked out the cold air still hanging around while everyone screamed for spring. He’d left his suit coat on the seat of the car as he locked the car door and walked a few stoops down to the door he was looking for. He wasn’t armed, he rarely was even though he probably should have carried. Carrying a gun meant you were willing to shoot someone and in most situations he wasn’t. Especially this person.
Knocking on the door he waited, hearing the muffled scrapes of someone getting out of a chair followed by the metric stomps of feet coming down the hall. The door was opened by an older man, an ex cop that he’d tracked down through the connections he’d made into the police department. Money had exchanged hands and they’d laughed and told him good luck when they’d known what he was looking for. Funny how tragedies turn to jokes when no one cared anymore.
“I’m look’n for Andy Hale?” Leon asked, hunching his shoulders from the cold, keeping his hands in sight.
“Yeah, what about ‘im?” The old man looked him over with a skeptical eye.
“I was hoping to talk to him about an old case he worked on about five and a half years ago that went cold. Suspected mob hit on Eduardo Ferrari.”
Hale narrowed his eyes and jutted his chin out to point at Leon’s chest. “You packing anything under that coat?
“No sir.” Leon answered with a long honed patience as he even went so far to slid his coat back off his arms and hold it out to the side, turning in a circle to prove it.
The man grunted and stepped back, letting him into the apartment then lead the way back into the living room. The place had seen better days but Leon had already known that from the research he’d put in beforehand. The guy had been a good cop, or at least as good as New York Detective could be in a city still run by the mob.
“So ya looking into that pain in the ass eh? Which family you related too? Old Sal afraid some new information is gonna crop up.”
Leon smiled and shook his head, setting his coat down on the arm of an old recliner. “Not related to anyone involved and as far as Sal goes I wouldn’t have a clue. I’m here representing an interested party is all. You were one of the detectives on the case. What happened? Why couldn’t anything be pinned down? Evidence tampering?”
“If it were only that easy kid.” Hale laughed then coughed like an old time smoker trying to quit as he settled into his recliner. “We had some evidence but it just didn’t point to anything. All the finger prints we found in the house were accounted for, all belonged to the dead or the staff that had gone home to sleep. Couldn’t pin any evidence on any of them either though maids don’t often shoot their employer in the head while kneeling in his living room. The only spot of evidence we did have was some unaccounted for blood in the younger sister’s room.”
Leon had to work not to smile so instead he nodded and sat down on the edge of the recliner seat. “I’m not going to lie to you Mr. Hale, I came here in hopes that you might give me your copies of the case file. And two other connected cases.”
Hale laughed again. “Kid, cops don’t bring work home like that, much less retired ones.”
“No, but sometimes they can’t let go of the one that go away. I know you have copies, Mr. Hale.” Leon’s smile was friendly even if his words didn’t exactly ring with the same thing but that’s why he was good with people. He was a friendly man, he knew how far a smile could and couldn’t get him.
“You know you can put in a request at the DA’s office to view cases after so many years of them being shelved.” Hale eyed him and Leon could see the spark of the old detective in his eyes.
“I’m sure you know as well as I do that myself or the people I’m representing don’t want their names on any paperwork.” Leon held up his hands offering peace to the man before reaching into the pocket of his coat. “I’m a very good at my job Mr. Hale, I do a lot of research before I talk to someone. I know you were a good cop and a good detective, one of the few I think. But I also know that bills have to be paid every month and I’m sure your pension doesn’t cover everything.” He pulled out a manila envelope, packed and folded over and stood walking over to the elder man.
“Someone is pretty pissed at someone else eh?” He reached up taking the envelope and sighed. He’d never taken a bribe before, he rightly wasn’t going to start now, retired or not, needing it or not. “Don’t point that at me kid.” Waving off the envelope he stood on creaky knees and told Leon to wait there as he moved toward the back of the apartment. A few minutes later he came back with several folders in his hand and passed them over. “That’s all I got. The file from Eduardo Ferrari’s murder and Enzio Ferrari missing persons case plus the murders from his house. There was one on Francesca Ferrari till they found out she was back in Italy but I don’t have it.”
Leon took the files, resisting the urge to open them and scan the papers, reports and accounts that had been gathered up in the thick bound paper but then he stopped and frowned. “Was there not one on the other sister, Zita Ferrari/Mancini?”
“There was and I knew it was connected but no one could made heads or tails of it. Both the husband and wife weren’t found in the house but the men that tried to break in were found dead. Three men in total, all left in the house. We found them a day later when we tried to contact her about her brother and sister. Never could find where they skipped off to but whoever was there with them either took them out and hid the bodies or got her out of town before the hit squad could catch up.” Hale shrugged and settled back down into his chair. “There’s gonna be hell over me giving you this isn’t there?”
He couldn’t keep the frown off his face. “We would like to see these cases reopened and new evidence come to light and the right people are put into jail.”
“Don’t we all kid.” Hale shook his head.
Leon pulled his coat on and slid the money back into the pocket. He was surprised the old man hadn’t taken it but everyone was different. Hale followed him back to the door of the crummy apartment and held the door as he stepped out.
“What did you say your last name was there kid?” Hale asked.
“I didn’t.” Leon smiled and nodded his head. “Have a good evening, Mr. Hale. And thank you.”
He was still there because of her.
It was hard to say no to her when she was face to face with him and not for the reasons that most suspected. He wasn’t in love with her, he wasn’t sleeping with her, but he was enchanted by her like so many other people he’d seen. She had a knack for getting under the skin and staying there long after her physical presence was gone. Now, all these years later he’d just stopped trying. He also wasn’t opposed to what she was trying to accomplish. Still he was sure that she might be the death of him.
He checked the address he’d written down one last time before getting out of the old sedan that had seen better days. The thick wool of his pea coat blocked out the cold air still hanging around while everyone screamed for spring. He’d left his suit coat on the seat of the car as he locked the car door and walked a few stoops down to the door he was looking for. He wasn’t armed, he rarely was even though he probably should have carried. Carrying a gun meant you were willing to shoot someone and in most situations he wasn’t. Especially this person.
Knocking on the door he waited, hearing the muffled scrapes of someone getting out of a chair followed by the metric stomps of feet coming down the hall. The door was opened by an older man, an ex cop that he’d tracked down through the connections he’d made into the police department. Money had exchanged hands and they’d laughed and told him good luck when they’d known what he was looking for. Funny how tragedies turn to jokes when no one cared anymore.
“I’m look’n for Andy Hale?” Leon asked, hunching his shoulders from the cold, keeping his hands in sight.
“Yeah, what about ‘im?” The old man looked him over with a skeptical eye.
“I was hoping to talk to him about an old case he worked on about five and a half years ago that went cold. Suspected mob hit on Eduardo Ferrari.”
Hale narrowed his eyes and jutted his chin out to point at Leon’s chest. “You packing anything under that coat?
“No sir.” Leon answered with a long honed patience as he even went so far to slid his coat back off his arms and hold it out to the side, turning in a circle to prove it.
The man grunted and stepped back, letting him into the apartment then lead the way back into the living room. The place had seen better days but Leon had already known that from the research he’d put in beforehand. The guy had been a good cop, or at least as good as New York Detective could be in a city still run by the mob.
“So ya looking into that pain in the ass eh? Which family you related too? Old Sal afraid some new information is gonna crop up.”
Leon smiled and shook his head, setting his coat down on the arm of an old recliner. “Not related to anyone involved and as far as Sal goes I wouldn’t have a clue. I’m here representing an interested party is all. You were one of the detectives on the case. What happened? Why couldn’t anything be pinned down? Evidence tampering?”
“If it were only that easy kid.” Hale laughed then coughed like an old time smoker trying to quit as he settled into his recliner. “We had some evidence but it just didn’t point to anything. All the finger prints we found in the house were accounted for, all belonged to the dead or the staff that had gone home to sleep. Couldn’t pin any evidence on any of them either though maids don’t often shoot their employer in the head while kneeling in his living room. The only spot of evidence we did have was some unaccounted for blood in the younger sister’s room.”
Leon had to work not to smile so instead he nodded and sat down on the edge of the recliner seat. “I’m not going to lie to you Mr. Hale, I came here in hopes that you might give me your copies of the case file. And two other connected cases.”
Hale laughed again. “Kid, cops don’t bring work home like that, much less retired ones.”
“No, but sometimes they can’t let go of the one that go away. I know you have copies, Mr. Hale.” Leon’s smile was friendly even if his words didn’t exactly ring with the same thing but that’s why he was good with people. He was a friendly man, he knew how far a smile could and couldn’t get him.
“You know you can put in a request at the DA’s office to view cases after so many years of them being shelved.” Hale eyed him and Leon could see the spark of the old detective in his eyes.
“I’m sure you know as well as I do that myself or the people I’m representing don’t want their names on any paperwork.” Leon held up his hands offering peace to the man before reaching into the pocket of his coat. “I’m a very good at my job Mr. Hale, I do a lot of research before I talk to someone. I know you were a good cop and a good detective, one of the few I think. But I also know that bills have to be paid every month and I’m sure your pension doesn’t cover everything.” He pulled out a manila envelope, packed and folded over and stood walking over to the elder man.
“Someone is pretty pissed at someone else eh?” He reached up taking the envelope and sighed. He’d never taken a bribe before, he rightly wasn’t going to start now, retired or not, needing it or not. “Don’t point that at me kid.” Waving off the envelope he stood on creaky knees and told Leon to wait there as he moved toward the back of the apartment. A few minutes later he came back with several folders in his hand and passed them over. “That’s all I got. The file from Eduardo Ferrari’s murder and Enzio Ferrari missing persons case plus the murders from his house. There was one on Francesca Ferrari till they found out she was back in Italy but I don’t have it.”
Leon took the files, resisting the urge to open them and scan the papers, reports and accounts that had been gathered up in the thick bound paper but then he stopped and frowned. “Was there not one on the other sister, Zita Ferrari/Mancini?”
“There was and I knew it was connected but no one could made heads or tails of it. Both the husband and wife weren’t found in the house but the men that tried to break in were found dead. Three men in total, all left in the house. We found them a day later when we tried to contact her about her brother and sister. Never could find where they skipped off to but whoever was there with them either took them out and hid the bodies or got her out of town before the hit squad could catch up.” Hale shrugged and settled back down into his chair. “There’s gonna be hell over me giving you this isn’t there?”
He couldn’t keep the frown off his face. “We would like to see these cases reopened and new evidence come to light and the right people are put into jail.”
“Don’t we all kid.” Hale shook his head.
Leon pulled his coat on and slid the money back into the pocket. He was surprised the old man hadn’t taken it but everyone was different. Hale followed him back to the door of the crummy apartment and held the door as he stepped out.
“What did you say your last name was there kid?” Hale asked.
“I didn’t.” Leon smiled and nodded his head. “Have a good evening, Mr. Hale. And thank you.”