Chapter 4
Olivia and Elliot went out to talk to the partner of the father, later that afternoon. Ballistics came back on the gun while they were out, so John took the call. Fin was down in fingerprinting, so John went to tell Cragen the info.
"So, all the bullets matched. They came from the same gun, the one we found at the scene. The husband didn't have a gun registered in his name and neither did the wife. It was however registered to a James Cane, the wife's brother. He died two years ago in a supposed Russian mob hit. It was never proved who did it though. Neither one of the parents has any living family and the brother wasn't married." John explained to the Captain. Fin knocked on the door a few seconds later, and the Captain motioned for him to come in.
"What did you find out from printing?" Cragen asked.
"Not much. All the fingerprints were from the family except one, a partial that we ran. It came up as a match to one Venchenzo Sombiani, an Italian mob boss." Fin answered.
"Great now we have nothing and two connections to separate mobs, Russian and Italian. Call Liv and Elliot. See what they've found out from the business partner." Cragen ordered. John and Fin nodded and headed back to their desks.
"What's he men a connection to the Russian mob?" Fin asked.
"Apparently the wife had a brother, who was supposedly killed by the Russian mob, but it was never proved and the case went cold." John answered as he dialed Olivia's cell.
"Benson." She answered.
"What did you find out from the business partner?" John asked.
"Not much. He didn't have any enemies. He was a good business man, never made anyone mad. He was polite, charming, easy-going. Guy was a regular angel." Olivia answered. "What did you guys find?"
"Two connections to different mobs. One is cold though. Ballistics matched all the bullets, but the gun was registered to a dead brother, who is our cold connection to the Russian mob. Printing got a partial off the gun and matched it to an Italian mob boss. Our boy Venchenzo Sombiani." John responded.
"Great. Well we're on our way to the wife's work."
"See you when you get back." John hung up the phone and Fin just looked at him. "They got nothing out of the partner. Apparently the husband was your average charming angel in a business suit." Fin laughed.
"Angel my ass. Let's go find Sombiani and see what he has to say and get some one to pull the financial records for the company." John nodded and told the Captain what they were up to.
They reached the address of Venchenzo Sombiani a half hour later. They knocked and were greeted by the maid.
"Is Mr. Sombiani in?" Fin asked as he and John flashed their badges,
"Yes sirs. Please wait here." The maid answered and left them in the entryway.
"Well, that was easy. Now let's see if we can get him to talk." Fin said quietly. John nodded.
"It's easy to get in, harder than hell to get out." He said just as quietly. Fin watched John closely. He looked cool and collected as usual, but there was something in his voice that worried Fin. Just then Mr. Sombiani walked down the stairs to greet them.
"Detectives. How may I help you?" he said after they introduced themselves.
"Do you do any form of business with Sonic-Boom?" John asked.
"No, I do not believe so. I might have stock in the company though. I would have to ask my broker." Sombiani answered.
"Do you know Jackson Taylor?" John questioned again.
"Yes. He is a good friend of mine and owns half of Sonic-Boom. What does he have to do with anything?"
"Well he killed his family then committed suicide." Fin answered this time.
"That's such a tragedy. Has anyone made funeral arrangements? I know they didn't have any family."
"No but the reason we're here is because we found a partial print on his gun which belonged to you." John said.
"I'm not surprised. I was there last week. Jack and I got into a discussion about guns. He showed it to me. A 9 mm Glock, wasn't it?" Sombiani asked smugly. He looked like he knew he had done something wrong and was positive he was going to get away with it. Fin and John saw this.
"Was anyone else there besides you and Mr. Taylor?" John asked.
"Yes, I believe Uri Ivanov was there as well. He was included in the conversation."
"Where were you yesterday, around noon?"
"In my office. You can verify that with my accountant. He arrived around 11 and we worked until 2."
"We'll need his name and address."
"Of course. His name is Samuel Long. Here is his card." Sombiani fished a business card out of his desk.
"Thank you for your time." John said. He and Fin headed back to the station.
Olivia and Elliot were already at the station when they returned.
