The Key to Betrayal

by John Matthew Lee

  “He testified that he looked to the assistant district attorney for help with Chris when he was a juvenile. He admitted to asking for special treatment for Chris to keep him from going to jail. Captain Torigiani said he thought his son would be in danger if put into jail, because cops' kids don't do well in jail. But most of all, Chris was soft. He would have been unable to deal with the harsh environment of county jail. Captain Torigiani was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter and was sentenced to seven years in prison. The jury was very sympathetic toward Captain Torigiani, as it was generally believed that Chris was a pawn, used for pleasure by Alton Mills.”

  “Liam, why would anyone want to kill Torigiani now?” asks T.J.

  “What did the paper say happened?” asks Liam as he looks at the paper T.J. brought him.

  “I read the story. It said that his body was found across the street in a parking structure. He had been shot twice in the back of the head,” says T.J.

  “It goes on to say that he had been released from custody some five days earlier, and he was once a captain with the Boston Police Department.” Liam continues to read the paper.

  “Why would Captain Torigiani send you a letter?” asks T.J.

  “I don't know. I know that Dad went and visited him a couple times through the years. Maybe he's just paying his respects. I'll open this letter upstairs. Let's go,” says Liam.

  Liam and T.J. leave the booth and make their way over to Dugan McSweeney. Liam asks if it would be okay for him to park his vehicle in the back of the pub where the employees park, where there are outside stairs leading into his father's old office.

  “Sure, Liam. I'll unlock the outside door and the office,” says Dugan.

  Liam drives the Cruiser to the back parking lot, where he is met by T.J. T.J. asks, “Did you even bring any clothes with you? You still have that old bag from Boston College... is that it?”

  “Take the bag, T.J. I'm going to get a few things out of the back,” says Liam.

  Liam removes his handgun and shotgun from the hidden compartment. He takes his bag of golf clubs, shoves the shotgun in the bag, and puts a club head cover over the barrel. Liam says to T.J., “That's my special club.”

  Liam and T.J. walk up the stairs and into the hallway of the second floor. Liam opens the office door, and they enter the office.

  “The place looks the same, doesn't it, T.J.? Big Mac hasn't touched a thing.This sure brings back some old memories,” says Liam. “T.J., he's left all the pictures on the walls, just as Dad had them. Pictures of Mama, pictures of Jimmy, and of you and me in high school. Check out the ’fro you had back then!”

  They look around at the office, and Liam goes to the bathroom and takes some of his daily medication. TJ asks,

  “You still take pills because of your injuries?”

  “I take pills because I have no spleen, T.J. Something I'll have do for the rest of my life,” says Liam. He doesn't tell T.J. about his Parkinson's disease.

  “Let's see what Captain Torigiani has to say.”

  He opens the letter addressed to him, but sent to T.J.’s house.

  “I guess he knew you would be able to get this to me,” says Liam. “The letter was sent three days ago, one day prior to his death.”

  “Read it out loud, Liam,” says T.J. “You can't leave me in the dark now...he sent it to my house.”

  Liam reads the letter to T.J.

  Liam, I was very sorry to hear your father passed away several years ago. He was a true friend and a good man. He came several times to visit during my time of incarceration. I'm sure your father told you the reasons that led me to that place. I make no apologies or excuses for my actions, my day of reckoning will come. I was tried, found guilty, and served my sentence as society deemed appropriate. You of all people should know that not everything is as simple as black and white. I've followed your career and was fortunate enough to have your father talk to me about you and the rest of his family. Joseph looked out for mine, while I was unable to. I made a promise to myself that once I was released, I would do all I could to make things right with my family. Since my arrest, my wife divorced me and my daughter hasn't spoken to me.

