Crescent City Detective

by Vito Zuppardo

  “Check the address, but I think that’s the house.” Mario pointed. “The white house with the yellow trim.”

  Mario stood on the porch and rang the doorbell once. He realized this was the first time in many years that he was on a date, and it wasn’t going to be Kate opening the door.

  The door opened and, looking as lovely as ever, Olivia stepped out with a yellow and white sundress and white sweater over her shoulders. “Hello, Mario,” she said.

  “You sure clean up good,” he said, thinking how he saw Olivia mostly in scrubs at work.

  “You’re starting on the wrong foot, Mario.”

  “I mean…you look beautiful—I mean wow,” Mario said.

  “Now that is a little overboard. I’ll get my purse.”

  Mario fixed a drink for Olivia and himself on the way to pick up the rest of the group. Olivia had met Dave and Zack before but had not actually formally been introduced to Pearl Ann and Emma Lou. Howard made the introductions as he opened the back door for the ladies.

  “Howard,” Pearl Ann said.

  “Yes, Miss Pearl,” Howard said.

  “Is this going to be a road trip?”

  “Well, it just might be—the minibar is well stocked.”

  “Last year Howard took us to a fundraiser at Audubon Park—turned out to be a hell of a night,” Pearl Ann said.

  The limousine made the turn into West End Park Marina. “That has to be the yacht,” Howard pointed out.

  “It’s a big one,” Dave said.

  Mario saw the name. “Yep, that’s it—Renzo II. It dwarfs every yacht at the dock.”

  “That’s the purpose of coming here. He’s showing off,” Howard said, parking the limousine across from the entrance. They were met by crew members dressed in white as you would expect and each lady was excorted onboard.

  Mario found the bar with Olivia and scanned the place. There was no one he knew or even recognized.

  “Mario? You’re off duty,” Olivia said.

  “I’m that obvious?”

  “Yes. The disadvantage for you is I’m a cop too,” Olivia said. “You’re scanning the place like you’re on a stakeout.”

  “Just checking my surroundings, seeing who the bad guys are.”

  Olivia whispered in Mario’s ear, “We’re on Lorenzo Savino’s yacht. They’re all bad guys.”

  “Your drinks, sir,” the bartender said.

  Mario pulled a few bucks out of his pocket and placed it on the bar.

  “No sir, Mr. Savino doesn’t allow tipping. You’re a guest,” the bartender said, pushing the money back to Mario.

  Mario took Olivia by the arm. She gave him a quick glance and smiled. “You said it was a date, didn’t you?”

  Olivia patted his hand. “Yes, I did.”

  They strolled the open-air deck of the yacht, going up and down steps. There were bars on each level, and the food was being passed around on silver platters by men and women dressed in captain uniforms.

  “What do you think a boat like this cost?” Olivia asked, snuggling up to Mario’s arm.

  “First you better not say boat—it’s a yacht,” Mario pointed out.

  “Apology. I mean yacht.”

  “I don’t know, maybe a million. I have no clue,” Mario said. “Olivia, no.” He saw the look in her eye as a waiter serving food approached.

  “Can I ask you a question?” Olivia said to the good looking and sharp-dressed waiter.

  “Sure, how can I help you?” he said, standing at attention with his tray perfectly steady.

  Olivia looked at Mario. “Bet you’re wrong.”

  “What do you think this boat or ship cost, whatever it’s called?”

  “The yacht was built in Finland. At US dollars, around twenty-seven,” the waiter said.

  “Twenty-seven what?” Olivia said with a blank look on her face.

  “Twenty-seven million dollars,” he said. “Caviar?”

  “No, thank you, “ Olivia said as the waiter turned to the next person. “Holy shit, Mario were you off—I mean way off.”

  “What the— Who has that kind of money?” Mario said, holding on to Olivia.

  “Apparently Lorenzo Savino.”

  “Mr. DeLuca,” said a man dressed in a black suit and tie. “My name is Gino.” They shook hands. “Mr. Savino would like to see you and your guest.”

  “Why, sure,” Mario said, quickly observing the man’s coat and the way he walked. His training told him the man sported a shoulder holster and a gun strapped to his ankle.

