Chapter Eight

The early evening meeting set up in Hamilton Burger's office was so crowded that he moved it into his adjacent conference room. Russ Coffman had three men from the Los Angeles FBI office with him. Dan McGill and Mack DeConcini represented the investigative team from Las Vegas. Lieutenant Tragg brought along Sergeant Brice and two other uniformed officers from the LAPD. Burger laid out the facts of his investigation as he knew them so far. He used the flow chart that Dan and Mack put together back in Las Vegas. He highlighted only Vincenzo Sharpelli and his associates in the Las Vegas and Los Angeles areas.

"Since the murder of Marty Cameron in his father Linus's home, Vincenzo Sharpelli's been in town throwing his weight around trying to get his son, Antonio Sharpelli, off the hook for the murder. So far, he's scared off two witnesses - Linus Cameron and Gabe Bergman. A day after the murder, Bergman flew to London to work on a motion picture there, and we've heard that Cameron's in Mexico. Sharpelli's tried to break his son out of the county jail... He's tried to bully Perry Mason into defending his son in court... And now we've found evidence that he might be involved in the disappearance of another key witness to the murder of Marty Cameron... Lieutenant Tragg has been searching for leads in Angela Totman's disappearance. Today he uncovered some evidence that ties another one of Vincenzo Sharpelli's associates to Miss Totman's disappearance."

Burger passed around a photograph for the men to look at and continued his briefing. "We think that Roxy Marino, a lounge singer in several mob hangouts here in L.A., has some ties to Miss Totman's situation. We've got a warrant for Marino's arrest out of Kansas City for multiple counts of embezzlement and forgery - and authorities in K.C. have agreed to extradite her. She has numerous aliases, but we'll refer to her as Roxy Marino until we get her fingerprint card from Kansas City with her true identity."

He brought their attention back to the flow chart. "Agents McGill and DeConcini brought along some paperwork from Las Vegas that we can use here in California to at least try to detain Vincenzo Sharpelli for a few days while we put together a Federal Racketeering case on him. As you can see on this chart, Vincenzo has several associates running around town for him."

Burger then passed around booking photos for the men to view. "We're also looking for Junior Coccini and Freddy Solito. Both of them have local arrest warrants for Obstruction of Justice – in particular witness tampering. If we can put any one of these characters behind bars soon, we just might be able to come up with information on the whereabouts of Angela Totman. She's a major part of the Prosecution's case against Antonio Sharpelli and we don't want this murder case to slip through the cracks. Over the past ten years we've worked too hard to put a lid on organized crime in Los Angeles and we want to send them a message that they won't get away with this here in L.A."

Tragg took over the briefing. "Tonight we're going to fan out and see who we can put behind bars. For this operation to be a success, we need to keep this meeting completely confidential. We're trying to flush out some rats on the LAPD that have direct ties to Vinny Sharpelli, so if this is going to work, we need to keep all of our information amongst ourselves through Mr. Burger's office. The only other outsider involved in this is Perry Mason and I'll be working with him tonight. Mr. Mason is seriously considering a civil harassment restraining order against Sharpelli since he made a visit to Mr. Mason's office the other day and implied a credible threat of violence there. We can only initiate that court order if we come across Mr. Sharpelli soon. Now before we go, does anyone have any questions?"

The room was silent. Burger ended the meeting. "We'll meet back here tomorrow morning at ten o'clock for a debriefing of tonight's operation. Good luck gentlemen!"

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Perry paced back and forth in his office waiting for Lieutenant Tragg's call about where they were going to meet to try and track down Roxy Marino. It was Tragg's idea to bring Perry along because he hoped that if they came across Miss Marino, Perry's rapport with her might just soften her up to gain her cooperation in the investigation.

When his private phone line rang, Perry was hoping it would be Della calling, but it turned out to be Tragg.

"Hello, Perry. We're all set. We're going to start at one of Old Man Licata's clubs in Burbank called 'Five O'clock' and move on from there. Are you sure you're up for this?"

