“Another tragedy struck Moon Chasm City - Nocturnal Phoenix doesn’t sleep while the police do” - Luis Capiano read the headline of “Moon Chasm Daily” aloud, “this is the third case in the past three weeks. People may start panicking.”
“Not if we have something to do about it”, his wife Margaret stealthily slipped onto the patio and sat opposite him.
Capiano mafia family has been in control of Moon Chasm City for over 30 years. Everything from mayor elections to public holidays happened only under their supervision. This is why Nocturnal Phoenix unsettled Luis so much. As the head of the family, he should be aware of all the details and still the police have given him nothing. They couldn’t even understand how the victims died. Luis wanted to solve this mystery as fast as he could. Not because he was very sorry about the victims. Serial killer on the loose would mean his influence was fading and he couldn’t afford that. He did have an ace up his sleeve.
“I want to involve Amanda. It’s high time she put those spy skills of hers to use. Besides, she has a good chance to blend in with the police”.
Amanda. Their prodigious daughter, mafia heiress. By her 25 years, she already got her master’s degree in business administration and was a big help in family business. Her mother was very disappointed by her choice because she expected her to become a chemistry scientist such as herself. After all, it was a big part of their family business. But rebellious by her nature, Amanda chose her own path. However, Luis didn’t see her as a successful independent business woman - she was still too flighty, even whimsical at times. Of course, this was temporary, due to her youth and it didn’t belittle her virtues at all. She was witty, sensible, attentive and outgoing. She could find an approach to anyone which helped tremendously in arranging deals and concluding agreements.
Her said spy skills came through Charlie - Charles Evans, an old friend and the head of the police of Moon Chasm City. When Amanda was about 12 years old there was an attempted kidnapping, so Luis and Margaret decided to teach the girl some self-defense. Amanda surprised them both when she told them she had dreamt of knife-throwing. She had been training ever since. So as of now, one could call her quite a capable assassin. This is why Luis Capiano thought of using her in the Nocturnal Phoenix case.
“Are you sure about that, honey?”, Margaret asked, raising her eyebrow, “can she really take part in it and not mess up? I’m confident in her communication skills but will she be able to handle the tempo? It wasn’t yesterday that the police started the investigation.”
“I am. They didn’t achieve much anyway. Incompetent pieces of trash, they are always underfoot, but when they are actually needed - they are totally useless”, Luis said angrily, “in any case, as far as I know, Officer Davis is the lead detective. He is 32, level-headed, determined, smart and a sucker for justice. He’s been in service for quite a while, has solved 3 complicated murders. A tough cookie to break”.
“Which makes him the perfect match for our daughter. She will accept that as a challenge”, Margaret added and smiled predatorily.
It would be a good idea to have another police dog on a short leash. She already had her clutches on the mayor. Women’s wiles can be used in many ways, especially when it comes to men. It’s not necessary to sleep with them, absolutely not. Mixing business and pleasure is a grave mistake. However, a smart woman could charm a man to learn something with a snap of her fingers. Take the mayor, for example. It was enough to make eyes at him a couple of times to appeal to his ego and he had gotten smitten. He thought that Margaret got tired of her cruel husband who kept her on a chain and that he, Myles, was a breath of fresh air in her life. Now they didn’t have to worry that the city’s government would suddenly pay attention to Capiano’s pharmaceutical laboratories. Looking back, she always praised herself for having been such an actress! Of course, it wasn’t her first rodeo. Both spouses have had their share of small “mischief”, as they called it, but they never cheated on each other. Well, at least not on a spiritual level.
“This is why I chose you to be my partner so many years ago. We have our differences but always think alike”.
Luis took her hand and covered it with his. Margaret smiled and intertwined their fingers. Becoming his wife was one of the best things that happened to her. Now she had status, money and a loving husband. Some might say that it was a marriage of convenience but they would be dead wrong. They loved each other. Showcasing their love wasn’t in their interest when they were younger and now they were a bit old for that. However, it wasn’t an issue either for her, or for Luis. The lack of PDA was more than compensated for in the bedroom.
“I’ll call Amanda right away”, she said and took out her phone.
“Yes, mother?” Amanda’s serious and business-like face appeared on the screen.
“Your father and I want to talk to you. In person”.
“I’m at the diner now discussing the business plan for the next year. I’ll get free in half an hour”.
“Okay, we will wait for you at home”.
“See you then”.
The call ended abruptly. As always, Amanda was quick and detached on the phone. She preferred action to long discussions.
“We’ll see what she has to say”, Margaret sighed, “sometimes I find it hard to believe she is invested in our family at all”.
****
“I wonder what it’s all about,” Amanda thought, parking her car in the garage, “if they try to get me in that chemistry business again, I’ll fly off the handle”.
