The Woman In Blue (Nick O'Brien Case Files)

by David G. Johnson

  Chapter Nineteen – Lupo On The Loose

  (DA’s office, downtown Manhattan, NYC)

  I roll into Jimmy’s office even earlier than last time, but the crowd of paper-pushers and legal eagles is already buzzing with activity before I arrive. It appears the excitement of last night has everyone scurrying even more frantically than usual.

  “Hiya, Jimmy. Anything new I need to know since last night?”

  “Hey, Nicky. Just trying to sort through all this mess. Lupo would have made a nice, gift-wrapped patsy for this whole scheme if he hadn’t gotten himself pinched just in time to be off the suspect list.”

  “You know, I’ve been thinking about that. When I took my little field trip to Boston, Abrams seemed pretty antsy that Lupo hadn’t returned yet. If his boss was pushing him to get back to Beantown, but Lupo still had some personal business he hadn’t finished with yet, maybe smashing up a speak-easy, getting himself nicked, and then having to wait around for arraignment might just be a good cover for sticking around the Big Apple a few more days.”

  A thoughtful look consumes Jimmy’s face. “You know, you’re right. Lupo had to know his mischief last night wouldn’t land him more than a fine and a warning. Makes sense that he intended it to buy him another day or two in the city. Right now his arraignment is scheduled for tomorrow morning. He can’t do much from a cell, though, so we might want to talk to him before he posts bail and is out and about again.”

  “So Gabriella ain’t a suspect for Tommy’s death, and Lupo is clear on killing Gabriella. I doubt Lupo has anything to do with Tommy’s death either, as guns just don’t fit Lupo’s jacket.”

  “Not only that, but that pistol they found on Miss Rosario is the same pistol that killed Tommy. I had the lab boys working all night on the ballistics, and they’re a sure-fire match.”

  I try and rub the beginnings of a headache out of my head.

  “I haven’t heard of any Boston mafia boys toting rare Japanese pistols. I don’t think we could stick Tommy’s murder on Lupo with a gallon of glue.”

  “And this doesn’t seem to unravel who wants your new sweetheart dead either.”

  I scowl at Jimmy for the jibe. “Aw, knock it off. She’s a nice girl, but she’s in this deeper than she’s telling or I’m figuring, so I ain’t getting any closer until all the cards hit the table. Besides, with the tip that Scalice might be behind the Boston heist, I figure it’s him that wants Marjorie hushed up permanently. He looks good for the lead rain in front of the New Yorker; him or his boys.”

  “So, Nicky, you think Scalice was trying to pin this all on Lupo?”

  “Maybe, or Lupo figured sitting in a cell was a good alibi, and hired somebody to take out Gabriella.”

  “You think?”

  “I do, but Thelma’s spotting a skirt really has me thinking.”

  Jimmy frowns. “Marjorie?”

  I hope not.

  “I’m not sure of anything anymore. But Scalice is tied in somehow, that much is certain.”

  “So maybe Frank Scalice is behind DeLanz’s murder, and planted the gun to make it look like DeLanz’s ex-girlfriend is guilty, then tried to frame Lupo for her death to wrap it all up in a nice package.”

  “Yeah, a nice package without him inside the box. But that don’t play right to me either.”

  “Why not?”

  “See, according to Liam, Frank’s bid to buy back in using the Boston diamonds is bust. This means Tommy never delivered the stones. Scalice is a hothead for sure, but he ain’t stupid enough to kill Tommy before he knows where the rocks are. Best I can figure somebody nabbed Tommy before he could make the drop to Scalice. There is someone else in this mix too, or I’m a monkey’s uncle.”

  Jimmy grinned slyly. “I was wondering about that zoo smell.”

  I chuck Jimmy in the arm. “You really want me to smack you around in front of everyone?”

  “In all seriousness, Nicky, we better head down to lockup before they spring Lupo. Maybe he’ll be a bit more talkative since we have a few more intelligent questions to ask.”

  “Maybe, but guys like Lupo ain’t likely to tell you whether it’s sunny or raining even if you are standing together in the park. He’s worth a squeeze, though, and maybe I can rattle him a little with the fact I talked to Abrams and know he’s overdue back in Boston.”