"Did you guys find anything out from the wife's associates?" Fin asked.
"No. She was also a regular angel. According to her associates, she was an excellent business woman. She gave to charities and she didn't have any enemies. Our late Mrs. Taylor was apparently just as charming as her late husband." Elliot answered.
"What did you get from Sombiani?" Olivia asked.
"His excuse was that there was at a party thrown by the late Mr. Taylor." Fin answered.
"Yeah well our buddy, Uri Ivanov, was there as well, except we have no proof of that. Sombiani could be feeding us a line." John added.
"Wonderful! Are there any more mob bosses we want to add to this case?" Cragen said exasperatedly. "John you and Fin go talk to our friend Uri. Olivia, Elliot, go pull the financial records for the company and the family." The detectives went off to do as they were ordered.
Fin and John arrived at the restaurant of Uri Ivanov, about an hour later. Fin let John do the talking, knowing full well that John would understand Ivanov better.
"Mr. Ivanov, we're from the police department. I'm Detective Munch and this is my partner Detective Tutuola. We'd like to ask you a few questions." John told Ivanov when he greeted them at the door.
"Of course gentlemen. Come. Let's talk in my office." Ivanov led them to the back of the restaurant. "Now, what questions can I answer?"
"Do you know Jackson Taylor?" John asked.
"Ah. Yes. He is a good friend. I was at a dinner party with him just last week." Ivanov answered.
"Do you know Venchenzo Sombiani?"
"Yes. He was also at that party. He is an acquaintance."
"Where were you around noon, yesterday?"
"Here at the restaurant. It's our busiest time."
"Thank you. We won't take any more of your time." John and Fin headed out the door. They decided to talk to Samuel Long and headed to his office.
"Is Mr. Long in?" Fin asked the secretary sitting out side Longs office.
"Yes sir. Let me buzz you through." The secretary buzzed Long and showed them into his office.
"What can I do for you gentlemen?" Long asked.
"Your client Venchenzo Sombiani, were you with him yesterday around noon?" Fin asked.
"Yes. We were working on his finances from 11 until 2." Long answered.
"Thank you." Fin said and he and John headed back to the precinct.
They informed the Captain, Olivia and Elliot of what they had gotten out of the accountant and Ivanov. Their case was going cold. John and Fin worked paper work and Cragen finally sent them home around 7 saying they needed to get out of the station and come back in the morning with clear heads.
"John, you want to get a drink?" Fin asked as he put on his coat.
"Yeah, sure. I think I could use a couple." John answered.
"Come on. I know just the place." Fin started out the door and John followed.
They got into Fins car and John just stared off in to space not saying anything. Fin was worried about him. He reached across the console and put a hand on John's thigh. John started for a moment and looked down. He saw Fin's hand and covered it with his own, giving it a gentle squeeze. They held hands until they reached Fin's apartment. Fin led him up and John collapsed on to the couch. Fin went to the kitchen and grabbed two beers. He returned and sat next to John and handed him one. John looked at him. Fin reached out and took his hand again. No words were spoken. They understood that they just needed to be together. The case was brutal and sick, but they had seen worse. It was just frustrating that they weren't getting anywhere with it. John sighed and leaned his head back against the couch.
They sat like that for an hour drinking their beers. When they were finished, Fin took the bottles and tossed them in the garbage bin, before hauling John to his feet so that they could go to bed. They made love that night, slowly and gently, all night long. John cuddled up to Fin. They fell asleep in the early morning. John was the first to wake up. He felt a little better and hoped that he could look at the case with fresh eyes.
"Bout time you woke up." Fin said quietly in his ear.
"Yeah well, not all of us morning people like to wake up at the crack of dawn." John quipped, his voice muffled by sleep and Fin's chest.
"Morning person…" The rest of Fin's sentence was cut off by John's lips on his.
"Yeah I know. Your ass." John finished for him. "Come on. We need to get up. We have a case to solve." John got up and padded to the bathroom completely naked and unselfconscious. Fin followed a minute later.