She loved her family and valued Capiano’s legacy but wanted to show her support through her own means. For example, help expand the business beyond drugs and their supply. Real estate has a lot of potential… Owning apartment complexes could bring a lot of money… And citizens renting it, too. Of course, Capianos already controlled all businesses in their town but pharmaceutical ones were their main income. She wasn’t ashamed of that. Why would she? Those people chose to take drugs themselves, nobody forced them. Capianos just gave them what they wanted.
Her parents were waiting for her in the living room. Luis was sitting in a white leather armchair smoking his favourite cigar. Margaret stood facing the glass door leading to the garden. At the sound of Amanda’s heels on the marble floor, she turned around.
“Mother, father, good morning,” Amanda said smiling. She decided to be polite and amiable.
“Hello, daughter,” Margaret said, stepping forward. “have a seat”.
“We wanted to talk to you about a certain business...” Luis began.
“I’m listening”.
“As you know, Nocturnal Phoenix has already killed three people in our night clubs and the police haven’t made any progress...”
“I do but what does it have to do with me?”, Amanda interrupted impatiently.
“Listen first and then make conclusions! Don’t you care about your family reputation at all?!”, Luis got visibly agitated.
“How do these murders affect it?”
“What will people think if the most powerful family in town fails to prevent murders in their own night clubs?! We will appear weak and it will undermine people’s trust in us! How will we control this city with no trust from the citizens? I can’t believe I have to explain such obvious things to you!”
“Don’t get so wound up, dear”, Margaret said trying to soothe her husband, “Amanda is a smart girl, of course she will want to help.”
“That remains to be seen,” Amanda snorted, “but I didn’t mean to upset you, Dad, I just wanted to get the details. I can’t agree to something while I’m in the dark. Learning everything you can before making a decision is one of the keys to success. It was you who taught me that.”
Still, she felt ashamed. She knew how important family reputation was to her father. She should have paid more attention to the media news - that way she would know more. And her intuition told her that Nocturnal Phoenix was not some low-level criminal - they acted too brazenly, too skillfully.
“Well, it’s alright. I also overreacted”, Luis said, “so, back to the point - we want you to take part in the investigation and monitor their doings”.
“What?!” Amanda exclaimed, “why me? Can’t you just ask uncle Charlie to report to you? He’s been doing it all the time since he got the position!”
“I already did and he hasn’t brought me anything useful”, Luis replied calmly, “we need to have someone of our own on the team. Someone who knows exactly what’s going on with the investigation. Someone with necessary skills to blend in with the police and not to stick like a sore thumb. Someone who can stand up for themselves”.
“In other words, you need a spy?”
Luis ignored her.
“You check all the points. Here is the information about the current state of the case as well as forensics reports”.
Luis threw a thick manila folder on the coffee table.
There was indeed all the data acquired in the last month. “Truly, uncle Charlie stays true to himself”, Amanda thought, turning the pages, “everything is so thorough and neat. I bet he had the best conspects in school and college”.
“So, officer Davis is on the case? Is there a psychological characteristics on him?”
“Page 30”, Margaret replied, “I asked Charlie to include profiles on everyone connected with this case”.
“I didn’t know uncle Charlie was a good judge of characters.”
“Maybe he isn’t but he is very observant and definitely knows his people better than we do”.
“Agreed. So, Henry Moore also looks promising - the head of the investigative division is bound to know a lot. The question is how to get him to talk”.
Luis and Margaret looked at each other. A surprising gleam appeared in Amanda’s eyes - the same gleam appears in a hunter’s eyes when he sees his prey. This gleam meant only one thing - she got personally invested into this. It was the same with her wish to master knife-throwing, her desire to go against her mother’s wishes, her persistence to get a driver license and many others. With bated breath they awaited her final answer.
“Alright, I’ll do it”, Amanda said resolutely, “you have my agreement”.
“That’s my girl!” Luis exclaimed proudly and Margaret approvingly smiled.
“So, when and how shall I start?”
“Right now the investigation team is at the crime scene at Equinox. James will take you there. Study this folder on your way and try to remember as much as possible. I don’t want you to fall flat on your face.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t embarrass myself, Dad. I’m a Capiano, after all.”.
Amanda got up to leave and said goodbye to her parents.
“Margaret?”
“Yes?”
“Have you noticed anything strange in Darrell’s behaviour lately?”
“The mayor? No, I haven’t. Why? Do you think he is involved in it somehow?”
“It’s too early to draw conclusions, just keep an eye on him, will you?”
“Of course, darling. I was going to arrange a press-conference at the Town Hall soon, so I would go there to discuss the details anyway”.
She turned back to the window and saw her daughter getting in James’s car. Still, it seemed she would pursue her own agenda.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMJynzFtTXT
