by Jeff Carson
“He could have taken Rosenwald’s car,” Lia offered.
Rossi stared at Wolf.
Wolf turned his back and kicked a small rock into the cornstalks. “Okay, yeah. We need to account for the car.” He closed his eyes and tilted his head into the warm sun, listening to the insects hiss all around them.
Wolf turned. “We need to go talk to Vlad in the observatory. He said the reason he wasn’t at the bar with them that night was because he was at work. So, let’s ask him what he saw. If he was here, then he can tell us what happened. You don’t just miss a blowout argument between two guys that ends in a murder in the back yard, do you? It’s beyond suspicious.”
Rossi raised an eyebrow and nodded his head, looking to Lia.
“And you don’t know everything yet, Rossi,” Wolf said, pushing past him. “This guy, Vlad, is involved in cocaine and electronics smuggling with the owner of a Romanian pub in Lecco named Cezar. His pub is called the Albastru Pub. You heard of it?”
Rossi looked stunned. “Well, yeah. I have. Wait—”
“I was here last night. I saw the truck they were packing with stolen computers and drugs. A truck that said Albastru International Shipping Co. on it. I actually looked in the back of the truck and saw what had to be a hundred or more stolen computers. I ripped open a white cardboard box and saw what looked to be cocaine. There were at least ten of those boxes. It was dark. There could have been many more.”
“When were you going to tell me all of this?” Rossi held out his hands.
Wolf blinked and shrugged. “There hasn’t exactly been a good time this morning.”
Rossi shot Lia a questioning look.
She shrugged her shoulders. “What?”
“Last night, I was shot at and chased by this guy, Cezar. The way I see it happening that night is, my brother and Rosenwald have a few drinks at the Albastru Pub and head here to the observatory, to take a look in the telescope. At Jupiter, apparently. We have proof of that on Twitter. Things go sour at some point, sour because of Cezar and Vlad. Maybe my brother and Rosenwald saw exactly what I saw last night—them packing drugs and stolen computers in a truck. Whatever the exact situation, they somehow see something they shouldn’t have, and Vlad and Cezar know they can’t un-see it. Now that my brother and Matthew are a liability, Cezar deals with them the only way he knows how.
“They take them out back, force them to kneel down. But gunshots could raise some alarm from the neighbors, so they get a pipe. Some words are said, and Cezar flies off the handle, beating Rosenwald’s head in.
“Maybe Vlad injects some calm, scientific reasoning into the situation. They know that getting rid of the two bodies is going to be hard, so they leverage a little deception. They decide to frame my brother for the murder. My brother is hit on the head with the same pipe, and then strangled with one of their belts. It wouldn’t have been Cezar’s belt—he’s too skinny. Vlad,” he said pointing toward the dome with a steely expression. “Ferka Vlad is a man with an ample belly.”
“Okay. Then they take your brother back to his apartment and string him up?” Rossi asked with a tilted head. “How do they bring the dead body into the apartment building?”
“On a Friday night? They carry him in,” Wolf said, shrugging. “Anyone watching thinks John’s drunk and his buddies are bringing him in. They could have pulled right up to the gate in a car, brought him in, and strung him up. Then they make sure Rosenwald’s body can be found in due time, and the weapon is left here in plain sight, with my brother’s fingerprints on it. They probably figured my brother would be out of the country in a box before too long anyway, making the case even more complicated to figure out for you guys.”
“How did they get your brother back to his apartment?” asked Lia. “That would have been a tough situation. How do they know where he lives?”
Wolf continued walking in front of them. “Maybe Vlad knew my brother better than we thought. Maybe he’d been there before.” Wolf thought of Cristina, John’s girlfriend. A Romanian too. Was there a connection?
“It seems to fit, but there is still no evidence. We just have your word of what you saw last night, and …” Rossi shrugged with an apologetic smile. “We have to have something solid, David.”
“Well, then let’s go talk to Vlad and get something solid.”
Chapter 34
Vlad sagged in the desk chair, sipping on a Coke Lite, when he saw them approach the office doorway. A puzzled, startled expression briefly contorted his face, and he coughed a mist of Coke into the air.
“Vlad, how are you doing today?” Wolf said as he entered Vlad’s office.
“David, please.” Rossi grabbed Wolf’s shoulder from behind and eased past him. “Let me handle this. We need to keep this official.”
Rossi reached out and took the Coke can from Vlad’s quivering hand, clanked it on the desk, and swiveled Vlad’s chair so the two men were face to face.
Vlad looked into Rossi’s eyes with horrid fascination as Rossi placed his hand on Vlad’s chest. Vlad looked at Wolf and then at Lia with a pleading expression.
With a violent movement and the sound of ripping fabric, Rossi twisted Vlad’s shirt, pulled him out of the chair, and pushed him against the window. The aluminum blinds clanged and bent, letting in haphazard rays of sun.
“You were here on Friday night. And yet you told these two that you did not see anything at all.”
