Chapter 7
Two weeks had gone by since Sabina and Kelly found themselves in the employment of Art Peralta. All three girls had a great deal of information, yet no solid evidence to link him to either the drug trading or the murders. All they had was a hunch. The girls were tired and frustrated. For the second time that week, they met at Sabrina's apartment to compare notes and see if they could find something that would help them.
"We need to catch this guy." Sabrina said miserably. "I don't know how much more of his wandering hands I can take." She groaned and rested her head on the kitchen table.
"Well, he's very good at this. I haven't seen him do anything illegal other than break the speed limit. And I don't think that would do much to convict him." Jill agreed. She had been tailing him constantly. The man must have had minions all over the city, because she had yet to catch him anywhere near even an ounce of cocaine.
Jill doodled on the pad that she had been using to jot down her notes. She drew a crude caricature of Sabrina and Peralta holding hands and slid it across the table to Sabrina.
Sabrina burst into laughter, crumpled the sheet into a ball and threw it at Jill.
"That's not funny!" she laughed.
"You know what's not funny?" Kelly piped up from her spot on the couch. "Running around all night doing this guy's work for him. That's what's not funny."
Kelly had spent the past two weeks moving "merchandise" as the store manager, Fred, called it. Fred got his orders from a CB radio, but try as she might, Kelly couldn't get him to reveal who the leader was. She was up at all hours of the night, loading and unloading boxes of cocaine. They were still waiting on a few more shipments of merchandise to come in before they would distribute it amongst the pushers. Kelly would make sure plenty of policemen would be there to help them.
But the drug bust would do no good if they didn't catch the ringleader. Kelly sighed and sprawled herself out on the couch.
Sabrina and Jill gave her a sympathetic look. Poor Kelly looked overworked and exhausted.
"It's almost over, Kell. Hang in there, we'll get something, we just have to keep trying." Jill soothed.
Kelly grumbled an unintelligible reply.
"You look tired, Kell. Why don't you go lie down in my room?" Sabrina offered sympathetically.
Kelly shook her head and sat up. "I'm fine, Bri."
Sabrina sighed. " Then, let's go over this again, maybe we'll get something." she suggested wearily.
An hour later found Sabrina and Jill nearly tearing their hair out in frustration. Kelly, worn out from her late nights, had long since fallen asleep on the couch. Not having the heart to wake her exhausted friend, Sabrina had tossed a blanket over her with the decision to wake her if they discovered anything.
Jill raised her head wearily from the table.
"So, you don't think he would keep financial records at the office?" she asked Sabrina for the third time.
Sabrina sighed.
"No, I doubt he would do something that obvious. And I already looked everywhere." she said patiently. She raised an eyebrow at Jill. " Like I said five minutes ago."
Jill rolled her eyes and crumpled up the sheet of paper she had been writing on. She turned in her chair and tossed it at Kelly's sleeping form. She giggled to herself when it caught in her hair. The trashcan was next to the couch where Kelly was sleeping and one errant toss from Sabrina forty five minutes ago had created an instant source of amusement for the two girls. Kelly had several crumpled wads of paper on and around her.
Another hour dragged on and Kelly accumulated several more wads of paper, before Jill threw her hands up in frustration.
"Sabrina! We don't even have to be doing this! There is no client! Why are we torturing ourselves?" she vented loudly.
Sabrina didn't have an answer for her. She sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose.
"I don't know, Jill." she said, shaking her head.
The phone rang suddenly, startling them. Unfortunately for Kelly, it was located on an end table a foot away from her head. She bolted upright in alarm and looked around frantically, clearly disoriented and confused by the sudden loud noise. The wad of paper fell out of her hair into her lap and she gave it a bewildered look.
Sabrina crossed over to the phone and picked it up.
"Hello?" she answered, suppressing an urge to laugh as she watched Kelly examine the wads of paper all around her with a puzzled look on her face.
"Sabrina, are Kelly and Jill with you?" Bosley's voice called out to her. There was something to his tone that put Sabrina on guard.
"Yeah, Boz, they're here." she said. "What's up?"
"Get over to the office. It appears we have a client again." he said.
"We'll be right over." Sabrina said uncertainly and hung up the phone.
"What was that all about?" Jill asked. She had moved over to the couch and was sitting next to Kelly, gently rubbing her back to calm her. Kelly hadn't quite woken up yet and still looked distressed and confused.
"He wants us at the office. He said we had a client." Sabrina explained.
"What?" Jill asked in confusion. "A client? Who?"
Sabrina shook her head.
"I don't know. I guess we'll find out when we get there." She reached over and ruffled Kelly's hair. "You ok, Sleeping Beauty?"
Kelly rubbed her bloodshot eyes and nodded her head. Her heart was still hammering away in her chest.
