Blood Street

Blood Street Chapter 4

Chapter IV

"What else would you like me to pick up?" Federal Bureau of Investigations Special Agent Mark Andrews glanced at the grisly photos on his desk as he spoke to his wife on the phone. "Okay, chicken breast. Should I pick up some rolls? Sure... I'll probably be home around six. How's Sarah? Tell her daddy says hi... Okay. I'll see you later. Love you." 

He stared once more at the shots of the butchered bodies of John Debenedetto and Tina Monterulo. Butchered wasn't quite right. It was more like bitten and torn apart. The Philadelphia police officers present called him in to view the murder scene because they believed the deceased was a member of Enzo Salerno's crime regime. Mark confirmed the identity of John Debenedetto, also known as Johnny Gunns.  

It was the most bizarre mob death he had ever seen. Scratches, bite marks and wide punctures covered the bodies. There were no usual gunshots, stab wounds or other markings normally found on a murder victim.  

His superiors weren't interested in this murder. Mark understood the FBI had shifted priorities in recent years. Some of his agents had been pulled in order to combat terrorism. Other departments of the FBI, including his own, had weakened as a result.  

Mark made his bones by tackling organized crime in Philadelphia. For over a decade, he worked to bring the mob to its knees. The bureau had rewarded and highly decorated him for his efforts, but in recent years he had come away empty handed and frustrated. Part of the problem was his reduced budget, and the other was Enzo Salerno.  

Mark couldn't pin anything on the bastard. The mobster kept a low profile. Since Salerno and his regime did not exist in the public's eye, Mark's superiors didn't make it a high priority to bring him to justice. He was intelligent and cultured and operated his empire like a business, albeit one that used violence and extortion. He was also as slippery as a fish. 

On several occasions, Mark thought the bureau would pull him and his team off the assignment. If that happened, then who would stop Salerno? Salerno had gotten too big and powerful, controlling many areas of commerce and politics. If Mark could get some solid, concrete evidence, perhaps he could indict the mob boss.  

He looked at the photographs for the hundredth time, trying to piece together how the victims were killed and who did it. The investigating officers spoke to Jim Debenedetto's neighbors. One lady told the officers she saw a suspicious character leaving the house at the time of the murders. It's not like these bites could have belonged to an animal. The bite patterns were distinctly human  

Mark put away the pictures. His sources on the street had not provided any useful information. Maybe he could arrange a sit down with Salerno. The two had met before at neutral territories. He may be able to convince Salerno that they could help each other in this matter.  

Mark took a deep breath. He had to pick up the groceries and make it home by six. Unfortunately, his wife and kids were used to him working late hours.  

His marriage had undergone trying times, mostly when he took his work home with him. His wife Victoria was an intelligent woman with an even temperament that contrasted with his fiery temper. He loved his two kids even though he didn't always show them affection. Spending so much time away from home, it was hard to get involved in their lives. After dealing with the worst element of society, he sometimes found it hard to separate his work mindset from his home mindset.  

Working with local officials, he systematically dismantled the Philadelphia mafia. When the Italian mafia weakened, they targeted the Russian and the Jamaican mobs and brought them down. The other ethnic crime factions were easier to defeat. They lacked the political connections of the Italian mafia. The only thing holding Mark's career back was that he often voiced his opinion when he disagreed with the brass. He knew he should hold these opinions to himself if he wanted to advance in his career, but his temper got in the way of good judgment.  

Mark made a few more phone calls. The first was to see if an identification had been made on the torn skin found near the two bodies. The second was to a neighbor who saw a man entering the house shortly before the police arrived.  

The call to the lab turned out to be a dead end. The skin belonged to Debenedetto and Monterullo, apparently torn off in the struggle. How could the perp not have left fingerprints or hair fibers at the crime scene? It was like he was dealing with a phantom.  

His second call was no better. The lady who saw a man entering the house was not home. He sighed and got ready to leave. Why was he wasting time and energy on this case? It probably didn't involve mafia activity. The locals could handle an animal attack or some other strange killing. Perhaps it was the bizarre nature of the murder that attracted him. Maybe he just wanted to see Salerno's reaction. 

He put on his coat and closed his briefcase when his boss, Special Agent Rick Carroll, entered the office. Rick was heavyset, in his late fifties with graying hair and a thick mustache. Rick would look much better if he trimmed his hair and mustache.  

His boss's face looked worn. "Hope you weren't planning on going anywhere."  

"Yeah, home," Mark said.  

"Better tell your wife you might be a while." 

Mark frowned. "What's going on?"  

"We had another one. Just like your friend Johnny Gunns."  

Mark put his briefcase down. "Where?" 

"Near Kensington. A young Vietnamese woman in her early twenties. Her body wasn't mutilated like Johnny or this girl, but the bite marks are the same." 

"Was she missing a lot of blood?" The most glaring thing he read in Debenedetto and Monterulo's autopsy reports was that the killer had nearly drained both bodies of blood.  

"I don't know," Rick responded. "Let's take a look. I'll drive." 

"Okay. Let me call Victoria." He hoped she would understand, because he had a feeling that this was going to be a long night.