In the moments previous to the planned meeting with his future father-in-law Vince realized he was nervous as a schoolboy. This made him feel absurd.
<Loretta makes her own decisions. There is nothing that the old man can do to interfere.> He meditated. However, he still remembered Philip´s austere countenance and his decisions affecting the lives of his parishioners.
“Councilor Gardner, Mr. Caruso is here.” Announced the secretary partially opening the office door.
“Please show him in, Toya. Thank you very much.”
Philip Gardner was an imposing figure. He had been a football player in his younger days. He now vacillated on how to receive the man chosen by his daughter, but when he saw Vince entering the office with his crutches the Councilor stood up immediately. In the corridors he had seen all his employees respectfully opening the way to a survivor of the Harlem massacres occurred a short time before.
Despite his usual aplomb and security the Councilor coughed to clear a knot that emotion had formed in his throat.
Gardner had on his desk the results of technical assessments that the area of human resources had made about his future son-in-law.
<I have to admit that this damn Italian is an intelligent man.>
On a second thought, with his usual tendency to look on the bright side of things he comforted himself thinking that that desirable feature was to be transmitted to his future grandchildren. Beautiful as the mother and intelligent as the father; their undefined skin color would be only a detail.
The conversation lasted nearly an hour, in which Philip explained the characteristics of the job offered, reminded him that he would be working with African-American colleagues which would require full respect for certain standards. This forced Vince to say.
“With respect, Councilor...”
“Since you are going to be family, you can call me Philip.”
“Philip, let me remind you that since I joined the police academy I have worked in Harlem, my best friend was black and I'm going to marry your daughter.”
“I know.” Replied immediately Gardner. “But I am not referring to ethnic prejudice but to certain standards, beliefs and rites of our community ... well, you know.”
“ Another important thing.” Continued after a pause. “From now on all the other women, whether white or black are out of the picture.”
“Of course Philip.”
“Last but not least.” The Councilor continued developing his list of requests.” The marriage will be by the Baptist church and children will be baptized in it.”
“No problem. I am nominally Catholic but I'm not really religious.”
At that point Gardner called by the antiquated intercom.
“Toya. Call Cyrus and Tom and invite them to come to my office.”
Then he addressed Vince.
“I'm going to introduce you to those who will be your bosses. I will tell you clearly, you should flatter them for a while until they fully accept you.”
Walt Kolski was waiting his old comrade at the Frank & Johnny´s bar. The man missed the conversations he used to have with Vince and Leroy. Besides Walt had something inside that was lacerating him and he needed to share. In the mirror he saw that Vince was entering through the door; as Walt watched him walking with crutches his stomach squeezed.
The first part of the talk dealt with Vince´s new activities in the city administration.
“For now it fits you to be working at a desk. But will you adapt to it when you leave the crutches?” Asked Walt.
“Loretta has compelled me to do that. It is her condition to marry me.”
The conversation then turned to the developments in the police precinct since Vince had left it. He noticed a certain reticence, a certain anxiety in his friend and so he explicited.
“Walt. I notice there is something you're not telling me.”
Kolski felt he was released of a chain that had been oppressing him; the last hurdle to share his secret had fallen.
“Come, let’s move to a table. I want to talk with you about something confidential.”
“I can hardly believe what you are telling me.” Caruso was really amazed. “You say O'Halloran is covering up a network of traffickers?”
“I began to suspect when after the slaughter in the warehouse he ordered us all to search for a fugitive African woman. Do you remember it?”
“Yes. He circulated a photo of the girl.”
“This is the one.” Walt said displaying one of the photos in the gallery of his cell phone.
“I remember her. Beautiful woman. Definitely a candidate to be sold to brothels.”
“Well, in those days I found her and passed the information to O'Halloran. I did that through Laura Sandoval. I then received the order to follow her at a distance and after a while I was ordered to leave the track.”
“So?”
“The following night two dead thugs of African origin were found in the streets, one of them shot with an old military weapon and the other with his head shattered and his throat pierced by a stiletto or some similar sharp object.”
“I see you've been tying up loose ends.”
“But what made me begin to suspect was a conversation I heard accidentally. I had gone to the escape ladders in the precinct to discuss with Rebecca about some expenses because I did not want anyone to hear my conversation. I sat on the stairs one floor down when I heard someone was doing the same in the upper floor. I immediately recognized O'Halloran´s voice. The fact that he had come to speak to the supposedly empty stairs and his tone immediately warned me that something dirty was involved. I hung up with my wife and crouched in the shadows.”
“What did you hear?”
“Only fragments but quite clear. The lieutenant spoke with great respect so concluded that the caller was someone higher up the food chain.”
“The police chain?”
“Or the city government. O´Halloran mentioned “that Jemal idiot" in a really scornful tone.”
“With whom did you associate that name?”
Walt pushed his chair placing it closer to Vince and continued in a whisper.
“In my further research I found references to a certain Jemal Gebre, an Eritrean suspected of narcotics and human trafficking from East Africa. He is also supposedly involved in the slaughter in the Harlem warehouse.”
“What else you heard on the stairs?”
“The lieutenant was speaking about "the woman". Apparently he and his interlocutor had seen a girl the day someone tried to kill her and the other feared she could recognize them. Then O'Halloran answered that he would take care of her.”
“Holy Jesus!” Exclaimed Vince. “There is little doubt.”
“But as you'll notice.” Continued Walt. “Nothing that can be used in court. No proof at all.”
Caruso made a resigned gesture. Then asked.
“What will you do with all this?”
“Nothing, that´s why it´s burning me. I cannot expose my children and Rebecca to reprisal from these heavy guys. Nor there´s anything you can do.”
Vince thought a moment.
“You're right. I have committed to Loretta to stay away from danger. Besides, I'm no longer in the police force, I have no weapon nor badge ... Hey, I'll tell you what you can do.”
Walt paid attention to what Vince murmured.
“First pass me the photos you've taken from that woman.”
“Here you have them. I have copied them in this pen-drive. Destroy it once you´ve copied them.”
“Second, tell me where you found that woman in your pursuits, what are her whereabouts.”
He made silence for a moment and then continued.
“Finally I ask you contact with Sergeant Eric Murphy. Do you know him?”
“Vaguely.”
“I'm going to call Eric at this moment and will introduce you. I ask you to tell him what you told me. Then you forget about this whole issue.”
“ All right.” Said Kolski with a gesture of relief at being freed of his burden.
Vince pulled out his cell phone, found a number in memory and dialed it.
“Hi Eric, I'm Vince Caruso...”
And so, gradually, fate was weaving its complicated weft around characters who ignored the fabric design.