The Crusader Ch. 04

"He's a good friend," Jessica said as they watched Tully drive away. "Are you going to call him if you plan something?"

"Have to; I gave him my word. And you're right he's a good friend."

********************

A week later Rollie still hadn't thought of a plan and he still hadn't heard from Frank. Both he and Tully had put the word out on the street that they wanted to know where Vito was hiding. Either the informants didn't want to get on Vito's bad side or Vito was very good at hiding; they hadn't heard a thing.

Saturday evening, Tully dropped by Rollie's apartment. He invited Jessica and Rollie to go to the First Squad with him. It was Ted's first night back at the bar and a cause for celebration. Jessica begged off.

"You boys go have a drink and tell war stories," she said. "I'll stay here and curl up with a good book."

Rollie kissed her. "We'll both drive," he told Tully. "That way you won't have to bring me back here if I want to leave early."

About a mile from his place, Rollie had a change of heart. He called Tully's cell. "Tully, I'm going back and talk Jess into coming with me. You go on; we'll meet you at the bar."

That's funny he thought as he pulled into his driveway. The front door was standing open. Rollie killed the lights on his truck and parked. He got out of his truck, made sure he closed the door gently, and quietly walked to his front door.

Rollie stepped inside and moved to his right. Standing still in the entryway, he listened and heard voices coming from the living room; angry voices. Rollie carefully but quickly went through to the interior of the apartment. He pulled his Glock as he walked.

"Where the hell is that tape?" A man's voice asked.

"We gave the tape to Captain Mallory," Jessica answered.

"Bullshit. My guy in the precinct told me Mallory gave it back to you."

Rollie took a quick look around the door frame and saw Leo standing over Jessica with a pistol in his hand. Jessica was sitting on the floor with a hand print on her cheek.

"I'm gonna ask one more time bitch. Where's that tape?" Leo started to raise his gun toward Jessica.

"If you move I'll put a hole in you that you could put a fist through Leo," Rollie said in a cold voice. "Drop the weapon and step back."

Leo turned his head and saw Rollie pointing a pistol at him. He hesitated for a couple of seconds.

"Hell," he said and started to turn his weapon toward Rollie. Leo felt the impact of the big .45; he'd never been hit so hard in his life. He dropped his gun, took a step backwards, and fell to the floor. Jessica jumped up and ran to Rollie.

"You okay Jess?"

She had her head on Rollie's chest and nodded. "He must have picked the lock on the front door or something. I heard a noise and turned around. That's when he hit me." Jessica shuddered and asked, "What made you come back?"

"I didn't want to go without you. Came back to talk you into going with me. Glad I did."

Rollie sat Jessica down. He called Tully and told him what had happened. Next he called the police and reported the shooting.

It was early morning by the time the police, the ambulance, and the forensic department left Rollie, Jessica, and Tully alone.

"Stay with Jess, will you Tully?"

"Where you going?" Tully asked. "I'll go with you. Hell we'll both go with you."

"No I want Jess here and I want you to stay with her. I think Leo was acting alone but I can't be sure. As to where I'm going; I'm going to see Frank Rossi."

"Why?"

"Because he can find Vito for me." Rollie looked Tully in the eye and added, "I want Vito, Tully."

The big Sergeant slowly nodded his head. "You go on, I'll stay with Jessica."

********************

The sun was showing the first signs of rising when Rollie pulled up in front of Frank Rossi's mansion. He got to the hand carved wooden doors and started beating on them first with his fist and kicking them.

A tall, swarthy young man opened the door. "What the hell you want at this time of the day?"

"I want to see Frank Rossi."

"You'll have to come back at a reasonable hour. Mr. Rossi is sleeping."

Rollie started to push past and the lackey made a very bad choice. He decided he would push Rollie back out the door. He reached for the intruder and actually got a hand on Rollie's shoulder. The next thing he knew he felt an excruciating pain in his knee and found himself on the floor with Rollie standing over him. Rollie had kicked him in the knee cap and when the young man bent over off balance, he was pushed to the floor.