  “You’ve got maybe five or ten minutes,” says the officer leading Jimmy and I to the interrogation room. “We’re processing the paperwork on his bail, and then he is out of here.”

  Jimmy answers, “Thanks, officer, we won’t be long. I appreciate you arranging for us to talk with him while you clear his paperwork.” He nods and opens the door to let us into the room.

  Lupo starts grinning as soon as he spots us. “Well if it ain’t Dick Tracy and his silent sidekick. The real cops lettin’ you two play in their sandbox for a while?”

  Lupo breaks into a cackle. Jimmy, on his turf now and done with the silent observer gig, spouts off.

  “You listen here, Lupo, I’m ADA O’Brien and you’ve got a few questions to answer. You have a pretty convenient alibi for last night, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have associates you could have paid to kill Gabriella Rosario.”

  Lupo stops laughing and locks his huge hands into a death grip on the edge of the interrogation table. With murder in his eyes toward Jimmy, his lip curls into a snarl.

  “You accusin’ me of somethin’? It sounds like it. Listen up, lawman, Danny Lupo don’t kill dames, you got me? I don’t do it myself, and I don’t pay nobody to do somethin’ I won’t. Now you say that again and I’ll give you good reason to keep me locked up, like a dead lawyer.”

  I put my hand on Jimmy’s shoulder. Looks like good lawyer, bad detective switches up this time.

  I hate being the nice guy.

  “Calm down, Danny. It’s just that there was some buzz that Miss Rosario, Tommy’s ex-girlfriend, had info on Tommy’s partner in Boston. Given that some things pointed to you in that, we figured there might be more than enough reason for you to want to hush her up. Surely you see where we might get that idea.”

  Lupo relaxes as his Cheshire cat grin returns. “You dumb Micks couldn’t put together a one-piece jigsaw puzzle. I was the one that told you about Tommy’s partner. You think I’m stupid enough to rat myself out? I know nothin’ about an ex-girlfriend, but I can tell you Tommy’s partner was a dame. She wasn’t no spic, though, so sounds like somebody iced the wrong skirt.”

  The officer who brought us opens the door.

  “Mr. Lupo, you are free to go, but your arraignment before the judge is nine-thirty in the morning. If you don’t appear, a bench warrant will be issued for your arrest and your bond will be forfeit. Do you understand?”

  The officer hands Lupo some paperwork. Danny grins at us once again.

  “Sorry Tracy and Darrow, looks like our little chat is over. Good luck chasin’ your tails.” He pushes past us and leaves without another word.

  I pound my fist on the table. “Son of a …”

  “Easy, Nicky,” Jimmy interrupts me, placing a calming hand on my shoulder. “It’s not the end of the line.”

  “That’s not it, Jimmy. Did you see his eyes? Lupo’s being square with us when he says he didn’t know anything about Rosario. No way he did it, and no way he hired it done. I’ve come full circle and don’t have a single thread to follow.”

  “That’s not true, Nicky. Didn’t Lupo say Tommy’s partner was a woman? Maybe that’s who Mrs. Bronstein saw at Gabriella’s place. That’s got to be something worth following up on.”

  Yeah, but I’m not sure I want to follow where that leads.

  “Listen, Jimmy,” I exhale, shaking my head. “I’ve been burning the candle at both ends on this thing for too long. I need some time to think. I’m going to spend a nice, quiet evening alone mulling it all over. Give me a call at my office in the morning and we will see where we are then and what to do about it.”

  “Sure thing, Nicky. I
’ll try to carve out some time to look into any other female associates for Tommy DeLanz. I’ll let you know what I find. In the meantime, don’t let this all get to you like this. You’ll sort it all out. You always do.”

  That’s what I’m afraid of.

  “Okay, Jimmy, I’ll talk to you in the morning.”

  (Diamond District, Manhattan, NYC)

  Danny Lupo strolled into Galitz Jewelry Exchange causing a tinkling of the little bell above the door. The blood drained from old man Galitz’s face upon seeing Lupo, and Mrs. Galitz forced a smile as she addressed him in a nonchalant tone.

  “Nice to see you again, Mr. Lupo. What can we do for you?”