  “Good. Please follow me.”

  Going one set of stairs down, they were escorted to an air-conditioned room surrounded entirely by glass so you could still enjoy the scenery. Lorenzo was in the center of the room surrounded by a small group of people. Mario recognized a few that were family members.

  “Mario DeLuca!” Lorenzo shouted when Mario and Olivia stepped through the glass sliding door. “Ladies and gentlemen, this is my good friend Mario.”

  Mario introduced Olivia. Lorenzo, like a good host, introduced them both to the people in the room. Other than his sister-in-law, Lina Savino, Mario didn’t know anyone.

  “You know Lina,” Lorenzo said.

  “Yes, so nice to see you, Lina,” Mario said, shaking her hand.

  “Thank you for helping my son.”

  “Gather around,” Lorenzo said. “Let me tell you what tomorrow morning’s newspaper headlines will read: ‘Mario DeLuca takes down drug gang and stops drug distribution at Calabar Prison,’” Lorenzo said proudly, like he had assisted in the takedown.

  “I think it will read rather differently,” Mario said.

  Lorenzo took Mario to a corner of the room while Lina entertained Olivia. Another man joined them.

  “Mario, I’d like you to meet Isaac Garza, my good friend and banker,” Lorenzo said.

  “Mr. DeLuca, it is a pleasure to meet a man of the law,” Isaac said as he slipped an envelope into Mario’s hand. “Please don’t take offense.”

  “No offense taken, but what is this for?”

  Lorenzo opened his arms. “I love a modest man. My friend, what you did for this family is big. We will always be in debt to you.”

  What the fuck ran though Mario’s mind. He played along. “Why?”

  “You are a man of your word. You took care of my nephew in prison just like you promised,” Lorenzo said. “The Cornerview Gang and the Cruz family, let's call that a bonus.”

  “That’s what the little gift is about,” Isaac said.

  Mario put the envelope in his coat pocket. “Did you go to business school, Isaac?”

  “Absolutely, Northeastern in New York,” Isaac said.

  Mario looked him in the eye. “Well, you must have missed the class on how to bribe a man of the law—this envelope feels light.”

  Isaac looked at Lorenzo and they laughed. “Well maybe next time it will be a little heavier,” Lorenzo said with a smile.

  “I look forward to it,” Mario said. “What bank are you with, Issac?”

  “The Bank of Panama.”

  Mario knew the Spanish accent had to come from that area. “What bank are you within the city? After all, you can’t move money from New Orleans directly to Panama.”

  Lorenzo looked at Isaac and said, “He’s okay.”

  “No harm. I own the Delta and Homestead banks in New Orleans.”

  “What about Florida?” Mario said. By the looks on their faces, he’d pushed too hard. “Just joking. Listen to me, as long as I don’t know your direct business, we’re cool.”

  “I’m in the nightclub business,” Lorenzo said.

  “Well, if the nightclub business gets me a yacht like this, I might have to change jobs.”

  “Mario, you never know what life brings you,” Isaac said.

  “Now let's go for a ride,” Lorenzo said, waving his hand to one of his men.

  Mario found Olivia still talking to Lina, and they headed to the top deck to watch the movement of the yacht
backing out the harbor.

  Lorenzo and Issac strolled behind the guests to the top floor. “What do you think?” Lorenzo said. “I mean, he didn’t throw the envelope back at you.”

  “No, he didn’t. That tells me something about his character,” Isaac said. “Yeah, Mario is a dirty cop.”

  Lorenzo laughed. “Yep, the kind of cop we love.”

  The group gathered on the main deck and watched the yacht maneuver through the waterway so as not to make waves and swamp the smaller boats. Once in the open water, it picked up a little speed, enough to level off and make it a smooth ride.

  There were music and dancing on the outer deck, and Dave and Zack were dancing with their lady friends, though not by their choice. Mario and Olivia were working on a fancy cocktail the bartender recommended when Howard squeezed in between them.

  “Really, Howard?” Olivia said.

  “Sorry, Olivia,” Howard shot back. “Mario, did you see who was at the end of the bar?”

  A wave and a smile drew Mario’s attention. He never expected to see her here.

