The World in Reverse (39 page)

“Yeah, I’ve gathered that,” Nicola said, looking back at the crates.  “I’m a man of my word.  I’ll do everything that I said that I would do, because you all have done everything that you said you would do.”

Gabriel clenched his jaw.  “Well, let’s go upstairs.  There’s a completely different thing to handle up there.”

“Magnelli and his son…” Nicola huffed. “I wouldn’t want to be Collin.”

“Shit, me either.”  Gabriel stood up off the chair, hovering over Nicola.  “Let’s get to it.”

***

Collin had no idea where he was.  His father pulled up to a house packed with cars and parked.  Thumping out his cigarette, Magnelli pulled himself from the car and motioned for his son to follow him.  He had had time to think on the drive and was finally at peace with what he was about to do. 

“Pop, where are we going?” Collin asked, glancing around the quiet, dark neighborhood.

“A friend’s house.  I told some men on the department that I’d meet them here,” Magnelli said, walking to the front door. He rang the doorbell and waited.

“Do I know him?” Collin asked.  He swatted a mosquito off his neck. 

“You know a few of them,” Magnelli answered as the door opened.  It was Cory. 

“Hey man,” Cory said, nodding at Collin. “Glad you could make it.”

“It’s a fucking mad house out there tonight,” Magnelli said, stepping inside.  “You know my son, Collin.”

“Yeah,” Cory offered his hand, though his flesh crawled. “How are you?”

“I’m making it,” Collin said, a little more relaxed.  He knew Cory Hamilton from around the department. He worked for Agosto.  The thought bothered him mildly, but he knew that most people on the force did know Agosto and had worked for him or with him at some point.

The two of them walked in the house past Cory and into the chilled air.  Collin could hear men laughing and talking as he stood in the foyer, which also made him drop his guard a bit. That was until he rounded the corner and saw the Medlov guards.

“Who the fuck are they?” Collin asked his father.

“Friends,” Magnelli said, turning to his son.  The other police officers emerged out of the kitchen still in uniform and greeted Magnelli, circling around Collin without him realizing it.

“How are you Collin?” Reynolds asked, hitting Collin on the back.   He offered his hand. 

Collin knew that Reynolds had been on the force nearly as long as his father had.  He offered his hand and shook it. “Good to see you,” he said, on guard.

Reynolds shook Collins hand tight at first, and then suddenly snatched him forward, throwing Collin off balance while from behind Cory grabbed him, and then Sorrello took his weapon.

Collin tried to fight but in seconds the men had him on the ground.  Without a weapon, he was defenseless.  Struggling, he looked up at his father.  “What’s going on here?  Let me go!  Dad!” he called out for his father, but it was in vain.

Magnelli bent over his son and looked at him.  “Why’d you do it, Collin?” he asked, shaking his head.  “Of all the people on the force, why’d you have to kill your sister?”

“I didn’t kill anyone!” Collin exclaimed. “You have to believe me.  Pop, please. Listen to me,” he said, struggling.  His voice trembled. “I didn’t kill anyone.”

Magnelli wanted to believe him but couldn't.  “We’ll see,” he said standing back up.  “Take him downstairs with his friend and duct tape his mouth.  Tonight, we’re going to get to the bottom of this.”

***

When Ferris woke up, the first thing that he felt was sheer, agonizing pain.  Pushing his head into the back of the chair, he let out a scream and tried to reach for his pulsating knee.  It was then that he realized that he was strapped to the chair by his arms, waist and legs.  The hot light above him had him sweating and irritated.  The top of his head, especially around his balding center, was burning hot from the relentless beam off the 100-watt bulb above him. 

The thud of his heart pounding inside of his chest was nearly audible.  Licking his cracked lips, he scanned the room.  To his surprise, Collin Magnelli was sitting tied and bound to the right side of him in a metal chair.  He looked over at him and frowned.

“Where are we?” Ferris asked as burning sweat dropped into his eyes.

Collin tried to speak but the gray duct tape around his mouth and head prevented him from talking. All he could get out was muffled moans.  He shook his head, trying to prevent Ferris from saying too much.

In Ferris’ haze, he could barely think.  Closing his eyes, he swallowed, hurting his dry throat.  His croaked words.  “Agosto is alive.”

Collin shook his head again, begging Ferris to be quiet.

