***
Marchese answered the phone,
“
Detective
Marchese?”
“
T
his is Selange
Brown,
I need to speak with you?”
Marchese looked over at his partner.
Carey looked hot!
“Is it about the investigation?” He asked.
The girl’s voice held a nervous timbre, “Yes. I would like to come by the precinct today.”
“
Come in at noon.
”
“
Okay
.”
He turned to Carey, “Selange Brown
’s coming in to the precinct
.”
“Yeah,” She cocked her head at him, “what she want to know now?”
He shrugged, “Probably looking for answers like the rest of us.”
Carey turned onto
the
busy street
.
They found the address
on the paper and parked. The police placard prominently displayed on the dashboard.
“Look,” Marchese said as they headed toward the door, “we
gotta
’
be quick.”
Carey acquiesced, “Yup!”
“If this checks out, we may have something concrete for L.T.”
Unfortunately, the
y
hit a dea
d-end. Evan Graham sublet the apartment to an
old Army Medic
in his sixties
who dabbl
ed
in
self-expression
through art.
They
returned to the precinct disappointed.
Selange Brown sat waiting when they returned. Marchese escorted
the young woman to his desk. As a police officer he
pride himself on deciphering body language and what he detected was a young woman seeking answers but to what exactly?
“How can I help you?”
“Who
’s
Luzo Palazzo and why
are t
he FBI
interested in him?”
What does she know?
He placed his elbows on the worn metal desk
, “
Luzo Palazzo
is a businessman with suspected
mob connections.
He uses his legitimate international real
estate investment company as a front
for illegal activity
, m
oney laundering, extortion and even murder.
”
“
W
hat does
this
have to do with Alfonzo?”
He answered honestly. The girl needed to know.
“Alfonzo
is his son.”
“But Alfonzo believes his father
’s
dead.”
“
He’s mistaken
or
h
e’s
been told a lie because his father is
Luzo Pal
a
zzo
.
DNA confirms it.”
Her eyes squinted, “How long have you known this
?”
“A
few days
.”
“Does any of this tie into my mother’s killing or Shanda’s
disappearance
?”
“We don’t know for sure but we think it’s possible.” He answered holding on to the
confidential
information
about the
bullets match
ing
. The same
guy
who killed her mother, shot Alfonzo and killed Jay.
“
What’s your theory detective?” She asked.
He leaned against his chair, “My theory is you
’
r
e
in over your head
Ms. Brown.
Your boyfriend
’s
trouble.”
From
Alfonzo’s
highly inebriated
condition last night
she surmised he must have recently learned the truth of his parentage. He could not be held responsible for who
m
his father is, no child should
be forced to carry so large a burden
.
He was
not the man seen through the detective’s narrow
investigative
lens.
“Alfonzo is as much a victim as I am.”
Marchese swiveled
in his chair,
“
S
omeone
may be trying to kill your boyfriend young lady and your life may be in jeopardy through association. I advise you to get as far away from
Alfonzo Diaz a
s possible.”
The detective’s advice brought an angry response, “Your job is not to give relationship advice detective it’s to apprehend criminals. There’s a killer out there and I advise you to find him before he kills again.”
She marched
out
and he sighed. H
opefully, she’d take his advice but experience told him she would not.
***
Alfon
zo
stood outside of the brownstone surrounded by a group of massive men. Their stern expressions conveyed something important
transpired. A sense of
foreboding
inched
across her skin.
Her first concern was of Shanda.
Alfonzo intercepted her
at the car as soon as she stepped out.
“Where the
hell did you go
, I’ve called and you didn’t answer?”
Selange manually locked the door to the Nissan before addressing him.
“
M
aybe I should rethink
this arrangement especially if you feel I have to answer to you whenever I
go out
.
They were face-to-face.
He became subdued, “Selange
, this isn’t a game. You can’t go running around without someone
.
It’s too dangerous.”
“Why
,
am I in danger Alfonzo, is th
ere something you’re not
telling me?”
His eyes smoldered at her naiveté, “Of course you are, we all are.”
“
Is it because whoever killed your uncle and my
mom was
after you for some reason?”
The muscles in his neck pulsed
. He underestimated Selange’s keen perception. “Where did you hear that?”
“Not from you. I saw the will. You’re a mobster’s son and it doesn’t take a genius to deduce there’s someone who doesn’t want you to benefit once he’s dead.”
