Page 11 of The Mob Boss' Pet

“The park isn’t the place of death. It looks like the body was moved after he’d been shot.”

“Who would do such a thing?” I ask, not trying to hide my facade. He has nothing, and he never will. I’ll handle this on my own. And when I find who shot Sergio, there won’t be a reciting of Miranda rights and trial. It will be straight to execution.

“I was hoping you’d have some information for me. Does Sergio have any enemies or business associates that would benefit from this? A vendetta of some sort?”

He can’t be serious with this question.

“I wish I did.” I move my glass from my knee to my desk. “I want to find my cousin’s murderer as much as you.” I stand from my chair. “Is there no security footage? Those red-light cameras the city’s put all over the place. Maybe something’s on them?”

“No, unfortunately not, and with the body having been moved from the place the murder was actually committed, it’s going to make it harder for us.” He tucks his pad of paper into the inside pocket of this suit jacket. “Harder, but not impossible,” he says firmly.

“That’s good news, then,” I say, gesturing toward the door of my office. Our time together is over.

“If you think of anything, call me direct.” He hands me his business card.

“Of course.” I nod sincerely and take the card. “And you’ll keep me up to date on the investigation, I hope?”

“I’ll share what I can.”

“My aunt will want to bury Sergio soon, when can I tell her that will be possible?” I ask, clenching my jaw against the burning ache in my chest. I’m not talking about some thug on the street; we’re discussing burying my cousin.

“Once the autopsy is finished, we can turn the body over to the next of kin,” he tells me on the way to the front door. “A few days.”

“I’ll be sure to let her know,” I say, struggling to keep my voice steady. He needs to leave, so I can push this behind me. Wallowing in it won’t get me anywhere and I have things to do.

“Mr. Manetto, if you find anything useful in your investigation, I’d appreciate it if you pass it along. I’d hate to keep wasting tax dollars on cases like this. There are citizens that actually want my help.”

“I leave the police work in your hands,” I counter.

His eyes narrow. “Well. Like I said, if you find anything, let me know.”

“Do you not think finding the man who killed my cousin is worthy of your time, Detective?” I question him, as I pull the front door open.

“Oh, it’s worthy of my time. And I’d like nothing better than to talk to the person responsible.” He leans in toward me. “If only to find out more information about you and your well-protected family.”

I don’t take the bait.

“Have a good afternoon, Detective.” I gesture to the open door.

He tips his head. “You as well, Mr. Manetto.”

As soon as he’s on the porch, I shut and bolt the door.

“He have anything?” Anton appears on the stairs.

“No, but they’ve only begun the investigation.” I wipe my hand across my mouth. “You know, I’m almost tempted to let him figure this out for us.”

His brow shoots up in surprise. We don’t talk with the cops unless they’re on our payroll. And Anderson is definitely not.

“I said tempted. Calm down.” I pat his shoulder as I pass him on the steps. “We’ll find this fucker and deal with it ourselves.”

He laughs, but it’s an awkward sound. “Right. Yeah. Of course.”

I eye him over my shoulder. We’ve experienced losses before, some close and some necessary. The shock of losing Sergio will take some time to get over. He was a good man.

Whoever did this is going to pay.

In the meantime, I have a doctor to deal with.

---