by Skye Knizley
Raven sighed and turned to Levac. “We are, Rupe. I’m sorry, okay?”
She and Levac stared at each other for a long moment before Levac sighed and leaned back in his seat. “So what do your instincts tell you we should do now?”
Raven turned the key and listened to the engine’s rumble, her nails tapping on the steering wheel. “Club Black. They’re open now. Let’s go see if anyone there can tell us anything about Franks and who he may have been with last night.”
Levac plucked at the strings hanging from Raven’s torn jacket. “We’re not really dressed for Club Black.”
“We’ve got badges, we’re always dressed for the occasion,” Raven said with a smirk.
CLUB BLACK SAT IN THE heart of the Chicago Loop and was a very popular nightspot for both the city’s upper crust as well as tourists looking for the best wine, cheese, cigars and modern jazz the city had to offer. The black mirrored structure was an office building of sorts, with the lower level rented out to the club. Raven knew for a fact the upper levels contained a variety of vampire-owned businesses of the less bloody type. Even vampires needed something to do to keep from being so bored their brains atrophied.
She parked the Shelby on the street, fed the meter with her police-issued card and traded her torn denim jacket for the old aviator’s A2 she kept in the trunk. She pushed up the sleeves on the slightly too big jacket and joined Levac at the door to the club where he was speaking with an attractive middle-aged man who had salt and pepper hair and wore a black suit. As Raven got closer she realized what appeared to be a polite discussion was the maître’d refusing Levac access to the club.
“What’s the problem?” she asked, stopping next to Levac.
“This…gentleman is refusing us entrance,” Levac replied. “He says we need a warrant or a membership.”
“Excuse me?” Raven asked.
“You do not have a warrant and are not members of the club,” the maître’d replied. “I’m sorry, but club rules are very strict on membership.”
Raven grabbed the man’s tie and yanked him halfway across the podium. “You listen to me, little man. I happen to know you don’t require membership and this club is on city property. My badge means I can come in and ask questions pertaining to a police investigation. Now do you want to allow us entrance or am I going to arrest you and drag your skinny butt to jail? My lieutenant would love it if I made an arrest instead of shooting someone.”
She let go and the tall man loosened his tie and took a deep breath. “My apologies, officers. Please enter and enjoy your stay.”
“Thank you,” Raven replied.
Levac opened the door and Raven ducked under his arm to enter the lobby. What she saw was red. Red, red and more red. The carpet was red, the round benches were covered in red leather, the hostess desk was red leather…the black lacquer walls made the red stand out in bright and somewhat annoying contrast.
Behind the desk was a painfully thin young Asian woman with waist length black hair. She was wearing a red dress the same color as the leather decor matched with black fingerless gloves. She smiled and beckoned the two detectives closer.
“Can we arrest people for bad taste?” Levac asked as they crossed the lobby.
Raven shook her head and whispered back, “No but with our luck they’ll have to redecorate after we leave anyway.”
They reached the hostess’ desk and the lithe woman smiled another warm greeting. “Welcome to Club Black. I’m sorry, but we do have a strict dress code, business dress is required.”
Raven placed her badge on the desk. “We’re not here for a martini. Is there a manager around?”
The hostess examined Raven’s badge for a moment then handed it back. “Of course, Detective Storm. One moment.”
The young woman typed some keys on a pad in front of her and spoke softly into the Bluetooth device connected to the strap of her dress. After a moment she turned her attention back to Raven and Levac.
“Ms. Hisakawa will be with you in a moment. Please feel free to have a seat.”
“We appreciate your cooperation,” Raven said. “Thanks.”
The pair took a seat on one of the circular benches and Raven tried not to feel like a little girl waiting at the doctor’s office. Something about the décor unnerved her.
A few minutes later an Asian woman entered from the bar. She was dressed in a smart black pantsuit and boots. At her neck was a red gemstone that carried on the club’s theme of red and black. It made Raven want to vomit.
The two detectives stood and the manager extended her hand to each of them. “I am Noa Hisakawa, manager of Club Black. You are Detectives Storm and Levac? What can I do for you?”
“Ms. Hisakawa, is there somewhere we can talk more privately?” Levac asked.
Hisakawa bowed and turned away. “Of course, please follow me.”
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 wel
come, 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, s
hattering 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.