Chapter Twenty-Three
"If the jewels are at the house," Chief Collig replied, "then I suggest we get ourselves moving. I want to get to Tannen before someone else does." He gave Vincenzo Martinelli a curt look.
"Hey," the mobster held his hands up defensively, "I'm not the one you should be worried about. I'm only here to make sure Fen and his family are safe. I don't want to see Tannen hurt any more than you do. I'm curious about the jewels anyway."
The chief was about to say something when Biancci's laugh echoed in the hallway. The group turned to see the mobster limping down the hall, escorted between two officers. Two more officers followed closely behind.
"If you think Vinny ain't gonna go after Tannen," Biancci smirked, pointing a handcuffed hand toward him, "then I have a ticket for the Titanic to sell ya. That's the whole reason why he's here, ain't it?"
"You little worm!" Martinelli yelled, lunging for Biancci though Fenton stopped him. He stepped back and straightened his suit though Fenton kept watch on him. "I'm cool, Fen. Angelo just needs to shut his mouth!"
"Hey!" boomed Collig. "Knock it off!"
"He's lying!"
"Is he really, Vinny?" Fenton asked, studying him. "He could be telling the truth for all we know. Are you going to go after Tannen?"
"I already said 'no,' Fen," he grumbled, glaring at Biancci. "I don't have any qualms with the guy. Why would I? The only thing I do have a problem with is Angelo. He went after someone close to your family. I don't like that."
"And you're the picture of innocence!" laughed Biancci. The officers holding on to him stopped beside Collig, awaiting orders.
"More innocent than you."
"That's enough," Fenton ordered, coming between the two again. "Why would you care about anyone close to us anyway, Vinny? We haven't been on the best of terms in years."
"Yeah, why don't you tell him about 'the rule?'" Biancci spoke out.
"What rule?"
"It's nothing, Fen," Martinelli shrugged.
"Is that a fact?" Fenton glanced at his two old friends. "Tannen kept telling us that we weren't going to be harmed. He even said that what happened to Laura was an accident, that she wasn't supposed to die. Then Nick and Marco reiterated the sentiment by telling us that Nancy was more expendable than we were. What did they mean by that?"
The mobster smiled in a way that would put anyone at ease, except for Fenton who knew the man better than anyone in the room. The private detective quirked an eyebrow at him, giving Martinelli a dubious look.
"I did what I thought was best," Martinelli replied when he realized that Fenton wasn't giving up.
"Vinny!" Fenton yelled. "What did you do?"
"I was protecting you and your family, Fen!" Martinelli cried. He glanced at Frank and Joe who were watching them intently. "You would have been dead if it weren't for me! And those two wouldn't be the good kids that they are without you around! Rossi was going to have you bumped off when you started poking your nose in his business but I convinced him not to! When he…" Martinelli stopped, looking warily at Collig who was listening intently. He lowered his voice as he continued. "When Rossi disappeared, I took over and made sure that everyone knew you were not to be touched unless they wanted to deal with me personally. I respect you, Fen, and I didn't want to see you hurt. I put the rule in place to make sure others didn't come after you like Rossi wanted to. And what happened to Laura was an accident!"
"Wait," Frank demanded, coming close to the mobster. "How do you know that? You said that you only found out about the jewels recently."
The man smirked. "Yeah, I knew of Tannen but I had no idea why he went after you Hardys. He called me for help not long after the accident. He assured me it was an accident but he said nothing about no jewels eight years ago."
"How did he know to call you though, Vinny?" Fenton inquired.
"Yeah," Biancci snickered, watching the scene, "how did he know to call you?"
"Shut up, Angelo!" Martinelli yelled, his voice booming in the hall. He turned back to Fenton. "I'm not here to cause trouble, Fen. Like I said, I'm curious about the jewels. What would cause a kid from the Bronx to go after someone he knew he shouldn't, all for a few jewels?"
"Tannen's from the city?" Fenton interrupted. "He didn't sound like it."
"That's because his family moved away…after his old man was killed. If you want to know the whole story, you'll have to ask him. He's a good kid, that Tannen. I don't think he had any intention of hurting anyone. At least not eight years ago. Something freaked him out to cause him to come after you again."
Biancci laughed loudly. "And he should be with who wants those jewels!"
"Get him out of here!" Collig ordered.
"Mark my words, Fen," the mobster continued as he was pulled down the hallway. "There ain't nothing that's going to stop what's coming! You might wanna look around at the ones you love because…"
The last part was cut off when the door slammed shut and the hallway was quiet once again.
"I'm not liking what I'm hearing, Fenton," Collig replied grimly.
"Me neither, Ezra," the private detective shook his head. He glanced around the hall, stopping at both his sons and Nancy who were all standing together, watching him.
"You think he's telling the truth?" the chief asked.
"You can tell Angelo is scared. I'm just not sure what to do at the moment if we don't know who the buyer is."
"Well, I'm heading to the station," Collig sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It's about the only thing I know to do next. I want to make sure that Tannen is safe and Biancci booked."
"I want to hear what Tannen has to say, Ezra," Fenton pointed out. "I need to hear it."
"I know you do," his friend nodded, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You'll get the chance. Head home for now. Let the boys freshen up and I'm sure Ms. Drew wouldn't mind a change of clothes either. I already called Gertrude to let her know you're safe. She's waiting at home for you along with Ms. Bender. Find the jewels then come to the station after you're cleaned up." He looked at Martinelli then leaned in close to Fenton. "And ditch the mobster. He's up to no good."
"I trust him, Ezra…for now. I know what I'm doing with Vinny. He won't try anything while I'm around."
"Okay, Fenton," Collig raised his hands in defeat. "It's your call. If I were you though, I'd keep my eye on him."
"Don't worry," Fenton glanced at Martinelli, "I will."
"Oh, thank goodness you're okay!" screeched Gertrude, the moment Fenton opened the door to the Hardy residence. She embraced her brother before he was able to respond to her. "You had me worried sick! Why I let you do this to me is beyond me!"
"Trudy, l-let go," Fenton gasped, squirming under his sister. When she finally let go of him, he straightened his already mangled suit while glaring at her. "I really hate it when you do that!"
"Then don't go and get yourself into trouble," the woman scolded, pointing a finger at him, "or I wouldn't have to worry."
Joe snickered, watching the scene between his father and aunt. His eyes went wide in alarm when Gertrude turned her sights on him but he was saved when a voice cried out behind her.
"Joe!" cried Vanessa who rushed up from the kitchen. She practically knocked him down as she hugged him. Joe held her tight as she mumbled, "I thought I'd never see you again!"
He tenderly kissed her forehead. "I'm okay. It's okay."
Vanessa glanced at Frank as she pulled away from Joe. She turned back to her boyfriend and smiled. "It's good to see you two together again. Joe never stopped talking about you, Frank."
Frank gave Joe a curious look. "Oh, really? And what kind of things were you saying, Joe?" Nancy hid a smile behind her hand when the younger Hardy's face turned a deep shade of red.
Joe's mouth moved up and down though nothing came out. "I…I just said a few things." He sighed, looking at his girlfriend with contempt. "You just had to say it out loud, didn't you?"
"I just thought Frank would like to know how much you missed his big brother," the girl shrugged, her grey eyes sparkling with mischief. "That's all."
"Oh, so you really did miss me?" Frank laughed.
"I…I may have missed you at some point," his brother stammered.
"And bad-mouthing him was your way of saying that?" Fenton chimed in.
"Oh, come on!" Joe cried. "I said I was sorry. What more do you want?"
"We're only teasing you," his father smirked, wrapping an arm around him and pulling him close. Fenton then pulled Frank toward them and the three embraced as a family. "It's good to have you home, Frank."
"Good to be home, Dad," his oldest son answered.
"It's good to have you all home," Gertrude smiled. Her face suddenly turned red in anger as Martinelli came through the front door followed by two officers. "Fenton! What is he doing here?"
"Now, Trudy…" Fenton began but Martinelli interrupted him.
"Gertrude Hardy," the mobster simpered, taking her hand. Gertrude's eyes went wide in horror though she didn't object verbally. "Long time. You are the same as you were the last time I saw you."
The woman tensed, snatching her hand back. "You have some nerve coming here! You haven't changed one bit. What's going on here, Fenton?"
