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bedlamsbardAgain, pretty short, not much with the description, but this time with mobsters!
“You know, usually when perps get their one phone call, they call their lawyers,” Stella said, propping the box of case files on her hip.
“I called his lawyer,” the Mafia don said. “He called me, and I called his – my, actually – lawyer. It’s Bonasera, right? Detective Stella Bonasera?”
Stella set the box down by her feet and held out a hand. “Yeah, that’s me. And you’d be the infamous Valentine Constantine, Godfather of the Italian Mafia, I’m guessing?”
“Not a godfather, but the rest of it’s true,” Constantine said. He shook her hand with a warm, sure grip, and Stella felt the calluses on his palm. “Joey’s one of my best guys,” he added.
“Well, the fact that’s he’s in jail would more or less prove that, yeah…” Stella said. “Whole criminal element and all.” She cocked her head at his silent dark-haired shadow. “Who’s this?”
The shadow smiled. Nice smile, if you ignore the scar that drew up the corner of his mouth in a permanent grimace. “Michael Giovinazzo,” he said. “Nice to meet you, Detective Bonasera.”
“I’d say it’s a pleasure, but really, it’s not. I was kind of hoping to go the whole of my career without running into the Mafia.” She waggled her eyebrows, getting Constantine to quirk up the corner of his mouth in a quiet grin. “Of course, considering my profession – that would take something short of a miracle, I’ve been told.”
Giovinazzo grinned again. “I was kinda hoping the same myself. Well, the opposite, but you get the idea. Mafia and law enforcement don’t exactly mix, ya’ know. Or so I’ve been told.” He cocked an eyebrow at Constantine, who rolled his eyes and stared fixedly off at some point behind Stella’s head.
“I’d assume so, yeah,” Stella said, curious at the freedom Constantine seemed to give his – lackey? Bodyguard? She eyed the way they both stood, deciding they were definitely armed. “So what can I help you with, Mr. Constantine?”
He looked back at her. “I’d like to see Joey.”
“No.”
“Can I see Joey?” Giovinazzo inquired with interest.
“No.”
“You do realize my lawyer is on his way,” Constantine said.
“Well, yeah, they don’t do that much good if they’re not here,” Stella said. “Just out of curiosity, who is your lawyer?”
“You’ve probably heard of him. Sterling Townsend.”
Stella blinked. Twice. “How’d a Mafia don end up with a lawyer like Sterling Townsend?”
Constantine smiled at her. “If I told you, I’d have to kill you.”
“Uh-huh,” Stella said. She bent down to scoop up the box of case files. “Well, let me go put these away, and I’ll come back and we can talk.”
“You need any help?” Giovinazzo offered, shifting from foot to foot.
She squinted at him. “No, thanks, I’m good.”
*
“Mac, you do realize there’s a Mafia don down in the lobby, right?” Stella said, setting the box on the floor by his desk.
Mac blinked and looked up at her. “What?”
“Valentine Constantine,” she said helpfully. “And some other Mob guy named Michael Giovinazzo. They’re here about Joseph Sforza.”
“Well, we knew he was –”
“A criminal, yeah. But Mafia? Tell me, when did we see that coming? Did he happen to mention that at any point?”
“No,” Mac replied after a moment. “But I suppose taking another look at the evidence would lead to a logical assumption that –”
“In other words, you didn’t see it coming either.”
He sighed. “No. No, Stella, I did not.”
“Are you going to talk to him or should I? Or we could play good cop/bad cop,” she grinned. “I’ll let you be bad cop this time.”
“Stella,” Mac sighed again.
“What?”
*
“Hey,” Carmine said to Michael, slipping up beside Val, who was looking at the floor with pursed lips. “How bad is it? You seen Joey yet?”
“No,” Val said shortly. “And I’m worried about him.”
“What about Townsend? He on his way?”
“Yeah.”
“What about the fact this is Danny’s precinct?”
“That’s come to mind too,” Val sighed.
“Joey’s on Danny today.”
“He was. Now Laurie and Ace are.”
Carmine blinked. “That’s not a good combination.”
“It’s an interesting one, that’s what it is,” Michael said. “We’ll be lucky if they don’t kill each other by the end of the day.”
Val rolled his eyes. “No, they won’t. You dropped Bonasera off with Mordecai?”
“Yeah, I did. He said something about wanting to go look for his daughters. Val, isn’t one of Danny’s co-workers named –”
The two detectives approaching frowned at them. “Hi,” the woman said. Carmine recognized her with sinking stomach as Detective Stella Bonasera, and for the first time saw the resemblance between her and Nick Bonasera. Oh, he thought faintly. That’s sure not going to go well. “I don’t think we’ve met,” she continued.
