Bertelli Investigations Volume 1: Noteworthy Mysteries

Chapter 14

Sunday, April 30th, 2024

Tino decided to go to meet up with Sammy and have breakfast with him at a local fast-food restaurant. While he was waiting, he had his laptop and was doing some homework for some extra criminology classes he was taking. One of the paragraphs brought out something he felt that he needed to think about.

             "Most detectives have to learn this lesson the hard way: they can think too deeply about a case. Sometimes solving a case is amazingly simple. You just have to use reasoning and logic. Look at the evidence and study what it's telling you."

               "Keep it simple. Study what the evidence is telling me. Maybe that's what we're doing wrong. We've had plenty of evidence, but are we not looking at it and thinking about this case too deep?"

Just then a skinny, black guy with dreaded hair walked up to Tino's table. "Tino, my man. How are you dude?"

Tino glanced up from his computer to see a frail, beat up, Sammy. He looked like his lifestyle was finally catching up with him. Ever since Tia's disappearance he had been trying to do right in life. But it looked like he still was severely affected by the emptiness that came with losing Tia. He had probably never got away from dealing with the wrong kind of people.

"Hey Sammy," Tino said smiling and giving him a handshake. "How have you been buddy?"

"Oh okay", Sammy replied in an unreassuringly tone."

"I'm not sure what you wanted to eat, but I bought you a breakfast burrito."

"Awh man, you remember how much I love burritos", Sammy replied thinking back to high school when he lived off burritos and chicken nuggets."

"Yep. Should be here anytime. So, what have you been up to bro?"

Sammy smirked, his surprisingly still white teeth showing." Ah you know. Just trying to stay out of trouble. What about you? I've heard you've got your own little business going now."

"Yeah. It's going to be a bit before we can use it due to circumstances. But we might be able to use it soon." Tino didn't want to get into too many details. Sammy had a hard enough time dealing with Tia's disappearance. Telling him that they might find her when there was a chance they might not, that would be bad for him. Tino knew he couldn't reveal the latest information they had on her disappearance to Sammy. And he wasn't about to hurt him worse than what he already had been.

A curly blonde woman with a light blue fast-food uniform on approached the table. She had their order of 2 hot black coffees, a blowout breakfast burrito, and an English muffin with ham, egg, and cheese. "Order number 21?", The blonde woman asked in a nasal voice.

  Tino smiled more at seeing his English muffin than seeing the young woman, unlike Sammy. ."Yes, we're number 21. Thank you dear."

"I haven't had a good burrito like this in ages.", Sammy said as he was getting ready to dig his plastic fork into the generous sized burrito. He looked like he needed it too from the way his baggy shirt hung from his small frame.

"I'm glad you like it.", Tino said, taking a big, refreshing drink of his hot coffee. He knew that even though he didn't want to bring up old wounds, he needed to talk to Sammy about Tia." You do know there was a very important reason I wanted to meet here, right?"

Sammy took a bit bite of the burrito, savoring every moment." I figured that. Your text said it was about something important."

"I'd hate to bring this up, but I really need to ask you some questions about Tia."

Sammy's joy from what he was eating suddenly diminished. "I don't know. I can tell you what I can, but it's been 10 years Tino. A lot has happened. I don't know how much I can remember. And I think I've already told you guys in the past everything I know."

"I know, I know. But there are some things that me and Tony have been thinking about. I thought I might ask you some things."

"Go ahead.", Sammy said, trying to concentrate on his burrito.

"The days before Tia disappeared, did she seem upset at all?"

Sammy was trying to think back 10 years ago. It was a tricky thing to do after all the trauma that Tia's disappearance caused. He took a drink of his coffee as he pondered over why seemed to be such a simple question. "You know, now that you ask, yes. I had totally forgotten about that. I remember now. A few days before she went missing, it was like she was anxious. Not really upset. I would say she was more on edge."

"I don't know why I don't remember that.", Tino replied as he sounded guilty for not remembering something so obvious.

"But there was a major test coming up; It would affect her grades. I remember that I thought she was stressed over taking that test. You know how I was. I wasn't worried about that kind of thing. I just remember thinking she was blowing it way out of proportion." That sounded just like old Sammy who never worried about his grades.

"Maybe that is what she was so anxious about.", Tino said taking a bite of his English muffin. "Could you tell me about any associations you guys had that me and Tony might not have known about? Even if it was very little association with a certain person?"

"Again, it's been 10 years.", Sammy pointed out. "But I'll try."

"Take your time to think."

Sammy thought as he took another bite and drink of coffee. "Okay let's see...there wasn't really anyone that you guys didn't know."

"I'm sure there was a person or two that you didn't really want a couple of cops'  sons to know about.", Tino said giving him a look of suspicion and raising an eyebrow. "After all, Tia was more trusting and wouldn't tell on anyone. Unlike her brothers."

"Okay so there might've been a drug dealer. Tia would go with me when I'd pick up some weed. We would go during free period. But it wasn't anything. She never got involved with him or anything."

"Do you know if he had any association with the Mafia?"

Sammy stopped and looked at Tino seriously. "The Mafia? Why are you asking me that? You got a lead on what happened to Tia?"