Chapter 22 - The Clues start to speak
2013@ Aerynsun All Rights Reserved
The week dragged on, time seemed to pass in slow motion around Sam. She had cried her eyes out that night, laying on the floor rolled into a ball. Her body shook with the intensity of her sobs.
Morning had found her in that same spot in front of the door. With bloodshot and puffy eyes, and a staggering headache, her body had lifted from the floor and made its way to her room by its own volition. She just didn’t remember how she had made it to her room. And now there were no more tears left in her, she knew she had dried up the well already.
Sam stood in front of her bathroom’s mirror looking into her reflection. The woman she saw these past few days was one she was starting to get acquainted with, against all her wishes.
She remembered the day she had stood in front of this same mirror but with the resolve to get her new lease on life and make it the best she could. The reflection in the mirror that day was of a woman who had taken a gamble. A gamble that today she felt slip away when she almost had it in her grasps.
Damn it!
She had worked hard, she had passed the fit tests and qualifiers, become part of the crew; had found a father figure in Quinn. Her days had been filled with work and lots of laughter. The men in the station always hung around her joking or playing practical jokes. She had grown to care for them like big brothers to her.
She had even found a new chance at love, with a man who had treasured and supported her. And like the phoenix Scott had made her rise from their scorching love a stronger person.
Boy did fate have a sick sense of humor! It had to be the sickest joke it could play on her. While trying to protect those she loved, she had hurt Scott in the process. His pain filled eyes haunted her at night, her sleep a restless one.
Sam loved him with all her heart and soul. She knew there wouldn’t be any other man whom she could give her heart to. Scott had left taking it with him on that fateful night.
Today, she tried to get accustomed to the woman she saw in the mirror. Strong willed to continue with her promise to do the best she could to protect her family. She looked at herself one last time in the mirror. She might as well accept her new fate. With that last thread of resolve, she fixed herself and left the apartment en route to Quinn’s office to start her daily tasks.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was mid-morning in the fire station and Quinn sat at his desk, a cup of coffee on his hand while he read the recent reports of the fire crew. He was about to finish the last revisions on the report at hand when the phone rang. He answered the phone, his monologue the only sound in the office.
“Quinn here”
“About time I heard from you. What have you found out?
Quinn listened intently to the speaker’s information, his head hung low while his fingers tapped the desk. All motion stopped, his hand now moving to pinch the bridge of his nose.
“Are you sure?”
As the conversation continued, Quinn skirted his desk and quickly closed the office door. The conversation had turned into a very sensitive one, he couldn’t allow for anyone to casually eavesdrop.
He returned to his desk, taking another drink of his coffee, his solid attention still on the phone conversation.
“Since she has been here, my gut has been screaming to look into it. It was just too much coincidence. I just didn’t expect that we would meet his daughter this way.” Quinn answered.
“I just don’t want to drag her into this, the stakes are too high”
“Yes _ I know, God Damn it! We both promised, and I ain’t backing out now and I expect you won’t either.”
Do I still have it? What kind of question is that, you knucklehead? Of course I’ve got it and it’s been in safe keeping all this time.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. But something tells me it’s time to use it.”
“Ok, I agree but we should meet to discuss this further.”
“Good, meet you there, bye.”
Quinn hung up the phone, his face now dressed in thoughtfulness, his lips in a straight line. He turned his back to the office door, standing in front of the window overlooking the training area in the back of the station. He took a deep breath and swept his face with his hand, his stress levels increasing by the minute. He looked at the sky, now overcast with grayish clouds that forebode of heavy rains in the future. Quinn feared it was just an omen of the danger ahead, a danger that now certainly included Sam.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Shit Rick! Could you hurry up, I have other things to do!” yelled Scott leaning against the door leading to the MPD File Repository in the building’s basement. He had been waiting for fifteen minutes now for Rick to exit the bathroom across the hall from where he stood.
His thoughts drifted to Sam. His nights had turned restless since he had left her apartment. He had tried in vain to get some sleep, only to see her emerald eyes look back at him, full of yearning and dread at the same time. Their time together kept played in his mind torturing him in his cold bed. God! He longed to hear her laugh, her easy banter but more than anything to hold her in his arms one last time. There had to be a reason for her silence he just had to find out.
