Stormwind (The Storm Chronicles Book 3) (9 page)

She turned toward a piece of wall that looked just like every other piece of black lacquered wood, however at Hisakawa’s touch the wall opened to reveal a short staircase and a well-lit office.

“Please, make yourselves comfortable,” Hisakawa said, standing near the door.

Raven stepped down into the office, followed by Levac and finally by Hisakawa who allowed the door to close behind her.

The office was similar in style to the club, however here it was all black and white. A black desk was centered in the octagonal room in front of a white leather chair. Two more chairs of matching leather sat opposite the desk and a white sectional sofa sat against the far wall. Raven and Levac took seats in the chairs near the desk while Hisakawa sat behind the desk. She leaned forward and steepled her fingers, her red nails clicking against each other.

“Now, Detectives, how can I help you?” Hisakawa asked.

Levac flipped open his rumpled notepad. “Ms. Hisakawa, are you aware one of your bouncers, Mr. Wade Franks, is dead?”

Hisakawa’s face barely twitched. “No, I was not. He was expected for his regular shift later today. May I ask what happened?”

“He was found early this morning hanging from a gargoyle in Old Town. I can’t release any other details, I’m sorry.”

“As am I. Wade was a good man and an excellent employee,” Hisakawa said. “He will be missed.”

“Can you tell us what shift he worked?” Levac asked.

“He normally worked eight to midnight Wednesday through Saturday.”

“Which means he didn’t work last night, correct?” Raven asked.

“Correct,” Hisakawa replied.

Levac made a note and continued, “Was he here at all last night?”

Hisakawa shook her head. “No. I haven’t seen him since he left Saturday night.”

Raven leaned forward, her sensitive nose twitching at the amount of perfume Hisakawa was wearing. “Do you know if Mr. Franks had any difficulties with anyone here at the club? Did he have any arguments or anything like that?”

“I do not believe so,” Hisakawa said. “Mr. Franks was always very professional. I require all my staff to remain so. No fraternizing, no relationships beyond ordinary friendship, no stealing…this is an upscale environment and I intend to keep it that way.”

“That is admirable of you, Ms. Hisakawa,” Levac said. “Could you tell us if Mr. Franks had any friends we could speak to?”

“Wade wasn’t close with very many members of the staff aside from myself and Giselle, the hostess. As security he was posted in the lobby unless called into the bar and that occurred only on rare occasions,” Hisakawa said. “He did speak with Josef Diarmait quite often, perhaps he can help you further.”

“Where can we find Mr. Diarmait?” Levac asked, making a note in his pad.

“In the humidor. He is our tobacconist and I believe he and Wade were quite close.”

“Thank you, Ms. Hisakawa,” Raven said, standing.

She pulled out one of her cards and left it on the desk. “If you think of anything else please call, day or night.”

“You are welcome, Detective, and I will.”

Levac stood and offered Hisakawa a clumsy bow which she returned with a nod of her head. The two detectives were almost to the door when Levac half turned.

“Ms. Hisakawa, just one more thing, if you would.”

“Yes, Detective?” Hisakawa asked.

“You said you were close to Mr. Franks. Have you ever been in his apartment or had sexual relations with him?” Levac asked.

Hisakawa’s face froze. “No, Detective, our friendship was strictly professional.”

“Of course, ma’am, of course. No offense intended,” Levac said in his best Peter Falk voice. “You have a good evening.”

The two detectives exited into the lobby and Raven took Levac aside.

“What was that about?” Raven asked.

“I couldn’t help noticing Ms. Hisakawa’s hair is similar to the hair I collected in Franks’ apartment,” Levac said.

“Good catch. What did you think of her answer?”

“I think I am going to start a full background check on her,” Levac replied.

“A Codumbo hunch?” Raven asked.

“Yeah. A feeling,” Levac said. “She was lying about something. I’ll follow up on it later, let’s see what the tobacconist has to say.”

Raven followed Levac down the steps and into the bar. At this hour the bar was already filling up with young professionals dressed in expensive suits and dresses. A handful of people turned to watch the detectives as they passed. Raven glanced back at them and followed Levac into the large humidor located at the far end of the club. A burly man with close-cropped blonde hair and biceps bigger than her thigh sat behind a counter filled with a selection of meerschaum pipes, cigar cutters and lighters. All around the rest of the room were glass and wood cases filled with the world’s finest cigars and the room was heavy with the scent of tobacco and smoke.