  Two days prior to my arrest, I gave your father a small backpack containing several video tapes. The pack was Chris's. I took it from Mills' house, along with the videos. Liam, please locate that pack and view the videos. Your father said I had dynamite, and whoever possessed it would be in danger. He told me he placed it in a secure location, but never shared that location with me. I know my life's in danger because of those videos. Joseph said he would keep the videos close and guard it with his most precious treasures. I've been to Shenanigans several times trying to get your address, but McSweeney said he didn't know it. He only knows T.J.'s. If you can, and are willing to help me, call Shenanigans and leave a message with McSweeney. He knows where to find me.

  Nickolas Torigiani

  “Liam, did your dad tell you anything about this?” asks T.J.

  “No! He never mentioned videos from Torigiani. All he ever told me was how and why Torigiani was arrested. T.J., whoever killed Torigiani must think I have those videos,” says Liam.

  “What do you think is on the videos?” asks T.J.

  “God only knows. I don't need this shit right now,” says Liam.

  “T.J., I need to get some sleep. I'm beat. I'll call you in the morning. Are you working tomorrow?”

  “Yeah, I work mid-day till 8:00 p.m.”

  T.J. leaves and Liam lays on the couch, rereading the letter until he falls asleep.

  Chapter 10

  A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS

  LIAM SLEEPS FOR A FEW HOURS AND IS AWAKENED by McSweeney, who sees the light on and enters the office. McSweeney looks at Liam and apologizes.

  “I thought you were up, because the light was on. I'm closing her up now. I'm going to let you have a spare key to the place so you can come and go, even if I'm not here,” says McSweeney as he places a spare key to the pub on Joseph's old desk.

  “Dugan, did Captain Torigiani come in here looking for me?” asks Liam.

  “Yeah! He wanted to know how to get a hold of you and if I had your cell phone number and your current address. I told him I didn't have anything, but told him T.J. was working for the department now.”

  “What do you know about his death? I mean, they found his body across the street from the pub,” says Liam.

  “Torigiani came in here several times over the last week looking for you, and asking others in the pub if they knew where you were living. The word on the street is that he was killed by Pennilli's men.”

  “Why?” asks Liam.

  “No fucking idea,” says McSweeney.

  McSweeney leaves the office, walks downstairs to lock up, and exits through the back door. Liam looks at the clock on the wall and sees it's 4:00 in the morning. He lays back on the couch and falls asleep thinking about what Captain Torigiani's letter said. He sleeps for a few hours longer and awakes at seven a.m. to snow falling and a cold temperature within the bar. Liam goes to the bathroom and turns on the shower, hoping there is hot water. The shower begins to get hot, so he showers, all the time thinking about the letter and why Uncle Sal would be involved in Torigiani's death.

  He completes his shower and takes his daily medication. He retrieves some clothing from his old Boston College bag. Damn, it's cold in here, he thinks while looking for the floor heater. He locates the heater behind his dad's desk near an old china cabinet. Shit! If I open this up, will this fucker start leaking on me? Liam decides to open up the floor heater and take a chance. The heater seems to be working without a problem, just slow to heat up. I never have this problem in Florida, thinks Liam. He looks at the cabinet behind his dad's old desk. He notices an old black-and-white picture of his mother on their wedding day, along with photos of Joseph with Uncle Sal in uniform in Korea. Liam starts to look through the old cabinet and sees more photos of Jimmy in his uniform from Vietnam. He looked so young, thin
ks Liam. Also in the cabinet, on the upper display shelf, is an encased and folded American flag. Next to the flag is a picture of T.J. and Liam in their high school football uniforms. A picture of T.J. in his Marine blues and a photo of Liam making a tackle against Army. Liam continues to look through the drawers of the cabinet and sees his dad had kept newspaper clippings of Liam's homicide investigations and photos of his promotions. Liam thinks, I never knew Dad even had this stuff up here. He looks at the cabinet and at all the photos and realizes, these are memories that must have meant something to him, his treasures. As soon as Liam looks at the contents as indeed his father's treasures, he continues to rummage through the cabinet, now looking for the video tapes from Torigiani, but finds none. He can't find the tapes even after going through the entire contents of the cabinet. He thinks about Uncle Sal and how it could have been Pennilli's people that came to visit him in Port Saint Lucie.