After a few more minutes Rick left the bathroom, fixing his shirt into his pants. He placed back his gun on his shoulder holster. He looked up at Scott, threading his fingers through his dirty blonde hair.
“Of all days, Michael chooses today to finish some task dad, sorry _ I mean Capt. Taylor assigned him a week ago. He has been running all day around the office and it’s a miracle I haven’t seen him eat a doughnut or any other junk he can get his hand on.”
Scott chuckles at his friend’s remark.
“I sure could have dragged his sorry ass to carry all the file boxes I need to retrieve from this basement.” Rick said with a smirk on his face.
He looked around the hallway, making sure no one was around. He opened the File Repository with a set of keys from his pants pocket allowing Scott to get in. He closed the door behind him and turned on the lights.
They strode in to the nearby desk where Rick logged his name in the Repository Logbook as policy required. And soon they were immersed in the various files, searching for more clues to the case at hand within one of the many hallways of the repository.
Mid-morning passed by them, as minutes turned into hours. Their search somehow not getting to dead ends in some cases, in others just opening another whole myriad of questions.
Scott found a file that caught his attention, labeled Andreozzi on the outside and decided to take a look at it. He kept on reading page after page of the file, his mid absorbing the facts in front of him.
“What you have there Scott?” Rick asked breaking Scott’s attention on the document.
“This is interesting; it says here that there’s this guy named Massimo Belloti, a very notorious mob lord around Miami Beach. During his reign, Miami Beach saw the biggest wave of drug distribution in the past fifteen years. The rap sheet associated with the family not only includes drugs but also money laundering, murders, arsons, and robbery. There are also several cases involving kidnapping and rape to a lesser extent.”
“That’s odd, I haven’t heard of him and Dad hasn’t mentioned him either.
“It says here he disappeared about five to six years ago during a drug raid operation.
“What do you mean disappeared?”
“Well _ let’s see. The report states that the drug raid was being led by a Detective from the Dade County Precinct. The Detective’s name was Joseph “Joe” Mons who had been working undercover for some time within the Belloti mob organization. Based on the report the raid was blown and after the police could get everything under control, both Massimo and Joe had disappeared. Their bodies were never found among the ones shot dead or within the ones who they apprehended.”
Several minutes passed as Scott kept digging around the file drawer where the file had come, when Rick patted his back.
“Scott take a look at this, this is Anthony Cavalliery’s file. You are aware that we have been after him for some time for domestic violence problems. And after a while the victim’s drop the charges. Well in one of the preliminary documentations for a particular charge, a “relative” bailed him out. Guess what the last name of the “relative” is?” Replied Rick his lips in a thin line.
“Belloti , shit! This gets more screwed up by the minute.” Scott remarked while he scratched the back of his neck with his fingers.
Scott leaned against Rick’s shoulder to look at Anthony’s file, the mug shot of that particular time on top. Anthony’s bloodshot eyes looked back at him, the drug induced haze evident in his faraway look. His hair was all disheveled, his shirt dirty and torn to rags. His appearance was a complete opposite of the fashionable look Anthony always wore for his latest Dj concert ads around town.
Scott kept staring at the mug shot; there was something in his right shoulder. A marking or small tattoo of some sort could be clearly seen. He skirted Rick getting better access to the file. He pointed at the marking on the shoulder. It appeared to be an evil looking dragon all in black with wings at its sides and its tail coiled in five size descending circles.
“Did you see that tattoo? Is there any record of him being on a gang or group?”
Rick took a closer look to where Scott was referring to. After a few seconds, realization hit him, his eyes widening in surprise.
“Fuck, I can’t believe this!”
“Rick what is it?”
“The Coroner sent a last minute revision to his previous report. He reported finding this same marking on the burnt victim, Nico Andreozzi. The marking he found was a branding not a tattoo, but it’s a dragon just like this one.”