They were on their way to work 15 minutes later, deciding to hold off on fooling around in the shower, and save it for when they had time to enjoy it more. On their way to the station, John got a call from Cragen.
"Munch." John answered.
"John. We have a situation. There's a Mexican standoff between Sombiani and Ivanov. They're outside the Taylor's house. Get over there. Olivia and Elliot are on their way." Cragen said.
"Yeah, we're on it." John hung up. "Fin head to the Taylor's house. There's a standoff between Sombiani and Ivanov."
"Got it." Fin made a quick u-turn and headed the other direction. They arrived at the house to find Olivia and Elliot with their guns drawn and pointed at Sombiani and Ivanov. They were trying to talk the two men into laying down their weapons but weren't having much luck. Sombiani was yelling at Ivanov and he was yelling back.
"Why did you kill him and his family? What did they ever do to you? They were like my own family." Sombiani screamed.
"Why did I kill them? I don't know what you are talking about. He was to me as a brother. Why did I kill them? I think you killed them." Ivanov yelled back.
John and Fin drew their weapons as well. John got tired of listening to the two men scream at each other.
"Will both of you shut up and drop your weapons." John ordered. Both men stopped yelling and seemed to just realize that the police were there. They dropped their guns a second later. Elliot picked them up and handed them off to an officer.
"Now that we have your attention, will you tell us what the hell is going on and why you're waving gun at each other?" Olivia asked.
"He killed Jack and his family. Some stupid vendetta against Lily's brother who has been dead two years. He lies about being close to them and loving them as family." Sombiani stated.
"I did not kill Jack. And I loved Lily. She asked me to kill her bastard brother and I did because I loved her and would do anything for her. I would never hurt her." Ivanov argued. "Lily and I were having an affair for the last year. She was going to leave Jack and be with me. She was supposed to tell him the day she died."
"One more motive for Mr. Taylor, except someone held a gun to his head." Elliot stated. They heard a laugh from behind them. It had a hysteric edge. A young woman was standing there holding a gun. She was pointing it at Ivanov and the detectives. She said something in Russian and the detectives looked to John for translation.
"I think she said, 'How dare you do this.'" John said.
"I did nothing Katarina. What are you talking about?" Ivanov asked in English.
"How dare you fuck that bitch and desecrate the memory of my mother? Well now you can't anymore. I made him do it. Did you know that he begged me to just kill him, but where's the fun in that. He couldn't keep her happy and she went after you, Daddy. So I made him satisfy her and her children. They should be happy now. I killed them with his gun and made him watch. He was so devastated. He took his own life to be with her, the whore. He went willingly to her they way you should have gone with Mommy." Katarina stated through her tears as she cocked the gun.
"I had to take care of you baby. You were so young…."Ivanov tired to placate his daughter.
"I was 17 Daddy. I would have been fine. She needed you more. She still does." Katarina aimed more carefully at her father.
"Katarina stop. Don't you think the pain and death needs to stop somewhere? Please put the gun down. You don't really want to kill him. He's your father." John stepped forward trying to get Katarina to calm down. She pointed the gun at him. Fin was sweating it and moved to step forward but John motioned for him to stay where he was. John wasn't wearing a vest, none of them were. Fin knew that if he pulled that trigger, the bullet was going to rip straight through John's chest. John took another step forward and Katarina was sobbing now.
"Go away. Let me kill him. He needs to be with Mommy."
"No he needs to be with you. You don't want to hurt him." John was standing directly in front of her, the gun and inch from his chest. He reached for the gun and gently took it from her hand and handed it back to Fin. Fin had to think for a moment what to do. He released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding and took the gun. He had come too damn close to losing his partner and his lover. They cuffed Sombiani, Ivanov and Katarina
Ivanov admitted to killing Lily Taylor's brother and was charged with pre-meditated murder, 25 to life. Katarina was charged with five counts of murder and coercion to sexually assault. She was sentenced to 50 years, for each murder to run consecutively. Sombiani was charged with carrying a concealed weapon, carrying an unregistered weapon, brandishing a fire arm in public, and disturbing the peace. He spent minimal time in jail and was released for community service.
