FORGOTTEN

by Hastings, Gary

  “I just want you to nail that guy, big man. I’m scared to death he’ll kill me. He has gotten Harry killed. How do I know he’s not coming after me?”

  “There’s no way to tell for sure. Would you like for us to put you up somewhere safe for the night?”

  “Would it be a nice place?”

  “Sure, if that’s what you want. We’d like to search your apartment in the morning.”

  Pat hoped that by going out of his way to be nice to her, they might get more evidence leading to Daniel Pellegrino. He thought the chances that charges would be filed against her were slim, especially with her cooperation.

  Pat explained to Phyllis that he needed to get a detailed written statement from her. Phyllis agreed and he handed her a legal pad. She started to write and Pat was impressed with her beautiful penmanship.

  “You sure have beautiful handwriting.”

  “My mother was insistent that we write like girls and I’ve always written very carefully. I guess I’m still trying to please her, in my mind. She’s been dead for years.”

  Pat thanked her again for her help and asked Mary McDonald and Bryan Flannery to check Phyllis into a five-star hotel in Manhattan. As a precautionary measure, he also assigned units to set up on Phyllis’s apartment to make sure nothing changed until they got in there with a team.

  Pat broke the good news to Phyllis. “We’re going to put you up in a nice place, Ms. Duran. In fact, it’s a five-star hotel. We will pick you up in the morning to go look through your apartment. This will probably be about nine o’clock.”

  Pat looked at his watch. It was 0245 hours. He would be spending the night on the couch in his office. He thanked Phyllis for her help and wished her a good night’s sleep. The heat had just been turned up in the search for Daniel Pellegrino.

  Chapter 41

  Tuesday, February 8 - Day 21

  Chief of Detectives’ Office - One Police Plaza

  Borough of Manhattan, New York

  0630 Hours

  Pat’s alarm went off at 0630. He had slept three hours on the couch in his office. He grabbed one of the dark suits he kept in his office closet and headed for the shower. He kept extra clothes and toiletries in the office for just an occasion like this. The warm water felt good, but his body was craving sleep.

  He made a fresh pot of strong coffee and headed into the Major Crimes Conference room for the 0700 briefing. Everyone was there even though Pat knew not one of them was an early riser. He walked straight to the podium.

  “Good morning, everyone. I’m sorry to bring you in so early, but we’ve had major developments in the case overnight. Would you like to get everyone up to speed, Mary?”

  “I’d be happy to, Chief, but you probably have more than we do, since you conducted the interview.”

  There was a slight chuckle in the room, but Pat accepted the offer. “Alright, Mary, you have me on that one. I’ll give it a shot, but feel free to fill in anything I miss.”

  “I’ve got your back.” Mary said with a smile.

  “The uniforms in the Brooklyn 83rd Precinct were approached by a lady named Phyllis Duran. She was Harry Pittsford’s girlfriend. I had a nice long chat with her last night into the morning. She was one of those, I have to talk to the person in charge, types of people. Of course, everything she says is basically hearsay, but she confirms a lot of our suspicions.”

  Karla Adams asked a question. “Was she arrested for something?”

  “No, apparently she’s just scared since Harry was killed. She thinks Daniel Pellegrino is behind all of it. I just let her believe it. We all know Harry was killed because he shot at the New Jersey State Troopers.”

  “Does she know where Pellegrino is?” Karla asked.

  “No, not really, but I’ll get to more information and we can discuss other possibilities a little later.”

  “Sorry, Chief, I’m a little anxious to nail this perp.”

  “We’re all anxious. Anyway, according to this woman, Pellegrino caught old Harry switching some one-dollar bills for hundreds during a narcotics trial and threatened to rat him out. He told Harry, the only person who knew about it was a judge. She also said Harry had to take care of a private detective and an attorney for Pellegrino. She assumes he killed them, but he never said so. She was in love with him, so things are probably a little colored in Harry’s favor. He was going to do one last thing for Danny Boy, and then he and his princess were going to relocate south to Florida. I suspect that I was the last thing.”