"I've come this far, Lieutenant, so finding out more about Miss Marino will more than satisfy my curiosity."

"Okay, Perry. I'll meet you in front of your building in ten minutes."

After hanging up the phone from Tragg's call, Perry tried to call Della's room in San Diego again. He let it ring a dozen times before he gave up on the call and left the office. He was still wondering if she'd really be returning to Los Angeles in the morning and completely canceling their weekend altogether. He knew he was in trouble but was hoping that he could at least talk to her before morning. He decided that he'd try to call the hotel desk again later and send a messenger up to her room to have her call him.

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For the first two hours of her ride from the hotel in San Diego, Della was kept on the floor in the back seat of the car that Coccini stuffed her into. When she spoke to her captors right away about her discomfort, she was told to "shut up". The night was dark and she had no idea where they were driving her to. She would see street lights occasionally, but she knew that the road that they were driving on was probably not along a major route. She thought about ways to get them to stop so that she could look around.

"Listen, gentlemen. I don't know about you, but I really need to use a restroom. If I promise not to give you any trouble, will you please find a place to stop?"

Coccini was riding in the back seat with her. He spoke to Solito. "How far before we hit that all-night diner on the route?"

Solito kept his eyes on the road but turned his head to the side to speak back to Coccini. "About another twenty minutes. We can probably use some gasoline, too. Then we won't need anymore stops before we get to the shack."

Coccini looked down at Della. "You hear that? Twenty minutes. We'll make a quick stop so don't try anything stupid. Here's how it's gonna work... You're gonna pretend to be a little tipsy and I'll walk with you into the restroom. If there's anyone in the place they won't think nothin' of it. Then we walk out the same way. You try anything and I'll put a bullet in you!"

When they stopped at the diner, Solito pulled up to the gas pump and an attendant came up to the car to put the gas in and clean the windshield. Coccini helped Della up onto the back seat and they got out of the car on the side away from the man pumping the gas. Walking towards the entrance to the diner, Della did as she was told, but tried to look for any road signs or other hints about where she was. She could only see that the name of the place was Larry's Diner and Mobil gas was being pumped into the car. Coccini had a tight grip on Della's arm and she could feel the barrel of the revolver poking into her side.

As they walked in the door she saw a few people seated in the diner and a waitress serving coffee. Nobody even looked up at them as they walked in. Coccini walked Della right into the ladies room and stood right outside the stall door while she used the toilet. When they left the ladies room, Della continued to look for hints as to her whereabouts. She only saw that she was somewhere in California and it was after ten o'clock. Coccini left Della in the back seat of the car again and told Solito to keep an eye on her while he went back into the diner. When Coccini came back to the car, he had hamburgers and coffee.

Coccini got in the back seat of the car. "Here. Take the burger and coffee. It might be the last thing to eat or drink until we get to the shack." He watched Solito go into the diner to pay for the gas.

Della shifted around on the floor of the car and accepted the burger and coffee. "Look Mister whoever-you-are, I haven't given you any trouble. Would you mind if I sat on the seat? I don't plan on jumping out or anything if that's why you have me on the floor..." She was trying to at least get a view of a highway sign to know where she was.

Coccini was eating his burger. "When we get back on the road you can move. Eat your burger till we get moving again."

When Solito returned to the car, Coccini stepped out to talk to him. "I called the boss. As soon as we get to the shack we can leave the dame with 'Fatso' and 'Dice'. We'll get a little rest at the shack then head back to L.A." Solito nodded and they got back in the car for the rest of the long drive to 'the shack'.

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Dan McGill and Mack DeConcini concentrated their investigative efforts in locating Vinny Sharpelli. Every minor lead brought them to a dead end. They tried all of the local hotels that the syndicate had major connections with, but nobody was talking. They couldn't even buy information for twice the going price.

Since they were so familiar with all of the local thugs, Russ Coffman and his team were out looking for Coccini and Solito. They went apartment to apartment talking to the women that these thugs were known to date, but they all claimed that they hadn't seen the men for weeks. By midnight, they were ready to call it a night.