Olivia and Elliot went out to talk to the partner of the father, later that afternoon. Ballistics came back on the gun while they were out, so John took the call. Fin was down in fingerprinting, so John went to tell Cragen the info.
"So, all the bullets matched. They came from the same gun, the one we found at the scene. The husband didn't have a gun registered in his name and neither did the wife. It was however registered to a James Cane, the wife's brother. He died two years ago in a supposed Russian mob hit. It was never proved who did it though. Neither one of the parents has any living family and the brother wasn't married." John explained to the Captain. Fin knocked on the door a few seconds later, and the Captain motioned for him to come in.
"What did you find out from printing?" Cragen asked.
"Not much. All the fingerprints were from the family except one, a partial that we ran. It came up as a match to one Venchenzo Sombiani, an Italian mob boss." Fin answered.
"Great now we have nothing and two connections to separate mobs, Russian and Italian. Call Liv and Elliot. See what they've found out from the business partner." Cragen ordered. John and Fin nodded and headed back to their desks.
"What's he men a connection to the Russian mob?" Fin asked.
"Apparently the wife had a brother, who was supposedly killed by the Russian mob, but it was never proved and the case went cold." John answered as he dialed Olivia's cell.
"Benson." She answered.
"What did you find out from the business partner?" John asked.
"Not much. He didn't have any enemies. He was a good business man, never made anyone mad. He was polite, charming, easy-going. Guy was a regular angel." Olivia answered. "What did you guys find?"
"Two connections to different mobs. One is cold though. Ballistics matched all the bullets, but the gun was registered to a dead brother, who is our cold connection to the Russian mob. Printing got a partial off the gun and matched it to an Italian mob boss. Our boy Venchenzo Sombiani." John responded.
"Great. Well we're on our way to the wife's work."
"See you when you get back." John hung up the phone and Fin just looked at him. "They got nothing out of the partner. Apparently the husband was your average charming angel in a business suit." Fin laughed.
"Angel my ass. Let's go find Sombiani and see what he has to say and get some one to pull the financial records for the company." John nodded and told the Captain what they were up to.
They reached the address of Venchenzo Sombiani a half hour later. They knocked and were greeted by the maid.
"Is Mr. Sombiani in?" Fin asked as he and John flashed their badges,
"Yes sirs. Please wait here." The maid answered and left them in the entryway.
"Well, that was easy. Now let's see if we can get him to talk." Fin said quietly. John nodded.
"It's easy to get in, harder than hell to get out." He said just as quietly. Fin watched John closely. He looked cool and collected as usual, but there was something in his voice that worried Fin. Just then Mr. Sombiani walked down the stairs to greet them.
"Detectives. How may I help you?" he said after they introduced themselves.
"Do you do any form of business with Sonic-Boom?" John asked.
"No, I do not believe so. I might have stock in the company though. I would have to ask my broker." Sombiani answered.
"Do you know Jackson Taylor?" John questioned again.
"Yes. He is a good friend of mine and owns half of Sonic-Boom. What does he have to do with anything?"
"Well he killed his family then committed suicide." Fin answered this time.
"That's such a tragedy. Has anyone made funeral arrangements? I know they didn't have any family."
"No but the reason we're here is because we found a partial print on his gun which belonged to you." John said.
"I'm not surprised. I was there last week. Jack and I got into a discussion about guns. He showed it to me. A 9 mm Glock, wasn't it?" Sombiani asked smugly. He looked like he knew he had done something wrong and was positive he was going to get away with it. Fin and John saw this.
"Was anyone else there besides you and Mr. Taylor?" John asked.
"Yes, I believe Uri Ivanov was there as well. He was included in the conversation."
"Where were you yesterday, around noon?"
"In my office. You can verify that with my accountant. He arrived around 11 and we worked until 2."
"We'll need his name and address."
"Of course. His name is Samuel Long. Here is his card." Sombiani fished a business card out of his desk.
"Thank you for your time." John said. He and Fin headed back to the station.
Olivia and Elliot were already at the station when they returned.