  “Where is she now?”

  “We have her put up in some nice expensive digs here in Manhattan. She’s consented to a search of her apartment this morning. It also gets better. The house the FBI searched was Harry’s old rental house. He was living with Phyllis in Brooklyn. She says all of Harry’s stuff is still there, so we’ll need a team to process it this morning. I think we should also add a computer forensics team. We might find something that’ll help us find Pellegrino.”

  George McBain offered a suggestion. “Why don’t I take care of that, Chief, and I’ll hand-pick a team from the lab as well. I’ll probably do most of it myself.”

  “That sounds great, George. In her ramblings, she mentioned an attorney named Moses. Check with the RTCC, Angie, and see if we can find any details about the death of an attorney named Moses. I’m not sure if Moses was his last name or his first name.”

  “Sure. I’ll check it out.” Angie replied.

  “I think this is significant, guys. It puts our theories on more concrete footing. We’re moving forward and this thing could take off pretty fast. I want to keep Miss Phyllis in good graces, so we might let her enjoy some luxury for a few days. So far, she’s confident, and has also been helpful. It could be the piece which breaks this case wide open.”

  Bryan Flannery huddled everyone together. They all planned to meet at the Mockingbird Apartments in Brooklyn at 1030 hours. Pat thought it was exhilarating to think about what this stage of the investigation might produce.

  Chapter 42

  Tuesday, February 8 - Day 21

  Mockingbird Apartments - 8476 Covington Place

  Borough of Brooklyn, New York

  1030 Hours

  Mary McDonald had been sent by Pat to pick up Phyllis Duran at her luxury hotel. Mary reported to Pat that Phyllis was delighted she was not checking out and even bragged about how great the filet mignon and eggs were for breakfast. Mary assured Pat that she was glad he had authorized it.

  The Mockingbird Apartments were older. They consisted of a three-story, brick building with a large parking lot in the back. Phyllis’ apartment was on the second floor. It was a roomy corner apartment with two sets of windows. Inside the apartment there was a large living room with a high ceiling and two bedrooms. One of the bedrooms had been used as an office for Harry Pittsford.

  The team got into the apartment and began making sketches and taking photographs. Phyllis Duran was immediately upset and let her temper fly. “Now wait a damn minute! What in the hell are you doing? You said you wanted to look around. Why are you taking pictures?”

  Pat explained. “This is the way we have to do things, Phyllis. This protects us both. It shows how things looked when we got here and will make sure we leave things the same way, as best we can. If we’re going to find Pellegrino, we need to do it this way.”

  “What if I say stop? What would you do?”

  “Of course, we’d stop. You agreed to this, so we’d have no choice. The best thing that could happen would be for you and me to go get some coffee and let these guys do their job.”

  “Are you trying to get me out of here?”

  “Absolutely!”

  “At least you’re honest. I want one of those fancy latte things.”

  “Okay, it’ll be my treat.”

  “Of course it will be.”

  Pat took Phyllis to a nearby coffee chain store and bought her the biggest latte they had. They sat in the corner and talked after Phyllis loaded her drink with
sugar.

  “What’s going to happen to me, Chief? Am I going to jail? I didn’t know what Harry did with the money and the stuff he did for Pellegrino until years later.”

  “I suspect your cooperation will go a long way toward keeping you out of jail. But it’ll be ultimately up to the DA. Are you still working, Phyllis?”

  “On and off. I took two weeks off from the diner when I lost my Harry.”

  “It’ll be good for you to get back to work.”

  “I have to work, Chief. I don’t have any money saved up.”

  “I understand. I’m sure it’s tough.”

  “Harry had helped me pay off some of my bills. We were going to be able to move to Florida just about debt free. I guess that dream is now gone.”

  “Not if you want it bad enough. You’re a smart, hard-working woman. I know you can make it happen if you want it bad enough. It’ll be much cheaper to live in Florida than New York.”

  “I suppose you’re right, but it’ll still be expensive, and I don’t know if I want to go without Harry.”

