FORGOTTEN (15 page)

W
hen Pat got back to his office after the task force meeting, there was a message to call the commissioner. Pat called the commissioner’s direct number and was told to see him in his office immediately. He knew something was up, and it would not be good. Pat and Robert Longstreet were close, but when the commissioner said
‘immediately,’
it was not usually to tell him what a great job he was doing. Pat walked into the office and was directed by the commissioner’s secretary to go on back to his large, private office.

Pat walked in and instinctively closed the door. Longstreet wasted no time getting to the point.

“Phil Beck just withdrew from the promotional process and informed me he was putting in his papers. Did you have anything to do with that?”

“I suppose that was his decision.”

“Have you talked to him yet?”

“Yes sir, and he was a pain in the ass. It was all about his career, his needs and he just wanted this
Butelli case to go away.”

“I’m not sure I blame him, Patty. It’s been over 10 years.”

“Would you say that if it were your wife or daughter dead, and some ambitious cop had just blown it off?”

“Everything is so personal with you, Patty. You always try to insert some moral obligation.”

“Murder is a very personal crime and one I take very seriously, sir.”

“Of course it’s serious, but we don’t even know it’s a murder yet.”

“I’m not so sure about that. We have Butelli shot in a car with no blood. The bullet recovered doesn’t match the gun in his hand. The signature authorizing cremation is a forgery. His suicide note is typed on a typewriter, which Butelli didn’t own. His wife’s phone is bugged. There are cameras on the house broadcasting to who knows where. They’ve tried to kill me and have probably killed a judge, not to mention the fact that absolutely not one single person who knew Butelli thinks he killed himself, and a respected forensic psychologist tells us based on his review of the case, there is an 88 percent chance that he didn’t commit suicide. On top of all that, he was working a sensitive case involving corruption in Kings County that is without a doubt true.”

“You just have to have the last word don’t you, Patty?”

“I’m not being disrespectful, but you’re worried about Phil Beck, who did an awful job of handling this case. As far as I’m concerned, he is a disgrace to the NYPD. Don’t forget, Commissioner, the fact that Forrest Butelli was also on the job and from all counts, he was a damn fine cop.”

“I’m sorry, Patty. I just hate to see a guy like Phil take such a hit after so many years on the job.”

“That’s his problem, not mine. He was the one who made those poor choices. We all make mistakes in this job, including me. If it was a slip of the tongue or a careless error, it shouldn’t be a big deal. However, in Phil’s case, he intentionally lied to a family member of a deceased victim, who in all likelihood, was murdered after retiring as a cop! We have to hold ourselves accountable, if the public is ever going to trust us.”

“I know you’re right, but you can be one obstinate bastard.”

“Thank you. Is there anything else?”

“Just get this mess cleaned up with as few casualties as possible. We don’t need another black eye.”

“Understood
!”

Chapter 36

Monday, February 7 - Day 20

Chief of Detectives’ Office - One Police Plaza

Borough of Manhattan, New York

1400 Hours

L
ieutenant Angie Wilson walked into Pat’s office.

“Do you have a minute, Chief?”

“Sure, Angie, what’s up?”

She shut the office door and sat down in front of Pat’s desk.

“I had lunch with my girlfriend on Saturday; you know, the one with the DUI handled by Daniel Pellegrino.” Angie explained.

“Yes, of course. Did you have any luck?”

“She freaked out. I thought she was going to have a panic attack. She started crying and half-hyperventilating. It was ridiculous.”

“I hope it didn’t create a scene.”

“No. We were in my car. I waited until after lunch, and we were alone. I offered to give her a ride, and then I asked her about the case.”

“What was her answer, Angie?”

“It was ugly. She wouldn’t even acknowledge she’d been charged. I showed her the records, and she just kept crying. Finally, she agreed to think about talking to me, but only after I assured her she would remain anonymous and her name wouldn’t be used. We agreed to meet for lunch today, and she agreed to let me know her decision. She talked to me today, and she just laid it out to me about an hour ago.”

“How close were our theories?”

