Adrian Del Valle - Diego's Brooklyn Read online

  “Aw, come on chubsy wubsy, don’t be like dat. Look…I like big fat tubs like you, Mary. Youz is my kinda gal. So howza ‘boudit, you and me, you know…juss’ a little roll ‘n’ da hay, huh? Whaddya say? Is it woit a nice yummy piece o’ chawclit cake to ya? Huh?” Snicker. Snap! Pop! Chew! Chew!

  “Oh, go already! Leave me alone!”

  “Oh, yeah?” Eddie spit the gum out. “Well I got a lotta dames back in the city, see? I can get anybody, I don’t need da likes of you, no-hows, ya crazy bwoad.”

  He stomped loudly to the open doorway where he suddenly stopped and ran his fingers through his hair. Pausing for a long moment, he lowered his head and then turned around with a defeated and somewhat remorseful look at Mary’s limp body. His gaze dropped to the floor as he slowly reached around for his wallet.

  “Here! Takes dis ten spot for all da trouble.”

  He let the bill fall to the floor and headed for the stairs without closing the door. On the way down, his singing echoed through the halls.

  “My Bonnie lies ova da mountin’. My Bonnie lies ova da sea. My Bonnie lies ova da mountin’. So bring back my Bonnie to me, to me. So, bring back by Bonnie to me.”

  Sunday

  Detective Ted Williams opened the front gate to 240 Dean Street. He acknowledged the patrolmen at the bottom of the stoop and made his way to the top floor.

  “What time ya got?” He asked Detective Don O’Brien from the doorway to the bathroom.

  “Two!”

  “Two? My watch stopped. Whaddya got so far?”

  “Uh…the fingerprint guys are still in 2B dusting. So far they found four sets. Let’s go into the back room, there’s a lady right there in 2A.”

  Detective O’Brien let Williams walk ahead into 2C, the vacant room at the back of the hall and closed the door.

  “Are you saying there were four besides the guy that lives here?” said Ted.

  No, that includes him.”

  “Boy, they sure found out who this Barnes guy was pretty fast.”

  “Yeah, well, they found a pay stub in his pocket. He’s got a rap sheet a mile long. The body was already stiff when they found him. The boat people discovered him a little before ten when they opened up this morning.”

  “So, that puts the time of death somewhere around …what…early last night? Say, do you think it has something to do with that hit in Little Italy?”

  “Sally Boy Rinaldi? It’s got everything to do with that. Doesn’t headquarters ever tell ya anything?” said Detective O’Brien.

  “I came from the house. I was on swing shift last week. Captain called me on the phone to brief me on the case. I came straight here.”

  “Well…anyway, right now we got more witnesses then the Jehovah’s do. Red 59 Chevy with Jersey plates. Four guys inside with Tommy McBride at the wheel.”

  Williams noted the broken mirror and spilled garbage on the floor. “Who I-D’d the driver?”

  “Somebody in the restaurant. One of Sally boy’s buddies. He also described a huge guy jumping into the car after the shots rang out, followed by Barnes, the shooter.”

  “Tommy McBride…ain’t that one of Spillane’s boys?”

  “That’s right. “But lots of luck getting him in for an interview.”

  “Why’s that, don‘t he like Brooklyn?” As Ted said that, he checked underneath the tub.

  “Apparently he must have loved Brooklyn! They found him floating belly up on this side of the bridge a few hours ago. He was dead for a while, sometime late last night or very early this morning.”

  Reaching under the tub, Ted fingered the black residue from burned toilet paper. “Same as that Barnes guy!” He smelled his fingers.

  “Right! And guess what?”

  “What’s that?”

  “He’s not gonna look too good to his relatives when they visit his coffin.”

  “Why’s that?”

  Don grimaced. “Eels ate what was left of his brains where he was shot. His whole head was caved in. Recycled part of his last meal of pizza, too.”