They met with Dan and Mack, then compared notes on where they'd been. They all agreed on one thing – for a Friday night, things sure were quiet in the world of organized crime in Los Angeles. That made them nervous.

Back in their hotel room, Dan and Mack drank a few whiskeys and decided to get some rest ahead of what they knew was going to be a long weekend. Dan really wanted to get this case over with and get back to Salt Lake City. He finished his drink and got in bed, drifting off to sleep thinking of his girl Crystal.

Perry and Tragg didn't have any luck finding Roxy Marino in any of the mob hangouts they checked out. Perry got back to his apartment around two in the morning and poured himself a brandy. He sat in his chair and chain-smoked a half a pack of cigarettes thinking over why he was so obsessed with involving himself in tracking down Roxy Marino. Perry couldn't come up with even one good reason. He recalled Della's words about Roxy: "...she's a gun moll if I ever saw one..."

Della was always so right he thought to himself. And now he's turned what could have been a nice weekend into a disaster for them. He called the hotel and asked if a messenger would deliver a message to her room. He was told that the messengers were gone for the night and as a hotel policy, no messages could be delivered after 10pm anyway. He poured another brandy and rubbed his forehead. Slouched in his easy chair, he eventually fell asleep as a cigarette burned itself out in the ashtray on the table next to him.

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Della's long drive came to an end around two in the morning. She had been allowed to sit up in the back seat, but Coccini covered her head with one of her blazers from her luggage. She couldn't see through the covering so she still had no idea where she was. She must have dozed off because the car was stopped and Coccini was unloading the trunk when she sat up and took the cover off of her head.

Coccini opened the car door. "Get out. You're home sweet home..."

Della grabbed her purse and awkwardly stepped out of the car in her high heels onto a gravel driveway next to a dimly lit ranch house. She looked around in the pitch black night to check out her surroundings but right away Coccini grabbed her arm tightly to walk her to the house. "Grab your bag. Let's get inside before the coyotes surround us."

As they walked towards the house the front door opened and a short, chubby man wearing a gun in a shoulder holster walked out. "What took you guys so long? We were expecting you yesterday afternoon."

They walked inside the house. "Well we're here now, Fatso. I hope you've got a drink for me in here." Coccini dropped a box of canned goods by the door. He led Della further into the large sparsely-furnished living room of the house.

"Leave your bag here a second." He turned back to the chubby man who had made his way into the open kitchen area. "Hey Fatso, where's this dame stayin'?"

"She's going in the room next to the kitchen here. We secured the window in there. The only way for her to try and escape is to get by either me or Dice - and one of us will always be staying out here."

Coccini turned to Della. "So now you know why you're here. You're going to be our guest until our boss gives us the word to let you go." He pointed to her bedroom. "Take your bag in there and make yourself comfortable." He looked back to Fatso. "Did you nail the bathroom window shut, too?"

"All secure. She won't get out of here." He laughed. "And if she does, she'll be walking a long way to civilization – that is, if she survives a walk in the desert!"

A man stepped out of another bedroom and yawned as he walked into the living room. He scratched the thinning hair on the top of his head. His dress shirt was open at the collar and untucked from his pants. He had a gun in a holster on his belt. "What the hell took you guys so long?" He looked around the room and spotted Della. "Whoa. They said we'd be guarding a real doll and they weren't kidding!" He began to tuck his shirt into his pants trying to look presentable.

Coccini shut him up. "Don't get any ideas, Dice! You even think of touchin' her and you're a dead man when the boss finds out."

Dice frowned. "I wasn't thinkin' of anything like that. I just want my pay and when this job's done, I'm goin' back to the craps table..." He went back into the bunk room that he came out of.

Della still hadn't moved. She was looking around the house for a telephone. Coccini watched her checking the place out.

"What are you waiting for sweetheart? Go make yourself at home in your bedroom." Coccini found a bottle of whiskey at the bar and poured himself a drink.

