4. Henry

4

HENRY

I rub my tired eyes, the dim light of my desk lamp casting long shadows across the scattered files. The precinct emptied hours ago, leaving me alone with my thoughts and the mountain of paperwork before me.

Peter would have stayed, but this case is wearing on him. It's too personal, and he should probably be removed except that it wouldn't stop him. Better for him to stay on it where I can monitor and guide him than for him to try and deal with this outside the job. Even so, the day has to end, so I send him home, hoping a good night's sleep might ease some of the tension coiled tighter by the day.

My gaze falls on the stack of files documenting our recent wild goose chases. Anonymous calls about the D'Amatos have skyrocketed recently. Each one sends us scrambling, only to find nothing concrete.

I flip open the most recent file. Lana D'Amato's cool and derisive smile burns in my memory. That warehouse had been clean as a whistle, but I'd bet my badge she'd been prepared. How? Is someone here giving her a heads up? Or is she just lucky?

Leaning back in my creaking chair, I survey the mess on my desk. I'm looking for patterns in the chaos. Dates, locations. And why are the calls increasing? Someone is trying to tell us something, but what?

Or maybe we're an unwitting part of a game. That sits uncomfortably in the pit of my stomach. Are we being played?

I toss the file onto my desk with a frustrated sigh. Lana's words echo in my head. "Maybe you should be arrested for harassment." The accusation stings more than I care to admit. I'm not perfect, but I don't push the limits of the law to get answers.

Still, considering the sudden increase in calls, I have to consider she might be right? Has our constant presence at these calls crossed a line?

I pull out my notebook, flipping through the pages of scribbled notes. Then I take out a fresh sheet of paper and start jotting down questions. Who stands to gain by us targeting the D'Amatos? Is it a rival Family trying to distract us? That seems most likely.

Maybe you should be arrested for harassment.

Is it possible someone within the department has an axe to grind?

Peter comes to mind, but as much as this case is eating at him, I dismiss the idea that he's behind it. It makes no sense. His frustration is due to the calls and lack of evidence. If he was behind the call, he wouldn't care that no evidence of a crime was found. He'd just be happy to be annoying the D'Amatos. Finding a crime would be icing on the cake.

What I need to do is figure out the origin of the calls. Who is making them, and why?

I log on to my computer and pull up the request form to trace the anonymous calls. This will be a crapshoot, as the calls come into a general number and I'm not sure how to ferret out the exact number. Plus, the point of anonymity is to not be known. But the idea that some asshole is using that to harass the D'Amatos doesn't sit well with me. I do have the dates and times of the calls, and if I can get the record of incoming calls during those times, perhaps I can narrow down the number and find out who's calling. Of course, if they use different burner phones, this is a waste of time, but much of detective work ends up not panning out.

I know it will take some time to get the reports, so once I've filled out the form, I grab another cup of coffee and figure out what next I can dig into.

My gaze falls on Peter's empty desk. His obsession with linking the D'Amatos to his father's murder feels like a stretch. Not that the D'Amatos wouldn't kill a cop, but there hasn't been anything remotely pointing to them. No evidence. No rumors. I can't even find a motive. Sure, Peter's father was near a D'Amato property, but in that area, he could have come across a drug deal or a mugger.

Perhaps it's time for me to take a fresh look at that case, see if we've missed something in our tunnel vision. I pull out the old case files, spreading them across my desk. It's going to be a long night, but if it leads us closer to the truth, it will be worth every sleepless hour.

I pore over the yellowed pages of Peter's father's case file. The evidence is circumstantial at best, but I can see where Peter and other cops might think it points to the D'Amatos. More specifically, to Lazaro D'Amato, the wild card of the family. Known for his violent outbursts and unpredictable nature, Lazaro has been the prime suspect in several unsolved cases.

My eyes catch on a witness statement, describing a man matching Lazaro's description fleeing the scene. It isn't much, but it's something. I jot down a note, adding it to the growing list of connections.

