As soon as the door behind Rocco closed, Vittorio reached out his hand toward his Capo, while ordering:
"Tell me, how did the delivery go?"
"The delivery went smoothly. The girl is... discreet. In fact, we can also add that she's quite assertive," replied Rocco, carefully choosing his words, which caught Don Vittorio's attention. Vittorio raised an eyebrow in his direction, indicating that he had noticed something more in Capo's words. He took a deep breath and continued, "When I arrived at her address, we came across the police in front of her house."
"The police were there?" Vittorio asked, surprised. "Did she call them?"
"I don't think so, but perhaps the recent activities drew the interest of the officer in charge of Jason Barker's parole," replied Rocco, while scrolling through the gallery of photos on his cell phone. "Based on the information I obtained from the license plate of the vehicle, the police officer who was there is Officer John Smith."
"Don't you find it strange for an officer to be responsible for the parole of a convict involved in illegal gambling?" Vittorio asked, stroking his chin.
"It is strange, but the police are understaffed for their operations and they must be assigning multiple tasks to everyone," justified Rocco, shrugging indifferently.
"They might do that, but they would assign a sergeant or someone of lower rank for that," commented Vittorio, pursing his lips in disagreement. He tapped his fingers on the table and then turned to Rocco. "I want this guy away from the Barkers. Get in touch with our friends and take him out of the game..."
"As you wish, sir," agreed Rocco, already walking toward the door.
"But do it amicably this time, Rocco. I don't want you to act like you did with Lucky without my orders. By the way, this is my final warning to you," said Vittorio, forcing Rocco to turn. The Capo simply nodded in agreement with his boss.
***
John Smith arrived at the police station, disgruntled. Something was happening with the Barker brothers, but how could he prove it? He sat at his desk and closed his eyes as he recalled the events of two years ago.
Yes, two years ago, Smith volunteered for the task force investigating the increasing number of homicides, robberies, drugs, and illegal gambling in Brooklyn. The task force used every means available to find those responsible for the wave of crime that hadn't been seen in the neighborhood for decades. Everyone involved in the operation was convinced that the mafia was making a strong comeback, and they needed to stop it as soon as possible. However, it seemed that the mobsters were one step ahead, and the police couldn't establish any connections until Jason Barker appeared on their radar.
The young man was arrested for illegal gambling, but Smith was surprised when he saw the list of players found during Barker's arrest. During the interrogation, despite Barker's numerous attempts to remain silent, one name was mentioned: Luciano "Lucky" Conti.
Lucky boasted to anyone who would listen that he was a member of the mafia, and it was the perfect opportunity for Smith to arrest someone associated with them and gradually reach them all. However, during Lucky's interrogation, they realized that the man wasn't even associated with the mobsters, yet they managed to get the names of some bosses thanks to the talkative Lucky.
To complete, a few days later the Great Chief, Marco Amorielle, was killed during a supposed police operation linked to the task force. The event itself was very mysterious since there was no scheduled operation, and the men involved were not even part of the task force. In any case, all of this led to the end of the task force.
Nevertheless, Smith was convinced that the connection between Jason and Lucky would bear fruit. So, he proposed to remain as Jason's probation officer to gather new clues for the task force.
Smith opened his eyes and grabbed a blank sheet of paper, creating an organizational chart of the past few hours. He was certain that Jason's disappearance was connected to the death of Domenico Wild, identified as the corpse found on the bridge earlier. Domenico Wild was the owner of Wild Holdings Bank, known as the "vault" of the mafia families. Something deep inside him told Smith that Domenico's death was ordered and that Jason might be the killer. But under whose orders? Smith wondered as he drew a question mark on the paper. He gave it a lot of thought and began listing the names of the current mafia bosses: Enrico Turin, Lorenzo Gerevini, Vito Barletta, Giovanni Cordopatri, Luigi Gallo, Tommaso Greco, and Vittorio Amorielle, Marco's only son, whom Smith swore had taken over the family business despite lacking any proof. He had already put someone on their trail, but so far, no substantial evidence had been found.
Evidence, all I need is evidence..., thought Smith as he analyzed the names on his list. All of them had motives to be suspects in Domenico's death; Smith just needed to find out which one. Perhaps he needed to talk to Lucky, maybe he would reveal something more. Smith smiled, agreeing with his idea. He got up from his desk, grabbed his badge and gun – he needed to have that conversation with Lucky as soon as possible.
"Smith, in my office," the commissioner ordered from the door of his office, surprising John.
Being called twice in one day by his boss, especially with an unsolved murder, couldn't be a good thing. However, the officer knew he had no choice but to go there and find out what was going on.
***
"Smith, I'm removing you from the role of Jason Barker's probation officer," the commissioner announced as soon as Smith closed the door.
"What? Why?" Smith asked, surprised. "May I know the reason?"
"The reason is that there is no reason for me to have an excellent police officer tied to a role that is not within your competence," the commissioner replied as he adjusted himself in his chair.
"You know that I'm on this case because of the investigation I'm conducting against the mafia," Smith informed, serious. "I don't like this role either, but I need to be close to Jason Barker to find the evidence I need."
"However, we both know that there is no evidence that Jason Barker is involved with the mafia. So far, he is just a guy who tried his luck organizing an illegal game..."
"An illegal game worth half a million dollars!" Smith exclaimed. "No one could operate such a game except the mafia!"
"And have you obtained evidence of that? No," the commissioner emphasized. "You've been on this for two years, Smith, and all you've brought me are assumptions and conspiracy theories."
