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Turning abruptly, he marched towards the police precinct and entered the front door. Detective Montello was waiting for him in the main hall and then escorted him through the line of desks with officers minding their business, down a small passage and into a tiny unkempt office.
“I hope you don’t mind the mess,” Montello apologized.
“Not at all,” Neo responded, taking the beaten-up wooden chair offered. “Now what do you need from me.”
“I need some information in order to proceed with the investigation,” Detective Montello stated. “You mentioned that your brother was supposed to be in Jamaica. Do you know why he would return without informing the family?”
“No,” Neo shook his head. “My brother was supposed to return to his team in Catana when his holiday was over. They’re supposed to be leaving for Sudan in a few days.”
“Signore DeLuca, is there anything you can tell me about your brother that might come in useful. Did he have any enemies? Was he involved in your father’s dealings?”
“My brother is a physician who is assigned to Doctors Without Borders. Does that sound like a profession that would elicit the wrath of anyone?”
The Detective typed on his laptop. “I take it he was not involved in the family business?”
“No, Detective.”
“Did he have a girlfriend?”
“Maybe … not sure.”
“Clarify please.”
“I think they broke up last year and I am not sure if they reconciled.”
“I see.” Detective Montello said. “When we checked his phone, there were messages between him and someone named Daniele. We aren’t sure if it’s male or female. The messages were somewhat intimate, so I assume it’s female. Have you heard that name before?”
“No,” Neo replied. “May I see the messages.”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that until the investigation concludes.”
“Then what’s the use of me being here if I can’t get any information from you?”
A chuckle emanated from the detective. “That’s not how it works Signore DeLuca. You’re here to assist with the investigations.”
Neo rose to his feet. “I don’t see what I can do given that I wasn’t aware that my brother had returned to Sicily. If you don’t mind, I must see about my family’s affairs. When can I see my brother’s body?”
“The morgue is a block away. I’ll meet you there in ten minutes.”
Many questions plagued Neo as he walked out of the building and towards the awaiting car. Even as he instructed the driver to take him to the morgue, he was disoriented to the point where he felt as though he was about to lose his shit. By the time he reached the morgue his intestines were in a knot and his heart rate through the roof.
Where is the DeLuca blood you are so proud of Neo? He asked himself. His father would be disappointed if he knew just how much in that moment all Neo wanted was to awaken from this nightmare and go back to being the carefree boy he was, not caring about anything while living his best life. He wasn’t prepared for this.
The building was quiet as one would expect from a morgue and the halls smelled of ammonium. There was another underlying odor that Neo could not recognize, a scent that clung to his throat as he entered the room that Detective Montello guided him into. The pathologist was waiting at a table with a microscope while eating a sandwich and drinking coffee from a Styrofoam cup.
“Detective Montello,” the pathologist greeted, setting aside sandwich on a napkin on the desk and setting down the coffee on top of the wooden surface.
“Dr. Russo, this is Signore DeLuca,” Detective Montello told the Doctor. “He’s here to identify the victim that came in this morning.”
Doctor Russo rose from his chair and walked towards a wall with two columns of metal draws, stopping at the first column, pulling out the middle drawer. White mist swirled upwards as the gurney pulled out with a soft hiss. Neo stood just inside the door, unable to step further into the room as his feet felt rooted to the spot.
Neo could see the impression of the body under a white sheet. The head towards the front of the drawer. His heart stopped for a minute as he watched as Doctor Russo lifted the white sheet and pulled it back.
“Signore DeLuca, will you come closer please?” Detective Montello asked. “You aren’t queasy, are you?”
“Not at all, Detective,” Neo replied, mustering some courage to enter.
On wooden legs he made one step after the other, trying to keep from having a panic attack. As he approached the gurney, his heart wrenched in his chest as the blood rushed from his brain. Neo had never experienced such anguish as he did in that moment when he saw his brother’s corpse, ashen and cold lying lifeless, with discoloration from the bruises he sustained.
Those wooden legs that he’d managed to enter the room on now turned jellied and he felt as though they were about to buckle. Someone’s arms came around his shoulders and he turned to see Frankie holding him. His father’s childhood friend, confidant, and captain was comforting him and that gave him strength. He stared at Giannino’s handsome face with a bruise about three inches running along his right cheek. There was a gash on his chin revealing pink flesh and beneath that the off-white color of what he surmised was bone.
“Is this your brother Giannino DeLuca?” the Detective asked.
Neo forced himself to move forward until he reached the gurney, his throat constricting and his head pounding. He reached out a tremoring hand to touch the bruise on his brother’s cheek. Briefly he closed his eyes and swallowed, trying to release the tightness in his throat.
“Yes,” his voice coming out quite strained. “It’s Nino.”
