a/n: Is minic a bhris béal duine a shrón. Many a time a man's mouth broke his nose. Gaelic Proverb

Thanks to GoddessLaughs for the rockin' list of slang for drunkeness and for her words of encouragement and great Beta skills. Writers only want Betas with skills. And thanks to my other reviewer Elyse Black! I appreciate the feedback…now if only the rest of you would review!

Chapter 6

Smecker ran his hands through his hair and pushed himself away from his desk. Was nothing ever simple with these guys? He asked himself, not for the last time. Grabbing his jacket, he headed out of the office. He needed some coffee. Hell, he thought, I could use something a lot stronger than coffee.

Deciding his career would be better served if he didn't have bourbon before lunch; he made his way to the coffee shop down the street. As he walked, ideas bounced around inside his head, each pushing for his full attention. Murphy's phone call the previous night had caught him off guard. Normally, he called them with information, but last night Murphy had called asking him to check out a cop from some town in Ohio.

He had made to ask Murphy why he wanted that information, but Murphy had cut him off.

"Hopefully, you won't have anything to tell me, so it won't matter that I asked." he had said. There was something in Murphy's voice that told Smecker not to take this matter lightly.

"I'll call you tomorrow." He told Murphy and he heard the click on the other end.

The more he had thought about the phone call, the stranger it had seemed. Normally, he dealt with Connor or their Da. Murphy was too impulsive and distracted to be a key part of the information exchanges that went on before any hit. He didn't even realize Murphy knew how to get in contact with him, until the phone call.

The request was strange, too. Why on earth would Murphy MacManus want information on a cop from Ohio? Smecker had given up on sleep at about four in the morning and he'd gone into the office to do some digging.

He had not been pleased with what he had discovered. This guy, Vic Tibolla, had popped up when Smecker searched the FBI database, and it wasn't for anything good. Tibolla was under surveillance in part of a wider investigation of the local mafia.

As soon as he got back from getting coffee, he checked the clock. It was 8 o'clock; there should be someone in the Cleveland field office by now that could give him some info. He was not disappointed. The field office knew for sure that Tibolla was on the take, and they suspected he was an enforcer, as well. Smecker was trying to puzzle out the connection between this guy and Murphy, when the field agent on the other end interrupted his thoughts.

"We didn't think he was high enough on the food chain to make a visit to another family. I'm surprised he popped up on your radar."

It took Smecker a second to process what he just heard. Thinking quickly, he said, "What pretense did he use for the trip?"

"He was going to Boston after some broad. Apparently, his fiancé left him."

"Do you have a name on her?" Smecker asked, his detective brain kicking into high gear.

"Some Italian name." The agent said and Smecker could hear the rustle of paperwork. "Here it is…Luciana Della Rocco."

Smecker thanked the field agent and promised to call him if anything of note occurred. He didn't know how Murphy had come across this piece of information, but he intended to find out. The last thing they needed was another jurisdiction's involvement in this mess. For the second time that morning, he grabbed his coat and headed for the door.

---

Luciana, Murphy and Connor were having an uncomfortably silent breakfast of coffee and stale doughnuts. Connor wasn't sure of the best way to cut the tension after the previous night's discussion.

Luciana had listened to his story about Roc and gotten banjoed in the process. By the time, he had finished and she had asked a few questions, her slurring speech made it clear that she needed to go home. When they had arrived, she had thanked him for his honesty and closed the bedroom door without a second glance. He wasn't sure what he had expected, but it wasn't that.

When the banging on the apartment door broke through the quiet, Connor was glad for the distraction. Puzzled as to who it could be at that hour, Connor started for the door.

He opened it to find a disheveled Smecker. Surprised, Connor said, "Come on in."

"Thanks, Connor. Good to see you. I got the info Murphy asked about, and it's not pretty. Is he here?"

Smecker ran his hand distractedly through his hair, and Connor noticed the dark shadows under his eyes. Someone had a long night, he thought. Then it occurred to him what Smecker had just said.

"What are ye talking about? Murph called ye?" Connor asked both questions in a sharp voice. Turning towards the kitchen, he saw his brother and asked, "Murph, what the fuck?"

Murphy moved towards his brother and slapped a hand on his shoulder, turning him towards the door. "Let's talk outside. I could use a smoke."

Connor opened his mouth to protest, but Murphy squeezed his shoulder and glanced meaningfully towards the kitchen.

"Fine." Connor said, giving his twin a piercing gaze.

When they arrived on the front stoop of the building, Connor repeated his earlier statement. "Murph, what the fuck?"

Smecker was looking at both of them with a combination of disbelief and amusement. Connor ignored this and stared pointedly at Murphy.

Holding Connor's gaze, Murphy's words tumbled out in an obvious attempt at pacification. "Listen, I didn't mention it to ye last night, what with ye dealin' with the girl, but Dolly came by the bar last night."

Out of the corner of his eye, Connor saw Smecker jerk in surprise at the mention of Dolly's name. At least, I'm not the only one left in the fuckin' dark, he thought.