"Yeah. Phone scared me." she muttered. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep."
Jill laughed. "You're fine. You've actually been the most productive out of the three of us." she said.
Kelly smiled at her and plucked a wad of paper off of her lap.
"Have I?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. She threw it at Jill.
Sabrina giggled and rubbed her hands together. "Well, shall we meet this mysterious client?"
"Oh, why not?" Jill said brightly. She pulled Kelly up off of the couch and the three girls left Sabrina's apartment, curious as to who this new client could be.
They arrived at the office shortly afterwards and Sabrina and Jill anxiously hurried up the steps. Kelly lagged behind. She had fallen asleep in the car on the way over and was still unable to think clearly enough to keep up with her friends.
Sabrina went back to hurry her along and the three girls walked into the office together.
Bosley was standing, in the middle of conversation with a man whose face they couldn't see. As they entered, Bosley looked up at them. The man turned in his seat.
Moretti.
Kelly alerted instantly.
"What are you doing here?" Jill blurted out in bewilderment.
Moretti got up from his chair and walked towards them with his hands held out.
"Please, I still need your help." he begged.
The girls took in his appearance. He looked unkempt and seemed nervous and desperate.
Bosley walked over and put his hand on Moretti's shoulder.
"Why don't you tell them what you told me." he said. He gave the girls a look and took a seat. The angels warily sat down on the couch and waited expectantly.
Moretti nodded and started to pace the room. When a few moments of silence had gone by, Kelly spoke up.
"It helps to start at the beginning." she said, distaste obvious in her voice.
Moretti glanced up at her, surprised at her harsh tone. He recovered and began speaking.
"Yes. Look, I didn't want to lie to you people but I had no choice. I didn't think you'd help me if you knew who I really was." he started.
"And why is that?" Kelly asked coldly. Jill nudged her with her foot. Kelly turned to receive a admonishing look from her.
"Because I am a bad man." Moretti answered truthfully. "Or at least I used to be. I couldn't reveal my identity to the police or I'd be arrested on the spot, so I pretended to be Anthony. I moved into his house, changed my driver's license, everything." He barked a short laugh. "People always told us we could be twins." he added.
"Where is Anthony now?" Sabrina asked.
Moretti shook his head sadly and shrugged.
"I don't know, I haven't seen him since a few weeks before the shooting. We had a falling out and he took off. Just left to God knows where." He sighed. "I don't think he even knows about Vince."
Sabrina reflected on this a moment. "And Anthony had nothing to do with selling drugs?" she asked.
Moretti shook his head.
"He did, he just never got caught. Besides some stuff he did when he was a kid, he had no police record. That's why it was beneficial for me to take over his identity." He sighed and laughed nervously.
"Up until a few months ago the three of us worked together. Me and Tony did good for ourselves and Vince helped us. But then I wanted out of the business altogether. I've been busted and done time and it's cost me both my job and my fiance. I was done with it so I tried to straighten myself up. I told Tony about it and he flipped. Thought I was going to turn him in. I think that's why he split. Then a few weeks later we were attacked. I wanted to catch the killer, and I still do. That's why I took Tony's identity. I want to help. I want to see them put away." he finished emphatically. Drained by his lengthy explanation, he slumped into a chair and buried his head in his hands.
The girls and Bosley shared a wary look.
"And the drugs?" Sabrina asked.
Moretti shook his head, but didn't look up.
"I was forced to. There's a guy named Art Peralta that's running a huge drug deal. Smuggling the stuff right out of Bogota to sell here in the states. We used to work for him. If I didn't cooperate, he would have killed me." He lifted his head.
"I have a feeling that he killed my brother." he said, his face twisting in hate.
"Why would he want your brother dead?" Bosley asked.
Moretti's face darkened.
"Not Vince. Tony. He probably thought Tony was a threat to him. He had been trying to branch off his own business. He was using this kid that lived next door to him as a mule and Vince was helping him. Tony had already disappeared and I was in his house at the time. As you may have noticed, we look very much alike." he said bitterly.
Jill nodded her head. She had definitely noticed.
"He still thinks I'm Tony and that I have no clue who did it. But I'm almost positive it was him. Peralta is a sick man. He'll do anything to stay in control." Moretti continued angrily. "He used my brother and my friends as an example."
The girls were silent as they took in his explanation.
"Please, you have to help me. No one else will." he pleaded softly. "Please."
Bosley cleared his throat.
"What do you think, Charlie?"
The girls gave him a puzzled look.
"It's up to you angels." Charlie's voice came out from the squawk box. No one but Bosley was aware that he had been on the line. The angels honest opinion was important to him and he had asked Bosley to secretly put him on the line to hear what the girls had to say.
