Tales from the Town of Salem
#2: Tight Leash
It was a cool breezy day in the town of Salem. At least it was in a majority of the town. The massive business center near the town's center was decidedly much warmer, with the heating having been ramped up to ludicrous levels. It was hot enough inside that many workers had abandoned the jackets that they had brought with them into the building, and instead had loosened their shirts and ties in small attempt to cool themselves off. It was a wonder that they were able to focus long enough to get any kind of work done as far as the Consigliere was concerned.
A tall, slim man with red hair and brown eyes in his mid thirties, the Consigliere was a gifted detective who worked for the Salem Police Department, but was also secretly a well respected informant for the Mafia. At least at the current moment. The Consigliere had fallen on hard times when the failing economy had forced the police department to make a budget cut, cutting down the law enforcemnet by a third, and reducing the pay for the remaining officers. In an attempt to keep bread on the table for his sick wife and young daughter, the Consigliere had started looking for other jobs, and found one in the most unexpected place: the town's resident crime family, though family was a bit of loose definition. The Godfather of the Mafia had cmoe to the Consigliere with an offer that sounded amazing at the time. Present the Mafia with information on targets of it's choosing, and the Consigliere would find himself never needing as far as money was concerned.
That had been more than two years ago. During that time, the Consigliere had been more than happy to oblige, using his detective skills to dig up information on anyone the Godfather had deemed neccesary. What he had begun to notice, however, was that the people he investigated usally wound either becoming reclusive shells of their former selves, moving away into other towns, or, in the worst case scenarios, dead on their doorsteps. After he noticed this, he tried to ignore it as best he could, saying that he had no part in their misfortunes and he was merely looking out for his family. The more time that passed, however, the more the Consigliere realized that that just wasn't true. Besides, what if his daughter found out? No, he couldn't do this anymore.
Having met the Godfather several times, the Consigliere had decided to come to him during his day job, as a CEO to a massive business. Using the cover of attempting to find the cause of a death two nights ago, the Consigliere had managed to enter the building and even get an appointment with him, and, as he sat in the uncomforable heat, he thought that the appointment couldn't come soon enough. Then again, it might have been his fault for choosing to wear a suit. The workers, oddly enough, seemed even more miserable than he felt, either sitting bored in their cubicles, or walking around with various files in hand, and appearing completely disintressted. The Consigliere pondered how quickly their attitudes would change, should they know that their employer was a crime boss.
"Excuse me, Mr. Phoenix? Mr. Evans will see you now." The Consigliere heard from his right. Looking over, he could see a woman a little taller than average height with shoulder length brown hair, blue eyes, and a winning, though probably forced smile. Definitely a secretary who secretly wanted to be anywhere else but here. Despite this, he smiled back and thanked the woman for letting him know. He straighted his tie as the secretary opened the door.
The walls contained several pictures of the Godfather posing beside important members of the town such as the Mayor, the Sheriff, and well known politicians. In the center of the room was a large desk made of polished oak, with a picture of a smiling woman holding a laughing little girl, a globe, and a thin computer monitor connected to an almost glasslike keyboard, with a small but, well decorated computer mouse. Behind the desk, the Godfather sat in a massive black chair, his greying hair combed neatly to one side, and his brown eyes carried the same look an friend might share with another. He, like the Consigliere, was dressed in a suit with a red tie, though he had long since discarded his jacket onto the back of his seat, and merely had on his white undershirt. To one whom was oblivious, the Godfather appeared as nothing more than your average businessman. The Consigliere, however, knew better.
"John Phoenix, welcome to my humble abode! Come in, sit down, let's talk." He said with a hint of merryment in his voice. The door closed behind him as the Consigliere chuckled and walked to a small chair that carried a red cushion. The Godfather was a master of appearing to be what he wasn't, the Consigliere thought to himself. He sat down and the Godfather leaned forward in his chair, folding his hands over one another, never once loosing that initial smile. The Consigliere wondered for a moment how the best way to proceed was, knowing the Godfather could order his death right after he left, should he deem it neccesary.
"So, what brings you here my friend?" The Godfather said with a happy tone. The Consigliere gave out an anxious breath. He would just state it plainly, anything else would just be prolonging the awkward experience.
"I want out." He said calmly. The Godfather blinked once, then shook his head, cocking it back as if the Consigiliere said something strange. He let out a short chuckle, and stared at the Consigliere wtih questioning eyes.
"I'm sorry?" He asked. The Consigliere gave a sympathetic smile, and fumbled with his hands for a moment before he answered him.
"I don't want to be part of this anymore. It just... It doesn't feel right. I have to think about what my daughter would think of me if she found out. And my wife... I couldn't bear to see the look on her face if she discovered. So... Yeah, I want out." He explained. During his explanation, the Godfather lost his smile, but nodded his understanding. He didn't appear to be angry, and if anything, appeared to have a respectful gleam in his eyes. The Godfather seemed to ponder his words for a moment, then lifted his hand to the Consigliere.
"Is there anything else you want to talk to me about?Any other reasons you don't want to do this anymore?" He asked. The tone in his voice almost sounded like he was hoping for the Consigliere to give more reasoning behind his request. The Consigliere gave the man a smile. For being the leader of a massive crime group, the Godfather was actually a pretty likeable man. He shook his head.