  Williams shook his head. “Wow…that‘s going to be a closed casket for sure. Damn! A triple hit. Humph! They wanted to keep Tommy quiet! Apparently, Spillane figured that out, too. That’s why they put him in the driver’s seat. People were bound to see who was driving, and Tommy of course was expendable. I guess he wasn’t worth much to them.”

  “Nope! A little too low on the totem pole…like the two of us, huh, Ted?”

  “Very funny…speak for yourself. I’m happy where I am. Hey Don, you know what else?”

  “No, what?”

  “This ain’t gonna go down easy. The 18th Precinct over in Manhattan isn’t going to give up Spillane or any of his crony gang members.”

  Don Agreed. “Not if their captain wants to get home to Forest Hills in one piece.”

  “Right, and I’m pretty sure that’s a nice monthly check he gets from Spillane, enough to pay my mortgage and then some. By the way…did you interview anybody in the building, yet?”

  “Yes, the lady in the front room. She says she never heard anything.”

  “She never heard anything?” Ted cracked the door, looked out and quickly shut it again. “Then how the hell did the frame of her door get broken like that without her knowing? Or this one!” As he said that, he pulled off a piece of split molding from the door jamb.

  O’Brien shrugged his shoulders and spread his hands in the air. “I’m only telling’ you what she told me.”

  “I suppose she didn’t hear the bathroom mirror getting ripped off the wall, either?”

  “I know, but she’s not talking.”

  “Didn’t you threaten to take her to the station?”

  “She’s a big lady, Ted. I wouldn’t know how to get her there. Maybe you better go on in and question her for yourself? You might have better luck.”

  “What about the rest of the house?”

  “As you can see, this room‘s empty. I haven’t been downstairs, but it’s clear from the looks of things that these guys were looking for something.”

  “Yeah, so, how do you want to write this up…as a burglary?”

  “No, not yet! So far I’m waiting on forensics. They’re finishing up in Barnes’ room right now. All I have is a few notes. I was waiting for you so we could interview everybody else in the building. I figured we’d go together. You know, for a little added pressure.”

  “So, you wanna go back in there?”

  “No…I wasn’t talking about this one. I meant the ones downstairs! She’s about to have a nervous breakdown. You go…you might have better luck.”

  “Okay Don, then go on ahead and I’ll meet you on the first floor when I’m done.”

  “Right.”

  “Oh, and Don?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Maybe we better hold off on the report for a while. Both precincts might want to white wash this whole thing before the mayor makes a thing of it and sticks his nose in.”

  “You’re right. It ain’t like any of these guys are gonna be missed. Not by the good citizens of New York, at least.”

  “Exactly! And you know what else?”

  “No, what?”

  “We got to find out whatever it was that was so important, three guys had to die for it. I’d hate to see any more of this spill across the river.”

  By the time Don O’Brien got halfway down the stairs, the door to Barnes’ room opened.

  “Hi, Ted. We’re all done in there and in the bathroom as well, in case you want to check that out.”

  “I already did, Carl. What did you find in Barnes’ room?”

  “Besides his prints, we got three sets and all of them in places thieves would be.”

  “So it was a burglary?”

  “I don’t think so. At least not in the usual sense of the word. Whoever it was, they had a key. It was still in the lock when we got here. They ripped open the back of the TV and the radio, so, it‘s a cinch they weren’t lookin’ to pawn anything they
found. All the drawers in the bureau were pulled out and the mattress was out of place.”

  “Sounds like a burglary to me.”

  “Okay, I guess you’re right. You’re the detective, not me.”

  “Unless they got the dead guy’s permission to ransack his room,” Ted quipped. “So they were definitely looking for something specific.”

  “Right…that’s what we figured.”

  “Okay Carl. I’ll meet you back at headquarters.”

  “Don’t look for any results today. Check with me tomorrow, I might have something for you by noon.”

  “Sure, otherwise call me right away. You have my house number?”

  “Yeah, I got it, I’ll call you.”

  Knock! Knock! Knock!

  “Yes?” Mary’s soft voice responded from behind the door.”