"I'm just here to help, Trudy," Martinelli smirked, not letting his old friend speak. "I wanted to make sure Fen and his boys were home safe."
"I highly doubt that, Vincenzo," she snorted. She jabbed a finger at him accusingly. "You're up to something. You don't help others. You only help yourself."
"Why does no one trust me?"
"Because we don't," Joe retorted.
"Still? After everything I said? I can't win with you people."
Nancy leaned toward Frank and whispered something in his ear. "Seriously?" he asked, giving her a confused look. Nancy folded her arms and gave him an annoyed look.
"What did she say?" Joe asked.
"That we should trust him," he replied begrudgingly. He looked at Martinelli. "Can we trust you?"
"Why not?" Vinny said pleasantly. "Your father trusts me and he knows I'm not a liar. Personally, I hate it when people lie to me. It doesn't end well for them."
"I'll bet," Gertrude rolled her eyes. She settled on Nancy and gasped, suddenly noticing the young woman's tattered clothing. "Oh, dear me! What happened to your dress, dear? Oh, this simply will not do!" She took Nancy's hand and then glared at Fenton. "First, Vincenzo shows up, now this? You should be ashamed!"
Nancy bit her lip, sending a pleading look to Frank as Gertrude guided her toward the stairs.
"I think she can handle it herself, Aunt Trudy," Frank replied, seeing Nancy's reaction.
"Oh, pish posh!" the woman waved her hand dismissively. "No lady should be forced to wear a ruined dress like that! And I don't see any of you offering to help her. Besides, if Nancy objected she would have said something by now."
"But..."
Gertrude huffed away with Nancy in tow. Joe snickered as they passed but stopped the moment his aunt gave him a dirty look. "Care to say something, Joseph?"
"Um, no, ma'am," he stammered, straightening himself.
"That's good because I'm sure that if it were Vanessa who had this problem, you would be concerned, am I right?"
"Oh, I am concerned about Nancy, Aunt Trudy. Like you said…" Joe coughed as if holding back a laugh. "'No…lady should be forced to wear a ruined dress.'"
"Good. You might want to take care of yourself, too, Joseph."
The color drained from Joe's face, watching the two women go up the stairs with Gertrude softly telling Nancy something while patting her hand. The moment they were gone, Frank started laughing while both Fenton and Martinelli shook their heads.
"She really hasn't changed," the mobster chuckled.
"That woman," Fenton grumbled.
"God, she scares me," Joe shivered.
"Obviously," Frank laughed, clapping a hand on his brother's back.
"I'd better go make sure Nancy doesn't get overwhelmed by Aunt Trudy then," Vanessa chimed in. She kissed Joe's cheek before scrunching her face in disgust. "Maybe you should take your aunt's advice, Joe. You really do stink."
"Not you too!" Joe cried, his shoulders slumping.
"I'm just telling the truth," she said sweetly before she climbed the stairs, following Gertrude and Nancy.
Frank leaned in close to his brother. "You might want to take care of that before we sit down to eat," he said softly. "You know Aunt Trudy."
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Joe grumbled, slowly heading for the stairs.
"I guess I'll go change as well," Fenton announced. Before he reached the bottom step, he turned to Frank. "I won't be long."
The moment his father was gone, Frank gave a side glance to Martinelli who was looking at him. Without a word, the young man walked to the back of the house where the kitchen was where he poured himself a glass of water. Martinelli soon followed while the officers remained at the front of the house.
"Would you like a glass of water, Mr. Martinelli?" Frank asked, not glancing at the man as he entered the room.
"No, I'm good. Thank you for asking though." Martinelli looked around the kitchen, studying the yellow walls and white cupboards. "Looks like Laura decorated this place. She always had good taste."
"What is it that you want, Mr. Martinelli?" the young man said after drinking some water. "We're all safe. You came here for a reason."
"You're just like your old man," the mobster chuckled, "wanting to know everything and nothing gets past you."
"There's nothing more to tell you. I've said everything I could say."
"I know," he nodded, taking a seat at the table. "I just…uh…wanted to talk to you alone."
