Chapter 35
Wild Boys
Joe Morell didn't come home. He didn't show up at work. He's not answering his phone. No one knows where he is. No one has seen or heard from him since he left his mother's home last night. They've made inquiries about the cases he's on. They've read the witness's statement. They've asked around. They've searched his apartment thoroughly. They found nothing. All his things are still there. Nothing seems to be missing. He doesn't have close friends. He doesn't have sworn enemies. There's no evidence that he was there when Terry was killed. His sudden disappearance is all the proof Vito's gonna need. Things can become tricky if Morelli's already out of town. But they are not worried. They are very good at finding missing persons. They have contacts everywhere. They know how to make people talk. Now they just have to find Joe Morelli before the cops link the dots together and finally get the picture. They are very good at making people disappear, too, by the way. They are pros.
Angie Morelli starts trembling violently as the men get in the car and drive away. She locks the door with a shaking hand and bursts into tears. She covers her mouth and swallows a sob. She doesn't want to scare her mother-in-law. She's sorry for Terry's death but she doesn't know what happened to Joe. She doesn't know where Joe is. She doesn't know what Joe did. She knows what kind of man Vito Grizolli is, and she knows she has every reason to be afraid. She always, always knew Terry was trouble. She always, always knew one day Terry would get Joe killed. Now that Terry is dead, Vito is going to blame it on Joe. And she doesn't even know Joe and Terry were back together. She thought they broke up for good years ago. She thought Joe was looking for someone else. She thought Joe was ready to settle down. It breaks her heart that all Joe told her was lies. Lies, nothing but lies... and the coldness in his eyes...and the darkness that lurks within his smile...What happened to that sweet darling child? What happened to that beautiful little boy? Angie closes her eyes as suddenly the pain becomes too much to bear. It was her fault. All her fault. She should have tried to get some help when he first started causing trouble in the neighborhood. She should have...she should have...No. It's not too late. There's still chance. She has to try her best to save Joe's life. She has to tell the police everything she knows. She has to help the police find Joe before Vito does and keep Joe safe. He's too young to die. He deserves another chance. Angie takes a deep calming breath, wipes away her tears and reaches for the phone. Joe has nothing to do with Terry's death. She's sure of that...
Vincent Plum isn't pleased. He knew his father-in-law had been planning something. However, killing a dirty cop is one thing; making Vito Grizolli's niece a casualty of war is a completely different story. And once the ugly truth is out of the bag, all Hell will break loose. Vito Grizolli has no mercy. Vito Grizolli will want revenge. Vito Grizolli will want Lucille die a slowly painful death. And he, Vincent Plum, the man who knows too well what he's capable of, will have to do everything and anything he can to keep Lucille safe. Things won't be pretty. Trenton will become a battleground. Buildings are gonna burn. Cars are gonna crash. Countless people are going to die all kinds of violent deaths. The few survivors are going to hold grudges for a long long time. And his hands will be covered with blood. And that will break Lucille's heart and shatter her soul. No amount of prayers can ease her pain. She won't be able to stop crying. She won't be able to forgive her father or herself. She will never be happy again.
He lets out a sigh and looks down at his long slender hands. He's good with guns and knives, but right now he just wants to strangle Joe Morelli with his bare hands. Terry Grizolli died in front of Stephanie's door. Sooner or later people will start asking all kinds of questions. Sooner or later people will start remembering all those meaningless little things. Sooner or later Vito will learn about Morelli's obsession with Stephanie. Sooner or later Vito will decide to go after Stephanie. And he, Vincent Plum, a sensitive, quiet, peace-loving man, will have to do his best to protect his favorite cousin. Or his mother will kill him... A sly smile breaks on Vincent's lean fox-like face. Luckily, he knows someone who may help.
And luckily, he knows Ranger likes Stephanie. A lot.