  “Detective Williams, ma‘am.”

  “I already spoke to someone.”

  “I know lady, but I need to tie up a few things.”

  “I don’t want to talk to anyone, anymore.”

  “Lady, a guy in your building has been murdered. Either you talk to me now or I get a court order and come back in an hour. Which will it be?”

  Ted waited for an answer for a long, intermittent silence. “Well?” He finally said.

  “The doors broken. Go ahead and push it. It’s open.”

  The detective stepped inside to the disarray of the room.

  “Have a seat by the table. I’m sorry about the mess in here.”

  Ted could see exactly what Don had meant. She sure was a big woman. “That‘s quite a shiner you got there.”

  Mary self conscientiously covered her right eye. “I fell.”

  “Look lady! Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name?”

  “Mary.”

  “Mary, I’m Detective Williams. Feel free to call me Ted.”

  “Why are all the cops still here?”

  “Didn’t the other detective tell you?”

  “About Joe?

  “Right…Joe!”

  “Yes, I know. He was the guy they found in Central Park. They were talking about it on the radio all morning. I was surprised when they finally said it was him.”

  “That’s right, Mary, and I think there’s a little bit more you do know.”

  “Like what?”

  “All right, Mary…let’s stop beating around the bush with this thing. Something happened in this room last night. Now…how did your door get broken?”

  “I…I, um…it was already that way. It’s been broken a long time. Like the one downstairs. The landlord never fixes anything around here. He just collects the rent and complains about us. It was that way. I swear it wa…”

  “Oh, really? So, what about the bathroom, you didn’t hear a noise in there?”

  “No!”

  “That’s it, lady! I had just about enough of this. You’re coming downtown with me for aiding and abetting.”

  Mary smiled facetiously and leaned into the recliner. She put her fingers end to end, placed them in front of her face and with a relaxed demeanor, said, “And how do you propose to do that, Mr. Williams?”

  “With a crane if I have to. We’ll remove this window and hoist you to the street and put you into a dump truck, if need be. And don’t believe we won’t do it.”

  “Oh, my God! That’s what he said.”

  “What?”

  “Oh!” Mary covered her mouth. “I wasn’t supposed to say anything, but the Geek guy said he was going to shove me out the window.”

  “If you’re involved in any way shape or form, I’ll have you arrested.”

  “Involved with who?”

  “Did you have some kind of a relationship with Barnes or the guys who broke this door?”

  “No!”

  “Were these guys mad at you for something, like something you did or said?”

  “They asked me if Joe was my boyfriend and I told them no. Oh, my God! I’m going to get killed.”

  “Nobody’s going to do anything to you, Mary. That’s why we’re here. To protect you.”

  “I’m dead. That’s it. My life is over. These guys are going to come back and finish the job.”

  “Now you’re getting ridiculous. Unless there’s something you’re not telling me. Which is everything at the moment.”

  “I can’t help it, I’m frightened.”

  “I understand, Mary. That’s why we need to find out who was in this room and we think one of them is already dead.

  “Joe?”

  “No…well, him, too, but I’m talking about one of the other guys. One of the men that was in your room last night.”

  “Oh…I see?”

  “Hey, look…we’re here to protect you. I don’t want you to have to worry about anyone coming back to hurt you.”

  “Detective Williams, these guys were awfully scary. I can’t even lock my door anymore and the one downstairs stays open all the time. I slept on the floor next to the door last night so it wouldn’t get pushed in. I didn’t sleep a wink.”

  “You said, these guys, how many were there?”

  “Um…, I only saw three.”

  “Could there have been more than that?”

  “I don’t know, that’s all I saw.”

  “How did you see them the first time, you opened the door and looked out?”

  “I looked through the keyhole.”

  “As far as that broken door is concerned? I have to go downstairs in a little while to talk to the landlord. I’ll get him to fix both doors.”

  “He never fixes anything around here.”

  “He will when I tell him. Otherwise, I’ll have the beat cop write him up for litter or for as many violations as he can think of, and we can do that every day of the week. He‘ll comply!”