  Liam looks at the cabinet and shakes his head in disbelief. I never knew Dad had this here. I knew he kept some things at home, but never thought here. Liam looks at the encased folded flag and reads the inscription on the case: Presented to the family of Marine Corporal James William O'Connor, killed in action, April 29, 1971, Republic of Vietnam. Liam lifts the case and looks at the faded flag. He thinks back to the day of the telegram and remembers how his mother and father received it. The loss of Jimmy changed the lives of everyone. He starts to place the flag back into the cabinet when he hears a rattle from inside the case. Curious, he opens the case and finds a small envelope containing a key with the number 41 engraved on it. The key indicates that it's from the Rathman Trust Company of Boston. Liam knows that to be a long-standing bank in Boston. The Rathman name is as blue-blood as the Kennedy name. One family went into banking, the other into politics. He knows that's not the bank his father or mother used for their finances when they lived in Boston. He looks at the key and believes it's a key to a safe deposit box. He decides he should make a trip to the Rathman Bank and see who box 41 is leased to.

  Liam places the key in his pocket and starts down the stairs when he hears the back door to the pub open. He removes his gun from his waistband beneath his old black leather jacket, and slowly walks downstairs. He looks to the bar area and sees two young women with cleaning supplies. They see Liam and are surprised, as usually no one is in the bar when they clean. Liam tells them that he and Dugan are longtime friends, and that Big Mac is letting him stay in one of the offices above.

  One of the ladies says, “You scared me to death. I wish he'd tell us when he's letting someone stay up top. The last guy scared us, too.”

  Liam asks, “When was the last guy here?”

  She says, “Last week there was a guy staying up in one of the offices for a few days, but he left. He too said Dugan told him it was all right for him to stay.”

  “Do you remember what his name was?” asks Liam.

  One of the cleaning ladies responds, “Yeah, his name was Nick. He was a nice guy.”

  Liam asks if the ladies know what time Dugan gets to the pub. They tell him that Dugan is in by 10:00 a.m. on most weekdays. He asks the ladies how often they clean the pub and offices. They tell him every other day they clean. He asks if they would join him in having some coffee. The three sit for a while and have a cup of coffee that Liam makes from the bar area. He learns that Dugan regularly meets two well-dressed men at the pub every Thursday morning at around 11:00 a.m., just before the bar opens for lunch.

  Liam calls T.J. and asks him to meet him at the restaurant across from Rathman Trust Company of Boston in the financial district at 9:30 a.m. He leaves out the back entrance of the bar and drives on the lightly snowed roads to Ruby's, a restaurant across from the Rathman Bank. He starts to park and spots T.J. near the front entrance. He and T.J. enter the restaurant and sit down.

  “Have you eaten already?” asks Liam.

  “No,” says T.J.

  They order breakfast, and Liam tells T.J. about the safe deposit box key. He also tells T.J. about Dugan. How Dugan never mentioned that Captain Torigiani was staying at the bar before he was killed. Liam tells T.J. what the two cleaning ladies had told him about the meeting Dugan has every Thursday with two well-dressed men at the pub.

  “T.J., first things first. Let's see if this key means anything.”

  They finish eating breakfast and walk across the street to the Rathman Trust Company of Boston.

  Liam and T.J. enter the bank and walk to the front information counter.

  “Ma'am?” says Liam. “I have what I believe is a safe deposit key to this bank from my father. I'd like to know who has currently leased this box out.”

  Liam provides the key, while T.J. shows his Boston Police Department badge. The information specialist tells Liam and T.J.,

  “That box is currently leased to a Joseph O'Connor.”

  “That was my father,” says Liam. “He passed away about five years ago. How is that box paid for? Who is paying for the lease on this box?”

  “Sir, the box fee is automatically deducted from Mr. O' Connor's monthly retirement check. When Mr. O'Connor started the lease of the box seven years ago, it was fifteen dollars a month, and it has stayed at that rate all these years. Sir, you should really keep the box. It would cost you more than twice that much if you started a new lease now,” says the information specialist.