I think we should take that one upstairs with us; we need to keep searching for that dragon and anything else pending from _. ”
Suddenly lights on the basement flickered as several shelves full of boxes tumbled down at them, threatening to crush them in the intent. Scott’s reflexes were fast enough to push Rick and himself out of the way, merely seconds before they hit the destroyed the corridor where they once stood.
As they gained their bearings after the incident, a silhouette ran on the far side of the other corridors. It quickly disappeared out of file repository. Scott and Rick never had the chance to stop him nor identify the suspect.
They took the files and darted out of the Repository. The hallway was now deserted so they split up hoping to get a better chance at finding the suspect. But after a good 15 minutes no one reported anything out of the ordinary or any strange person in the building.
Rick and Scott then headed upstairs to the 4th floor where the offices stood. After a final revision of the last pieces of the evidence; Scott left the MPD office, exiting the building several minutes later.
As he sat on his car, the hairs on the back of his neck stood an eerie feeling of being watched screamed from his gut. Scott kept looking through the rearview and side mirrors covertly trying to not draw more attention to him. He turned on the ignition and turned the car on its way to north on I-95.
He kept his eyes on the road, glancing every once on a while to his surroundings. The feeling of being watched was still present, but he couldn’t see any patterns amongst the cars that were behind him.
After a few minutes, a big gas tanker truck changed lanes behind him allowing a clear view of a Black SUV in his rear view mirror. The gas truck made its way ahead of him and leaving in the next exit the highway.
The black SUV kept a steady pace after Scott, tailing him even when he turned on to Road 1A. A half an hour later, Scott breathed a sigh of relief as he was able to lose the tailing car. Scott was tired of driving so much. He had changed his directions so many times, he had even considered of going to the Florida Keys just to get the son of a bitch away from the fire station.
He finally turned back, heading once again to the station. His thoughts once again on Sam, he missed her terribly. But he was certain that if she didn’t trust him, he had no option to continue investigating alongside Rick hoping to find answers to this dangerous puzzle
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The sound of a busy kitchen and the aroma of fresh baked cookies drew the men like moths to a flame. At her usual spot in front of the stove, Sam prepared the food she loved most: the recipes her mom had taught her over the years; full of a Latin spice and love. The men in the fire station loved her cooking, impressed from day one with her abilities around the kitchen as well as on the field.
-"Just a dash of salt" stated Sam “Yes, that is all it needs"
She tasted again her beef stew and smiled, knowing it tasted just like her mama used to make. She only wished she could share it with her. While that big pot simmered, another to her far right held white, fluffy and fragrant jasmine rice. To her left in the counter, diced plantains soaked in a garlic & salt water, waiting their turn to be prepared in tostones.
"We need something to dip in that stew sauce to scrape the plates in the end. Tostones should do the trick" she thought as she continued with the cooking.
She would fry them to a light golden color near supper time, so they wouldn't go stale. Everything was set for supper, yet her usual eagerness to get out the dishes to the men wasn’t there today.
She had loved seeing their happy smiles and jokes as they ate; even more when she could steal glances at Scott from across the table.
On more than one occasion they had teased each other around mealtime. Sometimes they would feign to be occupied in different chores with the pretext to eat later. But as soon as they were free, they would find their way into Sam’s apartment, only to savor the dinner along with a more heated nightcap of their own.
Oh God! I miss him so much! Sam closed her eyes as she took a deep breath to ease her nerves. She knew she had blown her chance with him, so the only thing left to do was to express her regret and move one.
“Hmm _ that smells really good, Samanta. You always out do yourself" stated Quinn as he entered the kitchen; breaking the reverie in Sam's mind.
"Glad you like it" Sam feigned a smile as she started giving out plates of food to Quinn and some of the men who strode behind him.
She carried out other plates of food to the mess hall tables, and made sure everyone was set to eat. The tostones were fried in the blink of an eye, crispy and delicious. As she scanned the tables, the sounds of laughter and teasing banter from the men filled the room. But as she continued to search the room, Scott wasn't there.
