Murder Takes Time (25 page)

Inside the box is a throwaway cell phone. In three days, at precisely ten in the morning, I will call and tell you where to take the money.

Gina

PS. Don’t even think about stalling or telling me you don’t have the cash. I know you do. Three days. 10:00 AM.

Tito threw the box across the room, then walked about the kitchen, kicking things. “Find this bitch, Manny. Somebody better find her.”

Manny held out the Fed-Ex slip. “Says it came from Baltimore. Maybe Fifth Street, but I can’t tell. The ink’s smeared.”

Tito yanked it from him, staring at it. “Who can read that? I don’t know how they let it pass.”

“It’s a package, boss. They can’t look at the address on every one of them.”

Tito reached for his drink. “We gotta find her.”

Manny set the box on the counter, opened it and removed the phone, tucking it into his pocket. “I’ll see what I can do with this. Put our guy on it.”

T
HREE DAYS LATER, WITH
no clue where the girl was, Tito waited for the call. The phone rang at 10:00 AM, just like Gina said it would. He grabbed it. “Hello?”

“Have you got it?”

He waited a long time, as if he didn’t want to answer. She waited. “Yeah, I got it.”

“Good. Write this down. I want it Fed-Exed to this address.”

“Whoa. Are you nuts? Fed-Ex this much money?”

“That’s right, Tito. Fed-Ex it. Now I’m going to give you the address.” She waited for him to acknowledge, and when he did, she continued. “Send it to me at 1817 Fifth Street in Baltimore.” She gave him the zip and a phone number, then said, “Make sure it’s marked for 10:30 AM delivery, and make sure that “signature required” is checked.” She again waited for him to confirm, then, “If there is any hint of me being watched, or followed, or if there are any tracers in the money, I’ll go to the Feds.”

“It’ll be there.”

“Good, and in case you try something…I have help on this. Don’t think of sending your goons.”

“Don’t worry. You’ll get it.”

“Just remember. Nobody watching, Tito.”

“Yeah, yeah. Live a good life, Gina.”
I’m gonna cut your heart out.

Tito turned to Manny. “Get our best men on this. Stake out that address. Tell them to follow her, or whoever gets the money.” He punched the wall, several times, hard. Tito had not clawed his way to the top to let some broad cut his legs out from under him.

Tito turned to Manny again, voice raised even more. “If she spots them, they’re dead. I’ll kill them myself.”

“Got it,” Manny said.

CHAPTER 38

SPECIAL DELIVERY

G
ina waited until it was past pick-up time for Fed-Ex. She dialed the number for the depot in Baltimore. “Customer service, please.”

A pleasant voice answered in a few seconds. “Customer service. How may I help you?”

Gina put panic in her voice. “Oh, thank God. I hope you can help. I’m expecting a very important package tomorrow, but there’s been an emergency with my daughter, and I won’t be home. Is it possible for me to pick it up before it goes out on the delivery truck?”

“I’m afraid you can’t do that. I’m sorry.”

“But this is an emergency. Please? My daughter is very sick. I know it has to be signed for, and no one will be there.”

There was a short silence, then the customer service agent said in a low voice, “Let me check to see what we can do.” She returned about thirty seconds later. “I need your name and the delivery address? And I need the zip code it was sent from.”

“Right here,” Gina said, and read it to her.

“Just a minute.”

Gina heard some typing, then, “I’ve got it marked for pickup. But you’ll need your license or something to verify your ID.”

“Thanks so much. I really appreciate it.” Gina sighed as she got in the car. After today, it would finally be over. She didn’t trust Tito one bit, so she knew she’d still have to hide, but the money would make it easier.

T
ITO’S MEN WERE POSITIONED
early, two in an abandoned house half a block south, and the other two at a gas station a block in the opposite direction. They had borrowed a guy from Tito’s connections in Baltimore to watch the back alley in case she went out that way.

“Shitty place to live,” Donnie said. “Looks like a fuckin’ war zone.”

“No wonder she blackmailed the boss. I might even do it to get out of here.”

Small talk occupied time for the next hour and a half, but when it got to be 10:30 and the truck still hadn’t come, they got nervous. Donnie’s cell phone rang at 10:45. “Yeah?”

“It get there?” Tito asked.

“Nothing yet.”

“All right. Call me.”

At 11:00, his phone rang again. “Not yet,” he said as he answered the phone.

“Something’s wrong.” Tito screamed, and hung up.

Two minutes later, Donnie’s phone rang again. It was Manny. “Pack it up. Gina fucked us good. She picked the package up.”

Donnie whistled. “Bet he’s going nuts.”

“Yeah, no shit.”

G
INA DROVE UP
I
-83
out of Baltimore toward Harrisburg, then took the turn to Hershey, PA. It was an easy drive from Baltimore, hour and a half tops, and the scenery was nice, especially crossing the Susquehanna River. She patted the bag on the seat next to her as if it were a baby. The ride was calming enough, but with $400,000 on the passenger seat, it was also exhilarating. She could have probably gotten more from Tito, but to ask for more might have pissed him off even worse. For $400,000, he might forget about her in a few years, then she’d be free and able to really live again. It had been a long time. She thought about going somewhere besides Hershey, but she had been safe there for a long time. She just hoped her luck held out.