"Dolly said Vic," he looked pointedly at Connor. "her Vic, was down at the station yesterday. The guys in Missing Persons send him up to see Dolly and Duffy since they were the ones who officially closed Roc's case." Murphy paused to take a breath and a drag, glanced at Connor, and rushed on. "Anyway, they told me he was going to be in town for a few days, and I thought I'd have Smecker check him out. Just wanted to know if there was anything we should know, ya know?"

Connor couldn't help but chuckle. Watching Murphy squirm when he knew he was in trouble was one of his favorite activities. Connor had learned early that when in trouble, he should stand still and shut up.Is minic a bhris béal duine a shrón, is what his Uncle Sibeal had always said and Connor had taken it to heart. Murphy was the exact opposite. First he'd fidget, then he'd deny and before you could say "MacManus" he'd confessed to whatever they were getting blamed for.

Turning to Smecker, Connor said, "Obviously, there is something we should know. Yer a regular harbinger of doom, ye are. Lay it on us."

"Well, our boy has mob ties. They know he's on the take and they suspect he's an enforcer. They say he's here after his fiancé who, conveniently, is also Rocco's sister. The whole thing sounded too unlikely and I thought I better come."

"The reason my dear brother insisted so vehemently that we have this conversation outside is because the lass in question is brooding at our kitchen table as we speak."

Smecker's eyes widened slightly, but he didn't interrupt so Connor continued, "Apparently, this tosser is just an all around arse. He treated her badly and she came to Boston lookin' for Roc. She ended up at McGinty's and is currently residing with us." Connor paused, giving Smecker time to digest, then continued. "How does this fucker have mob connections anyway? I thought he was a small town boy."

"Well gentlemen, you have a lot to learn about the good old USA. The mob operates in way more places than the big cities. Youngstown is one of the last fully controlled mafia cities in the Midwest. They have their hands in everything. They control the police, city council, everything right down to the school board. Hell, right now, one of the main players in town right now is also a high school football coach, for god's sake. "

"Dontcha remember, Conn?" Murphy asked, excitedly. "We saw some show about it…City Confidential or some shite. Members of the city council even went to some mob conference in Sicily…right?" He asked, looking to Smecker for confirmation.

"All that TV you guys watch is finally starting to pay off. Here's an idea, read a book once in a while." Smecker responded, a smile playing across his face.

Connor was racking his brain for any memory of the program, but his thoughts were distracted by Murphy's next words. "This gives me an idea."

Famous last words, Connor thought to himself. Judging by the resigned look on Smecker's face, he was in complete agreement.

---

Luciana and Murphy were sitting on opposite ends of the couch. Murphy was completely engrossed with the movie and Luciana was attempting to read. Attempting is the key word, she thought, her eyes traveling to her couch companion for the hundredth time that evening.

In the few days, she had spent with the MacManus brothers Luciana had never seen Murphy be as still as he was at that moment. He would shake his foot, shuffle in his seat, or pace the room. Even if he stilled his lower body, his hands never quit. Lighting a cigarette, playing with his lighter or just hanging around the general vicinity of his mouth, they fascinated her. His tattoo and scars added so much character to body parts that seemed to have a life of their own.

Now, with him firmly planted in front of the TV, she had a chance to study him in stillness. He and Connor shared so many mannerisms that at times they almost appeared to move as one person, but when you separated them it quickly became clear how different they were.

She was just turning her eyes back to the book, when the door burst open and Connor walked in. The pink in his cheeks from the cold made him seem younger, less weary than he normally appeared. Maybe it's because we haven't had one pleasant conversation since I got here, she realized.

Connor glanced at the TV, then at Murphy who hadn't even acknowledged his entrance, then at Luciana.

"Damnit woman! Don't ye know ye can't let me brother watch The Karate Kid? He'll be cryin' afore it's over and then we'll be hearing "wax on, wax off" for the next three weeks." Connor said, glaring at her accusingly.

She giggled in spite of herself, and it quickly turned into genuine laughter when Murphy got off the couch and assumed the crane position. He proceeded to attack Connor with horribly exaggerated martial arts moves all over living room. Each attack punctuated with a loud "Hi-Ya"!

"Alright, Murphy-san!" Connor said exasperatedly evading a wild side kick aimed at his head. "I surrender!"

"That's fuckin' right, Grasshopper." Murphy said and settled himself back on the couch to finish watching Ralph Macchio kick some Cobra Kai butt.

"Oh, by the way, don't either of ye make any plans for tonight. We're going out for dinner." Connor announced and headed into the kitchen.

Luciana tried not to dwell on the fact that she had no plans at all. No plans for dinner and no plans for the rest of her life.

A/N Part 2: I am going to give fresh life to the three most under-represented characters in BDS fanfic land…Duffy, Dolly & Greenly, Boston PDs own three stooges. They get no love so I decided it was time to remedy that. They will be appearing throughout the story. Hope you enjoy!