“Actually, they were quite close. She has a high-profile corporate job. The DUI would have cost her the job which is high-end six figures. She was told by a friend she should talk to Daniel Pellegrino. She went to see him immediately. She had a prior DUI and was in real trouble. Pellegrino told her that for $10,000 he could make it all go away. She would still have to pay the $2,500 for his handling of the case, but the 10 grand had to be paid in full, in cash. All in all she paid $12,500 and when she went to court, Pellegrino made a motion to dismiss the case on some bullshit technicality. It was immediately dismissed. She never heard from him again and her career remained untarnished. She did say Pellegrino told her if she ever told anyone, the case would be reinstated or something very bad would happen to her. She’s scared to death.”

“I understand why. We can sure use this information to further our investigation and I promise that we’ll do everything possible to keep her out of it. Please thank her for her help.”

“I will, Chief. She’s a good person and after the last arrest, she gave up the sauce for bottled water and fitness.”

“Good for her. Now that we have a good idea how they operated, it would be good to find and confirm some of the other cases.”

“Do you have any suggestions on how to do that?”

“First of all, let’s run the names by the task force, and see if anyone recognizes any names. After that, let’s check and see if any of the benefactors of Pellegrino’s services are in the joint. If so, maybe we could roll them for information and help them out with their sentences. It’ll help build the case against Pellegrino. The more cases we find, the better. I don’t want to tip our hand, so we have to be careful who we talk to.”

“Those are good ideas. I’ll start working on it this afternoon.”

“Thanks, Angie. I know it’s tough to be the cop with your friends, but it confirms what I’ve already observed about your level of dedication.”

“Thanks, Chief. I’m a cop first, and as you well know, once it’s in your blood, you can’t let go of it.”

“That’s true. I’m sure that has a lot to do with your decision to not pursue a law career.”

“I couldn’t go to the other side, boss. I thought about being a prosecutor, but they don’t make enough money for me to leave the NYPD.”

“For that decision, I’m grateful. You’re a huge help to me in this job, Angie.”

“Not to get misty about this, but it’s my honor to serve with you, Chief.”

“It’s also mine, Angie.”

Chapter 37

Monday, February 7 - Day 20

Major Crimes Conference Room - One Police Plaza

Borough of Manhattan, New York

1500 Hours

A
t 1500 hours, Pat walked into the conference room. The entire task force was present. Bryan Flannery was standing at the podium.

“Good afternoon, Chief. Thanks for covering for me on Friday.” Bryan said.

Pat fired a joking remark back. “Someone has to pick up the dead weight around here.”

There was a chuckle in the room. Bryan also laughed.

“So, do you have anything to get us started, Chief?”

“I feel like all we do is have meetings and briefings about this case. The progress is slow and it’s frustrating, but today Lieutenant Wilson has some important information for us which confirms many of our suspicions. Let’s have her go first.”

Bryan accepted the Chief’s suggestion. “Sounds good, Lieutenant Wilson, the floor is all yours.”

“Thanks, Captain, I do think this is pretty important. We’ve suspected how Daniel Pellegrino operated in the Kings County Courts, but we now have a customer of his services, who has come forward and shared information with us. This person must be treated like a confidential source. They’ve refused to get involved, but have agreed to tell us how Pellegrino operated. In short, he required 10 grand in cash up front, in addition to his normal fees. For that he guaranteed the case would go away. In this case, it was dismissed after Pellegrino made a motion for dismissal in front of Judge Fitzpatrick. Pellegrino told the source if these arrangements were ever revealed, he would make sure the charges were reinstated and the source could be in danger.”

Mary McDonald immediately responded. “So, why does the source want to remain anonymous?”

“It’s because of the nature of the case. My source has a high-profile job and being exposed would ruin the person’s career.”

“How did we find the source, Lieutenant?”

“Someone in the department recognized the name and asked the right questions.”

Angie did not want to give up the identity of the source, and although she trusted the task force members, she knew she had promised her friend she would not be identified. Pat sensed the uneasiness and intervened. “It’s not important who the source is, Mary. What’s important about this is it lets us know exactly how they operated. What I want is to do is go over the cases which Angie has found and see if we recognize anyone we can approach or see if any of them are in the slammer on other charges. If so, maybe we could help them out with their sentences. You know, squeeze them for information while dangling a carrot.”

Mary McDonald nodded her head in agreement to Pat’s suggestion. “I’m not big on jail-house witnesses, but in this case there should be court records to back up anything they allege. It could help us paint the picture. We still need to prove the motive for
Butelli’s murder.”

“Okay, Angie, let’s get someone from the Real Time Crime Center to check records and build us a list of possible prospects. It could give us something. Make sure they know the confidential nature of this investigation. We’re not ready to read about any of this in the Times or the Daily News.”

