Wrestling the Kraken

Vito

Vito

Vito was stirring up a sauce in a pan. After several stirs, he brought the spatula up to his mouth. The aroma of basil, rosemary and thyme reached his nose, bringing him back. A time when the family came together at Ma's house and if you didn't you would never hear the end of it. With Ma' no longer here, it was a struggle trying to keep everyone together.

He tasted the sauce, savoring the herbs and spices. Just like Ma' made it.

"Vito!" He heard his name being called out. His cousin Eddy came through the kitchen doors. "We got an order for Red Tail Fish." His cousin spoke in a low voice, leaning in close.

Vito looked up at him. Eddy was taller than him, but growing up he had been the tall one for a while. He still couldn't get used to looking up at him. "Who is it?" Vito asked, his face turning to icy steel.

His cousin opened the kitchen door enough to reveal the tables. "The redhead in the corner booth."

Vito took off his apron in one swift motion, handing it to his cousin. He pushed the door wide open with the full face of his palm. Making his way over, he kept a stern face. He stopped at the woman's table.

"You ordered the Red Tail Fish?" He demanded.

The woman looked up at him casually. "Yes. It's the special isn't it?"

"We're out." He made clear, raising an eyebrow for emphasis.

"My employer would be very sorry to hear that." She grabbed her purse. "Do you happen to have Detective Mahone's number? There's some info on the Johnson's Park robberies I need to share."

"Wait." He looked around, before taking a seat across from her. "Tell me something. Is your employer the one snitching to the cops?"

"That's not the deal." Her voice was cool, unbothered.

"The hell with the deal. I need to know who I'm dealing with." He said in a low growl.

"You didn't care before?"

"Well now I do. If your employer is snitching to the cops, I could get axed, my whole family could get axed." Now he spoke with more softness, allowing his genuine concern to show through.

Bridgett noticed the reason behind the question and decided to make an exception to her rules. "My employer doesn't snitch to cops."

"How am I supposed to believe that?"

"Because I said it. Do we have a problem?" She felt for him and his situation. Not knowing something for sure was a hard pill to swallow, but she still needed to keep some order. She needed everything to go as planned, especially now that she was almost done. Just one more. Hold on Vito.

Vito looked around the room. "No. There's no problem."

"Good. Now, this snitch. What do you know?"

"Just that two detectives came in here earlier today, asking questions about her."

"Her?" She asked, curious.

Vito nodded. "Apparently, she was there when the body was found this morning."

The woman stayed quiet. She sipped her coffee.

"The cops said she was asking a lot of questions. There's a lot of heat on these murders right now. The last thing we need is someone raising eyebrows. I can't help but think this could be related to whoever killed Margot."

"I agree." She rose up and Vito followed suit. "That's why I'm going to find her... and I'm going to kill her."

Vito took this in, considering it. "There's one more thing." He stepped closer. "I took the liberty of ensuring that the Medical Examiner would be in a position to alter any reports that may be troubling for us."

Took the liberty. She liked the idea, but wasn't sure how she felt about his proactiveness. What is he up to? "That may come in handy soon."

Turning to go, she paused, then said, "No more specials, until my employer reaches out to you."

She walked out and Vito went back to the kitchen. A man sitting in the back, laid some cash down on his table, then headed out. He walked a few paces behind the red haired woman.