He took her arm and led her out of earshot from the men, “We‘ll talk later
Selange, I can’t get into it right now.
There are
a few things I
have to do.
I want you to stay in the house,
por
favor
.”
She noticed urgency in his voice and wondered if they located Shanda.
“
Have you heard any news about Shanda
?”
“No
,
but I’m going with these guys to check a few leads and I don’t want to worry about your safety while I’m gone.”
“
I’m going
with you.”
“
Oh, no you’re not
.”
“Yes
, I am
.”
He looked past her shoulder to the men waiting patiently at the curb.
Time was of the essence
,
“Selange
this isn’t a debate
.
Domingo and Teresa are coming to stay with you. I have to go.”
Her head
rose up
in defiance
,
“
Dammit I’m tired of sitting
around
doing nothing.”
He loved her fire, “You’re doing the most important part babe. You’re giving me hope.”
He embraced her, gave her a swift kiss then walked briskly to the group of men. They entered cars then drove away.
Domingo appeared at her side as she watched the vehicles disappear.
CHAPTER T
WENTY-NINE
“
Evan
Graham.” The voice said,
“ Three
-one-six, east seventy-ninth street, apartment 5G.
Thirty-nine years old, six feet one, one
h
undred—
six
ty-four pounds.
Blonde hair, brown
eyes and likes to work-out at a nearby gym on seventy-second called….”
The man scribbled the information on a no
tepad and disconnected the call when done he announced to the others, “
We got an address.”
“We have to scope the place first, see if he’s inside.” The youngest man advised.
“
Did you
get a
cell number?” The guy
with a receding hairline and strong nose
named
Lou enquired.
“Yeah.”
“Call it, tell him Gina
wants a sit-down and she’s
sending a car.” The youngest man
instructed.
The man did as told
and a
male answered,
“Hello?”
“Hello?”
“Evan Graham?”
“Yes.”
“Gina’s sending her car in twenty minutes. It’ll be outside your building.”
“Okay.” Evan replied without question and they knew they had their man.
After the
y made contact they turned to
Alfonzo
for further instruction.
The youth wore a mask of ice as he laid down the plan. They then proceeded downtown.
Alfonzo rode in the lead car with
Lou
and
Crazy Nicky
. The Serano’s followed.
***
Evan Graham waited casually at the curb, hands in pockets when the late model
Mercedes arrived and the tinted windows scrolled down.
“Get in,” Crazy Nicky ordered the man before stepping out. His massive body
silenced any protestation.
He nervously slid in the vehicle and a
young man with
i
ntense blue eyes
who
sat in
the
far corner
glared in his direction
.
“Where’s Gina?” Evan asked
.
The car began to roll now. Alfonzo sat
forward
, I’ll ask
the questions, you answer truthfully
and
you might survive with only a broken
nose,
comprende?”
Crazy Nicky smirked. The kid was a pro, of course a man like Evan with perfectly
coiffed bleached blond locks and smooth skin wouldn’t want his face distorted.
“
Wh
ere can I find Freddie
?”
Evan’s eyes widened. The Hispanic kid wasn’t dead? That double-crossing sonovabitch!
He feigned ignorance, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Alfonzo or Lil’ Al, as
he was
nicknamed
by the guys
sat forward and the man flinched.
Crazy Nicky chuckled, “Big as you are and jumpy, that ’
aint
good.”
The man lied.
Alfonzo’s temporal vein protruded. Without warning he pushed his elbow into Evan’s
gut and he crumpled over pain.
Crazy Nicky laughed as Evan coughed and
sputtered.
He liked
Luzo’s k
id.
Alfonzo twisted his fingers in the blond hair and jerked the man’s head upright.
“Answer my question
and if you lie again I’ll cut out your tongue
!”
“
All right,
okay
–okay
.” The man
stuttered.
Within minutes they were given an address
where to find Freddie and a cell number.
Evan Graham’s body was dumped in undeveloped marshland near JFK
Airport. The handsome face disfigured by a single bullet to the head and a broken nose.
Marchese
contacted Detective Johnson, “
Can you come uptown. I’m doing paperwork but I think we know who hired the killer.
”
Marchese
had drunk a
third cup of coffee when Detective Johnson arrived.