FORGOTTEN

by Hastings, Gary

  Pat once again removed his fancy shield and flashed it.

  “I’m Patrick O’Connor, NYPD Chief of Detectives. This is Detective Mary McDonald from the Manhattan North Homicide Unit. If we could come inside, we’d like to talk to you. I apologize for imposing, but it’s important.”

  “It must be to get the Chief out here. I’ve seen you on the tube many times. You’re a hard-working man. Please come in.”

  Pat was encouraged by his hospitality. They walked inside, and he directed them to a corner where there were comfortable chairs and a couch.

  “Please have a seat. I’ll have Mrs. Wiggins bring us some coffee in a few.”

  “Thank you, sir, but please don’t go to any trouble.” Pat said.

  “No trouble at all. So, what is this regarding?” Brewster asked.

  Pat got directly to the point. “Daniel Pellegrino.”

  Roland Brewster was clearly upset by the mention of the name. He just stared at the floor and then spoke with a lot of anger in his tone. “That pathological liar! Why, pray tell, is his name coming up now? I haven’t heard from him in years.”

  Pat drove his point home by being direct. “We believe he was selling case dismissals in Brooklyn when he was a partner in your law firm.”

  Brewster interrupted. “Am I being investigated for something? Maybe you should talk to my attorneys.”

  “No sir. You’re not a suspect in anything. We’re just trying to find Daniel Pellegrino.”

  “That maniac nearly ruined my career. He was wheeling and dealing in cases in Kings County and taking money under the table. We thought he was a brilliant lawyer. His success was phenomenal. Then we found out the truth and sent him packing. I’ve always believed the stress he caused Arnold Kemp caused him to have the heart attack.”

  “Do you have any idea where he might be?”

  “I’m sorry Chief, I wish I knew. He can’t rot in jail long enough for me.”

  Mrs. Wiggins brought out coffee and cookies, and they talked about the courts and life in general. Brewster took them into his prize greenhouse and gave Mary a beautiful rose. He promised to let them know if he thought of anything that might help. They shook hands and said goodbye. As Pat got into the black Chrysler, he knew they had gotten absolutely nothing in weeks which resembled a lead on Daniel Pellegrino’s location. It was time to pull a rabbit out of the hat as Bryan Flannery often called Pat’s creative development of investigative leads. At this point, he felt as if he had nowhere to go. This had to change soon before Pellegrino found a new Harry Pittsford. There were enough bodies in this case already.

  Chapter 52

  Monday, February 28 - Day 41

  Chief of Detectives’ Residence

  Borough of Manhattan, New York

  2030 Hours

  Pat settled into his apartment for the evening. Maggie was in training at the Secret Service Training Center in Maryland and would not be home until the weekend. He missed her a lot, but something else was creating a knot in his stomach. He had practiced his trumpet for an hour, an activity which usually provided a great escape, but the uneasy feeling was still there. He realized this case involving Daniel Pellegrino was taking its toll. The lack of progress was driving him nuts.

  He had gone over the case dozens of times. He had read all the reports detailing the activities and investigative efforts of the task force members and couldn’t find any stone that remained unturned. Every investigative trap had been set, but there was not even a nibble in terms of leads. Although the crime had basically been solved (with the NYPD knowing who was behind it) without a suspect in custody, the case could not be closed. Harry Pittsford had been the killer, but the evil plan was conceived by Daniel Pellegrino.

  Pat was sitting at the desk in his study. He had his portable on monitoring the city-wide channels. He realized he had been so consumed by this case that he had not stayed on top of city-wide activities as he typically did. Dickie Davis always brought him overnight crime summaries in the morning, but Pat hadn’t had Dickie drive him in almost a month. He knew he was distracted and was losing his edge. He sat down and started to make a to-do list. He hoped those around him had not sensed his distraction. He was determined to close this case and get back in the game.

