Guilt grew heavy in his heart with each passing hour about what he had done, but the will to live was far too great to expose himself. As he had driven off the night before from the scene of the crime, he had actually thought about turning himself in to the authorities and letting them have their way with him.
But then reality kicked in. He was a cop killer and a cop. His father was one of the heads of the MPD with a damned-near unblemished record and he was on his way to replacing him once Ferris was mayor.
What was done, was done. There was no going back and changing it and he had to accept that. However, he did need to focus on getting his story straight about where he was the night before, remembering not to look guilty and to behave as though he was grieving for Carmen, not because he had killed her but because she had been killed.
When this was all over and the drug operations were fully kicked into gear, he would do something special for Carmen’s daughter, Laila to make amends. But for now, it was game time. And he had to perform. Cane had told him to lay low, abruptly end all communication until further instructed and to keep an ear out for Roxie, just in case she popped up. Other than that, after he and his family buried Carmen, all he had to do was sit and wait.
Looking critically at himself in his bathroom mirror under the bright halogen light, he picked up his razor but decided against shaving off his stubble. The more worn and exhausted he looked, the better. It would ward off some people from bothering him.
Plus, his boss - a man that was a consistent asshole his entire time on the task force - was actually nice to him. He had told him to take as many days as he needed off and to let him know if he needed anything. As far as he was concerned, he wouldn’t have been more shocked if the man had offered him a blowjob. Lt. Shuls was a smug, overly analytical douche bag who had never once given him an opportunity to prove himself on the team. But maybe now, he would be a favorite, sort of like Anderson on vice who had suddenly gone from a shit bag to a mensch after his father, who was a second-generation tough cop had died. The guy was promoted and lauded like he had found the cure to cancer, and it was all because people liked his old man and wanted his legacy to continue.
Another thought slipped into Collin’s mind. This one was far more personal. He wondered with Carmen out of the way, if he could actually develop a closer relationship to his father. She had always been in the way. True, he had cared about his sister, but the truth of the matter was that she had been his father’s primary concern all of his life.
He got the scraps that fell off the table compared to her lifestyle. Everyone considered her mother a saint and his mother a cheap, strung out whore from the trailer park. No one had even mourned his mother when she died. It was just another inconvenience to add to her long list of inconveniences.
His father would actually need him now, and he planned on being there for him.
With the towel around his waist, he walked into his dingy bedroom and plopped down on the end of the bed across from the television. Rolling his neck, he tried to pop out the kinks earned while sleeping nearly standing up all night because of his paranoia and the fear that either the cops would come or Cane would send his guys to kill him too.
Neither had happened, proving that he worried too much.
There was no one to connect the dots but Cane and Ferris, and they were in just as deep if not deeper than he was.
If Roxie was still alive then she wasn’t coming back to Memphis just to get killed and Johnson had not seen his face, so there were no witnesses.
Resting back on the queen-sized bed, Collin closed his eyes and drifted off into a light sleep while the TV played and the ceiling fan above him rotated on high.
Suddenly, his cell phone rang again but this time, his father’s special ringtone sounded with a picture of the two of them the day that he graduated from the academy.
His heart skipped a beat. Popping up in the bed, he rolled over and grabbed the phone off the nightstand before it could hang up.
“Hello,” Collin said, trying to sound as groggy as possible.
“Collin, where the hell have you been? I called you twenty times last night?” Magnelli asked, fuming.
“Sorry, dad. When I found out about Carmen, I think I did what every other cop did. I headed to my unit to see what could be done.” That was not a lie. As soon as he ditched the vehicle from the night before, he grabbed his gear and headed to his headquarters to ensure an alibi. He tried to sound less defensive. “How are you? Does Mom need anything?”
“No,” Magnelli bit out. The fact that Collin had even referred to his wife as his mother made him sick to his stomach, but for the moment, he hid his disgust. “Are you going to the vigil for Carmen? You should be there.”
Collin looked at his watch. That was in less than an hour. “Yeah, of course I planned on going,” he lied.
“Text me when you get there. I’ll be alone. Your…mother can’t make it. She’s a mess right now.” At least one part of that statement was true. He had texted his wife all day to make sure that she was alright, but she only replied with two word answers. Still grieving her daughter’s death, she had barely gotten out of bed once, so his sister was at his house helping to take care of her.
“Sure, anything for you,” Collin said, sounding a little more pitiful. Covering his mouth, he covered up a yawn. “I just got out of the shower. I’m on my way.”
“Good. Then I’ll see you there,” Deputy Magnelli said, hanging up before he gave himself away. “It’s done,” he said, taking another swig. “The little shit will be there.”
“I know that this must be hard for you,” Nicola said, putting his hand on his shoulder. “But you did say that you wanted the person responsible for this. I promise you that he’ll pay.”
“What’s hard is that my baby girl is gone,” Magnelli answered. He stood up and went over to the map of city hall. Running his hand over the markings, he picked up the Glock 17 assigned to him and slipped it in the back of his jeans. “This plan had better work. We only have one chance to do this right.”