"Did you guys find anything out from the wife's associates?" Fin asked.
"No. She was also a regular angel. According to her associates, she was an excellent business woman. She gave to charities and she didn't have any enemies. Our late Mrs. Taylor was apparently just as charming as her late husband." Elliot answered.
"What did you get from Sombiani?" Olivia asked.
"His excuse was that there was at a party thrown by the late Mr. Taylor." Fin answered.
"Yeah well our buddy, Uri Ivanov, was there as well, except we have no proof of that. Sombiani could be feeding us a line." John added.
"Wonderful! Are there any more mob bosses we want to add to this case?" Cragen said exasperatedly. "John you and Fin go talk to our friend Uri. Olivia, Elliot, go pull the financial records for the company and the family." The detectives went off to do as they were ordered.
Fin and John arrived at the restaurant of Uri Ivanov, about an hour later. Fin let John do the talking, knowing full well that John would understand Ivanov better.
"Mr. Ivanov, we're from the police department. I'm Detective Munch and this is my partner Detective Tutuola. We'd like to ask you a few questions." John told Ivanov when he greeted them at the door.
"Of course gentlemen. Come. Let's talk in my office." Ivanov led them to the back of the restaurant. "Now, what questions can I answer?"
"Do you know Jackson Taylor?" John asked.
"Ah. Yes. He is a good friend. I was at a dinner party with him just last week." Ivanov answered.
"Do you know Venchenzo Sombiani?"
"Yes. He was also at that party. He is an acquaintance."
"Where were you around noon, yesterday?"
"Here at the restaurant. It's our busiest time."
"Thank you. We won't take any more of your time." John and Fin headed out the door. They decided to talk to Samuel Long and headed to his office.
"Is Mr. Long in?" Fin asked the secretary sitting out side Longs office.
"Yes sir. Let me buzz you through." The secretary buzzed Long and showed them into his office.
"What can I do for you gentlemen?" Long asked.
"Your client Venchenzo Sombiani, were you with him yesterday around noon?" Fin asked.
"Yes. We were working on his finances from 11 until 2." Long answered.
"Thank you." Fin said and he and John headed back to the precinct.
They informed the Captain, Olivia and Elliot of what they had gotten out of the accountant and Ivanov. Their case was going cold. John and Fin worked paper work and Cragen finally sent them home around 7 saying they needed to get out of the station and come back in the morning with clear heads.
"John, you want to get a drink?" Fin asked as he put on his coat.
"Yeah, sure. I think I could use a couple." John answered.
"Come on. I know just the place." Fin started out the door and John followed.
They got into Fins car and John just stared off in to space not saying anything. Fin was worried about him. He reached across the console and put a hand on John's thigh. John started for a moment and looked down. He saw Fin's hand and covered it with his own, giving it a gentle squeeze. They held hands until they reached Fin's apartment. Fin led him up and John collapsed on to the couch. Fin went to the kitchen and grabbed two beers. He returned and sat next to John and handed him one. John looked at him. Fin reached out and took his hand again. No words were spoken. They understood that they just needed to be together. The case was brutal and sick, but they had seen worse. It was just frustrating that they weren't getting anywhere with it. John sighed and leaned his head back against the couch.
They sat like that for an hour drinking their beers. When they were finished, Fin took the bottles and tossed them in the garbage bin, before hauling John to his feet so that they could go to bed. They made love that night, slowly and gently, all night long. John cuddled up to Fin. They fell asleep in the early morning. John was the first to wake up. He felt a little better and hoped that he could look at the case with fresh eyes.
"Bout time you woke up." Fin said quietly in his ear.
"Yeah well, not all of us morning people like to wake up at the crack of dawn." John quipped, his voice muffled by sleep and Fin's chest.
"Morning person…" The rest of Fin's sentence was cut off by John's lips on his.
"Yeah I know. Your ass." John finished for him. "Come on. We need to get up. We have a case to solve." John got up and padded to the bathroom completely naked and unselfconscious. Fin followed a minute later.