  Pat was flipping through a stack of business cards. He always tried to enter contacts in his phone, so he would have them when he needed them. He dropped some cards in his briefcase to add to his contacts later. Almost through, he came across a plain white card which simply said: “Kenneth Helms” and had a phone number. He had to think for a moment, but remembered he was the son of Archibald Helms, an old sergeant Pat had worked for in Queens. Arch had been killed in the line of duty when he walked in on a liquor store robbery. Pat had closed the case in about a year.

  Kenneth Helms was Arch’s youngest son and worked for The Company. He was an officer with the Central Intelligence Agency. Unlike spy movies and novels, a CIA Officer was an employee of the government, while a CIA Agent was a source or informant, a snitch in NYPD terminology. The CIA was not a law enforcement agency and legally was not even supposed to operate inside the United States. After 9/11, all things changed. Pat knew the CIA had a large office in the city, but he had never interacted with them.

  Kenneth Helms had told Pat on several occasions, that if he could help in any way, to call him. Pat decided it was time to reach out. He dialed the number.

  “Hello. This is Ken.”

  “Good evening, Ken. This is Pat O’Connor, NYPD.”

  “Hello, Chief. How are you?”

  “I’m great and you?”

  “Still chasing shadows, I’m afraid.”

  “Are you still in the city?”

  “Yep, there’s a lot of work here. How can I help you?”

  “I may need your help, if I can take you up on your offer.”

  “Sure, Chief, but we better do this in person. My office is probably not a good place to meet, because you’re pretty well-known. I don’t want to overdramatize this, but could you meet me at the Staten Island Ferry Terminal in lower Manhattan? We can take a boat ride.”

  “Sure, Ken. What time did do you want to meet?”

  “Let’s make it 1:30 tomorrow afternoon. It shouldn’t be too crowded at that time of day.”

  “Thanks, Ken. I hope I still recognize you.”

  “Don’t worry, Pat. I’ll recognize you.”

  Chapter 53

  Tuesday, March 1 - Day 42

  Staten Island Ferry Terminal

  Borough of Manhattan, New York

  1345 Hours

  Pat O’Connor arrived at the Staten Island Ferry Terminal in lower Manhattan precisely on time. He had spent the morning compiling every speck of information the NYPD had on Daniel Pellegrino. He had photographs, fingerprints, addresses, known associates, police reports and all the possible email addresses the Computer Crimes Squad had produced. He had downloaded it all onto a small USB drive which looked like a poker chip. Now, he really felt like a spy.

  Kenneth Helms approached Pat as he walked into the terminal. Pat was wearing his top coat and a suit. Kenneth Helms was dressed in blue jeans and a grey Columbia University sweatshirt. Pat joked about the dress.

  “I thought you guys wore trench coats.”

  “We can wear them anywhere but New York. We wouldn’t want to be confused with the NYPD.”

  “Of course not.”

  Pat and Ken found a seat far away from the other passengers. Ken had been right about the light loading. There were few passengers. It occurred to Pat this was not the first time it had been used for such a meeting. They quickly got to the business at hand.

  “So what can I do for the NYPD?”

  “We’re looking for a very dangerous man who may have left the country. We’ve tried Interpol, and the U. S. Marshals are beating the bushes, but he’s not to be found. He has millions of dollars in US banks, but hasn’t touched it in over a year. He was originally wanted for being an accessory to the murder of an
NYPD Detective last year, but we’ve now linked him to the murders of a retired detective, a state court judge and an attorney. He tried to add me to the list, but his hired gun was killed by the state police over in Jersey. He was involved in some courthouse corruption, and these killings were to silence witnesses. He’s an attorney.”

  “What do you have for me?”

  Pat handed Ken the poker chip. “This has everything we have on Daniel Pellegrino. Reports, photographs, fingerprints, known associates and a few email addresses we think he may be using.”

  “What makes you think he’s out of the country?”

  “We think someone would have ratted him out if he was in New York, but we could be wrong. Also our computer forensics examiners feel some of the email addresses may be foreign, but I know these things are easy to disguise.”

  “What do you want us to do?”

  “Just find him. We can handle the rest. I’d like to say kill him, but for now just try to find him.”

  “I think I read somewhere that we aren’t supposed to kill people anymore, anyway.” Ken joked.