Della picked up her bag and headed for her bedroom. She put her luggage down and partially closed the door. She stood behind the door and listened to the men in the living room. She was hoping that they would say something about where the ranch house was located.

Coccini looked to Fatso. "I brought another box of soup and some canned tomatoes like you wanted. If you think you need any more supplies, you're on your own. We're heading back first thing in the morning." Fatso walked over to pick up the box and put the contents of the box in the kitchen pantry.

Solito walked in the door. "I hope there's room for me in the bunk room. I'm beat." He made his way over to the bar and poured himself a shot of brandy. He swallowed it with one big gulp. "Ahh, that stuff's good...The car's ready to go first thing in the morning. We'll need gas in town on our way out."

Coccini was sitting at a large dining table. "There should be plenty of room to bunk down back there. Dice is back there right now. Have another drink, Freddy. It'll put you right out so we can get some sleep and get out of here when the sun comes up. Vinny will wanna know that we're on the way back first thing."

"Good idea, Junior. If Dice stays back there tonight, too, I'll need a knock-out drink so I won't have to put up with his snoring! Last time the boys all stayed here we were ready to toss him out to the barn!"

While the men sat in the living room drinking, Della took a small notebook out of her purse and began writing down notes. She started with names. 'Fatso, Dice, Junior, Freddy'. In capital letters she wrote down 'VINNY'. She added 'coyotes' and 'desert'. She'd have to wait to see if they'd ever mention the name of the town that they were talking about.

Eventually she sat down on the bed wondering where they were holding Perry. She wondered how these men had taken Perry against his will like her captor had said. Figuring that she wouldn't be able to make an attempt to leave in the darkness of the night, she curled up in a blanket on the bed. While worrying about Perry, she fell asleep.

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As the sun came up in Los Angeles, Dan McGill was already out of bed finishing his exercises as Mack DeConcini was waking up.

"You're a nut, Dan... I don't know of anyone that tries to stay in shape like you do..."

Dan was slightly winded. "It would do you some good to at least try a few push-ups once in a while. You never know when you're gonna need some extra muscle to get you through a bad situation."

Mack pointed to his gun setting on the nightstand between their hotel room beds. "My roscoe there is all the muscle I need to get me through a bad situation..." He got out of his bed and made his way towards the bathroom. "I'll get cleaned up while you finish your workout."

While Mack took a shower, Dan got on the phone to call Crystal. He charged the long-distance call to the room. Crystal answered her phone right away.

Dan felt good hearing her voice. "Hi babe. I hope you got my telegram..."

"I did get your telegram, Agent McGill. Are you really in Los Angeles now?"

"I am. But there's a glimmer of hope that we'll get this wrapped up soon... How are you, Crystal? Are you getting ready to go to work?"

"I'm okay, Dan... I'll be working an extra half of a shift today. I took the extra shift since I don't have anything else to do on a Saturday night..." Crystal was flirting, but Dan thought otherwise.

He thought that she sounded disappointed in him so he sounded frustrated in his reply. "I wish that this job would stop sending me all over the country at the drop of a hat. I'd give just about anything to be back in Salt Lake City right now..."

Crystal was consoling. "Just do the best that you can, Dan. You'll be back soon – I hope."

"Yeah... Right..." His defeatist attitude came through.

"Look, you sound a little frustrated right now. Maybe you should go have some breakfast if you haven't eaten yet. You'll feel better... I'm gonna leave for work right now."

Dan thought that she just didn't want to hear his whining any more. "Okay – I get it. You go do your job and I'll just go do mine. Have a nice day, Crystal!"

She suddenly felt bad that their conversation was not as pleasant as their other calls usually were. "All right Dan. Will you be able to call me later tonight?"

"I don't know... I will if I can..."

Crystal sounded defensive. "Well if it's that much of an inconvenience, don't bother..."

Dan shook his head and resisted the urge to slam the phone down. "Goodbye Crystal." Dan hung up the phone. He wondered why he was acting like such an idiot. He got down on the floor and started doing more push-ups.

