Ric stormed out of the squad room and back to his office. He was angry, he was frustrated and he was going to put Sonny Corinthos behind bars for what he had done to his family if was the last thing Ric would ever do. He reached his office and slammed the door. He chuckled to himself and wondered what his colleague, Alexis would think about his behavior now, she'd probably send him to see the shrink.
It was back to square one with the case against Sonny. He was just hoping that after 15 years, those who were interviewed back then would be willing to talk with police now. He sat down behind his desk and reached for the file folder on this case. As he did there was a knock at his door.
"Yeah, come in!" he shouted from behind his desk. The door opened slowly and his visitor peered inside.
"I'm not going to get hit or anything if I come in, am I?" Steele joked.
"Nah, not right away, Steele. Come on in." Ric chuckled as he invited the Detective into his office.
"Look, I'm sorry about the case falling through like it did. But all is not lost, sir." Steele said as he stepped into Ric's office and closed the door.
"Not all lost? As of right now, yeah it is." Ric said as he flipped open the file folder.
"Not quite yet. I still have a few aces up my sleeve. Would you like to hear the hand I have yet to deal?" Steele replied and what he had to say certainly interested Ric.
"Sure, pull up a chair, Steele. Tell me about it." Ric replied as Steele accepted Ric's offer and sat down.
"I don't think we can get Mr. Corinthos on murder charges, but that may change in time, but what I do have is evidence, hard evidence that can convict him on numerous other charges. At least it would give us time to gather the evidence we need for that murder charge." Steele said.
"What other charges are we talking about, Steele?"
"The kind that can put a man away for the next 20 to 25 years. The kind that would consist of drug running from here to Florida and back again."
What Steele had to say piqued Ric's interest. Whatever would tie up Sonny's attorney for a while was good enough for him. It would buy them some time to gather evidence for a murder conviction.
"And how did you come about this evidence?" Ric asked as he leaned forward in his chair.
"Various sources, but mostly from digging in the right places and talking to the right people." Steele replied, though vague with his answer.
"I'm listening." Ric replied wanting to hear more.
"Friends of mine in a different precinct have folders on Mr. Corinthos, dating back 10 to 15 years, but just didn't have enough to charge him with anything in particular. Witnesses paid off, disappeared or worse. Evidence collected disappeared or not logged and fell through the cracks ... there was always something that happened to force the release of Mr. Corinthos. But all of it put together would bring some mighty hefty charges against him....perhaps Federal charges as well." Steele explained.
"I see. Am I too assume that these files are still in Florida and that by tomorrow afternoon you could have these cases for me?" Ric asked hoping Steele could get what he needed.
"Yes, I guess you could assume that." Steele smirked.
"Good .. get them for me ASAP. I want to see them right away. And while you're at it, I want all the information you can get on this 15 year old murder case. Everything, from transcripts from the court files to witness statements to the evidence that was logged in. I want to know if Sonny Corinthos got a parking ticket in Florida during the time he was there!" Ric ordered.
"You got it. It might take a while for some of it but I can get it to you." Steele replied knowing his mission was a large one but it could be done.
"Good .. I expect full reports from you by tomorrow afternoon."
Steele nodded in acknowledgement of Ric's request and got up from his seat.
"Don't worry, we'll get him, sir." Steele added before he left Ric's office.
Ric felt a little better after his conversation with Detective Steele. One way or another he was determined to file charges against Sonny Corinthos that would stick. He could feel it inside him, it was going to happen very soon.
After leaving Ric's office, Zander found himself sitting on the docks for a while. He sat alone on the bench just looking out over the choppy waters. The breeze had picked up and the water rippled in and out against the pier. He decided he had stayed long enough in town, it was time to go back to the cabin and be with his family. He reached in his jacket pocket and pulled out his cell phone.
"Marcus ... can you pick me up at Pier 33? No, everything's fine, I'd just like to go back to the cabin now. Thanks." Zander flipped the phone closed and stuck it back in his pocket. He sat on the bench till he saw the headlights of his limo approaching. He got up and walked towards the car as Marcus got out and went to open the back door for him.
Marcus drove Zander back to the cabin where Emily was waiting for him. She greeted him on the front porch as he walked up to her.
"Hey, how did it go?" she asked as he pulled her into embrace.
He sighed heavily. "Not well. I don't think they have much of a case against Sonny. Not unless Ric can find some new evidence to present."
He could see in her eyes that she was disappointed. "I'm sorry, Zander. I know you were expecting some good news." she said somberly as they walked into the cabin together.
"Yeah I was and I know Ric was too." he replied as he sat down on the couch. "All we can do now is wait to hear from Ric, which might take a while till he has something concrete to take to court." he added.
"Well, I know Ric, he's not going to stop till he gets a conviction. He's bound and determined to get Sonny and he won't stop till he does." she said as she sat down with him.
They snuggled together on the couch for a while till they heard Devon from upstairs. "I'll go ..." he said as he got up from his seat. Emily smiled and watched as he went up the stairs. She knew Devon would be able to put a smile back on Zander's face, he always did.