Lazaro's disappearance three years ago threw a wrench in the investigation. Without him to question, we'd hit a dead end. But now, as I reexamine the evidence, I can't shake the feeling that Lazaro is the key to unraveling this whole mess.

I lean back in my chair, my mind racing. If Lazaro is responsible for Peter's father's death, where the hell is he now? And why has he vanished without a trace? The two obvious answers are that he's on the run or he was killed himself.

I think back to the first time I met Lana and how incensed she was at the police's inability to find Lazaro who she seems to believe is missing due to foul play. If he was on the run, she wouldn't have filed a missing person's report. Would she?

A memory has me reaching for the Rinella file. Opening it, I see the head of the family, Vincenzo Rinella, hinting at the D'Amatos being behind his boat sinking without outright accusing them. Perhaps because of what was on the boat, they didn't want more attention to the situation. But he'd also made a comment about the D'Amatos being ruthless, including killing a cop.

I grab a fresh sheet of paper, scribbling down the details of that conversation. Is it possible the Rinellas know something about Lazaro's whereabouts? Or are they just trying to stir up trouble for their rivals?

My gut twists. If the D'Amatos are truly boasting about killing cops, it lends credence to Peter's theory about his father's murder. But it also means we are dealing with a far more dangerous situation than we'd initially thought.

I glance at my watch, surprised to see how late it has gotten. The night has slipped away as I've fallen down this rabbit hole of connections and theories. But I can't stop now. Not when I feel so close to a breakthrough.

I reach for another folder—the missing persons report Lana had filed for her brother. I'd skimmed it before, but now I pore over every detail. The lack of police follow-up, at least in terms of why he disappeared, is glaring, but not surprising, given Lazaro's rap sheet. What catches my eye are Lana's meticulous notes. She'd conducted her own investigation, interviewing witnesses the cops had overlooked.

One account stands out, where a shop owner claimed to have witnessed Lazaro's attack and abduction. Or at least someone who matches Lazaro's description. I read the description of a dark-colored van speeding away from the scene. But there is something else. A partial license plate number. It isn't much, but it is more than we'd had before.

I lean back, processing what this could mean. If this witness account is accurate, it changes everything. Lazaro hasn't simply gone on the lam. He's been taken. Considering his family business, it seems likely he's dead, but my impression is that Lana thinks he's still alive.

The pieces of the puzzle shift, forming a new picture. What if Lazaro's disappearance is connected to Peter's father's murder? What if someone has taken him to keep him quiet? It's a theory, one without much substance, but still, I scribble notes. The first thing I need to do is see if I can track down the van. And in doing so, we might just crack open the whole D'Amato case. Especially since it appears my ice princess has a weakness. Her brother.

All sorts of possibilities come to me on how I can use this to gain more information from her. I have a strange, unsettled feeling in the pit of my stomach about that. Like it would be crossing a line. But no… manipulation is part of the process of solving mysteries sometimes. If it means bringing down a criminal empire and giving Peter the closure he desperately needs, then it is worth it.

I can offer to help with the investigation into Lazaro's disappearance and in doing so, show Lana that I am on her side, at least in this. If she feels someone is helping her brother, she'll let her guard down and possibly reveal the information I need to wrap up all these loose threads. It's a risky move, assuming the D'Amatos did kill Peter's father. But if I play my cards right, it could get me closer to the D'Amatos than we've ever been.

I shake my head, trying to clear away the fog of exhaustion, wondering if I'm making connections that aren't there. Perhaps it's time for a break. First thing tomorrow, I'll start looking for the van. Then I'd find a way to approach Lana with this new information. The idea of seeing her, sparring with her again, sends a thrill through me, and it's not about danger. Well, not mortal danger. It's more about the taboo sensations I feel when I'm around her and how much I'd like to find out what's underneath her cold exterior and her fitted suit.

Fuck! Just my luck, a woman who isn't just off-limits, but who also lives a life totally against my own values, would reawaken a libido I thought was dormant. I shake my head of my carnal thoughts to focus on what's important. One way or another, I am going to get to the bottom of this case and put the D'Amato family in jail.