A/N: There won't be any Cam in this story. Not because I don't like her, but it just kind of works better without her. Sorry.
Disclaimer: Surprise, surprise, Bones isn't mine.
Chapter 3 - Facts vs Rumors
"Dellato? As in the Dellato family?" Hodgins fought the impulse to squeal, realising he'd been spending too much time around Angela. He instead settled for a more masculine, "Oh, man! Do you know what I've heard about those guys? Apparently, they once-"
Brennan cut him off swiftly, "Jack, can we save the conspiracy theories till after we know the facts please?"
Hodgins relented, leaning back on the sofa in Brennan's office. "Fine. Let's hear the facts, Booth."
Booth shot him a withering glare but read from his file nonetheless, "Dellatos, big time mob family in the 60s based in New York. Run by two brothers who were into most things - extortion, drugs, prostitution, you name it. Apparently there was some bust-up between the two, resulting in the younger one, Enzo, moving himself here to DC. Now Enzo was always the quieter of the two, preferring low profile jobs, which is why we didn't have as much on him."
"Didn't?" Brennan asked, "Why, where is he now?"
"Dead, " Booth replied simply, "Lung cancer got him about 5 years back. However, he did leave some kids," he checked his file again, "Sons, Marco, Sal and Luca, and daughter, Gina. From what I've gathered, they're following in their father's footsteps regarding a low profile as we've got almost nothing on them."
Hodgins opened his mouth but Booth continued, "Only mention of them we got is in relation to some deaths in protective custody. On six separate occasions, we took people into safehouses who had been attacked and threatened with kidnap. Each time, they were killed within one day of being there and we never found out who did it."
"How does that relate to the Dellatos?" Zach asked, not seeing a logical connection. "I mean, if they were connected to the deaths then why were they not arrested?"
"Because they weren't connected," Booth said, emphatically, "There was no physical evidence and no clear motive to link them to the crimes. The only reason their name is in our file is because it was literally mentioned. A partner or friend or colleague of each victim said that they were being targeted by the family, but no-one could prove that or find any evidence to support the claims. Hell, the agents in charge even talked to every one of the Dellato children but got nothing. Now I'd lay odds that Peter Clarke was being threatened by these guys, and they probably killed his wife to get to him, but there's no way that I'm gonna be able to prove that..."
He trailed off in frustration and Hodgins cleared his throat loudly. Booth sighed heavily, "If you must..."
"Rumors about these guys are all over the place," he began, enthusiastically, "Some are obviously exaggerated, whereas some, as my FBI buddy here has just confirmed, are true." He continued, ignoring Booth's scowl, "The Dellatos have expensive tastes and, being mobsters, they aren't going to pay for it themselves. A friend of mine, a rich friend, had the misfortune of dealing with them once and he told me exactly how they get what they want."
He paused for dramatic effect and received a sharp motivating nudge from Angela.
"My friend, who shall remain anonymous, was what they referred to as the "bullseye", meaning he had what they wanted, which in this case was lots of money. He wasn't married so they went after his best friend - let's call him John - who he'd known since childhood. One day he came home from work to find John unconscious in his kitchen with a broken arm and a note demanding that $5 million be transferred to an untraceable Swiss bank account in 24 hours. When John woke up, with no idea why he had been attacked, they also found that he had what looked like a target burned into his stomach."
Hodgins paused again, expecting a response, and was met with blank looks from his fellow colleagues. Booth suddenly nodded in comprehension. "He was the target. To get the bullseye, you, uh, hit the target," he explained, uncomfortably.
Hodgins nodded, "That seems to be their way of thinking. Anyway, my guy refused to pay, which is pretty much the standard response when someone asks you for $5 million out of the blue. 24 hours passed, during which time John was kept safe and secure inside his mansion. Then he just vanished."
"Vanishing is a molecular impossibility," Zach stated, unaware of the tension that Hodgins' story was creating.
"Well, obviously he didn't vanish, Zach," Hodgins said irritably, "But being kidnapped from a house with a million dollar security system is pretty damn close."
"What happened next?" Angela asked, lost in the story.
Hodgins shook his head, "I'm not sure. He really didn't want to go into detail after that, but the gist of it was that John was kidnapped and tortured until he handed over the money. Then the kidnappers just took off, leaving John by the roadside somewhere and giving him instructions of where to find him."
There was silence in Brennan's office as everyone tried to comprehend what they had just heard.
Brennan spoke first. "How do you know that this was the work of the Dellatos?" she asked softly.
"I just do," Hodgins replied honestly, "If I had any actual proof, then it would be in that file he's got there. As it stands, I'm just going off what I heard, but this is definitely how people say they operate. It's not always money. Sometimes they want favours, people killed, charges dropped, transport provided, or sometimes just expensive stuff, jewellery, cars, boats, but the m.o. is always the same. They attack without warning to prove they're serious, make demands, no threats needed, then kidnap and torture till they get want they want."
He indicated Booth's file, "If they contact the cops, the target is killed, and if they don't provide what they want, probably like our Mr Clarke, then the target is killed. But here's the kicker," he said, his voice dropping to a low whisper, "If they're forced to kill the first target, then they pick another. Another friend, colleague, relative, whoever, and they repeat the process, hoping the bullseye learned from their mistakes." He smiled grimly, "They've never had to repeat it more than once. They may be "low-profile" but from what I've heard, they're just as ruthless as some of their... flashier counterparts."
Booth nodded, "As much as I hate to admit it, that fits with what I have here. Plus it would explain Clarke's reaction today; he didn't give them what they wanted so they killed his wife. They must have taken someone else before he gave in, and he was too scared to tell the police in case they came back and killed the second target."
"We need proof," Temperance interjected suddenly. "This is just theorising. We need some actual evidence to support these claims."
"We won't get it from Peter Clarke," he said.
"Then I'll get it from Maria Clarke," she said confidently and walked back out into the lab.
Dr Hodgins and Dr Addy followed close behind her, leaving Angela and Booth alone in the office. Booth turned to leave but Angela put her hand on his arm gently.
"Booth," she asked, concern in her voice, "you know how these guys will do anything to get what they want?"
Booth turned to face her, sensing her worry. "What's up, Angela?" he asked, meeting her eyes.
Angela looked towards the bones on the table, which Brennan was now examining for vital clues. Swallowing hard, she asked,
"Don't we have something they want?"
You can probably see where this is going but I might have the next chapter up later today.
Again, please review, it really does help me!