"Frank Rossi, get your butt down here," Rollie yelled up the wide staircase in front of him. "Rossi get down here," he repeated.

Wearing a men's silk robe, Frank Rossi came down the stairs. He helped his young doorman to his feet and then to a chair. Rossi came over and stood in front of Rollie.

"We really must do something about your manners when you come to my house Rollie," he said with a small grin.

"Cut the crap Frank. I want to talk to you."

Rossi sighed and asked, "What do you want Rollie?"

"I want to know where Vito is. We've got unfinished business."

"When Vito wants to hide away, he can be very hard to find. What kind of business?"

Rollie explained Vito's involvement in the protection scheme. "Man from New York was working with Vito and they contacted the Daltons."

For the first time Rossi lost the smile and smirk he'd had on his face. "What man from New York?"

"Riley Dalton told me it was Gino Valenti. Name ring a bell Frank?"

Slowly Frank nodded.

"Tonight Vito sent Leo to get the tape I have of the Daltons confession. I wasn't there but my lady was. He slapped her around and threatened her with a gun." Rollie paused. "Leo wouldn't have been there without orders from your brother. I want Vito, Frank."

"Where's Leo now?" Rossi asked looking around. "Wait, what confession? What tape?"

"Leo is on his way to the morgue. He pointed his gun at me and I shot him." Rollie took the little recorder out of his jacket pocket and pushed "Play". For the next few minutes Frank listened to the Daltons roll over on Vito and Gino.

"I don't know why Vito wants this tape; the D.A. says it's inadmissible in court. But he wanted the tape bad enough to send Leo after it. Maybe he didn't want you to hear it. Now are you going to help me or do we go to war?"

"Go to war?"

"That's right Frank. I'm not a cop any more so I don't have to play by the rules. If you don't help me...well maybe I can't destroy you but I can sure make things real interesting."

Rossi was quiet as he looked at Rollie's eyes. Finally after what seemed a long time he said, "I truly don't know where Vito is." He held up his hand. "But I'll find him and let you know. Give me a day or two."

Rollie stared into Rossi's eyes and then nodded. "Quick as you can Frank." Rollie turned and left the house.

Two days later there was a note under the windshield wiper on Rollie's truck when he came out of his apartment that morning. It read: "Eads Bridge maintenance shed, Illinois side". He jumped in his truck and headed downtown to the police weapons range, calling Tully as he drove.

"Tully, I've got a line on Vito. I'll pick you up in twenty."

"I'll be at the Clark Avenue entrance waiting for you."

Rollie's truck hadn't come to a complete stop before Tully jumped in.

"Glad you called Rollie."

"I gave you my word."

"Where are we headed?"

Showing Tully the note, Rollie drove to the on ramp for Eads Bridge. He drove across the Mississippi to the Illinois side of the river and found a little used roadway leading back under the bridge. At the end of the road was a dilapidated metal shed.

Rollie stopped his truck about 300 yards from the shed and he and Tully got out and carefully walked toward the shed. As they got closer, they pulled their pistols. The shed had no windows on the sides or the back; the only window was in the door on the front of the building. Rollie went around the north side of the shed and Tully crept around the south side. They got to the corners at the front of the shed and stopped.

Rollie listened intently but couldn't hear anything; he looked at Tully who shook his head. He began to wonder if Frank had set him up. Rollie looked carefully around but didn't see anyone. Slowly they walked to the door and then Rollie threw it open pointing his pistol into the shed. Tully was right behind him and covered his back.

Vito was there, just as the note had said. But he wouldn't be standing trial or even facing Rollie's anger. His hands and feet were tied and there was a bullet hole in the center of his forehead. Vito had been dead for at least a day, Rollie guessed.

"Frank seems to be upset with his brother," Tully said as he looked at Vito.

Rollie called the St. Louis Police and explained the situation. He told them he and Tully would wait until the Illinois authorities arrived. Three hours later he dropped Tully off at the range and was on his way to Frank Rossi's place. He rang the bell at Rossi's front door and waited. Rollie was just reaching to ring the bell again when Rossi himself opened the door.