  Pat laughed at the joke and thanked Ken Helms for the help. He was encouraged by his response.

  “If he can be found, we’ll find him. We have a few resources not available to law enforcement. If we’re successful in helping you find him, it was from an anonymous tip.”

  “Understood.”

  “My dad thought the world of you, Pat. He’d want me to do anything I could to help you.”

  “I thought the world of your dad, Ken. If you inherited his instincts, I know they serve you well.”

  “Doing what I do is quite different than being a cop, but human nature is the same and there are things I learned from dad that make a difference in my work.”

  “They’ve made a difference in my life as well. I owe him a lot, Ken.”

  Pat and Ken stepped off the ferry and grabbed hot dogs and sodas. In a few minutes they boarded the return ferry and rode outside catching the sites on the way back to lower Manhattan. Lady Liberty was still impressive guarding the harbor. Although he had lived in New York for over 30 years, the Statue of Liberty still hit the soft spot in Pat’s heart. Back at the terminal, Ken and Pat shook hands. He promised to let Pat know if anything panned out. Pat hoped it would be soon.

  Chapter 54

  Tuesday, March 1 - Day 42

  Chief of Detectives’ Office - One Police Plaza

  Borough of Manhattan, New York

  1600 Hours

  Pat had been back in his office for a few minutes when Bryan Flannery came to see him.

  “Are you busy, Chief?”

  “No, come in, Bryan.”

  Bryan pulled the door to and sat down in front of Pat’s desk.

  “What’s on your mind, Bryan?” Pat asked.

  “I just need to think out loud for a minute. How much longer do you think we can keep the task force mobilized without new leads?”

  “Are the commanders giving you grief?”

  “Well, Mary and Mike O’Neil work for me, so that’s not a problem. The Marshal’s task force could really use Wilbur and Karla back. George McBain is already handling other cases. Dickie and Angie aren’t very busy either, but they’re also wearing two hats. You know, Chief, it’s your call, but we have no leads to follow and I know they could use the manpower.”

  “I’ve been thinking about this case as well, Bryan. I still have some lines thrown out, but I really don’t want to waste the manpower either. Let’s make sure that all of these reports are completed, and we’ll have a discussion with the troops tomorrow and wind things down until we get new leads. I want Mary McDonald to hang on for a few weeks and Dickie Davis and Angie Wilson can run leads as needed.”

  “I appreciate it, Chief. I know you’re disappointed.”

  “Just because we’re toning down the task force doesn’t mean that we’re any less determined to catch Daniel Pellegrino.”

  “That goes without saying.”

  “What does your gut say? Is he dead, in jail or just slick?”

  “Probably the latter, but I could be wrong. I think he’s fled the coop and is held up somewhere.”

  “So then, where should we look?”

  “Planet Earth!”

  Chapter 55

  Wednesday, March 2 - Day 43

  Major Crimes Conference Room - One Police Plaza

  Borough of Manhattan, New York

  1500 Hours

  Pat had made it a point to get back into his pre-Margaret Butelli visit routine. He had spent extra time today talking to detective commanders around the city and getting back to the basics of being the Chief of Detectives. He made it a point to reach out around the city and check up on a few things he had put on the back burner while he had been preoccupied with the Butelli case.

  Pat had thought a lot about his meeting with Bryan Flannery yesterday. He knew Bryan had handled the issue with kid gloves, but a part of him felt like maybe Bryan had thrown in the towel, as well, and had given up on bringing Daniel Pellegrino to justice. That would be unacceptable, and he could not tolerate it. However, Pat realized he had become obsessed with the case and might be losing objectivity. He quickly dismissed the thought as he prepared to talk to the task force.

  Pat walked in the room and was surprised to see Manhattan District Attorney Tom Bronson in the room. Pat felt a twinge of emotion as he started.