Carmine turned a grin on her. “Carmine d’Alessandro,” he said.
“Detective Taylor,” her partner said. “This is Detective Bonasera.”
“Pleasure,” Carmine said.
Taylor frowned at him, then looked over at Val. “Mr. Constantine, I would presume?”
Val nodded. “I want to talk to Joey,” he said.
“I’m afraid I can’t allow that,” Taylor said.
Bonasera muttered something that sounded like I told you so.
Val frowned a little. “Murder,” he said flatly. “Joey didn’t kill anyone.”
“Recently, I assume you’re saying,” Bonasera said, cocking her head to one side. “Seeing as he is Mafia and all.”
Taylor flipped out a notepad. “Can you account for his whereabouts on the evening of August the second?” he asked.
“Sure,” Carmine said. “He was with me.”
“And where was that?” Taylor demanded, turning toward him.
“Somewhere in Manhattan. In my car.” Somehow, he doubted that adding, bodyguarding one of your detectives, would go over all that well.
“Can anyone else prove that?”
“Well, seeing as it was just us…no. But what, you don’t trust my word? A d’Alessandro’s word is his life, Detective.”
Bonasera coughed into her fist. “We have a witness account that places him at the scene. Several, actually.”
“They don’t happen to work for the Patriso Family, do they?” Michael inquired. “Because – okay, Val, I’ll be quiet.”
Taylor turned his glare on him. “Because what, Mr. Giovinazzo?”
“Family feud,” Carmine said. “Very violent. Very vicious. Lots of other things I can alliterate. What my associate is saying is the possibility that Patriso set Joey up, seeing as Joey is an important member of the Constantine Family.”
“Gang warfare,” Bonasera muttered under her breath.
“Not really,” Carmine said. He let the words trail off as he realized Val was looking off to the side. “Val?”
Val raised his head as the doors to the Lab banged open. “Danny!” he called.
Taylor and Bonasera both froze, as did one of the two detectives that had just entered the building.
“Uncle Val?” Danny Messer said in horror.
“You know, usually when perps get their one phone call, they call their lawyers,” Stella said, propping the box of case files on her hip.
“I called his lawyer,” the Mafia don said. “He called me, and I called his – my, actually – lawyer. It’s Bonasera, right? Detective Stella Bonasera?”
Stella set the box down by her feet and held out a hand. “Yeah, that’s me. And you’d be the infamous Valentine Constantine, Godfather of the Italian Mafia, I’m guessing?”
“Not a godfather, but the rest of it’s true,” Constantine said. He shook her hand with a warm, sure grip, and Stella felt the calluses on his palm. “Joey’s one of my best guys,” he added.
“Well, the fact that’s he’s in jail would more or less prove that, yeah…” Stella said. “Whole criminal element and all.” She cocked her head at his silent dark-haired shadow. “Who’s this?”
The shadow smiled. Nice smile, if you ignore the scar that drew up the corner of his mouth in a permanent grimace. “Michael Giovinazzo,” he said. “Nice to meet you, Detective Bonasera.”
“I’d say it’s a pleasure, but really, it’s not. I was kind of hoping to go the whole of my career without running into the Mafia.” She waggled her eyebrows, getting Constantine to quirk up the corner of his mouth in a quiet grin. “Of course, considering my profession – that would take something short of a miracle, I’ve been told.”
Giovinazzo grinned again. “I was kinda hoping the same myself. Well, the opposite, but you get the idea. Mafia and law enforcement don’t exactly mix, ya’ know. Or so I’ve been told.” He cocked an eyebrow at Constantine, who rolled his eyes and stared fixedly off at some point behind Stella’s head.
“I’d assume so, yeah,” Stella said, curious at the freedom Constantine seemed to give his – lackey? Bodyguard? She eyed the way they both stood, deciding they were definitely armed. “So what can I help you with, Mr. Constantine?”
He looked back at her. “I’d like to see Joey.”
“No.”
“Can I see Joey?” Giovinazzo inquired with interest.
“No.”
“You do realize my lawyer is on his way,” Constantine said.
“Well, yeah, they don’t do that much good if they’re not here,” Stella said. “Just out of curiosity, who is your lawyer?”
“You’ve probably heard of him. Sterling Townsend.”
Stella blinked. Twice. “How’d a Mafia don end up with a lawyer like Sterling Townsend?”
Constantine smiled at her. “If I told you, I’d have to kill you.”