  “I wish you good luck, Phyllis. I’d like to see you happy.”

  “You may be a cop, but you can be downright sweet, if you don’t mind me saying so. You’re a smooth talker.”

  “I know you’re a good person, regardless of what Harry was involved in away from you.”

  “I try to be good. I’m not perfect, but I’m not a slut or a criminal. I think that says a lot.”

  “So do I. Are you sure there’s nothing else you can remember about Daniel Pellegrino?”

  “Not really. I didn’t even know who he was until a few weeks ago.”

  “Did Harry have any guns?” Pat asked.

  “He had a big black one with a muffler on it.”

  “You mean a silencer?”

  “Yea, that’s what it’s called. He also has a .38, but I’ve never seen it.”

  “Do you think it’s in the apartment?”

  “Yep, it’s probably in the bathroom. He told me if anything ever happened, go in the bathroom, he kept it in there. We hadn’t been together very long, so I never bothered to look, and he never showed me. I didn’t think he would go and get himself killed.”

  Phyllis started to cry and Pat gave her his handkerchief.

  “I’m sorry, Phyllis. I know you’re still hurting.”

  “Thanks, Chief, I think you and Harry would have hit it off great. You think a lot like Harry.”

  “Thanks, I’m sorry I didn’t have the pleasure.”

  Pat was certain he and Harry would have absolutely nothing in common. After all, Harry was a crooked cop, a killer, a thief and his last living action was to try to kill Pat and some New Jersey State Troopers. However, for now he played the role he needed to in order to keep Phyllis cooperative.

  Pat managed to keep Phyllis away from the apartment for almost two hours. By the time they returned the search was almost complete. Bryan Flannery and Mary McDonald stepped out into the hall to tell Pat what they had located so far.

  “This place was a gold mine, Chief.” Bryan said.

  “I’m glad to hear that.”

  “Thanks for getting her out of our hair. We basically started in the extra bedroom where Harry had his stuff. We looked at his computer and immediately saw the live feed from the Butelli house. I guess it was Harry who was looking and not Daniel Pellegrino.”

  “I’m a little surprised. I thought for sure that feed would be going to Pellegrino.”

  “I guess not, since they saw the feed with their own eyes. Of course they’ll seize everything and do a full forensic examination and see what they find. We’ve found a lot of notes and things in his desk. He has the initials ‘DP’ several times in some printed emails. We found a print-out of directions to your apartment, Chief. It was dated the day before your encounter in New Jersey.”

  “Did you find anything related to the judge or an attorney named Moses?”

  “Not that I know of, but there are lots of photographs of Margaret Butelli’s house. There is even a photograph inside the house, so I’m assuming that ‘numb-nuts’ put the bugged phone jack in himself.”

  “Did you find any cash?”

  “Only about $2,500. Do you want us to seize it?”

  “No, just make a note of it. It wouldn’t be worth the trouble.”

  “Okay, Chief. Anything else?”

  “Did you find any guns?”

  “No, there’s a little ammo and some holsters, but no firearms.”

  “Check the bathroom really good. Phyllis thinks he kept a .38 somewhere in there.”

  “Okay, Chief. We should be finished in another half hour.”

  “Thanks, Bryan.”

  Pat walked back in the apartment only to find Phyllis Duran in the room with the team looking over their shoulders asking questions. He tried to intervene.

  “Could you step outside a minute?”

  “Sure, Mr. Boss Man.” Pat and Phyllis walled out into the hall.

  “You would do me a great big favor, Phyllis, if you would let my guys get finished. I promise we’ll get out of your hair.”

  “Don’t I get to spend the night at the hotel?”

  “Of course, the sooner we finish here, the sooner you get to go back and be spoiled.”

  “Alright. You told me to get what I wanted to eat and you guys would take care of it.”

  “Sure, Phyllis, just live it up on the NYPD, at least for one more night.”

  In 30 minutes, Bryan Flannery told Pat they had completed the search and were getting ready to pack up. Pat looked concerned. “Did we find that .38?”