  Olivia thought she might be an old girlfriend of Mario’s.

  The woman approached Mario. “I love the sunglasses and that handbag,” Olivia said, captured by the woman's accessories.

  “Don’t get too excited—the outfit cost more than we make in three months,” Mario said, drinking the last of his cocktail.

  The bartender offered Mario another drink. “Absolutely.”

  “Hello Julie,” Mario said. “I never expected to see you here.”

  “Why not? We both have done work for Mr. Savino,” she said.

  Mario introduced Olivia. Howard gave her a smile.

  “Olivia,” she said, giving her a pleasant smile. “And Howard, the best bodyguard and limo driver you’ll ever need.” Extending her hand to both of them.

  “Well, I see you’ve all met each other,” Lorenzo said as he and Isaac joined them.

  “Lorenzo, how do you know this international beauty?” Mario digging for how they met, other than when he and Howard drove her to his compound.

  Lorenzo and Julie looked at each other. “We’re friends,” Lorenzo said.

  “Julie, happy to see you,” Isaac said.

  “Keeping my money safe?”

  “Always, Julie.”

  “Your drink, sir,” the waiter said, placing Mario’s glass on the bar.

  Sipping the drink Mario caught Zack from the corner of his eye. Waving him over Zack walked over to the bar.

  “All I want you to do is listen to the lady behind me talk,” Mario said.

  “Listen to her talk?” Zack repeated.

  Mario positioned Zack to Julie’s back while she and Lorenzo talked business.

  Zack made a face, and mouthed, What? I don’t get it.

  “Block out everyone else. Focus on her voice,” Mario whispered.

  Julie tapped Lorenzo on the should. “Don’t worry, mate,” she said, then walked off.

  Zack’s eyes got wide and his jaw dropped. He said, “Oh my God, that is the voice on the jet. How did you know?”

  “I suspected, and you just confirmed. She was the last person to see Dr. Ross alive. Let’s keep this to our selves for now.”

  “Mario, can I see you a second?” Lorenzo said, stepping aside from the group. Mario joined him. “Could you find time tomorrow to come over to my house?”

  “Your compound residence?”

  “Yeah.”

  “For what?” Mario said.

  “Isaac and I have something you might be interested in,” Lorenzo said, patting Mario on his coat pocket.

  “You mean another bribe?”

  “No—that was a gift. For helping out with my nephew,” Lorenzo said, grinning.

  “Lorenzo, it’s called a fucking bribe,” Mario said as his face went blank and eyes popped wide. “But if meeting with you and Isaac will get me another envelope of cash, count me in.”

  “I think we’re going to get along good,” Lorenzo said. “Tomorrow noon we’ll have lunch.”

  The sun was coming down, and Mario and Olivia sat on deck chairs taking in the lake view as the boat slowly cruised along the shoreline. There wasn’t much to see other than some old camps along the east side of the city, and some new condos built on the north shore of Slidell. The quietness of the lake as the boat cut through the water and string music coming from the bar area made for an enjoyable evening.

  “This is a long way from my lab looking at a stiff lying on a gurney,” Olivia said, taking in a deep breath of the fresh air.

  “I know what you mean. It beats looking for bullet casings in the street. While stepping over bodies, too,” Mario added.

  “This was really nice, Mario—for a first date,” Olivia said, giving him a smile. “You really know how to impress a girl without spending a dime.”

  They both laughed, and at that moment Mario took his shot and bent over the chair and gave her a kiss. It was quick, until she pulled his neck closer and gave him a kiss that curled his toes, then another kiss.

  “And what about this Julie gal? The ‘international beauty’ you refer to.”

  “You caught that? I think dating a cop might be a problem.”

  “Remember, I’m always packing too.”

  “That’s what scares me,” Mario said, and went in for another kiss.

  The evening ended, and like any good host, Lorenzo stood at the exit and thanked everyone for coming, shaking some hands and giving the ladies a goodbye kiss or a hug. Julie was one of the ladies that got a kiss as well as Isaac holding her hand down the steps.