Vlad looked confused, then nodded his head quickly. “Y-yes, sir. I didn’t see anything! I was working all night Friday in my office—”
“I don’t believe you!” He wadded the shirt underneath Vlad’s chin, exposing his jiggling belly.
“You didn’t hear anyone come into the building? They didn’t simply come down the hall and see you working here with the light on? They didn’t say hi to you? What is that, twenty feet away?” He jerked his head toward the observatory room down the hall.
“No, they didn’t. I-I-I … I heard them down the hall, and I shut my door to block out the sound. I had a lot of work to do. I was talking on the phone and had important conversations. They didn’t speak to me. Then they just left. I didn’t see them at all. It was only a couple minutes!”
“Why did you lie to us earlier?” Wolf asked. “You said you didn’t see my brother or Dr. Rosenwald Friday night.”
“You asked if I went out to have beers with them! I did not.”
Wolf said nothing.
“I did not ever see them,” Vlad continued. “When they showed up here on Friday night, I heard them from here. I was on the phone, and I could hear ... someone. But I never saw them,” Vlad’s expression hardened. “I’m sorry. I was in here working. I saw no one.”
Rossi let him go and stepped back with wild eyes.
Vlad pulled his shirt down and heaved with labored breaths.
“What were you doing last night, Vlad?” Wolf asked.
Vlad paused. “Last night? I was home last night. Why do you ask?”
Rossi held up an index finger. “I’d like to see a list of shipments you have been overseeing for the past twenty-four hours.”
Vlad looked at Rossi with an imploring expression. “Why would you want to see that?”
“Let me see them. Now. Pull them up on your computer screen there.”
Vlad pushed a few buttons. A jumbled mass of numbers filled the screen in different-colored columns.
Vlad held his hands toward the screen and pushed his chair back.
Rossi gripped the back of the chair and slammed him into the desk with a crash. Papers dropped to the floor and the can of Coke Lite tipped on its side, spilling its remaining ounce onto the desk. “Show us the shipments for the past twenty-four hours. Now.”
Vlad pulled his hand from below the desk and grabbed the mouse while Lia and Wolf approached to look.
Wolf pointed at the screen. “Click on that shipment there.”
The shipment had an address from Merate, Italy, to Cluj, Romania. There were blue
links lined up underneath the shipment title and description.
“Click on the commercial invoice and bill of lading,” Wolf said.
Vlad clicked and an official-looking invoice sheet displayed on the screen. The list of contents included technical components with numbers, dashes, and letters.
“And the Bill of lading.”
The document took a while to build from top to bottom on the screen—a scanned copy of an original document. As it appeared slowly in front of them, Wolf tried to read the pertinent information, written in Italian. Two words materialized on the screen.
“Albastru Shipping,” Wolf said. “The same name as the Albastru Pub.”
“Yes,” Vlad looked at Wolf. “The owner of the shipping company also owns that pub.”
“You guys have some serious ties to the Albastru brand, it looks like,” Wolf said. “Beers after work and now the shipping company?”
“Well, that’s how I learned about the pub. The owner of the shipping company approached me, and he told me about his pub. We are both Romanian …” Vlad finished his sentence with a shrug.
“You Romanians all stick together, huh?” Rossi glared.
Vlad stayed silent.
“All right. I’m going to need the truck information for this shipment here.” Rossi tapped the screen.
Vlad looked at Rossi with another strange expression, as if it were an impossibly unreasonable request.
“Now!”
“All right, all right.” Vlad pressed some buttons and a printer whirred in the corner.
A piece of paper shot out of the laser printer into the collection tray. Rossi picked it up and studied the page, pulling it close to his face with a squint.
“Ah,” he said, pointing to the piece of paper. “Thank you, Mr. Vlad. We will find this truck en route and search its contents. We have come across some anonymous information that you may be helping with the smuggling of stolen electronics. And drugs. If we find anything suspicious in any truck you are involved with, you’ll be spending some hard time in San Vittore.”
Vlad sat still without any expression.
Rossi turned. “Have a nice day.” He looked to Wolf and nodded. “Anything else?”
Wolf stared at Vlad for a few seconds. “I guess that will do for now.”
…
Wolf and Lia followed Rossi out to the rear of the building.
“I’ll call this in right now. It shouldn’t be any trouble to find this truck and search its contents at any of the few eastern borders. There are only three or so routes it could have taken, and only one reasonable one.” Rossi tapped the sheet of paper. “According to this manifest, shipment delivery date is Monday in Cluj. They would leave for that delivery date today. There are truck restrictions on Saturdays in Italy. So with two days’ travel time, they would have to leave today.” Rossi looked seriously at Wolf. “But if it left last night, well, then it could be out of the country by now. Wolf, you are sure about what you saw last night? I’m putting myself on the line here, making this call.”
“I swear on my life. There were stolen computers and boxes packed with kilos of cocaine in the truck that made these marks,” he said, pointing at the lawn. “The owner of the Albastru Pub was driving the truck. The side of the truck said ‘Albastru International Shipping Co.’ and Vlad was with him.”