  “Is this box a single owner, or did other people have access to the box?” asks Liam.

  “Sir, this shows to be a joint tenancy box,” she replies.

  “Who has access to this box?” asks Liam.

  “Our records indicate three total. Joseph O'Connor, Liam Matthew O'Connor, and Nickolas Torigiani.”

  “When was the last time someone had activity with this box?” asks Liam.

  “Our records show since Mr. O'Connor leased the box seven years ago, there has been no activity. No one has accessed the box.”

  “I have joint tenancy rights to the box, correct?” asks Liam.

  “Yes, sir. I'll just need to see your driver’s license and Social Security card for proof of identification.”

  Liam shows his Boston driver’s license and Social Security card, and then is led to the area where the safe deposit boxes are located. The information specialist turns Liam and T.J. over to another bank assistant, who states that only the holder of the key can be taken to examine any contents of a safe deposit box. Liam laughs and says,

  “Just another way to keep the black man down, T.J.”

  T.J. flips Liam off, out of sight of the bank assistant, as Liam walks to the area of the safe deposit boxes and is shown to box number 41. The assistant places her key and the key of Liam's into the box, and opens up the container. She then takes the box and escorts Liam to the private viewing room just down the hall. She says,

  “If you have any questions or when you're ready to return the box, just pick the phone up in the room, and I'll be back in a moment to escort you out.”

  She leaves the room, and Liam opens the top of the box and sees three VHS tapes. Each unmarked and in their own separate boxes. Liam removes the tapes from the safe deposit box, gets a small bank bag from the room, and places the tapes in the bag. He picks the phone up and indicates he's finished and is ready to return the box. He is escorted out of the room and back toward the safe deposit boxes. The bank assistant places the box back into space 41 and locks it. Liam meets back up with T.J., and they leave the Rathman Bank.

  T.J. asks, “What was in the box, Liam?”

  “There are three VHS tapes that my Dad put in the safe deposit box for a reason. He put those tapes there because whatever is on the tapes is trouble... somehow, it's fucking trouble, T.J. I think those tapes are the reason Captain Torigiani was killed, and why I was visited by two hit men. Someone wants these tapes bad,” says Liam.

  The two walk back to Liam's Cruiser and leave the parking lot. Liam and T.J. drive back to the bar and park in the back parking lot where T.J. left his vehicle.

  “T.J.,
you have to go to work, right? I'll follow you to work and see if I can use the VHS player in the Technical Investigation Unit. Does Jackie still run the audiovisual section?” asks Liam.

  “Yes. That girl sure likes you, Liam.”

  “That was in college, T.J. And besides, she was no match for Kelley,” says Liam.

  “I think she'll let me use the VHS player and video capture machines. I never had a problem when I was in the department.”

  Liam follows T.J. to the Boston Police headquarters. Liam makes sure he has his retired identification card and badge in his back pocket before he and T.J. start through the back entrance, Liam carrying the small bag with the VHS tapes under his left arm. T.J. turns to Liam and says,

  “Liam, I need to go to the locker room and change before my shift starts.”

  They enter the police department and start toward the locker room, when many uniformed personnel greet Liam. T.J. walks Liam back to the Technical Investigation Unit, audio-visual section, and Liam looks to see if his old friend Jackie is there. Liam sees Jackie, and she comes to greet him.

  “Liam, it's good to see you again. I was so sad to hear about Kelley,” says Jackie while giving Liam a hug. “What brings you back here?”

  “I'm just visiting T.J. and was hoping I could look at some old VHS tapes of T.J. and me in high school. They are of old football games. Could I look at them on the old VHS player, and maybe use the video capture to take a few still shots? You know us boys, Jackie. Just trying to relive the glory days of our youth,” says Liam.

  “Sure, Liam. Nobody uses VHS anymore, though. You should just copy them onto a DVD,” says Jackie.