  The first stop for the limousine was Riverside. Zack, Dave, and the ladies were partied out and ready to call it a night. Mario and Olivia took advantage of the empty limousine while Howard drove. They arrived at Olivia’s house, and Mario walked her to the door.

  “Not a bad first date,” Mario said.

  “Finally, you admit it was a date.” Olivia gave him a kiss. “Good night.”

  Mario jumped into the passenger’s seat of the limo. “Let’s go, we’re running late.”

  The limousine pulled into valet parking of the Hilton Hotel on the river. Mario and Howard took the elevator to the tenth floor.

  “Must be nice, living in a riverfront hotel,” Howard said.

  Mario gave a nod of his head. “I wouldn’t expect anything less from this guy.”

  The larger hotel suites had theme names. This one was named Rex after the parade that ran the morning of Fat Tuesday, better known as Mardi Gras. Howard knocked on the door.

  “Agent Berry.” Howard said greeting the man with a hand shake. He and Mario were escorted into the living room. The floor to ceiling windows overlooked the river and the French Quarters.

  “Great view,” Howard said, checking the surroundings.

  Commander Taylor came from a bedroom. “Must have been one hell of a party?”

  “It was,” Howard said, pouring himself a cup of coffee off the room service cart.

  Mario took a sip of coffee then slipped out of his coat. Standing in the middle of the room, he ripped the buttons off his shirt. “The tape has been itching me all night.”

  Lex Taylor and Howard watched Agent Bobby Berry use cotton balls with alcohol to carefully remove the tape holding a tiny microphone on Mario's chest. Slowly he pulled the tape holding the wire in place all the way down to the recorder taped to Mario’s upper thigh.

  “There you go,” Bobby said. “It’s above my pay grade to get any closer to get the recorder.”

  “Don’t worry,” Mario said. He reached into his shorts and pulled the recorder out.

  “How did it go?” Commander Taylor asked.

  “I think we have some good information.” Mario slipped one arm into his shirt. “We met Isaac Garza, he’s a banker from Panama.

  “We’ve had him on our radar for a while,” Lex said.

  “Julie Wong was on the yacht, too.”

  Lex looked surprised. “Really?”
r />   Mario pulled some pieces of tape off his chest. “Julie knew Isaac, I mean really knew him, and she didn’t hide his advances.”

  “You got anything major?”

  “Why, sure, Lex, you know me—I go in for the kill on the first outing.”

  “I know. You like to speed up the process. It’s a wonder you didn’t arrest both on suspicion of some bullshit.”

  “Howard and I are in. We have a meeting tomorrow morning,” Mario said. “A business opportunity, Lorenzo told me.”

  “Anything else on the tape?” Lex asked fiddling with the recorder.

  “I think we have some other goodies. Need to run the tape a few more times,” Mario said.

  There was a knock at the door, and Bobby looked through the peephole then opened the door. “Chief Parks,” Bobby said.

  “Well, you two finished partying like rock stars?” Gretchen said.

  “Sound like jealousy,” Mario said.

  Chief Parks walked to the window and looked out into the night. “Lex, how long can Mario continue to be a New Orleans detective and undercover for the DEA? Let's hand it off to Agent Howard.”

  Mario gave a look to Lex. “Chief, I got some useful information and a meeting set for tomorrow.”

  “No, Detective. What you have is hearsay until we have proof we don’t have crap.”

  “Chief, we have it on tape.”

  “Who the hell authorized a wire?”

  “I did, Chief,” Lex said.

  “Son of a bitch, Lex, you could at least keep me in the loop.”

  “You wouldn’t have agreed,” Lex said.

  “You’re right about that,” she shouted back.

  Lex gave her a concerned look then smiled. “This is the first time we got anyone this close to Savino.” “We had to move fast. Howard was there for backup, and I had two units nearby, if needed.”

  “All these people involved, but you couldn’t run it by me?”

  “Sorry. It was best you were out the loop,” Lex said, taking the chief to a chair. “Please sit down. If anything went wrong, we would have been up to our eyes balls in a shitstorm.”

  Mario saw he needed help. “Look, Chief, at this point Savino thinks I’m a dirty cop. He expects me to be hanging around Police Headquarters. Howard is the outside guy—just a limo driver friend of a cop.”