The Genesis Chamber

by Beighton Devlin

  “As is his daughter, Jennifer, who remains in the hospital by her father’s side as she is treated for shock and minor abrasions. Investigators are not looking for anyone else in connection with this truly fascinating case. We wish Detective Cooper and his family a speedy recovery, and will follow this story with great interest, I’m sure.”

  Franco looked incredulously at the screen for a few moments, then looked at his remaining bodyguard. “Something ain’t right here.”

  “Boss?” The stooge looked quizzical.

  His employer didn’t elaborate. He simply put his hand inside his jacket and pulled out a money clip, peeled off a hundred dollar bill, and placed it on the table. “Hey, Mikey, I’m out of here. Keep the change!” he shouted to the bartender.

  “Everything all right, Mr. Baresi?” the barman asked with a look of concern on his face.

  “We’ll see, Mikey,” he answered, as he walked towards the door without looking back. “We'll see.”

  The Genesis Chamber

  Chapter 48

  It was an overcast morning as Maria and Travis pulled into the parking lot of the Orlando Sunny Vale Crematorium. Even though it would be another hour before the service began, the place was quite busy, with a large number of mourners milling around, waiting for the Cooper family to arrive so they could pay their respects and pass on words of comfort.

  As she got out of the passenger side of the vehicle, she noticed well-suited men heading in her direction. She immediately recognized one of them as Tony, the stooge she’d had the pleasure of grounding with a swift kick to the groin at her house. She glanced around to her partner, who was making his way around the car to join her.

  “Who are these two?” he asked, as he stood next to her.

  “It’s okay, I think,” she muttered under her breath to him. “Just keep calm.”

  Unsure as to what they wanted, she quickly assessed the situation while casually placing her hand on the handle of her gun. As the thugs got closer they eyeballed the male detective, then turned their attention to Maria.

  “Detective Hernandez.” The larger one of the two stepped forward. “Mr. Baresi would like a word with you.” He paused and looked at her partner. “Alone.”

  “Franco Baresi?” Travis asked, while trying to look over the man’s shoulder in the direction of a stretched Mercedes limousine that was parked away from all the other vehicles in the lot. “Sorry to disappoint you, and Mr. Baresi, but anywhere Detective Hernandez goes, I go.”

  Tony stepped forward to get in the detective’s face. “Mr. Baresi said he wanted to speak to the organ grinder. He never mentioned her monkey.” He started laughing and turned to his associate to encourage him to join in.

  “Tell you what, guys.” The officer squared up to him. “How about this monkey arrests you and Mr. Baresi for threatening a police officer?”

  The two thugs looked at each other, then back to Travis. “We didn’t threaten anybody, Detective Travis.”

  “That’s not the way it sounded to me,” he said through gritted teeth.

  “I think you have the wrong idea here.” The goon smiled at him and took a step back and held his hands up to diffuse the growing tension. “Mr. Baresi merely wants to extend his congratulations to Detective Hernandez on a job well done.”

  “Okay, that’s enough, you guys.” She stepped between them. “Travis, wait here with your new friends, I’ll be right back.” She looked at the thug who had previously knocked her out. “Tony, watch your balls; he kicks like a mule.” She gave him a cheeky wink and walked towards the black limousine.

  As she got closer, the rear passenger window slid down and Franco Baresi came into view for the first time. He signaled for her to get in the other side.

  She entered the vehicle as instructed and sat back in the plush leather seat. The mobster was watching the developing news story regarding the terror attack in New York on a TV in the headrest of the seat in front of him.

  He casually pointed at the screen. “Terrible business, this. Some people just baffle me, Detective.” He shook his head and watched the end of the report before turning off the TV and giving her his full attention. “So, how are you holding up, Detective Hernandez?”

  “Well, I’ve been better. It’s been one hell of a few weeks. What do you want?” she abruptly said.

  “Coop said you were direct.” He laughed and looked out of the window. His eyes narrowed and for a brief moment, she thought she could see tears forming. “I really miss that guy. One hell of a man.”

  She sat quietly, studying him for a few seconds. “What was the deal with you and him?”

  He turned his attention back into the car. “There was no deal. He was my friend, my best friend. It’s as simple as that.”

  “I can’t get my head around it. Coop was a good cop. How did he end up being friends with a notorious gangster?” she asked.

  “Wow, he wasn’t exaggerating about your bluntness,” he exclaimed. “Don’t spare my feelings over here.” He smiled at her. “What you have to bear in mind, Maria... is it okay if I call you Maria, by the way?” He awaited an answer.