  “You look too young to be going senile, toots. Your husband, I could believe, but not you. You see, it’s Thursday and I haven’t heard so much as a peep out of you. But you know who I did hear from?”

  “I cannot imagine,” Mrs. Galitz answers.

  “Those two private eyes I told you about. Turns out one of them is an ADA, and they’re still askin’ about Tommy. So did you find out who Tommy brought the rocks to, or do I have to start smashin’ the place up?”

  Hiram Galitz stood up straight and wagged his finger at Lupo. “You listen here, Mr. Wise-guy.” Galitz’s Russian-Jewish accent twisted the w’s into v’s. “We are protected. All the families look after us, so you go strong-arm someone else. We got nothing to say to you.”

  Lupo pulled a pair of leather gloves onto his massive hands. “Oh yeah? We’ll see about that, old man.”

  Lupo brought his right hand crashing down onto a display counter, smashing the glass and scattering the shards through an assortment of necklaces and charms.

  “That does it for you, mister.”

  Galitz fumbled with a metal box beneath the counter. He opened the box and stared in dismay. Figuring the old man was going for a gun, Lupo grabbed Galitz by the front of his shirt, dragged him up and over the counter, and slammed him down onto the floor. Lupo pounded his right fist into the old man like a piston.

  Mrs. Galitz let out a scream, half terror and half rage, as she ran into the back of the store. Lupo paused only momentarily to grin after the fleeing woman before returning his attention to the nearly unconscious Hiram Galitz.

  “You starting to remember anything about Tommy yet, old man? I hope not. I’m beginning to enjoy this.”

  Arella Galitz burst out of the back of the jewelry store. In her hands was a double-barreled, sawed-off shotgun.

  “Get off of my husband, you stinking pig.”

  As Lupo started to rise, Arella let loose with both barrels square into Lupo’s chest. The recoil slammed Mrs. Galitz back into the wall near the rear exit door, and the blast hurled Lupo’s monstrous form into the display counter he had already partially smashed. The impact of the giant man finished the job he had started on the case, sending glass, jewelry and splintered wood in a huge arc behind him. Arella dropped the shotgun and ran to her husband.

  “Oh, Hiram, I’m so sorry. I should have listened to you. Are you all right?”

  The weakened and battered man, his mouth trickling blood from a busted lip, whispered, “Arella, my dear, I was a soldier in the army of the Tsar. You don’t think some Italian street rat can hurt me, do you?”

  “Oh, Hiram, you are my brave soldier. Do not worry. Mama is going to take care of this mess. You just rest.”

  Hiram closed his eyes. Arella stood, went to the corner, and grabbed a broom and dustpan. She swept up, as if nothing more serious had happened than someone dropping a brandy snifter.

  Chapter Twenty – Back to Boston

  (Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan, NYC)

  I’m sitting in my office pondering this whole dizzy mess and the implications of what Lupo told us. I’ve kid-gloved Marjorie all I can. There are just too many things pointing to her knowing something more, so I’ve got to put my feelings aside and put her on the spot. Whatever she knows needs to come out, and fast. The phone rings.

  “O’Brien Investigations, Nick O’Brien speaking.”

  “Hello, Nick. It’s Jimmy.”

  “Hiya, Jimmy. How’s tricks?”

  “Same as always. How are you doing?”

  “I’m all right. Listen, you dig up anything else on Tommy’s possible partner?”

  “No, but I do have some queer news. Lupo didn’t show this morning for his arraignment.”

  “So you figure he skipped town?”

  Jimmy pauses for a moment before answering. “Not really, Nicky. That makes no sense. At worst Lupo was due for a slap on the wrist and maybe a fine. Pocket change for him. If he skips, that means real jail time. No reason in the world I could think of for him skipping.”

  “Unless…”

  “Unless what?”

  “Unless we got played, and good. Say Lupo was in on it all along. He greases Tommy, grabs the stones, then has Gabriella put on ice while he has a rock-solid alibi to cover him for it. Maybe he figured we were getting too close to putting it all together and decided to get while the getting was good.”

  “Maybe, Nicky, or maybe Boston found out Lupo was involved and had him taken out.”

  “Either way, the answers aren’t here. I’m off to the train station. Get on the horn to Boston and do whatever it takes to get me another meeting with Abrams, today.”