The angels shared a pained look.
"Can you help us bring Peralta down?" Jill asked, her eyes narrowed.
Moretti nodded his head, still staring at the squawk box.
"Yes. I can help you, I know how he operates."
"So is that a yes, angels?" Charlie asked.
Sabrina and Jill shared a look. Kelly refused to meet their eyes.
"Yeah, Charlie. We'll do it." Sabrina answered for them. She turned to look at Kelly, concerned by her silence. Kelly stared stonily ahead and said nothing. Sabrina bit her lip and looked back at Bosley.
"Alright angels. The plan stays the same, we'll just have a new ally." Charlie said. "Robert, where are you staying right now?"
Moretti laughed. "Everywhere I can." he said simply.
"Then I'll get you adequate lodging somewhere where you can stay under the radar until we can get everything sorted out."
"I'd really appreciate that. Thank you." Moretti said gratefully.
"I can't guarantee that your cooperation will completely clear you of all charges, but it might help."
Moretti nodded. "I don't care about that, I just want him caught."
"We'll see how things work out." Charlie said simply. "In the meantime, Bosley will drive you to your hotel. I'll book you a room under a false name. Just lay low for awhile and let the girls take care of things."
"Yes, sir. Thank you so much." Moretti said quietly.
"Well, I think it's time that we all got a good night's sleep and started fresh tomorrow." Charlie suggested. "I'll call back in a few minutes to give you directions to the hotel, Bosley. Angels? Get some rest. Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Charlie." the girls chorused.
Bosley clicked off the squawk box and leaned back in his chair, giving the girls a weary look. Moretti rose and nervously excused himself for a cigarette. Bosley watched him leave and then turned his gaze towards the girls again.
"What a day." he said drolly.
Sabrina sighed.
"Yeah." she said back. She looked towards her two friends and noticed how tired they looked. She probably looked the same way. This case was starting to mess with their heads. Sabrina studied Kelly carefully. Her friend looked pale and thinner than usual. There were dark circles under her bleary eyes and she appeared listless and exhausted. She couldn't keep this up much longer.
Sabrina clapped her hands together and rose from her seat.
"Well, why don't we call it a night, ladies?" she said cheerfully. She extended a hand to Jill and Kelly and pulled them to their feet.
"You gonna be alright, Boz?" Jill asked with concern.
Bosley smiled and nodded.
"Oh yes. We've become the best of buds." he said sarcastically. " I'll just drop him off and we can meet back here tomorrow morning."
"Are you sure, Boz?"
"Yes, Jill. Go on and get some rest, you girls look tired. Especially you, Kelly. You look awful." he said, giving her a sympathetic look.
Kelly sighed in defeat.
"Gee, thanks, Boz."
Jill smiled and threw her arm around Kelly's shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll be sure to tuck her in tight tonight."
Kelly gave her a rueful smile. "Not too tight. I have to be at the shipyard at eleven thirty. Work, work, work." she said bitterly.
The girls walked outside and passed Moretti, who quickly pulled his cigarette out of his mouth and crushed it under his foot.
"I want to thank you again for giving me another chance." he said sincerely.
"Sure, that's what we do." Jill answered with a soft smile.
He smiled back gratefully and nodded to them. "Goodnight."
The girls bid him goodnight and got into Sabrina's Pinto.
"Ok, Kell, what's up?" Sabrina asked as she pulled her car out into the street.
Kelly looked surprised. "What?"
Sabrina laughed. "C'mon. You think we made a mistake in taking him back?"
Kelly leaned her head against the window and focused on the rows of buildings as they passed.
"I'm mad that he lied to us before too, Kell. I know how you feel." Jill said, leaning from her seat in the back.
Kelly nodded.
"You think he's telling the truth now?" she asked skeptically.
Sabrina looked thoughtful.
"I think he wants to catch whoever killed his brother and he's doing whatever it takes to get it done."
"Yeah , I guess I could see that." Kelly said lightly. She leaned her head back against the window and closed her eyes.
"Well I don't trust him, but I'd rather have him here with us than off somewhere where we can't see him." Jill offered.
Sabrina nodded. "I was thinking the same thing. Plus, if he can help us then that's great. We need all the help we can get."
The girls were quiet for a few minutes.
"So are you with us on this?" Sabrina asked cautiously, watching Kelly for her reaction.
Kelly opened her eyes and looked at her.
"I don't trust him." she said flatly. "Liars lie. That's what they do. When they get caught, they lie even more."
She paused for a moment and gazed at Sabrina and Jill.
"But, yes." she went on. "Of course I'm with you on this."
Sabrina smiled at her. "Don't worry, Kell. We plan to keep an eye on him."
Kelly nodded her head.
"Oh, we will."