  “No, Chief. We tossed that little bathroom, but it’s not in there.”

  “It wasn’t with the black Charger and Phyllis says he told her it was in there a few weeks ago. Everything else she told us has added up. I’d like for you guys to give it one more try.”

  “It’s not in there, Chief, but we’ll look one more time, top to bottom, to prove it to you.”

  Pat rarely saw Bryan Flannery frustrated, but his persistence had clearly irritated the tall and talented captain. Pat just couldn’t believe Harry Pittsford had ditched it. There is just something about cops hanging on to guns, even when it would be a big mistake. Although court officers didn’t really perform actual police work, he assumed the same thing would be true.

  In 20 minutes, Bryan Flannery came back out and shook his head.

  “It’s not in there, Chief. There’s nowhere else to look.”

  “Show me, I want to take a look.”

  Bryan Flannery let out a gasp and shook his head. “I’m not trying to be disrespectful, Chief, but if it’s not there, it’s not there.”

  “Humor me. I want to look for myself.”

  Pat and Bryan walked back into the apartment. Phyllis was seated on the couch. They walked into the hall by the bathroom. Mary McDonald and Sergeant George McBain were in there. George shook his head and said, “We went over this room with a fine tooth comb, Chief, and there’s no gun in here. We checked the toilet tank, the linen closet, the shower curtain, the medicine cabinet, and even the light fixtures. There’s nothing to be found.”

  “Did you check behind the switch plates?”

  “No sir. We did not do that.”

  “Let’s check them, I’ve found a lot of dope behind switch plates in the past.”

  George McBain pulled out a screwdriver and removed the only switch plate in the bathroom. There was nothing behind it. Pat looked under the seat and even stood on the toilet to look inside the light fixtures. There was nothing there. Pat got down on his hands and knees and looked under the sink. There was nothing there.

  Pat looked around the bathroom and opened the medicine cabinet. He took everything out and set it on the toilet tank. He asked George McBain for a screwdriver and started tapping around the medicine cabinet. The others clearly thought Pat was being ridiculous. When he tapped the back of the bottom shelve it opened.

  “Hand me a flashlight, Geor
ge.”

  Pat moved the shelf again and he could see that the bottom shelf was hinged. He pushed the shelf open. It had a magnetic latch which kept it closed.

  “Get your camera George. It looks like we have found ourselves a .38. It looks like a Colt.”

  George McBain returned with a camera. He took some photographs and then removed the revolver. It was a blue-steel Colt Detective Special. He held it in his gloved hand, took more photographs, and then carefully placed it in an evidence bag.

  Pat put the contents of the medicine cabinet back and walked out of the room. Bryan Flannery was speechless. As they walked down to the car, he finally got the words out. “I’m really sorry, Chief. I didn’t mean to let you down.”

  “Forget about it, Bryan. You’re obviously having a bad day.”

  “I haven’t had any sleep and my wife is starting to raise hell about me being gone all the time. I was impatient. How did you know to look there?”

  “The other two shelves were cluttered. I figured Pittsford would have put the gun where he or Phyllis could get to it quickly in a jam. There was only one small bottle on that shelve. I thought there might be a reason for it and as it turned out, I was right.”

  “It was impressive, but I know I was way too impatient.”

  “That’s an understatement, my friend, but we’re a team, and we still got the results we needed. I had your back.”

  “You always do. I’ll never question you again.”

  “As I said before, Bryan, just forget about it and go home and spend some time with your family.”

  Chapter 43

  Tuesday, February 8 - Day 21

  City Lights Diner

  Borough of Manhattan, New York

  1900 Hours

  Mary McDonald took Phyllis Duran back to the hotel, where she promised her another night’s stay. According to Mary’s call to Pat, Phyllis was elated. He was tired after only three hours sleep. He felt like one more cup of coffee would turn his stomach inside out. He took a chance and called Maggie. She had just left the office and agreed to meet him at the City Lights Diner, a 24-hour breakfast joint Pat liked.