  “Whoa, Nicky, that will be a trick. You rousted the DA’s man pretty good last time you were there.”

  “If it was easy, I wouldn’t need your help with it, would I? Like I said, pull in whatever favors you have to in order to make it happen. I need to look in Abrams’s eyes to see if he offed Lupo or if his disappearing act is just as big a surprise to the Beantown boys as it is to us. In the meantime, check in on Marjorie. I’ll put Chauncey on double-diligence, but he can’t leave the hotel, so it would be a big favor if you stuck a plainclothes on the hotel lobby. Have them watch for Marjorie, but tell them they are really looking for Lupo. That should take any heat from your boss off asking the cops to put a body on this.”

  “Sure, Nicky, and would you like me to stick a broom in my belt and sweep as I go along?”

  “Aw, don’t be like that. You know I’m only this bossy when I feel I’m closing in on something big. I’ll make it up to you, Jimmy, you know it.”

  “All right, all right. But you owe me big time for this one, Nicky.”

  “You’re aces, Jimmy, just aces.”

  (Abrams estate, Boston)

  As the taxi drops me off at Abrams’s place, I see McVey out front pacing nervously. Paying the cabby to wait for me, I approach McVey. He looks less than thrilled to see me.

  “I take it, Mr. O’Brien, that you are here to poke the hornet’s nest again?”

  “Nah, I’m just in town and thought I’d drop by for a drink with my old pal Abrams. No harm in that, right?”

  The skinny assistant leads us up to the door. “I somehow doubt that, but let’s try and avoid accusing him of any crimes this time, okay?”

  “Oh, no problem. I think Abrams is going to want to hear what I’ve got to say this time.”

  We enter and are escorted again to the study. Abrams is there in a reddish silk smoking jacket. There is a brandy snifter in his hand, but his pipe is missing from the picture this time. He shoots me a distracted smile.

  “Ah, Detective O’Brien, so nice to see you again. Pardon my informal attire, but I’m a bit under the weather today. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

  That fake, sickly smarminess I could do without. Someone don’t like me, I’d rather they just come out and say it. These sneaky spiders spinning lies really chafe me.

  “Actually the same investigation we spoke about last time, Mr. Abrams.”

  “Oh, really. How’s that going, detective?”

  “A little rough, actually. You see a key person of interest has gone missing. I believe you know him: Danny Lupo.”

  The eyes. You can lie with your tongue, Abrams, but your eyes tell me you didn’t expect this news.

  “Re
ally? Well I’m sure he will turn up soon. Mr. Lupo is very dependable.”

  “Yes, but you see he had an arraignment on some minor disturbance this morning, and Mr. Dependable missed his meeting with the judge. A guy with Lupo’s…experience…doesn’t seem likely to miss something like that, given the trouble it would mean for him. You wouldn’t by chance have heard from Lupo since yesterday afternoon, would you?”

  Abrams takes a deep draught of brandy and gives a subtle motion to one of his heavies standing around. The man leaves though a side door in the room.

  “No, detective, I’m afraid I can’t help you there. I will be sure and speak with Mr. Lupo about this matter when he returns. He will square everything with New York as soon as he turns up.”

  I pull a business card out of my coat pocket and hand it to Abrams. “You do that. When you hear from Lupo, please give me a call.”

  “I most certainly will, detective. Thank you for your concern and for bringing this to my attention.”

  The eyes, it’s always the eyes.

  “Good afternoon, Mr. Abrams. Thank you again for seeing me on such short notice.”

  “Anytime, detective. Please show yourselves out.”

  McVey and I leave the way we came. I see, through the window, Abrams drop my card into the smoking stand beside his chair. I thank McVey and head for the cab still waiting to take me back to the train station.

  I sit in the taxi rumbling down the street toward my train ride back to New York, facts buzzing through my mind. Abrams was as shocked as we were that Lupo had gone missing. He didn’t have Lupo bumped off, I’m sure about that from his eyes. I doubt Abrams even suspects Lupo was involved with the diamond heist. This was a long way to come just to wind up back where I didn’t want to be. I’m going to see Marjorie in the morning, and one way or the other I’m getting some answers.

  Chapter Twenty-one – Time for Answers