"Jason Barker, with less than 24 hours of freedom, disappeared without a trace... His sister came to this police station this morning to talk about something involving her brother. There's a chance Jason might have met with Luciano 'Lucky' Conti. I'm going to Lucky, and I'm sure he'll provide me with evidence..."
"Luciano 'Lucky' Conti is dead, along with his investigation," the commissioner revealed.
"Dead?" Smith asked, shocked.
"Yes, he was found in his nightclub with a bullet in his forehead."
"You see? His death is further proof!" Smith exclaimed.
"Proof of what?"
"Proof that the mafia is at work. First Domenico, and now Lucky... It can't be a coincidence."
"I don't see it that way," the commissioner denied. "What I see are homicides with different motives. Perhaps Lucky's is connected to Jason. Look, the guy spent two years in a clinic thanks to Lucky, he must have come out with a thirst for revenge. As for Domenico... That man had more enemies than all the bankers we know."
"Let me prove that the deaths are interconnected," Smith requested.
"I'm sorry, Smith, but we can't pursue that line of investigation," the commissioner informed, rising from his chair. He walked to the door and opened it to call another person. "Sergeant Cetraro!"
Within seconds, the man Smith was certain he had seen talking to Ellis earlier appeared. The two men locked eyes, and then the commissioner continued.
"Sergeant Cetraro will be responsible for Jason Barker's probation. And you, Smith, will be in charge of the investigation," the commissioner began, shuffling through folders on his desk.
"Regarding Domenico Wild," Smith added, reluctantly. It wasn't exactly what he wanted, but at least he could still follow some leads.
"No," the commissioner refused, surprising John even more. "You'll be in charge of the mass shooting we had in the Brooklyn subway... It's been a month, and we don't even have any suspects."
"Are you kidding me?" Smith burst out, irritated. "A subway shooting while two people involved with the mafia were killed?!"
"The Internal Affairs is breathing down my neck, Smith. I need a solution for the shooting, and you're the best. And this is not a request, it's an order," the commissioner explained.
"Whatever you say, Commissioner," Smith replied.
"Great," the Commissioner said. "Now leave, I need to give some instructions to the sergeant about the Barker case."
"If you want, I can do that. Who better than me to do it?" Smith spoke up.
"No need, Smith," the commissioner declined. "He will have a fresh approach to this case. Close the door on your way out."
Smith stared at the two men. He couldn't quite swallow this whole story; he knew something was wrong. It hung in the air...
But all John could do was close the office door and let the men continue their conversation.
"Do you have a minute?" the redhead woman asked, who was already waiting for Smith at the door with an orange envelope.
"Good afternoon to you too, Laura," Smith replied to the investigator. "What do you have for me?"
"It's better if we go somewhere more... private," Laura said, looking around suspiciously.
"Let's go to my car," Smith said, leading Laura out of the police station.
***
"As you requested, I followed all seven family bosses," Laura began as she placed the orange envelope on the back of Smith's vehicle. The officer opened the envelope and found photos of each of the men engaged in various activities. "As you can see, there
hasn't been much movement among them this week, except for..."
"Vittorio Amorielle," Smith said, recognizing Vittorio in several photos. "Busy days for him..."
"Very busy," Laura reinforced, separating two photos from the rest. "I heard about Domenico, and guess who went to the bank a day before the banker's body showed up? On that same day, Vittorio Amorielle acquired the bank and all of Domenico's shares."
Smith stared at the photo pointed out by Laura. There stood Vittorio in the middle of the parking lot with Rocco and... Ellis! Surprise spread across the policeman's face, unable to hide it from the investigator.
"Do you know this woman?" the investigator asked curiously.
"No..." John lied impulsively. He couldn't even explain why he chose to lie instead of revealing Ellis' identity. He turned to the woman and asked, "Why? Is she someone important?"
"I'm still checking, but it's funny how she's been seen quite close to him lately," Laura informed evasively.
"How so?"
"Here, she showed up at Lucky's club," Laura pointed to another photo of Ellis sitting across from Lucky. "She and Lucky seem to be arguing, then Ezio Bellucci, Amorielle's Capo, intervened," she continued, pointing to the photo where Ellis had a gun pointed at her. "The three of them went to Lucky's office, but only two came out," the investigator concluded, showing the photo of Ellis leaving the room and then Ezio.
"Lucky was found dead," Smith said.
"With a bullet in his forehead, I know," Laura completed, showing the photo with Lucky's shot face. "I was there. Anyway, on the same day, this woman had lunch with Amorielle," Laura continued, showing photos of Ellis leaving the restaurant as well as Vittorio. "It could be just a coincidence."
"It's not a coincidence," Smith denied as he analyzed the photos of Ellis. There it was, what he needed, but then frustration filled his mind. It was a promising lead, but one he couldn't use. "Thank you, Laura."
"Thank you? I brought you a gold mine, and all you say is 'thank you'?" Laura questioned, surprised. "Look, maybe I can find something else, but I doubt it'll be better than this... Look at the dates, everything suggests Amorielle's involvement."
"Laura, I appreciate it, but today the commissioner removed me from the investigations on this case. There's not much I can do officially..."
"John, maybe officially you can't do much, but you can't give up. Not now that you've found a connection to one of the big ones," Laura countered, pointing at Ellis' photo. "This woman is the key you need to enter the world of the mob. Find her, and you'll finally get to the mafia."