“I understand, Chief.”

Bryan Flannery resumed the meeting.

“How are we coming with the computer and the camera, Mike?”

“We’re good, Captain. We’ve set up a duplicate computer doing the same thing and have removed the other computer for forensic examination.  We hope to get more off the hard drive. The IP address of the person logged in is from this region, but the geeks say it’s probably being bounced around several times before it reaches its intended destination, which could be just about anywhere in the world.” Mike O’Neil explained.

“Is it safe to send a bait message through the phone? I know this is something that Chief O’Connor wants to do.” Bryan asked.

“Absolutely. I don’t see why not.”

“That’s good Mike. Do you have any thoughts, Chief?”

“I’ll call her today on the safe phone and let Margaret
Butelli know we’re about to spread some disinformation. I’ll follow-up immediately with the call if she’s at home.”

“That sounds good, Chief. You’re way too good at being sneaky.”

Pat smiled. “There’s a distinction between being sneaky and being smart. I prefer smart.”

“Do you and Karla have anything new, Wilbur?” Bryan asked.

“No, but we have everything in place. We’re just waiting for a nibble. The Marshal asked us if we wanted to push to make Pellegrino a Top 15 Fugitive. I told him I would ask.”

The U. S. Marshal’s Service Top 15 Fugitive program was similar to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted. It would make arresting Pellegrino a top priority for every U. S. Marshal’s Office in the country. It was a big deal and could be productive. 

Bryan Flannery pointed to Pat. “I’ll defer to you, Chief.”

“I appreciate the Marshal’s offer, Wilbur, but I feel it would be premature.  I think publicity would drive Pellegrino even further into hiding. On the other hand, if we don’t make progress in a month or so, we might take the Marshal up on his generous offer. We still have to prove his connection to
Butelli. We just don’t have enough to charge him yet other than the charges from the Rodriguez case, but we’re getting closer every day.”

“I’ll relay the message to the Marshal.”

“Thanks, Wilbur. You and Karla bring a lot to the table in a case like this.”

“Thanks, Chief. We know how important this case is.”

Bryan Flannery called on Sergeant George McBain for a review of the forensic progress. George opened a file folder, as he put his glasses on.

“We have confirmed the funeral home signature of Margaret
Butelli is a forgery. It’s official now. We didn’t find anything on the receipt in Butelli’s files, fingerprint wise. Also, I’m sorry to say the possible DNA was not enough to work with.”

Pat spoke up. “Do you have any good news for us, George?”

“I’m still reviewing the evidence from the suicide, Chief, to see if there’s anything else we could possibly do.”

“Thanks, George. Let’s keep hitting the bushes and see if we can shake something out.”

Bryan Flannery added a comment. “If we shake the bushes hard enough we may get one of the Chief’s famous rabbits to come out.”

Everyone chuckled because Captain Flannery had often teased Pat about his ability to pull rabbits out of a hat by producing unexpected successful investigative leads. It sometimes irritated Pat O’Connor.

“I believe we’ve heard enough about that rabbit. If we don’t have anything else to discuss, we can adjourn and hit the street.”

Chapter 38

Monday, February 7 - Day 20

Chief of Detectives’ Office - One Police Plaza

Borough of Manhattan, New York

1630 Hours

P
at asked Mary McDonald and Bryan Flannery to join him in his office. He had decided it was time to call Margaret Butelli on the bugged phone. First, he had Mary McDonald call her on the safe phone to make sure she was home and so she would know what to expect. Margaret Butelli seemed excited to be helping on the case. Pat wondered how much Forrest had shared with her about his work on the NYPD, as well as the PI work. He recalled she had been his secretary and probably knew a lot about the PI work. She probably did enjoy this. Pat dialed from his desk phone.

“Hello.”

“Is this Margaret?”

“Yes, it is.”

“This is Patrick O’Connor, Chief of Detectives, NYPD. How are you this evening, Mrs. Butelli?”

“I’m fine, Chief. How are you?”

“I’m fine, thank you. I just wanted to personally call you and tell you we took a look at your husband’s case and we’ve found absolutely nothing that makes us think that it was anything but a suicide. I’m so sorry we couldn’t help you.”

“Well, in some ways I guess it’s a relief. It was also hard to imagine that Forrest had someone who wanted to kill him. He was a decent man and a good father.”

