her to only contact us on the safe phone and we’ll do the same thing on our end.”
“This sounds great, Bryan. We’re making progress.”
“I sure hope so.”
“I’ll see you at 1500 for the briefing. We should have a better handle on this after the meeting.”
“Okay, I’ll see you at 1500.” Bryan said as he ended the call.
Pat realized the evidence that Forrest Butelli had been murdered was starting to add up. In his gut he was almost certain. In addition to Margaret Butelli’s initial concerns about the files, there were problems with the forensics, with the bullet not matching, and the absence of blood in the car. The attempt on his life and now the bug on Margaret Butelli’s phone made all of this quite compelling. He hoped they would know more after the next briefing which would give the investigation more direction. This case had a lot of intrigue to it and the fact that Daniel Pellegrino was involved just fueled his conspiracy theories. Pat knew patience was important in a case like this, and he hoped proceeding in a deliberate, methodical manner would lead to establishing the facts. The questions were; Who was really behind all of this? Was it Daniel Pellegrino? Was it Judge Robert Fitzpatrick? Was it the Assistant District Attorney Franklin Donovan? Was it Harry Pittsford, the retired court officer killed in New Jersey? There were a lot of possibilities. The only thing Pat knew for certain at this point was the fact that Forrest Butelli did not commit suicide.
Chapter 26
Thursday, February 3 - Day 16
Major Crimes Conference Room - One Police Plaza
Borough of Manhattan, New York
1500 Hours
W hen he walked into the Major Crimes Conference Room, Pat found the task force members laughing and joking. A new investigation always created a certain buzz. These detectives were the best of the best and being called into One Police Plaza to work out of the Chief of Detective’s office was recognition of their excellence.
Pat walked to the podium and the rumble of voices subsided.
“Good afternoon, guys and gals. I trust we’re making some progress. By now, most of you have heard of the incident with the FBI last night. The commissioner and I have met with their bosses this morning and have been assured this won’t happen again. I firmly believe they were using me as bait in their mouse-trap. But, we set our own trap and they drove right into it. Seeing their soggy, wet asses in handcuffs was quite humorous.”
Bryan Flannery spoke up while the rest of the task force members were laughing. “Did they offer any explanation as to why they didn’t tell you they were following you, Chief?”
“They said they assumed we knew. I guess that’s why they refused to tell me why they were following me, go figure.”
“It could have gotten somebody killed.” Bryan said.
“I agree. Go ahead and update everyone on the sweep of Margaret Butelli’s house.”
“Sure, Chief. This morning we sent a tech crew into Margaret Butelli’s house in Brooklyn. They found a wireless transmitter on her phone line. Since we last talked, they’ve also located a single camera across the street in a vacant house. They used a lens detector, which is some kind of high-tech gadget which finds camera lenses. We are trying to get information on the vacant house and will get a search warrant for the house and go inside. Margaret Butelli has been given a safe phone to carry, and she’ll only talk to us on that phone.”
Pat nodded his head in agreement.
“We’ll use the tapped phone to ease some minds on the other side. We need to find out who is behind all of this. We want them to think we’ve dismissed Margaret Butelli’s concerns.” Pat explained.
“That’ll be a good ploy, Chief.” Karla Adams said.
“I hope so. Karla. What’s the latest on Daniel Pellegrino?”
“He hasn’t been heard from since you saw him at DHA International on Park Avenue in the Rodriguez
“This sounds great, Bryan. We’re making progress.”
“I sure hope so.”
“I’ll see you at 1500 for the briefing. We should have a better handle on this after the meeting.”
“Okay, I’ll see you at 1500.” Bryan said as he ended the call.
Pat realized the evidence that Forrest Butelli had been murdered was starting to add up. In his gut he was almost certain. In addition to Margaret Butelli’s initial concerns about the files, there were problems with the forensics, with the bullet not matching, and the absence of blood in the car. The attempt on his life and now the bug on Margaret Butelli’s phone made all of this quite compelling. He hoped they would know more after the next briefing which would give the investigation more direction. This case had a lot of intrigue to it and the fact that Daniel Pellegrino was involved just fueled his conspiracy theories. Pat knew patience was important in a case like this, and he hoped proceeding in a deliberate, methodical manner would lead to establishing the facts. The questions were; Who was really behind all of this? Was it Daniel Pellegrino? Was it Judge Robert Fitzpatrick? Was it the Assistant District Attorney Franklin Donovan? Was it Harry Pittsford, the retired court officer killed in New Jersey? There were a lot of possibilities. The only thing Pat knew for certain at this point was the fact that Forrest Butelli did not commit suicide.
Chapter 26
Thursday, February 3 - Day 16
Major Crimes Conference Room - One Police Plaza
Borough of Manhattan, New York
1500 Hours
W hen he walked into the Major Crimes Conference Room, Pat found the task force members laughing and joking. A new investigation always created a certain buzz. These detectives were the best of the best and being called into One Police Plaza to work out of the Chief of Detective’s office was recognition of their excellence.
Pat walked to the podium and the rumble of voices subsided.
“Good afternoon, guys and gals. I trust we’re making some progress. By now, most of you have heard of the incident with the FBI last night. The commissioner and I have met with their bosses this morning and have been assured this won’t happen again. I firmly believe they were using me as bait in their mouse-trap. But, we set our own trap and they drove right into it. Seeing their soggy, wet asses in handcuffs was quite humorous.”
Bryan Flannery spoke up while the rest of the task force members were laughing. “Did they offer any explanation as to why they didn’t tell you they were following you, Chief?”
“They said they assumed we knew. I guess that’s why they refused to tell me why they were following me, go figure.”
“It could have gotten somebody killed.” Bryan said.
“I agree. Go ahead and update everyone on the sweep of Margaret Butelli’s house.”
“Sure, Chief. This morning we sent a tech crew into Margaret Butelli’s house in Brooklyn. They found a wireless transmitter on her phone line. Since we last talked, they’ve also located a single camera across the street in a vacant house. They used a lens detector, which is some kind of high-tech gadget which finds camera lenses. We are trying to get information on the vacant house and will get a search warrant for the house and go inside. Margaret Butelli has been given a safe phone to carry, and she’ll only talk to us on that phone.”
Pat nodded his head in agreement.
“We’ll use the tapped phone to ease some minds on the other side. We need to find out who is behind all of this. We want them to think we’ve dismissed Margaret Butelli’s concerns.” Pat explained.
“That’ll be a good ploy, Chief.” Karla Adams said.
“I hope so. Karla. What’s the latest on Daniel Pellegrino?”
“He hasn’t been heard from since you saw him at DHA International on Park Avenue in the Rodriguez
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