Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 115619 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 578(@200wpm)___ 462(@250wpm)___ 385(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115619 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 578(@200wpm)___ 462(@250wpm)___ 385(@300wpm)
“He never told me how she died? He has all these theories, and I don't know what to believe.”
“You know what he believes, though, don't you?”
I nod slowly as the lump in my throat won't let me speak. “He thinks Callum Torrio did it.”
He nods, his expression stern and severe. “And do you know why?”
“Because he wanted to put him in jail?”
“Wanted to? He was obsessed with the idea. Still is, if I’m being honest.” he mutters, shaking his head. All the light has drained out of his eyes, and now he just looks like an older man with the weight of the world on his shoulders. “Your dad is a great man, except that once he gets something in his head, it's impossible to change his mind. He becomes ensnared in this vicious place of needing to solve the crime himself.”
“Yeah, I know.” Do I ever.
“So, he sees this guy, Callum Torrio. Everybody knows he's an arms dealer. Everybody knows he's dangerous. The sort of stuff he was doing was pretty much what you'd call an open secret. The difference between your dad and the rest of us, was he just couldn’t let it go. We understand you can't win them all. Besides, there are people out there who are far worse than Callum. People who make it a lot easier to pin charges, gather evidence, and secure witnesses. Torrio's like Teflon. You can't get anything to stick to him, nothing worth prosecuting, for the most part. Your dad didn’t get that. Didn’t see that what he was doing was causing more harm than good. ”
It's wrong, so wrong, how the faint pride warms me inside when I hear that.
That's not the kind of thing to be proud of, Bianca.
“I can't tell you how many times and by how many people he was asked to back off. It got to the point that he was wasting time and company resources. He'd be here well into the night, making phone calls, pestering potential witnesses. Ultimately, he got demoted after he tried to stage a raid on one of Torrio’s businesses without bothering to obtain a warrant.”
I thought it couldn’t get worse. “Are you talking about when he went from lieutenant then back down to detective?” That makes sense why he was demoted so suddenly.
He nods slowly. “I hated to see it happen. We'd been partners for years by then, and I considered him one of my closest friends, if not the closest. He was the youngest lieutenant in the department—there was no telling how far he could’ve gone. The potential was endless.” His shoulders slump. “But even I couldn't get through to him. Nobody could. There I was, thinking the demotion might shake him out of things. Like he would finally learn his lesson, step away, and return to doing the job he was supposed to do.”
“Then your Mom….” He winces and trails off, giving me an apologetic look.
“It's okay. I’ve come to terms with it. You can say it.”
“Well, that's it. You lost your mother, and he only spiraled from there. Don't get me wrong,” he continues when I groan, “things didn't necessarily pick up until a few months ago. I don't know why. He hadn't mentioned anything in a long time. He was doing his job, working hard, and I had hope that he would be promoted again. It had been so many years, you know? But then… I’m not sure what happened. Maybe the anniversary of her death set him off again.”
Yes, the anniversary did pass a while back. Funny how I forgot, but then I was getting ready for graduation, filling out job applications and sending my resume out. I had so much on my plate, not to mention a boyfriend who was getting sloppy, staying out until all hours and not even bothering to devise a decent excuse. In other words, I had a lot on my mind.
“And then I graduated,” I whisper while my heart sinks lower into my stomach. “Maybe that's what did it, pushed him over the edge. Me getting older, graduating, and then the anniversary passing. He was lost before, and my absence only made it worse.”
“Whatever the reason, it was like he was possessed all over again. Soon after, he was only coming to work to use our resources. He wasn't here to do a job anymore, and everybody knew it. He wasn’t even making an effort to hide it. I tried to talk to him about it, but I might as well have been talking to the wall.”
All I can do is shake my head, fear and disappointment slithering through me.
“What do you think, Ken?”
“You mean, what do I think happened to your mom?” My head bobs up and down as I brace myself. Whatever he says, I can handle it.