"Hello Rollie, I expected you. I thought I'd save wear and tear on my men and answer the door myself." Rossi motioned for Rollie to enter. "I assume you've found Vito."

"Why Frank?"

"Why what?"

"Don't play games with me. Why did you kill Vito?"

"Vito's dead? I'm shocked and dismayed at that news," Frank said with a straight face. He didn't look surprised or sad. "How can you accuse me of killing my own brother?"

Rollie could see how the conversation was going to go. "Okay Frank, no bullshit. Why did you have Vito whacked? I thought you might slap him down some or exile him; I didn't think you'd kill him."

"You wearing a wire?" Frank asked.

Rollie shook his head. "No, I'm not. You have my word Frank."

"Not admitting anything and strictly hypothetically I'll tell you my reasoning; if I had done it." Frank paused and looked out the open front door at the rolling hills that dotted his estate.

"It wasn't that Vito went out on his own without getting permission or even talking to me about it. It wasn't that he brought in the Daltons instead of using our own people. I could have forgiven all that. As long as the family got its cut of the business, I would have let him slide." Rossi offered Rollie a cigar and when Rollie declined he lit one for himself.

"The problem was that Vito went outside the family for help," Rossi explained. "He went to Geno Valenti; a competitor. Gino thought I would find out about Vito's business and we two brothers would fight for the leadership of our family. While we were fighting and weak internally, Gino was going to step in and take over some or maybe all of our businesses." Rossi paused with a strange look on his face as he continued to stare at the rolling hills. The look was a mixture of anger and a deep sadness. "Vito joined with an enemy of our family for money and power. That caused a feud that could only be settled with blood."

Frank looked at Rollie with a fire in his eyes. This isn't as easy on him as Frank makes it out to be, Rollie thought.

"That's why Vito had to go Rollie. It wasn't greed that caused his death, it was disloyalty." Frank threw his half smoked cigar out the front door. "Anything else? I need to make plans for my brother's funeral."

"Are you going after Valenti now?" Rollie asked as he walked toward the door. "I'd hate to see my town turned into a battle ground."

"Any actions on my part are for Valenti and the New York authorities to worry about and deal with. Nothing will happen in St. Louis. You have my word."

"I'm sorry it came to this Frank." Rollie shook Frank's hand and headed home to Jessica.

********************

Rigazzi's was busy on Tuesday evening but not crowded. School had started so the restaurant was missing many of its usual family groups. Antonio Rigazzi saw two of his favorite people and regulars at a table against the back wall. He walked over to their table and sat down.

Rollie and Jessica looked up and greeted the owner of Rigazzi's. "Hi Tony, it's nice to see you," Rollie said. "This Chicken Cacciatore is really good."

"You finally ordered something besides one of the all you can eat specials," Tony teased. "But I see you're still drinking a draft beer. You could have at least ordered a good bottle of wine so I could finally make some money off you."

Rollie smiled and Jessica laughed. "Baby steps Tony, baby steps," she said. "It was hard enough to talk him out of the Mostoccioli Special."

"I like Mostoccioli," Rollie protested with a grin.

Tony caught the eye of his head bartender. He pointed to himself with his left hand and held up three fingers with his right. The bartender nodded and brought three glasses and a bottle of wine to the table. The wine was not from a big name winery and had no fancy label. The bottle was unlabeled except for a small piece of tape that had a date written on it in faded ink. It was also a little dusty. The server wiped the bottle with a bar rag, used a corkscrew to open the wine, and poured a small amount in Tony's glass. Tony tasted the wine, nodded, and the three glasses were filled.

"Oh my," Jessica said as she sipped the wine. "This is really good."

"Beats the hell out of my beer," Rollie agreed.

"My grandmother made this wine," Tony said. "I've been saving it for a special occasion. I think that you two getting through this thing with Vito qualifies." He raised his glass and said, "To Good food, Good friends, and Good times. Salute!"

After a few more minutes talking with his friends, Tony left to greet some of his other guests.

Jessica finished her wine. Smiling she said, "About all those good times we toasted to. Let's go home."

Smiling broadly Rollie called to the waiter "Check please".

The End - For Now