“Yes. I’m sure that he was. Just so you know, this case is officially closed. There’s just nothing we can do.”

“I appreciate the courtesy of your calling me, Chief. I know you must be a busy man.”

“I’m glad I got to talk to you, Mrs. Butelli.”

“I guess I’ll be leaving for Virginia soon. I’ll be moving closer to my daughters. They’ve found a nice place for me. I’m ready to
move  on with my life now.”

“I wish you the very best, and I also wish you peace and comfort.”

“Thanks again, Chief. I appreciate the call.”

Pat hung up the phone and in seconds Mary’s phone rang. The caller ID showed that it was from Margaret
Butelli’s safe phone.  Mary McDonald answered the phone and then handed it to Pat.

“Hello, Margaret.”

“How’d I do?”

“You did great. I was convinced myself.”

“I hope so. Pardon my language, but I want to see this bastard rot in hell.”

“So do
we! Keep your guard up and we’ll see if anything happens. I hope he has a false sense of security and makes a mistake. We’ll do our best to catch him.”

“I do believe that, Chief. I plan to tell my daughters about this when I visit them this weekend. I know they’ll be pleased knowing their father died as an honorable man, trying to do the right thing.”

“I believe he did. We don’t have the case made yet, but we’re well on the way. Just keep this strictly confidential, and make sure your daughters understand that talking about this to anyone else could hurt our chance of nailing this guy.”

“I understand that, and Detective McDonald has told me exactly what I could tell my daughters.  Please call me if there is anything I can do, Chief.”

“I’ll do that. Enjoy your time with your daughters and hopefully we’ll have some results very soon.”

Chapter 39

Monday, February 7 - Day 20

Chief of Detectives’ Residence

Borough of Manhattan, New York

2200 Hours

A
fter working late, Pat got home at 1930 hours. He fixed himself a sandwich and some chips and practiced his trumpet for an hour. He was flipping through the channels, trying to catch the 10 o’clock news when his cell phone rang.

“Pat O’Connor.”

“Good evening, Chief. It’s Bryan.”

“What’s up?”

“We received a call from a cop out in Brooklyn who was approached by a lady claiming to be Harry Pittsford’s girlfriend. She wants to talk to someone about Harry. They’re bringing her to the 83
rd
Precinct out in Brooklyn. Mary McDonald and I are headed that way.”

“Sounds interesting, Bryan, and I’ll see you at the precinct.”

“Okay, Chief. She wouldn’t give any details to the uniformed cop.”

“Let’s pray we have better success.”

“I agree with that!”

“Do we know how they came in contact with her?”

“Not exactly, but it sounds like she just approached a cop in an RMP and wanted to talk to someone about Harry Pittsford. They called the RTCC and they linked his name up to the task force.”

“Great! Thank God for computers. It may have given us a break. I’ll see you in a few, Bryan.”

“Okay, I’ll see you then, Chief.”

Pat pulled on a black turtleneck and some khaki slacks. He quickly strapped on his ankle holster and his belt holster and holstered both .357 revolvers. It was cool, so he decided to wear his black leather, bomber jacket. He grabbed his portable radio, cell phone and briefcase and headed out to Brooklyn. His gut told him this could be an important development.

Chapter 40

Monday, February 7- Day 20

83
rd
Police Precinct - 480 Knickerbocker Avenue

Borough of Brooklyn, New York

2300 Hours

P
at parked in front of the 83
rd
Precinct. It was somewhat more modern than many of the other older NYPD Precincts. It was all brick, with odd-shaped staggered-brick walls. He got a kick out of a painted mural on one of the walls which said “Alumni, Brooklyn North School of Urban Warfare, 83
rd
Campus.” Pat knew that during the blistering hot summers, tensions could run high and this could be a violent station house. 

Walking into the 83
rd
Precinct squad room, Pat met two uniformed officers leaving. He spoke to them briefly and thanked them for their help. When Pat walked into the detective bullpen, he was welcomed by the squad whip. “It’s good to have the Chief of D’s in the house, sir. It’s our honor.”

“Thanks, Lou. I hope this turns out well. It could be important.”

“Just let us know if you need anything, Chief. We’ll try to stay out of your way.”