  “Sure, why not.” She shrugged. “I mean, you’ve already been a guest in my house, so why not dispense with the formalities altogether?” She looked him in the eye.

  “Again, sorry about that. But I had to make sure you were as on the level as Coop said you were.” He looked back out of the window. “Back to your question about how Coop and I remained friends. He knew what I did, and I never flaunted it in front of him. What you have to bear in mind is, it was a different world back in our day. It wasn’t like these gangbangers today, killing indiscriminately. We kept the streets free of the scum; innocent people felt safe. The only bodies that ever turned up . . .” He looked back at her. “I’m not claiming responsibility here. I’m just saying, that might have been traced back to me, were all bad guys.” He smiled and winked at her. “We were friends long before we took to our chosen professions. We looked out for each other. To the point where if Coop had someone he couldn’t touch legally but knew they were guilty . . .” He paused and nodded. “He would call me with a name, and I would take care of it.” He faced her again.

  “You were a hit man for a cop?” She shook her head. “And what price did he have to pay for that?”

  “No price, Maria. Like I said, I ran the neighborhood. It was in my best interest to keep low-lifes out. Coop’s only reward was from the PD as the crime rate went down.” He laughed.

  “So, what is it you want from me?” She was starting to get bored with the conversation.

  He rubbed his chin and stared out of the window again. “Coop said you were good. He said you could be trusted.” He paused and turned back to her. “He also said if anything happened to him, he wanted me to keep an eye on you.”

  “I’m a big girl, I can look after myself.” She laughed.

  “Yes, you certainly can.” He nodded. “But let’s just say, you may be needing my help in the not too distant future, and I just want you to know that I'll be at your disposal.”

  Her eyes narrowed. She looked at him questioningly. “Why me? Why not Andy?”

  He took a deep breath. “Just because he is his father’s son, it doesn’t make him the same man.” He paused for a moment, as if giving her a moment to think about what he had just said. “Coop had his reasons for asking for me to look out for you and not Andy. I have my reasons for obliging.”

  “This whole thing sounds very intriguing. Why me and not his own son?” she persisted.

  “Today is not the day for explanations, Maria. Just know that anytime you need me, you just call me. Okay?” He handed her a card. It looked different than the one he had given her previously. “That’s my personal number. You can get me on that anytime.” He slid the window down a little more. “The remaining Cooper family will be arriving shortly. You never know who is watching, so it’s probably best you return to Detective Travis now, before we’re seen together.”

  S
he studied the card, then slipped it in her jacket pocket. She opened the car door and put one leg out, ready to leave.

  “Just one more thing, Maria,” he stopped her. “Be careful who you confide in. There is a lot going on that you are not aware of. Detective Travis seems to be above board, from what we can ascertain. But, I would think long and hard before revealing anything to any of your colleagues.”

  Maria shook her head as she got out of the car. Once outside, she ducked her head back in. “This is all a little too cryptic for me.” She half-laughed. “As for watching out for me, if I see you or any of your goons around me, my partner or my friends, I will put several bullets in you.” She stepped away and closed the door.

  She walked back to her partner, who was standing, peering over the shoulder of Tony.

  “Everything okay?” he asked her as she got closer.

  “Everything’s fine,” she said, not breaking her stride. “Like they said, Mr. Baresi just wanted to congratulate me on my outstanding police work. Isn’t that right, Tony?”

  The bodyguard turned around to make his way back to the waiting limousine. “That’s correct, Detective.”

  Before he could take a step, she landed her foot in his groin again, sending him to the ground.

  “Holy shit, Maria!” Travis was flabbergasted. “What the fuck?”

  “That’s just to be perfectly clear.” She leaned over him. “Stay away from me and everyone associated with me. Understand?”

  The stooge rolled on the ground, groaning in agony.

  Franco could be heard laughing loudly from inside the vehicle. He loved this girl already! he shouted to his driver.

  She straightened up and walked past her partner. “Next time, don’t pussy around. That’s how you deal with these numb nuts.”

  There was an overwhelming look of joy on the male detective’s face as he backed away from the writhing goon and caught up with his partner. “You are so cool.” He beamed in admiration.

  “Shut up!” she snapped, and continued to join the gathering mourners.

  ***

  For the second time in just over a month, Sunny Vale Cemetery was filled with mourners attending a service for the Cooper family. The service was drawing to a close, and the sound of bagpipes filled the air, creating an even more somber atmosphere and drowning out the continuous sobbing and weeping from the anguished congregation.

  The attendees seemed to be segregated into two groups. The Cooper family and close relations, and the AppTech staff. All were there to mourn the fallen computer executive.

