Mafia in Death - an In Death series fanfic (J.D. Robb)

Chapter 13

The vic's name was Antonio Dipallo, but Eve doubted it. If she would go to EDD and bickered with Feeney or McNab to verify it, it would take them a day or two, but with Roarke, she'll have the results by hours.

While considering the latter, a short rap in the door interrupted her. It was Mira.

"You have a new case.", Mira said as she looked at her murder board. "This looks grotesque, and very personal to me."

"Very, but I'm still crunching his ID. Damn, I couldn't conduct interviews yet and I'm still waiting for the tox from Peabody. That's why I can't submit this for profiling. Yet."

"It's okay. I'm here for my personal time.", Mira replied and sat at her pitiful visitor's chair. "May I have your coffee, please?"

Eve went to her autochef and programmed two cups. "Did Roarke called you to see me?"

"No, and if he makes a request, I'll still go and see you today.", she replied with a smile. "So, how's your lunch date?"

"He told you everything."

Mira didn't answer.

"I don't know what to say, Mira. I only met him less than 24 hours, and within that time, it was a mind-blowing moment. I thought my gene donors died without having a single shit about me, even planting horrible memories to me. Then here comes a man from a fucked-up family, and then by sheer luck, he asked me to seek his illegitimate child who happened to be me.", Eve said as she slumped herself on the chair, then rubbed her face. "Looks like the joke's on me."

"You can't blame yourself. You had amnesia, and even so, a child can lose some snippets of its childhood."

"What shall I do then? Am I going to see him and say 'Hey, I started an investigation about myself and I learned that you're my father'? That sounds ridiculous.”

"Ridiculous, yet it's the truth. Irony.", Mira pointed out. "Both of you suffered a great deal, especially him. You're not the only one who needs redemption, Eve, and he deserves to know the truth. You know that."

Eve leaned back and stared at the ceiling. "When I was young, after Troy, I toyed an illusion about a loving family, that somebody stole me from them and they're still looking for me. I told Roarke about this after we left Dallas. Just once.  Irony."

With a heartfelt tug, Mira went to her side and embraced her.





Few minutes after Mira left, Eve received a transmission 'link from Whitney.

"Commander."

"Lieutenant. My office. Now."

Media must have caught the case, Eve though, that Commander Whitney called her about it. She was intended to update him before the shift, but since he's the one who tag first, she was spared to face his dragoness secretary.

God, she hoped this was not about the press conference.

When she entered his office, she immediately spotted Don Webster from IAB, and two men in dark suits.

"Dallas, this is Agent Salvatori and Agent Gant. Interpol.", Whitney introduced.

"It's a pleasure to meet one of the Icove's cops.", Gant greeted as he shook Eve's hand.

They were almost the same height, only with golden hair and blue eyes. Salvatori was taller by a foot, with the same build as Gant but with dark hair and eyes.

"Lieutenant. We would like you to check this certain file for us.", Salvatori said with an Italian accent, then handed her a folio.

"This is my vic's profile. This ID is fake.", she muttered, then ogled to Whitney. “What's the meaning of this?"

"Sit down, Dallas.", Whitney ordered in which she obliged.

“It appears that you’ve caught the case that we’re looking for. And you're right, this is fake. There’s no Antonio Dipallo. His real name's Ramil Asgard, an undercover agent. He's one of us.”, Salvatori answered.

She looked at Webster who was sitting on the corner, and then to her commander. Their stoic expressions were telling her they’re already aware about it.

He continued. "Ramil was assigned to monitor Brando Clavelli, a business tycoon in Naples known for his sidelines in smuggling, illegal possession of firearms, and probably drug trafficking – if Ramil was able to investigate further. Last week, Clavelli went missing…until yesterday, when his body was found in Manhattan this morning. He was brutally murdered pre and post mortem, tortured and mutilated, then left inside a dumpster.”

“That was similar to my vic’s COD. His TOD?”

“I believe we’ll have the same findings, and same suspect. But right now, we’re eyeing him.”

She felt her gut tightened when he showed her a photograph of Don Miguel. Balling a fist, she tried to control her fury not to lash it out. “He’s not a murderer – my murderer.”

Salvatori chuckled. “Of course it’s a natural that you’ll defend him. After all, he and your husband were close friends.”

Before Eve could response, Whitney took over. “I don’t like the underlying tone and the thought you’re implying, Agent Salvatori. You’re accusing a Civilian, the one who had helped the law and order for several times, a certain crime just because he’s acquainted with a Mafia? And you’re also telling me that my own men cannot perform their job if it hits personal? That these people were not loyal to their badge?”

“My partner was not leaning towards that area.”, Gant inserted in a calm tone.

“Then deliver your facts straight, Agents.”

The whiplash of her commander’s anger was like a song to her ears. She stood up and handed the folio back to Salvatori

“I’m not gonna retract on this case as a Primary. He’s mine, and he belongs to our plate in Homicide. And even though I have all the rights to enclose the details, I’ll still share my notes to aid your investigation in exchange of yours – with Commander’s agreement. But I want you to know that you’re looking at a wrong guy. Don Miguel might have the means and ways to commit a crime, but not this kind. He’s not our killer.”

He’s not, she thought, a type of person who would do something ugly like this.

“He might not be, but he’s still connected.”, Salvatori replied. “Also, we’re not here to condemn an old man and ask your opinions about him. We’re here for another reason.”

Eve paled when she saw Roarke’s ID on the second foilo they handled.

“It seems that our suspect was targeting your husband, Lieutenant. Because the next kill would be Roarke.”