They were on their way to work 15 minutes later, deciding to hold off on fooling around in the shower, and save it for when they had time to enjoy it more. On their way to the station, John got a call from Cragen.
"Munch." John answered.
"John. We have a situation. There's a Mexican standoff between Sombiani and Ivanov. They're outside the Taylor's house. Get over there. Olivia and Elliot are on their way." Cragen said.
"Yeah, we're on it." John hung up. "Fin head to the Taylor's house. There's a standoff between Sombiani and Ivanov."
"Got it." Fin made a quick u-turn and headed the other direction. They arrived at the house to find Olivia and Elliot with their guns drawn and pointed at Sombiani and Ivanov. They were trying to talk the two men into laying down their weapons but weren't having much luck. Sombiani was yelling at Ivanov and he was yelling back.
"Why did you kill him and his family? What did they ever do to you? They were like my own family." Sombiani screamed.
"Why did I kill them? I don't know what you are talking about. He was to me as a brother. Why did I kill them? I think you killed them." Ivanov yelled back.
John and Fin drew their weapons as well. John got tired of listening to the two men scream at each other.
"Will both of you shut up and drop your weapons." John ordered. Both men stopped yelling and seemed to just realize that the police were there. They dropped their guns a second later. Elliot picked them up and handed them off to an officer.
"Now that we have your attention, will you tell us what the hell is going on and why you're waving gun at each other?" Olivia asked.
"He killed Jack and his family. Some stupid vendetta against Lily's brother who has been dead two years. He lies about being close to them and loving them as family." Sombiani stated.
"I did not kill Jack. And I loved Lily. She asked me to kill her bastard brother and I did because I loved her and would do anything for her. I would never hurt her." Ivanov argued. "Lily and I were having an affair for the last year. She was going to leave Jack and be with me. She was supposed to tell him the day she died."
"One more motive for Mr. Taylor, except someone held a gun to his head." Elliot stated. They heard a laugh from behind them. It had a hysteric edge. A young woman was standing there holding a gun. She was pointing it at Ivanov and the detectives. She said something in Russian and the detectives looked to John for translation.
"I think she said, 'How dare you do this.'" John said.
"I did nothing Katarina. What are you talking about?" Ivanov asked in English.
"How dare you fuck that bitch and desecrate the memory of my mother? Well now you can't anymore. I made him do it. Did you know that he begged me to just kill him, but where's the fun in that. He couldn't keep her happy and she went after you, Daddy. So I made him satisfy her and her children. They should be happy now. I killed them with his gun and made him watch. He was so devastated. He took his own life to be with her, the whore. He went willingly to her they way you should have gone with Mommy." Katarina stated through her tears as she cocked the gun.
"I had to take care of you baby. You were so young…."Ivanov tired to placate his daughter.
"I was 17 Daddy. I would have been fine. She needed you more. She still does." Katarina aimed more carefully at her father.
"Katarina stop. Don't you think the pain and death needs to stop somewhere? Please put the gun down. You don't really want to kill him. He's your father." John stepped forward trying to get Katarina to calm down. She pointed the gun at him. Fin was sweating it and moved to step forward but John motioned for him to stay where he was. John wasn't wearing a vest, none of them were. Fin knew that if he pulled that trigger, the bullet was going to rip straight through John's chest. John took another step forward and Katarina was sobbing now.
"Go away. Let me kill him. He needs to be with Mommy."
"No he needs to be with you. You don't want to hurt him." John was standing directly in front of her, the gun and inch from his chest. He reached for the gun and gently took it from her hand and handed it back to Fin. Fin had to think for a moment what to do. He released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding and took the gun. He had come too damn close to losing his partner and his lover. They cuffed Sombiani, Ivanov and Katarina
Ivanov admitted to killing Lily Taylor's brother and was charged with pre-meditated murder, 25 to life. Katarina was charged with five counts of murder and coercion to sexually assault. She was sentenced to 50 years, for each murder to run consecutively. Sombiani was charged with carrying a concealed weapon, carrying an unregistered weapon, brandishing a fire arm in public, and disturbing the peace. He spent minimal time in jail and was released for community service.