Agosto racked his shotgun. “It’ll work,” he said, passing another shotgun to Cory.
***
It was ironic to Councilman Ferris that he was back at The Med so quickly after killing DeMario, but the only hospital that treated gunshot wounds in Memphis was this place. Looking at the gauze covering the throbbing stab wounded hand, he cursed. “What the fuck are you going to do about this?” he screamed at Director Amway, who stood with Mayor Thompson and his support staff. “That man should have never even been allowed to interrogate me. He should have been on some sort of leave, locked in padded cell or getting treatment for his obvious PTSD.”
Mayor Thompson was the first to speak. Pushing his tie down in his suit, he tried to act as though he was concerned about more than just being sued. In truth, he hated Councilman Ferris and everything he stood for. It was no mystery or secret that he was going to run against him in the next election, nor was it a secret that Ferris was using the Baby Boys case and all of the chaos surrounding it to build a platform.
“We have taken Johnson to Lakeside,” the mayor said, repressing his grin. “Right now, he’s under psych evaluation. After that, we will hold a hearing.”
“Fuck a hearing. I want him fired!” Ferris spat.
“By the time that you finish firing police officers, there will be no one to protect you,” Director Amway said under his breath.
Mayor Thompson looked back and tried harder not to laugh. “The point is that maybe you should go home and get some rest. We’ll sort through this and take care of anything that you need.”
“Why was he allowed to interview me?” Ferris asked again, almost hitting his wounded hand on the bed in his fit.
“He was authorized to do so by Deputy Director Magnelli, who is also on leave at the moment. I’m sure you can understand why,” Amway answered.
“Then why was he allowed to authorize Johnson to interview me?” Ferris continued. “All
you people ever do is pass the buck around here. Who is going to take some fucking responsibility?”
Amway stepped closer. “I’m here. I’m responsible,” he said, voice stern.
Mayor Thompson interjected. “We’re going to have a car to take you back to your hotel. You’ll have around the clock protection.”
Ferris interrupted again. “You know what? I don’t want it. I’ve seen what your protection can get me. I was under your protection when I was stabbed and shot by a lunatic claiming that I was responsible for the Baby Boys murders. Me? I’m the one who has pushed for this investigation. It would hardly make sense if I were the killer.” He threw his head back as a pain shot through his body. Taking a deep breath, he rolled his eyes. “When is the vigil?”
Thompson looked at Amway. “I don’t think that your presence would go over very well at the candle light vigil for Sgt. Magnelli,” he said, looking back over at Ferris. Politics began to play out. “You should rest after your emergency surgery.”
“You mean I should not give a statement to the press who want to know exactly what happened to me,” Ferris snarled. “Forget it. I’m going. I don’t care how many pain pills I have to take or what I have to do to get there. The people want me there. Every family that I’ve comforted, every community group and church group that I have begged to help raise awareness about this case…”
“Every television station,” Amway said before he knew it.
Ferris pointed at Amway. “You just don’t want to look incompetent as you obviously are.”
Amway had had enough. He walked up to the bed where Ferris was sitting and bent over him. “Now, you listen to me you sniveling little bastard, we have put in more man hours, arrested more people, took more reports and followed more leads in this case than any before it. We have Intel from drug dealers and users all over the city who are alleging that something big is going down and I’m going to get down to the bottom of it, I don’t care if I have to go out and solve this investigation myself.”
Mayor Thompson tried to pull Amway back, but he quickly jerked away. He was going to say what he came to say to Ferris once and for all. “Johnson may have been wrong for attacking you, but I doubt very seriously the man was wrong for interrogating you. I saw the tape. In all my years on the force, I know a guilty man when I see one. And you’re up to something. When I find out what, I’m going to slap the cuffs on you myself.”
“You may want to start looking for another job, Director,” Ferris said with venom lacing his words.
“What makes you think that I give a fuck, Councilman,” Amway said, moving in closer.
Ferris moved back, obviously intimidated by the man.
Amway stood up straight and turned back to look at the mayor. “We’re going to solve this case,” he said walking to the door. His administrative assistant and public relations officer followed behind him. “But for now, we’re going to pay our respects at the vigil. I’m sure that we’ll see both of you men there.”
As Amway left the room, Mayor Thompson turned back to Ferris. “We’re close to a riot here, Ferris. The citizens of Memphis are literally chomping at the bit for justice. Don’t give them a reason to distrust us further by attacking the police department publicly anymore than you already have.”
Ferris ignored Thompson’s advice. “I paid for a poll a couple of weeks ago, and you know what? I’m beating your ass by 23 points. That’s an awfully big swing.” He sucked his teeth and smiled. “Scared that tonight when I’m in front of those cameras that I’ll gain more voters?” He rose up in the bed. “You should be, because I’ll be there. And I’ll be ready to answer any questions they have about you, that piece of shit director and this case.”