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Perry woke up in his easy chair in his living room and looked at his watch right away. It was almost seven o'clock. He called Della's room right away and lit a cigarette waiting for her to answer. The phone rang about twenty times before he hung up. He decided to go and take a shower right away so that he could leave for San Diego as soon as he talks to Della. After his shower he would try her room again and if she didn't answer, he'd ask the hotel front desk to deliver a message.

When the phone rang unanswered in Della's room again, Perry called the front desk. Jack, the hotel manager, agreed to have a messenger boy deliver his message. Ten minutes later, Perry's phone rang. He was hoping Della was in a better mood.

"Hello?"

"Mr. Mason? This is Jack. We tried to deliver your message to Miss Street. She's still not back in her room."

Perry sat up straight in his chair. "What do you mean, 'she's still not back in her room'?"

"It's the same as last evening when room service tried to deliver her dinner order. They didn't get an answer so they used their pass key to bring in the food. The room was unoccupied. She's still not in her room."

Perry got concerned. She wasn't around to accept her room service order? He continued to think it over. "Thank you for checking. I'll try to call you back in a bit."

Perry hung up the phone and called Paul's answering service right away. He left a message for Paul to call him back right away. If Paul was still in La Jolla, he would send him to San Diego to check on Della. He wondered where in the hell she stayed last night. He felt a twinge of jealousy thinking that maybe she spent the night with another man just to spite him. He shook his head and dismissed that thought right away. Della could never be that spiteful.

While waiting for Paul to call, Perry made some coffee. It was thirty minutes before Paul returned his call.

"Please don't tell me that you're gonna mess up my weekend down here, Perry... I was planning to go sailing with this beauty I met down here... And why are you calling from home? Shouldn't you be checked in to the Vista Del Mar by now?"

Perry's tone was serious. "It's about Della, Paul. She should still be in San Diego but nobody can find her at the hotel. I'm getting worried. Things have changed a little around here since you left."

Perry sounded a little more intense than Paul was used to. "Okay, Perry. Take it easy. I'm about fifteen minutes away from San Diego. What hotel was she staying at?"

Perry gave Paul the information and told him to call him back in his office when he checks the hotel. Perry ran out his door to go to the office.

Paul's call came about forty-five minutes later. "I went up into the room with the manager. Della still has luggage there – a small overnight bag and a cosmetics case in the bathroom. Her purse is gone but her briefcase is still there. The gal that she drove down here with, uh, Maggie, said that she hasn't seen her since Della left the bar alone to go up to her room at about seven last night... She said that they were going to drive back to L.A. the first thing this morning."

The main phone line for Perry's office rang. "Hold on a second, Paul. My other line is ringing. It might be her!"

Perry put Paul's call on hold and answered the other line. "Mason..."

"Well, Mr. Mason. I'm glad that I found you in your office. They say that you're always available..." It wasn't Della on the line.

"Who is this?"

"I'm surprised you don't know, Mr. Mason... It's Vincenzo Sharpelli calling..."

Perry had a lump in his throat. "What do you want, Mr. Sharpelli? I thought I made it clear to you the other day that I can't help you. As a matter of fact, if you keep calling here, I'll be forced to file a civil harassment restraining order against you and your men..."

"That, Mr. Mason, would be a big mistake right now. You see, Mr. Mason, I think you'll be a lot more willing to work on my son's defense now... I'll make a deal with you, Mr. Mason... When you successfully defend my boy on his murder charges, I'll return your secretary, Della Street..."

Perry swallowed hard and paused to calm the anger he felt rising inside of him. It all became clear to him now. "If Miss Street is harmed at all Mr. Sharpelli, I'll be sure to see to it that you rot in hell - along with your son!"

"Tsk, tsk, Mr. Mason. I look forward to seeing you at the arraignment on Monday." Vinny disconnected the line.

Seething with anger, Perry got Paul back on the line. "Gather Della's things up, Paul. I need you back here right away. Sharpelli's got Della!"

TBC

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