Frank remained standing at the counter, his eyes narrowed. Something was up and he didn't know what it was but he wasn't about to get within a few feet of the mobster. "I don't know anything."
"I think you do. Benjamin Worley, ring a bell? Is it true that he was hiding near your friend?"
"How do you know about that?"
"I have my ways, Frank. I'm not gonna hurt anyone if you're worried about that. Not my nature to do that when I already know the answer. I just want to hear it from you."
"I found it!" came Joe's voice from upstairs, interrupting the conversation.
Frank set the glass in the sink and headed for the door but Martinelli was quicker, grabbing his arm to stop him. The young man looked into the man's eyes.
"Is Benjamin Worley in Chicago?" Martinelli said softly. "I need to know."
"Yes," Frank stated after a brief pause. "But he didn't kill your son and nephew."
"I know Worley did!" Martinelli snapped through gritted teeth, his anger quickly rising. "He's the only one who was there!"
"Please, let go," he calmly asked, looking down at his arm. Martinelli blinked several times before letting go of Frank's arm. "I haven't had the chance to tell Dad yet. He needs to know just as much as you do. I don't even know if Nancy said anything or even Tannen. I will tell you everything you want to know when we're done dealing with the jewels. Just give me this time, please."
The mobster looked down at the ground then nodded. "You're a good man, Frank. Just like your father." He took a step back. "He was the best of us, you know that? Between Angelo, me, and your father, Fen was the best. He had more integrity and pride than I ever could. When my son was killed, my wife blamed me because I put Vito in that position. My nephew was already well-established in the family and knew what he was doing. Not my Vito. He wanted to go see what he was going to be doing in the future, thinking that it was how I got to where I was. I only wanted Worley to stop bootlegging in my territory before I had to have him killed. Then my son was killed for no reason. I haven't forgiven myself since."
"I haven't forgiven myself for what happened to Mom," Frank admitted. "It was my fault but I realized that I couldn't control what happened. I still have to live with the guilt but I'm ready to heal. Mr. Martinelli, killing Benjamin Worley is not going to bring back your son or your nephew. Let justice handle it. I could have killed him myself after what he and his son did to Nancy and her father but I know that he's not going to get away with it. There are still good people out there who want justice to prevail. Benjamin Worley's son is the one who killed Vito and your nephew. He snuck up on them and shot them before they even knew he was there. They went by the Hartleys in River Heights and I'm going to make sure that they never get out of jail to harm anyone else."
"Frank?" Joe called from the bottom of the stairs. The older Hardy looked up to see his brother coming toward them. "Didn't you hear me? I found them." He stopped when he noticed the friction in the air between Frank and Martinelli. "Did I interrupt something?"
"No, we were just talking, Joe," Frank quickly answered.
He took the bag from his brother and pulled out a long box. Joe whistled as Frank opened the box revealing a stunning diamond and sapphire necklace nestled inside. The jewels shimmered in the light of the kitchen. The sapphires were interspersed among the dazzling diamonds in what looked like classic, white gold design, accentuating the natural beauty of the gems. Frank set the box on the table before pulling out a small box. Inside was a large diamond ring of about two carats with smaller diamonds lining the band. Sighing, Frank set the box next to the other one and took a step back.
"Woah," Joe replied, still staring at the jewels. "How did you ever think that these were fakes?"
"Looking at them again, Joe," Frank shook his head, "I have no idea."
Author's Note:
My apologies for taking so long to get this out. If it ever happens again, make sure you check the reviews because sometimes I do post a note there to let you know what's going on. It's been a hectic few weeks plus I've been trying to finish this thing for the past few days. I'd edit something then I'd hate it and re-edit and the cycle continued over and over again. Plus my youngest had eye surgery over a week ago so my concentration was on her leading up to it and past it. Everything turned out okay and I was more worried than she was! But the wonderful thing is that her eyes are more focused than ever before (she had a lazy eye and the eye muscles needed to be fixed). It is so awesome to know what doctors can do to fix things like this and it's a blessing that we had the opportunity to do this. Anyway, I hope that you enjoyed the chapter and, if you will, please leave a review to let me know what you think! I will do my best to get out the last few chapters more quickly than this. Thank you all for the continued support! Have a great week and God bless!