  “Captain Flannery and I had a conversation yesterday about this task force and whether we should continue it, or turn it down a notch or two. I have to be honest; I hate the sound of that, because it sounds like defeat and I’m a terrible loser. I also have to be realistic and know that we haven’t had a decent lead on the whereabouts of Daniel Pellegrino in a year. I know there’s a lot going on, and you’re needed in your regular assignments. I’d like to just go around the room and poll each of you and ask that you give me your honest thoughts about our usefulness. Karla, why don’t you start?”

  “I want Daniel Pellegrino as much as anyone, Chief. We’ve put so many hours in and have gotten absolutely nothing out of it. I mean his money is flagged. We have cameras on his relatives. We’re up on their phones. His passport is flagged and we have nothing. If he steps out of his cave and does something, we should be in good shape. There’s really nothing else we can do but wait. I know that the Marshals can use Wilbur and me as soon as we can get back.”

  “Thanks Karla. Do you have anything to add, Wilbur?”

  “No sir, Chief. Karla is on the money with her assessment.”

  “Sergeant McBain, what do you think?”

  “I’m a multi-tasker anyway, Chief. I have a different role. We have most of the lab work back. There are only a few DNA examinations left. If something develops, I go to work. If not, I do my normal grind.”

  “Mike O’Neil, give me your thoughts please.”

  “I’ve just been bouncing around helping everybody else, Chief. I don’t have anything else to go on.”

  “Thanks, Mike. Angie, you and Dickie are kind of stuck with me, but I’d like to hear your thoughts.” Angie Wilson spoke first. “I’ve loved getting to do some real police work, Chief, but I think we’ve reached a dead end. Dickie and I are kind of like George. We do our normal jobs anyway. We’re here when you need us.”

  “Dickie?”

  “I needed this assignment to get me out of my rut, but I haven’t chased a lead in several weeks, Chief. It’s mostly hurry up and wait, as you well know.”

  “It’s your case, Mary. What’s the verdict?”

  “I probably need about a week to finish all my paperwork. There really isn’t anything to go on, absent a miracle. I’m sure the captain needs me back at Manhattan North.”

  “Any final thoughts, Bryan?”

  “I think the investigation has run its course. We’d be spinning our wheels to continue unless more information is developed.”

  “Mr. DA, I’d like to hear your thoughts and any direction.”

  “What we
have is a largely circumstantial case, but it’s a damn good one. We may have problems getting some things admitted, but I’m willing to fight for it. You bring me Daniel Pellegrino and I’ll prosecute him.”

  “Thanks, Tom. As much as I hate it, you guys can all return to your normal jobs on Thursday. Mary, I’m going to leave you assigned to this office for another couple of weeks. Dickie, you can turn your car in at the motor pool tomorrow and you’ll be back at the wheel of the Chrysler. I appreciate all the hard work. We got to the bottom of this case and put an amazing number of facts together for a cold case. I’m not ready to let go of this case, but I also have a big city to protect that requires us to move on. Maybe we’ll have some luck turn our way, even though I believe we often make our own luck. I’ll miss the chase, you ugly mutts.”

  Pat shook each of their hands and walked back to his office. He felt like Daniel Pellegrino had just won the war.

  Chapter 56

  Wednesday, March 2 - Day 43

  Mid-Town Patrol Area

  Borough of Manhattan, New York

  1600 Hours

  After the meeting, Pat did something he hadn’t done in a while. He grabbed his briefcase, turned out the lights and left the building. He got in the black Chrysler and just rode around his city. He had several radios on just listening to the traffic and was going through the entire Butelli case in his mind. Disbanding the task force bothered him more than he would ever admit. He knew that as Chief of Detectives, it was his decision. He could have kept the task force together longer, but he knew it was the right decision. There were no leads to pursue regarding the whereabouts of Daniel Pellegrino.

  Pat heard a 10-13 (Officer Needs Assistance) go out a few blocks away. He cut on his lights and siren and was the first officer on the scene. When he arrived, a beat cop was trying to handcuff an unruly prisoner. The prisoner was resisting. Pat jumped out of the car and grabbed one of the perp’s arms and put it in a wrist lock until the handcuff secured it. The officer was grateful and somewhat nervous when he recognized the Chief of Detectives.