The Scorpion's Tale (42 page)

“I don’t know; we didn’t come voluntarily.
They kidnapped Giovanna.”

“I am sorry to interrupt your conversation,”
said the voice over the loudspeaker. “I just wanted to welcome you
to the island, Nicholas. Our last guest is expected soon and then
we will discuss the agenda.”

“Who are you, you sick fuck!” Nick
screamed.

“He wants us to call him Scorpion,” the
detective interjected.

“The Scorpion! Here?” Nick exclaimed.

“Yes, Nicholas, this is my island and you are
now my guest.”

“Come down here and show yourself, you
baby-killing prick!” Nick demanded.

“Come, come now. Watch your language,
Nicholas. We have a lady present. Besides, I have already been
through this name calling with Billy Veeksburn and Detective
Johnston.”

“Billy Veeksburn?” Nick asked.

“Billy was someone he eliminated in Las
Vegas, along with three women who were unlucky to be in the wrong
place at the wrong time,” the detective added.

“That is correct, Detective. I had almost
forgotten that you had briefly sojourned in Sin City and learned
what had happened to William.”

“Thanks to your informant, Harry
Chesney.”

“Yes, Harold was loyal and served me quite
faithfully. Please relax and talk amongst yourselves until our
final guest arrives. I will be communicating with all of you
shortly.”

An hour later the front door opened and
Steven Capresi walked in, finding Nick Manzione and Detective
Johnston staring at him.

“This is laughable,” the detective said.
“I’ve been searching the world for you and you just come strolling
in through the front door!”

Steven approached the two men, trying to
figure out why these particular people had been brought here.

Giovanna had been at the other side of the
great room, making another round of drinks, and was returning with
two glasses. Seeing Steven, she dropped both glasses, staring open
mouthed at him. It took a second to register, and Steven’s face lit
up in recognition.

Nick rushed to her aid. “Are you okay, Gia?”
She gave no response while she and Steven continued staring at each
other.

“Don’t we know each other?” she asked
Steven.

“You tell me, Sophia?”

Giovanna’s face lit up. “Oh my God, Tom
Cruise! It’s really you.”

Steven nodded.

Her expression turned somber as Nick glared
at both of them. “Nick, this is the Steven who you’ve been telling
me about?”

Nick was standing awestruck. He couldn’t
fathom how they knew each other. “Hold on, Babe. How do you know
him?”

She smiled innocently. “Our paths crossed in
Cervinia several years ago. We met at the top of the mountain and
took the gondola to the bottom.”

“What’s this Sophia and Tom Cruise crap?”
Nick snapped, beginning to suspect a little more than a ride down a
mountainside.

“Nick, don’t be so suspicious,” she said,
reaching for his hand. “We were talking about our favorite actors.
His was Sophia Loren and mine was Tom Cruise. It’s a private
joke.”

Nick glared at Steven, somewhat satisfied
with Giovanna’s answer, but still harboring a jealous notion that
there was more to the story. “Let’s figure out what the hell we’re
doing here and how to get the fuck off this island!”

“Ah, Steven, I trust you had a good flight?”
the Scorpion said.

“Yes, I did,” Steven answered, noting the
location of every camera in the room.

“Please sit down, everyone. I trust you have
relaxed and become acquainted with each other. We have much to
discuss and we are short on time. Night will quickly be upon us and
the festivities must begin soon.” The Scorpion waited until Steven
sat down next to Detective Johnston.

Detective Johnston just stared at Steven.

“What?” Steven asked, looking perplexed.

“Nothing,” the detective replied, looking
back and forth between Steven and Giovanna.

The Scorpion continued: “You have received a
personal invitation to my island because each of you will play an
integral part of what I would like to call the ‘enlightenment of
Steven Capresi’. We are going to sport a game called
“Dispatch-The-Scorpion-Or-Perish”. It is like an adult version of
hide-and-seek. You will each be given a weapon and the opportunity
to attempt to execute me for the sins I have committed against each
of you. You may act in concert or alone, that will be your choice.
Realize that while you hunt me, I will be hunting you. Are there
any questions thus far?”

“Why do you continue to torture me?” Giovanna
cried out. “You’ve murdered my family, isn’t that enough?”