“Uh-huh,” Stella said. She bent down to scoop up the box of case files. “Well, let me go put these away, and I’ll come back and we can talk.”
“You need any help?” Giovinazzo offered, shifting from foot to foot.
She squinted at him. “No, thanks, I’m good.”
*
“Mac, you do realize there’s a Mafia don down in the lobby, right?” Stella said, setting the box on the floor by his desk.
Mac blinked and looked up at her. “What?”
“Valentine Constantine,” she said helpfully. “And some other Mob guy named Michael Giovinazzo. They’re here about Joseph Sforza.”
“Well, we knew he was –”
“A criminal, yeah. But Mafia? Tell me, when did we see that coming? Did he happen to mention that at any point?”
“No,” Mac replied after a moment. “But I suppose taking another look at the evidence would lead to a logical assumption that –”
“In other words, you didn’t see it coming either.”
He sighed. “No. No, Stella, I did not.”
“Are you going to talk to him or should I? Or we could play good cop/bad cop,” she grinned. “I’ll let you be bad cop this time.”
“Stella,” Mac sighed again.
“What?”
*
“Hey,” Carmine said to Michael, slipping up beside Val, who was looking at the floor with pursed lips. “How bad is it? You seen Joey yet?”
“No,” Val said shortly. “And I’m worried about him.”
“What about Townsend? He on his way?”
“Yeah.”
“What about the fact this is Danny’s precinct?”
“That’s come to mind too,” Val sighed.
“Joey’s on Danny today.”
“He was. Now Laurie and Ace are.”
Carmine blinked. “That’s not a good combination.”
“It’s an interesting one, that’s what it is,” Michael said. “We’ll be lucky if they don’t kill each other by the end of the day.”
Val rolled his eyes. “No, they won’t. You dropped Bonasera off with Mordecai?”
“Yeah, I did. He said something about wanting to go look for his daughters. Val, isn’t one of Danny’s co-workers named –”
The two detectives approaching frowned at them. “Hi,” the woman said. Carmine recognized her with sinking stomach as Detective Stella Bonasera, and for the first time saw the resemblance between her and Nick Bonasera. Oh, he thought faintly. That’s sure not going to go well. “I don’t think we’ve met,” she continued.
Carmine turned a grin on her. “Carmine d’Alessandro,” he said.
“Detective Taylor,” her partner said. “This is Detective Bonasera.”
“Pleasure,” Carmine said.
Taylor frowned at him, then looked over at Val. “Mr. Constantine, I would presume?”
Val nodded. “I want to talk to Joey,” he said.
“I’m afraid I can’t allow that,” Taylor said.
Bonasera muttered something that sounded like I told you so.
Val frowned a little. “Murder,” he said flatly. “Joey didn’t kill anyone.”
“Recently, I assume you’re saying,” Bonasera said, cocking her head to one side. “Seeing as he is Mafia and all.”
Taylor flipped out a notepad. “Can you account for his whereabouts on the evening of August the second?” he asked.
“Sure,” Carmine said. “He was with me.”
“And where was that?” Taylor demanded, turning toward him.
“Somewhere in Manhattan. In my car.” Somehow, he doubted that adding, bodyguarding one of your detectives, would go over all that well.
“Can anyone else prove that?”
“Well, seeing as it was just us…no. But what, you don’t trust my word? A d’Alessandro’s word is his life, Detective.”
Bonasera coughed into her fist. “We have a witness account that places him at the scene. Several, actually.”
“They don’t happen to work for the Patriso Family, do they?” Michael inquired. “Because – okay, Val, I’ll be quiet.”
Taylor turned his glare on him. “Because what, Mr. Giovinazzo?”
“Family feud,” Carmine said. “Very violent. Very vicious. Lots of other things I can alliterate. What my associate is saying is the possibility that Patriso set Joey up, seeing as Joey is an important member of the Constantine Family.”
“Gang warfare,” Bonasera muttered under her breath.
“Not really,” Carmine said. He let the words trail off as he realized Val was looking off to the side. “Val?”
Val raised his head as the doors to the Lab banged open. “Danny!” he called.
Taylor and Bonasera both froze, as did one of the two detectives that had just entered the building.
“Uncle Val?” Danny Messer said in horror.
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Date: 2005-06-15 01:13 am (UTC)And then this part has Mafia people, which is awesome.
Expect lots of mobsters. Lots, lots, lots. And not just Constantine ones, unfortunately. *sigh* Yay for family feuds?
Also, can't wait to see how the Val-Danny situation gets handled.
Not well, I can tell you that.