Pat saw Bryan Flannery and Mary McDonald talking to someone he presumed was Harry Pittsford’s girlfriend. She appeared to be in her fifties, but had long, jet-black hair mid-way down her back. She was dressed in tight jeans, boots and a pull-over white sweater. She appeared to be self-confident and was doing most of the talking. When she saw Pat, she immediately responded. “Is this the man in charge?”

Bryan Flannery confirmed it was by nodding his head. Pat reached out with his hand.

“I’m Pat O’Connor, Chief of Detectives. It’s nice to meet you.”

She quickly quipped back. “It’s not nice to meet me. You’re just saying that shit because you want my information. If I didn’t have that, you wouldn’t give me the time of day.”

“I’m glad you’re a psychic and can read my mind, but in this case, you’re wrong. What can I do for you?”

“Well, you’re pretty direct. I’ll give you that. I’m Phyllis Duran. I was Harry Pittsford’s old lady until last week.”

“I’m sorry for your loss, Phyllis. It’s not easy losing someone you care about.”

“Thanks, Chief. You may not be sincere, but you’re polite.”

“Tell me what we can do to help.”

Pat sat down beside her, and Mary and Bryan left the room. They knew Pat preferred one on one interviews. She slowly started to talk.

“Things were supposed to get better. Harry and I were hitting it off pretty good for the last couple years. We were planning to move to Florida, where it’s warm, but he had this one more thing to do before we could move.”

“And what was that?”

“I don’t know exactly, but it obviously got him killed.”

Her voice started to crack, and she had tears rolling down her cheeks. Pat offered her his handkerchief.

“Thank you.” She said wiping her eyes.

“Would you like some coffee or a soft drink?”

“Coffee would be great. Black, please.”

Pat stepped out of the room and came back with a big mug of coffee. He sat down beside her and removed his leather jacket. “Why don’t we start at the beginning, Phyllis?”

“I hardly know where to start. Please don’t think I’m a bad person. I had no idea what Harry was doing until a few weeks ago.”

“I can tell you’re a caring person.”

“I’ve always tried to put my kids first. They’re on their own now and doing pretty well. Their father left me when they were young. I raised them by myself. We’ve been divorced for years. I worked as a waitress at the Continental Diner across the street from the Kings County Courthouse. Harry used to come in there for lunch when he was working. He looked so sharp in his uniform. We would talk and tease, but nothing ever happened, because he was married.”

“Is Harry still married?”

“Oh no, they divorced years ago.”

“Anyway, a couple of years ago, I ran into him at another restaurant, and we started seeing each other. He was a nice man and was very kind to me. He bought me nice things and paid me nice compliments, which means a lot to a woman my age.”

“So how did you find out he was doing something wrong?”

“Harry always had a wad of money in his pocket, Chief. His pension was pretty good, but he had like thousands of dollars on him all the time. He bought me a diamond necklace once and paid cash for it. A few weeks ago, I read an email he’d received, and it mentioned his having money wired to him in amounts less than $10,000, in order to stay under the radar. I also found an ID card with Harry’s picture on it and a different name. We’d talked a lot about moving to Florida. I have arthritis, and the warm temperatures would sure make my old bones feel better.”

Pat knew that amounts over $10,000 triggered a Suspicious Activity Report from the bank, which notifies the IRS and the police.

“Did you confront him, Phyllis?”

“I sure did, and he tried to blow it off and denied doing anything wrong. I told him that I wasn’t stupid and accused him of lying to me. He just broke down and started crying and told me the whole story.”

“What did he say?”

“As you know, Harry worked in the courtroom in Kings County. He was in some big drug trial, and every day they loaded these duffle bags full of cash into the courtroom as evidence. There were stacks and stacks of hundred-dollar bills. Harry got stacks of one-dollar bills and switched it and put a hundred-dollar bill on the outside of each and stole some of the money. He figured it was drug money and he deserved it as much as anyone. This was a long time ago. Anyway, he got caught by a lawyer, Danny Pellegrino. Pellegrino held it over his head and blackmailed him in order to make him do certain things.”

“Such as?”

“Danny told Harry he had told a judge about catching him and the judge was going to turn him in if Danny didn’t come up with some bread. Harry told him that he didn’t have that kind of money. He had spent the money he had stolen from the courthouse repaying some gambling debts. Anyway, I think something happened to keep that judge quiet.  I know he did something involving a private detective. The detective had found out about Pellegrino’s deals in the courthouse, and he wanted Harry to get rid of him and an attorney who he believed hired the detective.”