BA HAMMER Blackmail Ch. 03

Finally, on the third night, something happened. I saw Vito come out of the building. That was unusual. He mostly stayed in his protected space. He only came out when his boss wanted to see him, or he had to do something personally. It was the person with him that caught my attention. I couldn't get a good look at him, but it could have been Max. He looked like the pictures I had gotten of him from recent times. He was bundled up, but it could have been him. I hurried to my car. I wanted to follow them. It would have to be at a safe distance. He had a follow car that was protecting his rear. I would follow that car and hope he stayed with Vito.

They stopped at an old building in a rundown neighborhood. I stopped way back. I got out of my car and moved to a place where I could see my car and the front of the building they had gone into. Something they don't tell you about following dangerous people was the danger of them spotting you and sneaking up on you while you are waiting. It is best to get out and move somewhere else where you can see everywhere. A lot of people tailing someone end up getting shot from behind while sitting in their cars. No one did come along, but I watched them go into the building. I saw a light in only one window, so I knew what room they were in. They were not there long, and came out, got into their car, and left. The trailing car left too. I stayed where I was for fifteen minutes. I wanted to see if there was any movement. With no movement, I left. So, Max had finally taken Vito to his stash. I wondered what Vito would do when he finds out the film and pictures he is looking for aren't among his.

.

I went home. It was 2 in the morning when I got home. Mary was asleep and I just slipped in beside her. She rolled over in her sleep, and I let her cuddle up to me while she was asleep. I fell asleep, happy that was over with.

The next day I took the film and pictures to my office. I had found a place in one of my walls that I could hide stuff, and I put the things there. That would do until I could fine tune my plan.

I told Ed to tip the Feds that Vito would probably be moving something important that night. They might want to stop it. Ed told me the next day they had stopped a car coming out of the alley that night and found Max's body in the trunk. I guess they were unhappy that Max's stash didn't have the magic film in it.

It was news the next day. Mobsters rub out one of their own. That was a problem for Vito, and I thought I owed it to Max.

Now, everyone that knew about the film firsthand was dead, except for me and I had it.

It was time to end this. I took Ester's film out and looked at the pictures closely. I have seen the man somewhere. I spent most of the morning looking at his picture, trying to remember where I had seen him. It was on my TV that I finally figured it out. I looked up at the moment the younger Senator from New York was on TV talking about something, I wasn't listening. But his face. It was him in the film, twenty-five years ago, but him. Okay, now we know why Vito is in this. The mob won't blackmail a Senator for money. That wasn't worth their time or effort. But access, now there is something worth the time. Having a Senator in your pocket is extremely important. I need to destroy this stuff, and let everyone know I have, at least Ester and the Senator.

I called Ester and said I wanted to meet. We met at the same café we had last time. "I have your film and pictures. Is there somewhere we could burn a few things?"

Her face lit up like a kid at Christmas. "Can I see them?"

"We need to go somewhere more private." She nodded and we got up to leave. She took me to her office. She led me into her private office, and I handed her the film and her pictures. She pulled the film against the light enough to see it was her. She looked at the pictures.

"Thank you so much." I found an empty trashcan and she dropped the film and pictures into it. I took out the lighter fluid I had brought for the occasion. I doused everything well and lit it. It burst into flames and within a couple of minutes it was nothing but ashes. After I had put some water in it to cool everything off. I dumped the ashes into a small box.

Ester Blasingame hugged me and told me she would never forget this. I told her it was my job.

Now I had to find the Senator. I knew he had an office in the city, and the Tv told me he was in town. I went to his office. There was a pretty young thing at the desk. "I need to see one of the Senator's people, please."

"Yes, sir. What is your name and what is your business?" I handed her my card and told her it was private, and I would explain to one of his people. She motioned me to a chair and got on the phone.

A few minutes later, a young man came out to see me. "Mr. Hammer, may I ask what your business with the senator is?"

I asked him if he had an envelope. He got one from the receptionist and I put one of the pictures into it. I sealed it. "Please give this to the Senator, unopened. Let him open it. I believe he will be okay with this. Just tell him I can wait only ten minutes."

He looked at me funny but took the envelope into the back. Within five minutes I was standing in front of Senator Mark Thomas Minton. He showed everyone else out of the room. "Were did you get this?"

"Senator, you can relax. I am a private investigator and was hired by the young lady in the film because she was being blackmailed for this film. I am sure you are being pressured for something in exchange for the film." He nodded. "I found the filmmakers files. I have everything. I gave the film and her pictures to her, and I burned them in front of her. That package is everything else. You can destroy it, and everything is gone. Most of the people who knew about this film are now dead. Not by me."

The senator collapsed into his chair. The look of relief in his face was almost palpable. "I have lived in terror for the last few weeks, since that man appeared at my home with one of these pictures."

"That man now has problems of his own. You can close this chapter."

"How is the lady now?"

"She is doing very well, and happy. She doesn't even remember that you are the man in the film with her."

"I guess this case is closed. Thank you very much for this. How can I repay you?"

"Nothing. I've already been paid by my client. If you ever need a PI in New York, you have my card." I stood up, shook his hand, and left.

I called Fat Tony to tell him I would be leaving our mutual friend alone. He informed me our friend has problems of his own. Ring man apparently didn't take to being arrested by the Feds with the goods and may talk. I wished ring man poor health and hung up.

I went by the gun shop and got my two guns. I had cleared the background check. I put one in a new holster, and the other I took home and put in the safe.

Mary's show was moving to Broadway and would shut down for the transition. We decided that would be the perfect time for a wedding. Mary planned for a Christmas-time wedding as the play was shutting down at the end of November and would not open on Broadway until the spring. We would have time for a nice, long honeymoon. Mary decided on Europe, all of it.

The wedding turned into a large affair. The entire cast and crew were there. Ester Blasingame came, telling every one of the reporters she thought Mary would be a big star in the future. Cunningham made an appearance. Never missed a chance to get his name in the papers. The leading lady, Samantha Knowles was Mary's maid of honor and Ed was my best man. The reception was huge, and the party lasted most of the night.

We decided to rest for a week before we left for Europe. Three weeks of visiting almost everything worth seeing on the continent. Mary could see whatever she wanted during the day, as long as I could see her at night.

Being known as the "fixer" for Broadway was turning out not to be a bad gig.