“This isn’t about votes,” the mayor said in disgust. “Our city needs us. How is jumping in front of a camera going to help solve this case or put the people at ease?”
Ferris smiled. “I guess we’ll have to see.” Resting back in his bed, he looked at the television mounted on the wall and hit the monitor beside him. “Nurse, I need more medicine.”
Mayor Thompson knew that was his cue. Nodding at his Chief of Staff and his press secretary, he walked to the door. As they opened it for him, he turned back and looked at Ferris one more time. “Do you know why I’m not worried about your 23 percent, Ferris? It’s because there is a big difference between numbers and people. And you only care about one of those and it’s not the important one. I care about what happens to my citizens and so does Amway. So regardless of how this turns out, I can assure you that you’ll never win.”
Ferris didn’t bother to look at the mayor. “Numbers don’t lie, Thompson. Numbers don’t lie.”
When he was finally alone, he dwelled over the rest of the events in front of him measuring out the outcomes in his head. Cancelling tonight’s appearance was not an option. He and Cane had already hatched a plan. He was to use tonight’s vigil as his personal stage. He would publicly condemn Amway and Thompson, while pulling votes and giving spectators something very special, a show that they would not forget.
***
The people of Memphis were in complete outrage about the untimely death of the beautiful Sgt. Carmen Magnelli. A decorated officer, mother and friend on the force, the media hailed her as a fallen hero who had been struck down in her prime by a mysterious but deadly criminal faction, possibly retaliating against the detectives on the Baby Boys case.
In remembrance of Carmen, the mayor asked the city to fly the American and Tennessee flags at half-mast. Officers covered their badges with black bands and homes across the county put candles in their windows. Every talk radio station across the city only wanted to discuss one issue - the Baby Boys case.
Ivy’s interview aired to the most viewers in the station’s history at five o’clock on the dot. National media outlets remotely broadcasted from outside of the police station among the nearly one thousand people who protested, demanding justice for the children who had been killed. People held up signs asserting that in light of all of the chaos, the city had forgotten its responsibility to find the killer or killers.
Plus, no one knew where Agosto was. Even after searching the city for an entire day, there was no sign of him or his family. And while the autopsy reports from the bodies recovered from the fire confirmed that he and his family weren’t among them, the question many people had was had they been abducted.
Ready for payback, police officers patrolled the streets in full force, on guard and anxious to get revenge. They were locking up anyone who gave them a hard time, filling the jails to capacity. Criminals, used to guarding their territory, opted to abandon their posts on the corners to seek safer shelter inside of homes and store fronts. Word had gotten out. Amway had let his hell hounds out and he wanted answers. Those who didn’t know anything were afraid of being mistaken for those who might. So the normally packed places like basketball courts, car washes, parking lots, bars and clubs were empty. Every pedophile with a record was being or had been hauled in for questioning and every possible hitter in the city was being monitored.
Memphis had finally reached fever pitch and was on the country’s center stage for everyone to witness a complete meltdown.
In preparation for the candlelight vigil at city hall and the large group protesting from one end of the police precinct to the other, the riot and TACT unit had been activated. The goal was to move everyone from off the streets in front of the police station and get them to disburse quietly. Since there had not been an application submitted for a peaceful protest to take place. Knowing what could happen, he had to act swiftly.
However, he also had the difficult task of not disturbing the vigil only blocks away, where the city’s top leadership, mourning friends, family, and concerned citizens were gathering for the hour-long memorial.
The last thing he wanted was for the wrong people to be harassed, while one troublemaker got away with inciting a riot.
With heavy protection on the mayor, he and about 100 police
officers as well as the entire city council, county commission and part of the Magnelli family gathered in front of hundreds of people holding candles and signs. The mall was completely covered with people as they prayed and watched on waiting for a word from their leadership.
About ten blocks down, the only place that parking was available due to the large crowd, Collin parked his unmarked and got out to walk with the masses head to the vigil. He had put a call into Cane and told him that he was coming, and asked about any news that he might need to know. Cane had told him very specifically to go dark with communication until later. While he didn’t know exactly what had happened, he knew that all of his men from the hit were dead and that Agosto was missing. The news was enough to shake Cane up and make him tighten up his operations until he could figure out how to finish what he had started.
Cane had, however, looped Collin into the last of his favors/stunts for Ferris. Evidently, the two of them were orchestrating a riot at both the peaceful vigil taking place at city hall and at the police station using the same calling card from the night before. Ferris felt that it would throw the scent all the way off of him and onto a more mysterious figure. He also felt it would make the powers that be look even more incompetent, just what he needed for his big announcement tonight.
In return for Cane’s favor, Ferris had promised to deliver him Amway’s head on a plate via heavy litigation and a part of the settlement from the city. In the past, Amway had busted up and locked down countless of their stash houses around the city and locked up his men, which is why Collin had been recruited in the first place - to give him sensitive Intel to stay ahead of the prick. Also when the time was right, Ferris would also go after any of the police officers in special units who had been a problem for Cane, once he was in office.
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