“No, my dear, I am sorry but it is not
enough. I need something special from you!”

“You have gone to great lengths to bring us
to this goddamn island,” Nick bellowed. “You’ve had plenty of
opportunities to kill us. Why wait until now?”

“Those are excellent questions, Nicholas, but
you must be patient. Patience is a virtue even for a fiend like
you. But before we begin, I thought I might first stir the pot a
bit by clearing our consciences and cleansing our polluted
souls.”

“Just shut up and show us our weapons,” Nick
shouted. “All I need you to do is unlock these doors and give me a
gun so I can blow your fucking brains out!”

A moment of silence was followed by the sound
of doors automatically unlocking around the chamber.

“Your wish is my command, Nicholas,” the
Scorpion replied. “Step one. The doors within the castle are now
unlocked. Feel free to pursue me at any time.”

“Where are our weapons?” Nick demanded.

A huge drawer next to the bar suddenly
opened, revealing a collection of handguns. The men walked over to
inspect the weapons while Giovanna remained seated.

“These are the finest revolvers in my
collection. I’m quite sure you will be satisfied.”

“Where are the extra bullets?” the detective
asked.

“There are none. You have one full chamber,
so use your ammunition wisely.”

“Each of these pistols already has a name on
it,” Steven said, as he inspected a single action Ruger with his
name engraved in the handle.

“That’s correct, Steven. I’ve pre-selected
each of your guns.”

“I don’t trust you,” Nick growled. “I want to
choose my own weapon. How do I know these guns actually fire or
aren’t loaded with blanks?”

The Scorpion chuckled. “I am sorry, Nicholas.
This is my house, my game, and my rules. Indeed, if you doubt my
integrity, fire the gun and have one less bullet.”

“What happens if I decide not to play?” Nick
asked. “There’s no point. After I kill you, which I will, your boys
outside will kill us.”

“But Nicholas, we
are
already
playing,” the Scorpion replied. “I will merely shoot you where you
stand. I ask you, how sporting would that be? As to your latter
concern, if you kill me, your prize is my ring, which will open the
external locks and grant you safe passage off the island. My
‘boys,’ as you call them, are instructed to take orders from the
person wielding my ring.”

Nick grabbed both his .357 Magnum and Gia’s
.22 LR. “Here, Gia. You’ll need this.”

Gia looked uncomfortable taking the gun.
Steven and the detective took their matching Rugers.

“Now let us share some critical background
information with each other before commencing,” the Scorpion
continued. “There is not much to discuss regarding you, Detective
Johnston. We have already had our tete-a-tete. You are simply a
supporting role in the final act of this production. But
Nicholas–we do have so much to discuss!”

“What are you babbling about?” Nick said.

“For starters, why not tell everyone how you
killed Carlo, your own brother?”

“Is that true?” Giovanna asked.

“Of course it’s not true,” Nick replied.
“This asshole is a psychopathic liar.”

“Pablo Munoz said the same thing about
Carlo,” Steven said.

Nick dismissed Steven with a look of disgust.
“We’ve known each other all of our lives. Are you going to believe
this killer or me?”

“Yes, Steven, you should probably listen to a
man who had his own brother killed,” the Scorpion added. “But let
us take this opportunity to discuss your father. Believe me; I have
no interest in your friendship with Alberto Manzione. However, you
might want to know that your father was becoming very important in
the Manzione organization. He had powerful backing throughout New
York. He was very charismatic, much like you. Your mother was also
a rare beauty coveted by many admirers. In short, several men
envied your father and wanted him dead. You need to open your eyes
and see the obvious about the great Manzione family.”

Steven slammed the couch with his fist. “Shut
up! Don’t talk about my father. You’re a goddamn liar!”

“Don’t listen to him, Steven! He’s full of
shit!” Nick screamed.

The Scorpion laughed aloud. “This is the
proverbial ‘rock-and-a-hard-place’ Steven. Who do you believe –the
assassin who murdered your family, or the amoral, self-serving,
perversely pathological snake you call ‘friend’? You will shortly
have to choose between the lesser of the two evils, Steven.”

“I don’t believe you,” Steven shouted.