  Cathleen sat feet away from the casket, flanked by Kim and Amber. Standing behind her were her surviving son and granddaughter, holding each other’s hand tightly for comfort.

  The instrumental salute came to an end, and the mourners began to file past the grieving mother and his widow, offering their condolences. When the congregation had passed, Kim and Amber helped Cathleen to her feet and guided each other towards the waiting funeral cars, followed by her offspring.

  Maria walked briskly to catch up with Jen and her guardian. “How are you two holding up?” She spoke with sincerity.

  “We’re okay,” he replied, without taking his attention away from his mother. “I just want to get today out of the way.”

  “I’ve got some good news,” she informed him.

  He stopped and looked at Jen. “Why don’t you catch up with Grandma, I’ll be with you in a minute.”

  She didn’t speak. Instead, she nodded and carried on, with her head bowed. The female detective watched her walk away.

  “Is she okay?” The concerned look on her face signaled she was genuinely worried about the girl.

  “She’ll be fine.” He looked her in the eye. “This is a hard time for her. What’s the news?”

  “We’ve officially closed the case,” she answered. “Millers family didn’t want anything to do with him when they found out what he had been doing, so the state has cremated the body.”

  “That’s a load off.” He afforded a half-smile and continued walking.

  “So, when are you thinking of coming back?” she continued, scurrying after him. “We all miss you in the office.”

  “I’m not sure I’m coming back,” he calmly said as he marched on, keeping an eye on his family. “After all my family has been through in the last few weeks—”

  “You can’t leave the force!” she interrupted him. “What will you do?”

  “I don’t know.” He stopped and looked at her. “Chris… Chris has left me everything. I need to spend some time with the family.” He gazed into her eyes for a moment, then walked on to catch up with his clan.

  He caught up with them as they reached the lead vehicle and helped his mother into the back. He stepped aside to let Jen get in next to her grandmother when Cathleen held her hand up, stopping the youngster from going any further.

  “Would you mind if I spent some time with my son, sweetheart?” the matriarch said calmly.

  “Oh, of course.” Jen sounded a little perturbed. “Is everything okay, Grandma?”

  “Yes, fine, sweetie.” She gave her a reassuring smile. “I just need a moment with him.”

  Jen backed out of the car and into the arms of her mother. “Come on, we’ll follow in the car behind.”

  Cathleen signaled for her son to get in and sit next to her. He slowly entered the car and positioned himself between his mother and the open door.

  “Close the door,” she ordered, as she looked out of the opposite window.

  He closed the door and sat back in the seat. “You okay, Mom?” he asked.

  “Oh, I’m fine,” she answered, continuing to gaze at the mourners as they made their way to their own vehicles.

  There was an awkward silence, which made him shift slightly in his seat. “What’s on your mind?”

  “It’s been a terrible time.” She waved at a mourner who bowed his head as he passed. “This family has had a lot of heartache of late.” She paused, making him feel a little more uncomfortable. “I’ve buried my husband. I’ve buried one of my sons. It would be unbearable if I lost you, too.”

  He turned to look at her. “That’s not going to happen, Mom.”

  “And I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure that it never happens.” She spoke assertively, still watching the outside world. Then, without warning, she turned to look him straight in the eye. “You know, I’ve been going through some of your father’s papers I found in the garage.” She looked deeper into his eyes. “What happened in the cabin is very similar to a case file he had there. Almost identical. Would you know anything about that?”

  He shook his head. “No. You know Pops never talked about his work to anyone, let alone me.”

  “Well, you know what he was like.” Her harsh gaze mellowed. “He would only ever discuss his work with other cops.” He looked a bit unnerved. “One more thing,” she continued. “There was only two ways I could tell you two apart.”

  He shifted uncomfortably in the seat. “How’s that?”

  She looked deeper into his eyes. “Glasses.”

  His heart began to beat faster. “And the other?”

  “Wedding bands.” She said calmly. He suddenly moved his right hand over his left hand to hide his wedding finger. “You may want to address that at some point.” They maintained eye contact for what seemed like an eternity. “When your brother passed, I spent a lot of time with him at the funeral home.”

  “I know you did mom.” He was starting to get really unnerved.

  Opening her purse, she produced a wedding band and handed it to him. “You may need this. When you decide who you want to be, make sure you wear the right one.” Then turning to the chauffeur. “Drive on, please,” she ordered.

  Cathleen returned to indignantly looking out of the window as the vehicle pulled away, followed by the rest of the funeral procession.

  THE END

  sis Chamber