“Good evening to you,” the man said in an English accent. “You snuck in here right proper. What can I get you before security comes for a visit?”

Raven raised her badge. “Are you Josef Diarmait?”

“Yes, officer, I am. What is this about?” Diarmait replied.

“Wade Franks was found murdered this morning,” Levac said. “Did you know Mr. Franks?”

“Someone murdered Wade? Can you tell me what happened?” Diarmait asked.

“I’m afraid we can’t divulge any details in an ongoing investigation,” Raven said. “Mr. Diarmait we’ve been told you and Mr. Franks were close. Do you know of anyone who may want to hurt Mr. Franks? Including yourself?”

Diarmait spread his hands. “I never had any reason to hurt Wade, he was one of my best friends. He spotted me down at the gym, we worked out together. He did make enemies, though. It is hard not to when you’re the security guard escorting spoiled rich kids out into the street after they’ve had one too many. I know he received some threats, but he never took any of them seriously. Most of these guys have trouble opening pickle jars let alone taking a guy like Wade.”

Levac scribbled in his pad making a scratching noise. “Do you think any of the people who threatened Mr. Franks might hire someone to hurt him? Maybe to get revenge on their behalf?”

Diarmait paused and then stood, craning his neck to look out the window of the humidor. After a moment he pointed at a thin man in a shiny grey suit. The young man was drinking a cosmopolitan and laughing with a group of similar-looking young suits.

“See that kid with the red hair? Wade threw him out a few weeks ago for getting fresh with a waitress. The skinny little pikey said he was going to tell his father and have Wade taught a lesson,” he said.

Raven looked and made a note of the kid’s face. He looked familiar but she couldn’t place him. “Who is his father?”

“John DiFronzo.”

“No nose DiFronzo?” Raven asked in surprise.

“The very same,” Diarmait replied.

“Now that sounds like probable cause to me,” Levac said.

“Thank you, Mr. Diarmait,” Raven said. “Rupe, time to have a chat with No Nose junior.”

The pair exited the humidor and walked across the bar where the young DiFronzo was knocking back another cosmo. He looked up when Raven approached and whistled appreciatively.

“What have we here? You’re a little under dressed, but I like that in a woman,” he said. “Can I buy you a drink?”

“Francis DiFronzo?” Raven asked.

The young man frowned. “Frank. Only my mom calls me Francis. Who are you?”

Raven held up her badge for what felt like the millionth time. “Detectives Storm and Levac. We would like to ask you a few questions, if you don’t mind.”

“I do mind,” DiFronzo replied, turning away. “Go bother someone else.”

“Mr. DiFronzo, you can talk to us here in private or you can talk to us downtown,” Levac said. “We can bring you in for forty-eight hours.”

“What for?” DiFronzo asked.

“Drinking a cosmo and annoying me after a long day,” Raven said. “Talk to us now or in a nice clean interrogation room. It’s your choice.”

“Fine. Let’s go outside,” DiFronzo said.

Raven and Levac followed the young man out through the lobby and into the street. Afternoon had faded into a pink-lit twilight that made Raven’s palms itch and she glanced up at the rising moon. It looked like someone had painted it with pink camouflage; it wasn’t a good look. Raven frowned and returned her attention to DiFronzo.

Once outside he pulled a cigarette case from his jacket pocket, retrieved a Camel and began tapping it against the case.

“You got me out here, what is this all about?” he asked.

Levac pulled Franks’ photo out of his notebook. “Do you know this man, sir?”

DiFronzo looked at the picture and sneered. “Yeah he’s the so-called bouncer for this joint,”

“Was,” Raven said.

DiFronzo frowned. “What?”

“He was the bouncer for Club Black,” Raven said. “He was killed last night. How do you know him?”

“He threw me out a few weeks ago for flirting with a waitress,” DiFronzo said. “I make a point of getting the names of people who disrespect me.”

“What do you do about people disrespecting you?” Levac asked.

DiFronzo opened his mouth to speak, but stopped and smirked as a Mercedes limousine pulled up to the curb. A pair of men got out and moved to flank the two detectives. Both wore black suits tailored to hide their muscle-bound physiques and concealed weapons.

“Are these people bothering you, Mr. DiFronzo?” one of them asked in a voice like gravel.