Soon fear chased the euphoria away. The trembling started in her stomach and worked its way up, lingering in her shoulders, tracing down her arms. She gripped the wheel with both shaking hands, fighting the desire to pull over. The only thing stopping her was the fear that cops would want to know why she was on the shoulder of an interstate. She checked the rear view mirror for what seemed like the hundredth time, and fought off images of what Tito would do if he caught her. If she were lucky, he’d put a bullet in her brain—if she were lucky.

A few tears came. She managed to stifle the flood lurking inside her, but for how long she didn’t know. She thought this was going to be easy—get the money, go home, live happily ever after. But nothing with the mob was happily ever after; she should have known that from living with her father all those years. He had given her mother enough nightmares to last several lifetimes.

She both loved and hated her father. He treated her well, but he was a degenerate like the rest of his mobster friends, and it cost him in the end. He lived the last years of his life afraid, and hiding in dingy apartments on the back streets of towns he hated. The problem was, he had taken her along for the ride. She hated him for that, but she hated the mob worse. Especially Tito Martelli. If she never saw another Italian for the rest of her life, it would be too soon.

Signs for Hershey flashed on the side of the road. New fears stirred inside her. Would Tito be waiting? Had he found out what she was doing? Would she open her apartment door and find a guy with a gun? She said a quick prayer. Her life was in God’s hands now.

And Tito’s.

T
ITO GOT A GUN
from his closet and headed for the door, only stopping when Manny talked sense into him. “You don’t know anything. Calm down, and we’ll figure this out.”

“I’m gonna kill Chicky and Donnie.”

Manny grabbed his arm and led him to the kitchen. “It’s not their fault. Who could have figured she’d be that smart? You got to admit, she pulled a fast one.” He walked to the sink and got water. “Why not let her go? If Carlo is dead, it makes no difference.”

“How do I know Carlo’s dead? Besides, I don’t want a goddamn sword hanging over my head like that Greek.”

“You mean the Sword of Damocles?”

“Yeah, that’s the one.”

“Give the kid a break. She lost her parents. Now she’s got you on her ass.”

“She wouldn’t have if she hadn’t called. I’d damn near forgotten about her and her father both.”

“That’s bullshit, Tito.” Manny shook his head. “What would
you
do? If you were broke. Needed money and were afraid to go anywhere. I’d do the same thing.” Manny grabbed a piece of fruit from the table. “I’m telling you, Tito, I’d let her go.”

“That’s why you’re not running this crew.” Tito stared at him. “You know how long it took me to make that much money coming up? Long fuckin’ time. And I ain’t giving it up to some broad for nothing.”

Manny shrugged. “So what do you want us to do?”

“Find her.”

CHAPTER 39

DNA DOESN’T LIE

Brooklyn—Current Day

F
rankie brushed the snow from his cashmere coat and kicked a dusting off his Moreschi shoes. Fucking goddamn cold weather
.
He hated snow more than anything, even more than his Irish father and his Sicilian mother, both of whom scarred him for life. He should have gone to Miami or Houston, anyplace where it didn’t snow.

He lit a smoke then sat on the stoop outside of Donnie Amato’s house, careful not to tear his pants. Frankie dreaded the thought of sitting on cold, rough concrete, but he’d have no more contamination of crime scenes. Kate would be there soon. He’d let her have the first look. Soon a car came down the block, pulling up to the curb at a crawl.

Has to be Mazzetti. He drives like an old woman.

Lou Mazzetti moved up the sidewalk even slower than he’d pulled to the curb.

“Hey, Lou, you got lead in your ass today?”

Mazzetti took the last drag on a smoke before tossing it aside. “Didn’t figure Donnie was in any rush from what I heard.” He sat on the stoop next to Frankie. “Hit me with a smoke, Donovan.”

“You just threw one out.”

“Yeah, well, I’m old.”

“What the hell does that have to do with anything?”

“Us old people just don’t give a shit.” He held his hand out, waiting.

“Goddamn nuisance is what you are,” Frankie said, but he gave him a smoke.

Kate pulled up a few minutes later, popping out of the car with an exuberance difficult to imagine for a medical examiner—not an occupation Frankie associated with good moods.

“Good afternoon, gentlemen. Waiting for me?”

“Damn right,” Frankie said. “I’m not about to have my DNA on another scene without witnesses. If Morreau gets hold of that before I clear it…”

Kate stopped and looked at him. “Frankie, I have to turn it in, and the report goes out tomorrow.”

Frankie shrugged. “If I get fired, I’ll make you feel bad.”

“You’re top shit,” Lou said, and used Frankie’s shoulder to raise himself up.

“When are you retiring?” Kate asked

“About a hundred years from now. Can’t afford to before then.” Lou offered a hand to Frankie.

“When I need you to help me up, just shoot me.”

“Be happy to,” Lou said, and walked in with Kate.

The odor hit them as soon as the door opened. “Jesus Christ,” Lou said, and ducked back outside.

Frankie turned back too. “Goddamn.” He held a handkerchief over his mouth and nose. “Kate, you alive in there?”

“Sissies.”

“She’s right,” Lou said. “We’re pussies.”

Lou went in, holding his breath. Frankie followed, unwrapping the white silk scarf from his neck and using it to cover his mouth.

Kate was across the room, stooping to examine Donnie’s genital area. “Holding your breath will only help you for about a minute at best, boys. And if your lungs are as bad as I think, probably less. Might as well get it over with and take a long, deep breath.” After she said that, she inhaled deeply.

Lou looked at Frankie then back to Kate. “Screw you.”

“I don’t think you have the stamina, Detective. I’ve seen you climb stairs.”

“Well fuck you, then.”