“I am not asking you to believe me. That must
be your choice. Giovanna, has Nicholas ever discussed your cousin
Giorgio?”

Giovanna appeared confused. “What about
Giorgio?” she asked.

“Specifically, the way I found him tortured
to death in Rio de Janiero,” the Scorpion said, enjoying the
surprised look on her face.

Giovanna looked suspiciously at Nick,
wondering how the Scorpion knew of Giorgio’s claimed connection to
him unless there was truth to it.

“You mean you did not tell her, Nicholas?”
the Scorpion joked. “It seems Nicholas has forgotten to mention
that your cousin Giorgio was working with those Brazilians who
hired me to kill your family, on behalf of their Colombian bosses.
I would venture that Nicholas conveniently omitted the fact that
Giorgio knew all about the hit on your family. In fact, it was
Giorgio who was my local contact and made all my arrangements at
your family’s home.”

Giovanna moved a bit further away from Nick.
How could the killer of her family know what Giorgio had
confessed?

Nick moved closer and grabbed her. “He’s
lying about everything. He’s trying to turn us against each other
to even the odds. It’s part of this sick game.”

“Do not be too concerned, Giovanna,” the
Scorpion continued. “I took care of the Brazilians. In addition to
not liking them, I was particularly offended when they breached
their contract with me. While I was in Rio I stopped in on Renaldo
and his friends. They are all dead now. So is Giorgio, but I will
spare you the gruesome details, as it was quite appalling to behold
his appearance. The Brazilians tortured him beyond recognition,
thanks to Nicholas, who delivered him into their hands.”

Nick slumped into the couch and sighed
loudly.

“Are you still paying attention, Nicholas?”
the Scorpion asked, enjoying the pain he was inflicting upon the
youngest of the Manzione family. “Most of those loose ends are
quite nicely tied up now. Giorgio, the Brazilians, and Tony and his
men are all dead, almost ‘in one fell swoop’ as Shakespeare would
say. The only living witnesses are in this room plus yours truly.
If you kill us all, you will be home free.”

Nick refused to be baited and remained
silent.

Ignoring Nick’s lack of response, he
continued his assault. “Nicholas, you may be interested to know
that I received some rather disturbing news regarding your
relationship with your uncle. Apparently, Alberto is on to
everything you have been doing and had you followed since the day
you reconnected with Mr. Capresi. Were you aware of that fact or is
this news to you?”

There was nothing Nick could say or do. He
had to listen to the accusations and hope that when it was over, he
would still have some credibility.

“Still listening, Nicholas?” taunted the
Scorpion. “I am quite certain that you have been pondering who in
the world would have put out a contract on your life. Have you
guessed yet, Nicholas? Have you thought who might want an assassin
in Rio De Janiero to kill not only Renaldo and his men, but also
you? It obviously was not Renaldo; he is dead, along with Giorgio
and Tony. You have to ask yourself Nicholas, who is left with any
interest in killing you?”

All eyes were on Nick, but he avoided their
stares and concealed his emotions.

“Give up, Nicholas?
It was your
sweet
Uncle Alberto, who discovered that you arranged the shooting at the
restaurant where Jerry was killed. But you and your girlfriend were
conveniently out of harm’s way. Who sent you to Rio, but the great
Alberto! He wanted me to kill you so the Brazilians would be blamed
for your death. Then, I would kill the Brazilians so the world
could witness Alberto’s retribution for the murder of his beloved
nephew!”

Giovanna winced as she recalled how Nick had
grabbed her arm at the last minute, pulling her away from the front
of the restaurant to show her the picture of his brother on the
wall.

“Did you think for a moment that Alberto
would remain ignorant you were taking over Tony’s lucrative
business? All you needed to do was give a ten percent tribute to
Alberto, but greed got the best of you. Were you afraid the
Godfather would lay claim to it all? It’s astonishing that in this
business you managed to become too much of a liability, even for
your own family.”

“I’m having a huge problem believing that
Alberto hired you to kill Nick. That’s too far-fetched, even for
me,” Steven admitted.

Nick stood with his gun in hand. “I’m through
listening to his bullshit. I’m going after him now.” He extended
his hand towards Giovanna. “Let’s go!”