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Was this some kind of punishment? First the news that Nino was murdered, a news he was yet to believe. And now this woman suggesting that both his parents have been taken. But Neo was never one to believe things he heard without having proof. He needed evidence before playing this game she was suggesting.
“You know what?” he gritted, dredging up some mental strength. “I won’t play your stupid games. You show me proof that you have my parents and I may spare you.”
“I see you’re not easily swayed,” she replied. “Nice. Check your messages.”
The call was cut just as he heard the beep. Anxiously, Neo opened the messages. The first one was of a photo of his father with a camera time stamp on it for earlier that morning, about an hour ago. Adriano was strapped to a chair with a small gash on his left cheek and his lips busted in some crusty room with chains hanging from the ceiling. His jacket was missing and his white dress shirt bloody.
The second image had a time stamp of only a few minutes ago of his mother lying unconscious in the back of what seem to be a van. They must have snatched her as soon as she left the house. Neo was still unconvinced and needed more.
He redialed his father’s number and the woman picked up immediately. “How do I know these images aren’t edited to look like my parents?”
He could hear her snicker before she replied. “Are you willing to bet your parents lives on your disbelief?” she asked. “You have only hours to find your father. The clock is ticking.”
“Okay, say I believe, where is he?”
“Solve the puzzle and I will give you the answer. This is your clue. What do you do when your faith is weak?”
“What…?” he began but the line went dead.
When he redialed, the call didn’t even go through. He surmised that she might have switched the power off. Neo spent the next few minutes calling his mother’s phone, but there was no answer. He was beginning to believe this was some kind of test from his parents when several police officers arrived. Apparently, they had been there that morning to speak with his parents about Nino. Frankie also showed up, as though he was the one who brought them in, and introduced him to the detective assigned to his brother’s case. The other officers stood close by.
“This is Signore Nazario, the younger son,” Frankie told the officer, then turned to him. “This is Detective Montello. He’s handling your brother’s case.”
At that moment Neo felt like he was in the twilight zone. That heady sensation he’d experienced earlier resurfaced as darkness seemed to overshadow him. Differentiating between what was real and fake had become muddled. Still, he held on to the hope that this was all just a misunderstanding and that his parents were testing him for some reason.
“Signore DeLuca, your father was supposed to meet us at the scene and then come down to the department, but he never showed,” the detective informed him. “Can you tell me why he hasn’t returned any of my calls?”
He had to think quickly on his feet as he wasn’t sure telling the Detective what happen to his parents was a good idea. The woman had made it clear that no police was to be involved. If in fact she was holding his parents, the family would deal with her because involving the police could prove detrimental.
“My father is in a meeting at the moment. He will contact you as soon as he is free. May I offer my assistance instead?”
“Sure thing. We would appreciate a family member coming to officially identify the body.”
“I’m sorry Detective, I haven’t heard all the details of what happened, can you fill me in?”
He was trying to keep it together for the sake of the family, but he was now experiencing a full-blown headache that wanted to split his cranium in two. The detective’s voice was like a drone in his ear as he listened to him explain that they got a report early that morning that someone had been assaulted outside a nightclub in Paterno. Upon arrival of the police they discovered a body lying on the sidewalk. The man’s wallet and phone were still in his pocket, so they ruled out robbery as the motive for the attack.
“We were able to identify your brother by his ID and we also discovered a car he rented nearby,” the detective concluded.
Neo shook his head. “No, my brother is in Jamaica. His wallet must have been stolen, or someone stole his identity.”
“Sir, that is why we always have someone from the family come in to identify the victim, just in case.”
The Detective called him ‘Sir’. His father should be the one dealing with all this crap. Neo had been dreaming of taking over his father’s empire, but this was not a part of that dream. He wanted nothing but to go out with his friends on the weekend and get pissing drunk, then come home to a home cooked meal like he always did.
“I will come with you, just to put an end to this nonsense,” he stated. He turned to his father’s captain. “Frankie, try getting in touch with my parents, will you?”
“I need a word before we leave,” Frankie said, calling him to the side.
He excused himself and followed Frankie across the room. “What’s happening?”
“Sir, you’re now in charge, just say the word and I will mobilize the troops to serve you forthwith.”
“When since have you addressed me as Sir?” Neo demanded, somewhat confused. “And what are you talking about mobilizing troops?”
“I got some messages from an unknown sender. They said they contacted you about your parents and we should not get the police involved in the matter, otherwise we will never see them again.”
The blood drained from Neo’s head as dizziness beset him. “It could be nothing. I don’t believe a word of it.”