“And you just happened to be on a night-time walk last night, seeing all this?” Rossi smirked, sweeping his arm out toward the surrounding land.
“Yeah, I took a wrong turn on a scooter ride.”
“Madonna. You looked like a zombie after last night’s dinner. You are crazy.”
“I got a second wind,” Wolf said.
“A second ... wind?” Rossi looked puzzled.
“Never mind. Just make the calls. I swear I saw what I saw.”
Rossi pulled out his phone and began dialing.
They walked down the country road back to the lake.
Dr. Rosenwald’s body had been removed by the time they returned. They continued past the taped scene to the wider pathway surrounding the lake.
Rossi put his phone back in his pocket. “Okay, I have every border crossing into Slovenia and Austria looking for the truck. It will be stopped, I will be notified, and it will be searched thoroughly. I’ve also sent out a, how do you say in English, notification for all law enforcement agencies for the entire northeast of Italy to look out for this truck.”
“We call that an APB in the United States. All-points bulletin.”
“Yes, now I remember that from the television shows,” he said. “I just hope our friend Vlad doesn’t decide to call the driver and turn him around before he gets to the border. If that happens, the truck is going to be difficult to find.”
Wolf nodded. “I get it. Don’t get my hopes up.”
Chapter 35
Wolf’s stomach growled as they approached the car. So loud that Lia heard it.
She looked up at him and leaned back. “I guess you are hungry?”
“I thought you’d never ask. I would kill for another pizza.”
She looked at her watch. “It’s a little early, but I know just the place.” She turned to Rossi. “You coming?”
Rossi was concentrating on something, eyes glued to the dirt path. “What?”
“Do you want to go have pizza with us for lunch?”
“Uh, no thanks. I have to go take care of some things at the station. I’ll catch up with you guys afterwards.”
“See you then. Keep Marino happy for me, please. I’m supposed to talk to him this afternoon.”
“I promise nothing!” Rossi called out as he climbed into his car.
…
The uncut pizza spilled off the edges of the plate. Steam moistened Wolf’s face as the waiter pushed the food under his nose, edging aside two cans of Coca-Cola.
Half a pizza and a full Coke later, Wolf asked, “What does Colonnello Marino need to talk to you about this afternoon?”
Lia shifted in her chair and wiped her mouth. “I have a ... deadline.”
“A deadline?”
She looked at her plate. “To wrap up this case. To make you happy that all of your questions have been answered.”
“I have a plane ticket for Sunday,” he said, “and John is already on the way home.”
“I know.”
They ate in silence for a few bites.
“It’s my job to make sure you are on that plane on Sunday.”
“Believe me, it’s in my best interest to be on that plane. It’s in a lot of people’s best interests for me to be on that plane,” he said.
“I know. I’m just telling you what he is telling me.” She forked a piece of pizza. “I think you have convinced Valerio about your brother’s death, about him being murdered.”
“Yeah? And what about you?”
“I believe the evidence is clear your brother was murdered. But you don’t need me to be convinced.” She leaned forward. “I’m just saying, if you have to go home without this situation being resolved, it would be good to have Valerio on your side. There are a lot of unseen forces at work here. Your brother’s situation has come at an interesting time in our station.”
Wolf frowned. “What does that mean?”
She leaned forward. “Colonnello Marino is looking to be promoted out of the current position he is in. The generali above him are choosing their next ... successors, and he is well known to be on the top of that list. Only the top colonnelli will be considered, and those top colonnelli won’t have Americans coming in to question their investigations. If this gets out that you are here and somehow contributing to change the outcome of an already closed investigation, then that wouldn’t be good for him.”
“This case was going to be complicated anyway with the discovery of Rosenwald’s body.”
She nodded and took another bite.
“I know, I know. I’m just saying that everything is even more complicated now. The evidence points directly
to your brother being responsible for the death of Dr. Rosenwald, and him committing suicide. The fact that Valerio has just stuck his neck out for you, as you Americans say, is very big. He is risking a lot by searching for this truck you saw last night.” She raised her eyebrows. “Because he is next in line for the position of colonnello.”
“And right now it’s all tied up in a nice bow.”
“Exactly. Everything makes perfect sense. Your brother’s fingerprints are on the pipe, and it will look like a perfect explanation to Marino.” She swiped her hands against each other, another done-and-dusted gesture.
“I don’t care about Marino’s career if it’s at the expense of my brother’s memory.”
“Yes, I know. I am on your side. I am just telling you what I know he is going to talk to me about this afternoon. Marino has been angry and uptight the last month, and it gets worse every day.” She forked another piece of pizza. “I know he’ll not like the way we are reading the evidence presented to us.”
They ate in silence for a minute.
“What is it, election time or something for you guys?”
“Something like that, yes. Everyone is trying to keep their positions, or move up in the coming weeks and months. I do not know the exact time everything will happen, but change is in the air and everyone is well aware of it. It happens like this every year or two. Men and their power struggles …”
“Yeah,” he said. “And how about you?”
“How about me what?”