She had asked Quinn of Scott’s whereabouts, hoping to have a chance to at least apologize. Scott’s schedule last time she remembered had him today on the 2nd shift. But it was nearing midafternoon and she hadn’t seen him arrive at the fire station. Quinn informed her that he was working on the Police station and probably wouldn’t be coming back to the station tonight.
She returned to the kitchen and kept herself busy clearing away and washing the dishes. She turned on the radio and started singing. Soon the sounds of the mess hall died down to a complete silence, as it stood empty. She kept singing and soon had the kitchen sink empty and a big stack of dishes drying in the dish rack. She took on the counters, leaving everything clean and ready for the 3rd shift meal. There one of the men would take over her duties as she rested.
She was about to step away from the kitchen, when a folded paper with her name on it, laid on the counter. That's odd, I just finished cleaning that counter a few minutes ago, and that wasn't there. She looked out to the mess hall looking for who would have left it. No sign of anyone around. She opened the letter and was about to read it, when a loud bark startled her.
"Coño, me asustaste, Colt" a startled Sam said as she placed her hand over her chest. The dog had scared her so much her heart was about to jump out of her body.
A big mutt with a big grin and his tongue hanging out, wagged its tail to her. It sat on its haunches, and waited with his muzzle up in the air looking at her.
She drew a deep breath, stashing the envelope in her jeans back pocket. She went to the fridge and grabbed the scraps she had saved for him.
" You are hungry boy, hmmm? Here you go, enjoy Colt!!
As she knelt, she wrapped her arms around Colt getting a sloppy lick on her cheek. She kept watching Colt wolf down the scraps and went back to clean her cheek and finish tiding up the kitchen. As soon as he finished, both left the kitchen. She kept herself busy sweeping the floors of the mess hall and scrubbing the tables. She kept singing while she tackled her job, and Colt kept happy chewing on a toy in a corner out of her way.
" At least I've got company today"
Two weeks after she had arrived at the station, Colt wandered around the garbage cans one late afternoon after supper, looking for something to eat. The racket of the cans falling outside the kitchen, called the attention of Sam. When she went outside to where the sound came from, she found Colt covered in trash, in the middle of a big mess. He wagged his tail, happy as he placed a paw on a big bone, his great treasured uncovered.
Since that day, he would accompany her everywhere in the station, and into her apartment. Of course after a thorough bath to rid him of the stench he was covered in. A bath that had Scott and her busy, and left them soaking wet in the end, but bending over in laughter.
As she walked outside the fire station, the sun was setting very low on the horizon, and dark clouds started to crowd the sky making the evening a darker than it should. It was only 7:00 p.m. and usually at this time she met with Scott to chat. Something must have come up she thought to herself. Colt kept walking alongside her, but came to a halt. His ears that usually hung low, all of a sudden came straight up, trying to register some sound in the distance.
"What is it Colt? Let's keep going, come on boy!"
" Come on Colt, move, I can't stay here all night. It must be a cat or a mouse that has caught your attention Sam thought to herself as she looked down at the dog. The dog started growling and barking.
"Colt! Calm down….., what is it? ……… Colt, Colt!!"
In a blink of an eye, Colt made a mad dash from where Sam was standing, crossing the street and running like the wind up the street. Sam ran right behind him, surprised to the dog's behavior. After a few minutes Sam caught up sight of Colt, as he entered a dark alley near the video store. While she placed her hand on her knees trying to catch her breath; Colt started sniffing against a pile of cardboard boxes and rubbish. Soon he whined and tried to paw away the cardboards.
"Colt you better have a good reason to drag me…"
A loud moan came from the beneath the pile of cardboards. Sam froze in her place, while Colt jumped and kept whining at the pile in front of her.
Sam's breath and heartbeat picked up, as the sound of that voice became too familiar to her. She started digging, clearing away the cardboards finding the silhouette of a man buried underneath it. As she lifted the last piece of trash and debris, her face paled.
" Scott!"
A/N: The music is instrumental in this particular chapter - just wanted a sexy, kind of suspenseful background to it. Please let me know if it works or not. I like to hear your opinion. And again thanks for your support, means the world.
Aerynsun