  “That’s kind of you, Detective.”

  “So, what time was it when you first heard a noise?”

  “Um…it was about a half hour before the Ed Sullivan Show came on, so probably around 8:30.”

  Williams nodded. “So, you looked through the keyhole and what did you see?”

  Embarrassed, Mary stared at the floor. “They were in Joe’s room talking.”

  “What about?”

  “Mostly about where to look. I smelled paper burning when the big guy was in the bathroom.”

  “The burnt tissue under the bathtub. They did that so they could see underneath it. Go on. What happened after that?”

  “The guy they called Big Jimmy, or the Geek, knocked on my door and threatened me.”

  “So, what time would you say that was?”

  “Around ten to nine.”

  “What did he say?”

  “He said to keep my mouth shut, or something like that.”

  “Good. You’re doing real good, Mary?”

  “You will talk to the landlord, won’t you, Detective Williams?”

  “As soon as I get downstairs. O’Brien’s down there right now waiting for me. He‘s the detective that spoke to you earlier.”

  “Yes, I know. Can I offer you soda?”

  “No thank you.”

  Ted got up and crossed to where Mary sat leaning into her easy chair. Squatting in front of her, he looked at her with a kind and long lashed, green gaze while taking her hand in his.

  “I really need you to tell me everything, Mary.”

  Ted’s voice sounded soft and as smooth as silk.

  “It’s important and I don’t care how small you might think it is. If you remember anything, you need to tell me, right now. Otherwise, I won’t be able to help you, okay? Now, let’s start with the door. How did it get broken?”

  Mary sighed. “They…well…um…”

  “Take your time, Mary.”

  “They came back.”

  “Who came back?”

  “The guy that knocked on the door.”

  “The Big Jimmy guy you mentioned and the ones with him?

  “Yes, that’s right.”

  “How soon?”
/>   “A few minutes later.”

  “Go on.”

  “Well…they kicked my door in, the Big Jimmy guy, I mean. He was the one who kicked the door in.”

  Ted took a quick look at the door. “So you were behind the keyhole and that’s how you got your black eye?”

  Mary stared out the window. “Yeah, I guess so.”

  “You’re lucky, Mary.”

  “Lucky?” She turned back.

  “They could have killed you.”

  “Yes, I know, but why?”

  “Obviously, you were a witness since you saw their faces and heard their names, right?”

  “You’re really scaring me.”

  “I’m sorry, Mary. Actually, they have nothing to gain by coming back to this place. Not anymore. In fact, I have a feeling that this Jimmy guy is long gone and out of town by now, like Chicago or Boston. And guess what?”

  “What?”

  “We’re the biggest gang in New York.”

  “Who?”

  “Us! The police…and we’re on your side. That’s why I need to know everything you know.”

  “I’ll try.”

  “What happened next?”

  “Well…they thought I was Joe’s girlfriend and that I was holding money for him. That’s what they wanted. That’s what they were looking for, $10,000!”

  “10,000? Okay…please, go on.”

  “He said…”

  “Who said?”

  “The Big Jimmy, guy. He said he was going to throw me out of the window like a big, fat watermelon.” Mary wiped the sudden flush of tears from her eyes and thought for a minute before continuing. “Or a juicy watermelon, or something like that. God, I was so frightened. He was so scary. He left his cigar behind. I threw it in the trash.”

  “Did you hear any of the other names mentioned, besides him?”

  “Yes! Tommy and a skinny guy named Fast Eddie.”

  “Did you say Tommy?” Ted rubbed the corners of his mouth with a thought. Tommy McBride! That clinches it.

  “If I showed you a picture of this Tommy character, would you be able to identify him?”

  “Of course! He was right here in this room.”

  “Okay…so a bunch of guys, three you said, but you weren’t exactly sure, came up the first time around eight thirty or so. They looked around the other rooms, you smelled smoke and then they knocked on your door around ten to nine, right?”