“As a matter of fact, Nunzio, they are,” DiFronzo replied.

Levac held out his badge. “Excuse me, sir, we are police officers questioning Mr. DiFronzo. We have reason to believe he can assist us with a case we’re investigating.”

Nunzio took Levac’s badge and appeared to read it with some difficulty before tossing it away. He then stepped aside to let DiFronzo get into the car.

“Mr. DiFronzo isn’t answering anymore questions tonight.”

“I wasn’t done,” Raven said. “Mr. DiFronzo is now a person of interest in a murder investigation. He’s under arrest for the next 48 hours.”

“I don’t think so,” the other man said, flexing shoulders any linebacker would envy. “You can come by the house in the morning with a warrant. Move along.”

“That’s usually our line, sir,” Levac said, retrieving his badge. “Is Mr. DiFronzo resisting arrest?”

Nunzio cracked knuckles with a sound like a sack of walnuts being crushed. “You could say that.”

“Then you and your buddy are both under arrest as well. Please put your hands on the roof of the car and spread your legs,” Levac said.

The other man laughed, “I don’t think you understand who you’re dealing with.”

“Oh the hell with this,” Raven growled.

She kicked Nunzio in the knee, shattering the joint and sending him to the ground in a crumpled heap. Next to her, Levac punched the second man in the stomach and followed it up with an elbow to the back of the man’s head, sending him to the ground next to his partner. Raven stepped over the two guards, reached into the back of the big Mercedes and dragged DiFronzo out by his tie.

“Pay attention, you pencil-necked little brat!” she snarled. “I don’t like having your dogs sicked on me and I don’t care who your daddy is; he doesn’t frighten me. I get scarier things out of cereal boxes. Unless you really want to see scary, get your ass against that wall and don’t move!”

DiFronzo paled and moved to place his hands on the wall. Raven patted him down while Levac cuffed the muscle-twins and called for backup.

“Scarier things from cereal boxes?” Levac asked while he waited for a response from dispatch.

“Yep. I lead an interesting life,” Raven replied.

“Remind me not to have breakfast at your house.”

FULL DARK HAD FALLEN AND the Windy City was lit by the strange pink moon looming in the sky like an ominous lollypop. Every news and radio channel was talking about the Wolf Moon and how it came only once every one hundred years, as opposed to the blood or harvest moon that happened yearly. By the time she and Levac got back to the District House Raven was sick of hearing about it and had switched the radio over to an eighties station. Something about eighties pop always made her feel more secure.

She parked in her usual spot and the two detectives adjourned to their second floor office. Patrolmen had taken in their three collars; Nunzio and his partner would be arraigned for resisting arrest and threatening an officer. They would likely be back on the street within twenty-four hours. DiFronzo however was currently being held for forty-eight hours without bail or charges, keeping him where Raven could find him. Frost was letting him sweat in a cell before Raven questioned him about his involvement with the Franks murder.

Raven flopped into her chair and looked through her inbox. Zhu had sent over his complete report on Franks. He’d identified the murder weapon as bone, but had been unable to match the bone type or the weapon to anything in the database. His guess was that it was something handmade. On the one hand that made it harder to find. On the other it meant it would be an easy match once they found the weapon.

He had also run the chemical composition of the sea salt. Based on the chemicals present in the compound he’d determined it was salt from the Pacific Ocean, a brand known as Pacific Blue that was not sold locally. Most sea salt sold in grocery stores was Atlantic or Pink Himalayan salt. There was only one major distributor that could provide the amount of salt used on Franks. They were closed, but Raven put it on her list for tomorrow. Not many people would have ordered that much salt and had it sent across the country. Whoever they were looking for either had a large bankroll, which made DiFronzo an even more likely suspect, or a local supply of the salt.

“Hey, we got something from Harvey,” Levac said from his desk.

Raven swiveled around. Where her desk was neat and tidy, his desk looked like it lived under its own personal hurricane. She pushed aside some of the food cartons so she could see what he was looking at. It looked like a grainy Youtube video.

“Harvey managed to pull the elevator camera footage. It isn’t great, but that’s a blonde man that fits Dani Ray’s description,” Levac replied. “He entered the building twice. Once at about six in the morning the day of the murder, the second time at about midnight the same day. Both times he gets on and off on the fourth floor.”

“Is it possible to get a decent still image? I’d like to show this guy to DiFronzo and see what kind of reaction I get.”

Levac frowned. “I’m not Aspen, Ray. The best I can do is a screen capture of his face when he enters. The image isn’t all that great.”

“Snag it and let’s try it anyway,” Raven said. “I’m going to have junior moved to interrogation.”

Levac finished capturing the photo while Raven went about the process of calling down to holding to have DiFronzo moved to interrogation. Ten minutes later Raven was looking through the one way mirror that separated her from the interview room. She’d chosen the one with plain blank cinder-block walls, a stainless steel table that was bolted to the floor and some of the most uncomfortable metal chairs known to man. She let DiFronzo squirm on one for a solid twenty minutes before she handed her Automag to Levac and entered the room with the Franks file under her arm as well as a record of junior’s short but illustrious career. The kid looked up when Raven entered and he sneered.

“Where is my lawyer, bitch?” he asked.

“That’s Detective to you, Mr. DiFronzo,” Raven said.

DiFronzo smirked again. “My apologies.  I meant ‘where is my lawyer, Detective Bitch’.”

Raven closed the door and placed her files on the desk. “It seems he’s been detained. Probably for quite some time, all things considered.”

“Then I’m not answering any questions,” DiFronzo replied.

“That is your right,” Raven said. “However it may be in your best interest to cooperate. Daddy won’t be happy if you go down on a conspiracy charge before you’ve had a chance to really get your hands dirty in the family business. A kid like you will be very popular in super-max and I guarantee that’s where you’ll end up if you keep screwing with me.”

“I won’t see the inside of a prison and you know it,” DiFronzo retorted. “My father owns half this city and the police along with it.”

Raven shook her head. “That isn’t the brightest thing you could have said on a recorded statement, but not the dumbest thing you’ve said today. Your dad will be proud when I send your attorney a copy. And let’s be clear. Your daddy doesn’t own me.”

DiFronzo visibly paled and Raven sat across from him, her face carefully blank.

“You said earlier you knew Mr. Franks and he had, in the course of his duties removed you from Club Black, is that correct?”

DiFronzo folded his arms. “I told you I’m not answering any questions until I see my attorney.”

“Yes, I heard you. I just know you’re wrong,” Raven replied. “Your earlier statement to me and Detective Levac was corroborated by a member of the staff who saw the altercation. He also stated he heard you threaten Mr. Franks’ life.”

DiFronzo said nothing, but Raven’s enhanced senses detected an increase in his heartbeat and she could smell the sick scent of nervous sweat.

“Did you threaten Mr. Franks?” Raven asked.

“I want my attorney,” DiFronzo repeated.

Raven glared and let some of her vampiric side out. Her eyes darkened and her nails lengthened; she smiled at DiFronzo and could almost feel his blood go cold. Though the changes were barely visible, she knew she exuded the aura of fear that all vampires generated when stalking prey.

“This will go much easier if you just answer my questions, Mr. DiFronzo,” Raven said. “One more time, did you threaten Mr. Franks?”

DiFronzo nodded, his eyes locked on Raven’s. “Yes, but it was no big deal! I just thought my name and the threat would be enough to put a scare into him!”

“Did you tell your father about the incident? About Franks laying hands on you?”

“Yes… I tell dad everything. He says he likes to keep an ear on the Loop,” DiFronzo said.

Raven pulled the elevator camera still from her file and placed it in front of DiFronzo. “Do you know this man?”

DiFronzo picked it up with handcuffed hands and studied it. After a time he said, “It looks a little bit like Albano Caito, but it’s a crappy photo. It could be anyone.”

“And who is Albano Caito?” Raven asked, putting her vampire side back in its cage.

DiFronzo swallowed. “He’s one of my father’s low end button men. He just joined the family a few weeks ago.”

Raven put the photo away only to exchange it for a photo of Franks’ skinless corpse. “Did you ask your father to do this to Mr. Franks?”

DiFronzo glanced at the photo and looked away, his face turning green.

“Jesus, what happened to him?”

“He was skinned. Answer the question. Did you ask your father to do this to Franks?”

DiFronzo swallowed hard again. “Caito uses knives so I guess anything is possible. But I didn’t ask Dad or any of his men to do anything. All I did was tell him what had happened and that I felt disrespected.”

“Which could make you an accessory to murder,” Raven said. “Now for the $25,000 question. Where do I find this Caito?”

“I don’t know his address, but I know he hangs out every night at the Green Mill Lounge over on North Broadway,” DiFronzo said. “Look, Detective, if my father had Franks murdered I had nothing to do with it. Yeah I felt embarrassed, but I’m not part of my father’s business or his dealings, you know?”

“We’ll keep it in mind,” Raven replied. “For now I’m keeping you here as an accessory to murder and recommending you be held without bail.”

“What? You can’t! My father will kill me!” DiFronzo replied.

Raven stood and gathered her things. “Watch me.”

She turned and knocked on the door. Levac opened it and she started out. She paused at the threshold and looked back.

“Mr. DiFronzo… When you told your father what had happened, what did you think he would do?”

Raven walked into the corridor before DiFronzo could answer; she didn’t really care what he thought.

Levac was waiting for her in the hallway. “I’ve got him set up for transport to the city lockup in the morning. Frost is holding him on conspiracy and as an accessory to murder.”

“Nice. How’s his attorney holding up?” Raven asked.

“He was having apoplexy by the time he arrived, something about the police blocking every road to the station,” Levac said with a grin. “We kept him upstairs until the paramedics thought his blood pressure was down to a safe level.”

“Thanks, Rupe,” Raven said. “That kid would never have opened up with that pig of an attorney there holding his hand. Without him, I think we have enough to go question this Caito guy. I doubt we have an address on him, but the kid gave me a tip on his location. Feel like a little Jazz?”

“Are you buying?” Levac asked.

Raven laughed and headed for the elevator. “Only if you keep Scotch off your tie.”

THE GREEN MILL LOUNGE ORIGINALLY opened in 1907 and had been in the same location on North Broadway ever since. The mafia had used the club on dozens of occasions and still made frequent use of the “hidden” tunnels beneath the club. Rumor was that the old tunnels extended throughout the city and you could cross the entire Loop without ever coming above ground. Others said they hid something far more sinister than booze, guns and drugs. So far the police hadn’t caught the current owners involved in anything illegal, but the club was too well located and had too much history for the mafia not to lean on them if and when necessary.

The outside of the Green Mill Lounge was lit up with a gold glitter-like sign surrounding antique neon that picked out the club’s name just as it had for decades. Beneath the sign was the club entrance, a discrete antique door next to two green-curtained windows. Jazz could be heard blaring from behind the door from dusk till dawn and though it was outside Old Town, House Tempeste vampires visited the club on a regular basis; the music was just that good.

Raven parked the Shelby half a block away and the two detectives joined the line waiting to get inside. As usual the audience was made up of tourists in jeans and tee shirts, business men and women in suits and dresses and couples dressed to the nines. The club had no dress code; some people just wanted to hang out, some people wanted to relax after a lousy day at work and others just wanted to give a visit to such a piece of the city’s history a sense of occasion.

When they reached the door, Raven handed the fifteen-dollar cover charge to a handsome young man in a dark green suit and the two detectives found a table with a good view of both the stage and the rest of the club. Levac ordered a Scotch and water, more water than Scotch and Raven ordered a cranberry club soda with a bowl full of warm pretzel bites from the restaurant next door.

It wasn’t long after their second drinks that the band started up. Raven had never heard of them, but they were good, playing a mix of thirties and forties jazz with both enthusiasm and skill, something well worth the cover charge for the night.

Raven was enjoying her third cranberry soda when she spotted Caito enter with an attractive dark-haired woman. Caito, tall, thin, blue-eyed and tanned was wearing a light grey suit and a blue shirt. Raven detected at least one knife under the suit. The woman was dusky skinned and golden eyed and looked like she’d ridden in on a Harley; Black leather pants, tank top, studded leather jacket and a black bandana that held her dreadlocks in place. Raven could see a knife sheathed at her waist and another in a sort of sheath up her left sleeve.

Raven tapped Levac’s arm and pointed at the couple, who were just taking seats by the stage. The two detectives finished their drinks and stood, approaching Caito and his date from behind. Raven fielded the couple’s drinks from the waitress and set them down on the table along with her badge. Caito took a sip from his drink and looked at the badge on the table.

“Good evening, Ms. Storm,” he said without looking up. “How can I help you?”