"No sir, I just want to have a clear concience when I tell my daughter that I'm a good man. You don't have to worry about me telling anyone anything. You can even keep the money." He said with a smile. The Godfather nodded and leaned back in his chair. He paused for a few tense moments, making the Consigliere wonder just what he was planning. However, to his surprise, the Godfather rose his eyebrows and nodded once more.
"Alright." He said simply. The Consigliere maintained his smlie, but reared back slightly. It was that easy? Really? All this worrying, and that was all he had to do? The Godfather was more understanding that he had given him credit for. He had expected an angry response, demanding he remain loyal, lest he wwanted himself killed.
"Thank you sir. I really appreciate it." He said as he began to get up. The Godfather held up his hand, signalling him to wait for a moment.
"Phoenix, before you go, I need you to take a look at something." He said as he reached under his desk. He pulled open a file cabinet as the Consigliere sat back down in his chair, not entirely sure where this was going. The Godfather shifted through some files as the Consigliere asked him if anything was wrong. The Godfather shook his head as he stuck out his bottom lip.
"No, not at all. But, one of my people "found" some pictures, and I wanted to know what you thought about them. No targets, I just don't know what to think of them. Consider it a parting gift, eh?" He said, placing air quotes when he said found. The Consigliere chuckled. The Godfather wanted one more favor. He didn't mind though, it was the last thing he would do with the mafia. The Godfather gave a happy sigh as he pulled out a yellow file, and placed them on the desk, and indicated the Consigliere to take a look.
"Kills that aren't yours or something?" The Consigliere asked as he picked up the file. The Godfather smiled and shook his head.
"Just take a look." He said. The Consiglere smiled as he opened the file, then turned dead silent. The smile vanished from his lips as he leaned forward in his seat, his eyes suddenly widening to their limits. At the front of the file was a picture of his daughter getting off a bus to school, her red hair and My Little Pony backpack unmistakable amongst the sea of other children. He looked up at the Godfather with angry eyes, only to see a condescending grin with slanted eyes. Looking back to the file, the Consigliere moved the photograph out of the way, and saw another one, this time of her at a public park playing on the swings. He continued to shift through the pictures, seeing several pictures of his little girl, some of them even had him with her. The Consigliere shook with rage as he looked back up to the Godfather.
"You had Amanda followed?!" He nearly shouted, standing up and throwing the file back down onto the table in front of him. The Godfather merely chuckled at this, and refolded his hands. The Consigliere stared at the man in front of him with absolute hatred, but the Godfather only had that stupid smile on his face, a smile that the Consgiliere suddenly wanted to punch right off his face.
"Indeed. She really is a sweet girl, so full of life, and innocence..." He said as he shook his head, grabbing the file off of the desk and thumbing through the photos. The Consigliere burned with rage at the man before him, his face turning a dark shade of red. The Godfather fingered through the photos for some time until he came upon one he seemed to really enjoy, and he picked it up. He smiled fondly at it, and gave a happy sigh.
"Now this one... This one is really something. Such a loving dad you have sweetheart... He would never let anything happen to you... Would he?" He said in a smart aleck voice, turning the photo for the Consigliere to see. It was one of him picking his daughter up from school, with both of them smiling as they hugged each other. The Consigliere breathed heavily from his nose as he seemed with anger.
"Why?" He demanded. The Godfather looked at him with surprise, and gave another short chuckle.
"You didn't seriously think we made risky investments without some kind of levearge did you?" He asked in an incredulous voice. The Consigliere stared angrily at him for a few seconds more, then shook his head as he slumped back down into his chair. How could he have been so naive? Of course they would have done something like this, how could he have not forseen this? Was he really so entranced by the money he was recieving that he hadn't thought of this?
"She's only ten years old..." He pleaded, suddenly filled with a feeling of shame, guilt, and fear. He couldn't let anything happen to his baby girl. Maybe he could convince the Godfather to leave her alone? The Godfather simply shrugged and sat back in his chair, spinning it slightly from side to side.
"I've seen little girls get killed as young as five, ten's twice as long. So you might consider her lucky in some cases." He said in what was supposed to be an impressed voice. The Consigliere wasn't fooled. His rage returned to him as he stood back up and slammed his palms down on the desk in front of him. He stared into the eyes of the Godfather, who still simply smiled at him.
"What have I done to warrant my daughter being threatened like this?!" He said, his voice rising in volume at every word, malice and contempt oozing out of every word that left his mouth. The Godfather simply shrugged.
"Nothing... At least, not yet." He said in a calm and collected tone, a complete opposite to the Consigilere. He backed away and growled angrily, shaking his head at the predicament he was finding himself in.
"So... You will stay with us?" He could hear the Godfather say. The Consigiliere wanted to scream at the top of his lungs every horrid thing that his mind could think up, to shout every name at the Godfather that he had heard in his life. But he knew this would accomplish nothing, and if anything, would only bring more danger onto his daughter. He sighed and looked away from the Godfather.
"Good." The Godfather said with a satisfied tone. The Consigliere looked down at the ground as he heard more files being opened, and the shuffling of papers. He let hot tears fall down his face as he realized how hopeless the situation was before him. Not only was he stuck as the mafia's informant, but now he had to worry about his daughter with every choice he made, and constantly keep a lookout for anyone within the mafia who might kill a child. He would be on a very short leash from here on out...
Little did either the Godfather or the Consigliere know, however, was that a third set of ears had heard the entire conversation. Slowly, the Spy began to make his way out of the office building, shedding his janitor disguise once he had made his way outside. The cool air blew around him as he made his way to the Sheriff's office.
He had information to share.