Ferris opened his eyes again, the light above nearly blinding him.  “Is Cane here?”

Agosto walked across the room.  “Afraid not,” he said, coming out of the shadows.  “But don’t worry. He’ll get what’s coming to him.”

Ferris locked his tired eyes on Nicola as he drug a seat across the concrete flooring and sat down on the back of it. The guns in the holsters under his arms gleamed in the light.  “We’re going to talk, and you’re going to tell me everything that I want to know.”

Ferris snarled, despite his situation.  “And if I don’t,” he said, still trying to free himself from his bonds.

Nicola sucked his perfect teeth.  “Then I’m going to kill you…slowly,” he said with a smile.  “And nothing would bring me greater pleasure.  I promise you that.”

“Well, I promise you that you’re bringing a shit storm down on yourself and your family,” Ferris promised.

Nicola shook his head.  “Do you really believe that?”  He looked around and then rested his bulky arms on the back of the chair. “Look around you, Ferris.  This isn’t a hearing…this is a last stand.  You’re either going to tell me what I want to know or you’re going to die…just like Sammy.”

Ferris paused.  Just what did Agosto know?   His tone instantly changed.  “I have money.  Get me out of here and you can write your own ticket.”

“I can write my own ticket now.”  Nicola reached in his pocket and pulled out a notepad.  “Just to stay on task, I’ve written a few questions down.  If you answer them, then your time here will be less pleasant, if you know what I mean.”

Ferris looked at the notebook.  The pain r
adiated through his entire body as he tried to shift his aching bottom in the chair. 

“We’re short on time.  So shall we begin,” Nicola asked.  He eyed Ferris, waiting for an answer.

“I’m not telling you shit,” Ferris spat.  The saliva hung to his mouth, showing another indication that he was dehydrated. 

Cory walked over with a bottle of water out of the darkness and set it beside Nicola.  Loo
king over at Collin, he tilted his head. “Well, at least we know that they know each other.  The question is now is what else can they tell us.”

Nicola ran a hand over his head, scratching through his dark mane.  “What is Cane pla
nning?  Where is he?  Where is your playground?  What is your part in this?  Four questions,” he said, raising four fingers.  “Four questions answered and you keep your life.”

“The police will come looking for me,” Fe
rris promised.  “And when they do, they will bury you under a prison cell.  You’ll never see the light of day again, never see your family.”

Nicola stood up.  He walked over to Ferris and stood over him.  “Four questions.  That’s all you have to do is answer them.  And yet, you sit here like the pompous asshole that you’ve always been trying to play the tough guy.” He smacked his lips. “Okay, we’ll make it five instead of four.  Who ordered the hit on my family, on Johnson , on Carmen, on Steele?”  He pulled the man’s head back and stared in his blood shot eyes.

“Fuck you,” Ferris said, trying to pull away.

“Fuck me?” Agosto said, teeth showing. “Fuck me?” he screamed.  “No, Ferris, fuck you.” He reached back and landed a dizzying blow to Ferris’ head. 

Coughing up blood, Ferris tried to speak, but Nicola hit him again, this time harder. The sound of the blows echoed around the room, making Collin flinch in worry. Landing one blow after another to his battered face, Nicola finally stopped and stepped back.  “I can do this all night,” he said without raising his voice. 

Ferris’ head fell.  Dark red blood oozed from his mouth in a long string down to his soaking wet trousers.  He sobbed quietly, unable to even touch his wounds. 

“I don't’ know anything,” Ferris said pitifully. “You have the wrong man.”

“Oh, I’ve got the right man,” Nicola said without guilt.  “You’re just giving me the wrong answers.”  He opened the bottle water and took a sip then walked over to the corner and pulled out a blow torch.  “I’m new to this torture thing.  You see, up until you decided to try to play God with my life, I was a good cop. I didn’t believe in this type of thing.”  He lit the torch and walked towards Ferris. “But it’s amazing what a man will do once he sees his family nearly killed.”  He put the fire  only inches away from Ferris’ face.  “They tried to shoot us, and when that wasn’t successful, they tried to burn us.  Do you know what fire feels like?”

Ferris’ eyes bulged in fear. He tried as hard as he could to pull away from the hot blue flame of the sun-like fire. “I don’t know anything,” he lied.  “You have the wrong man!” he screamed.

Nicola’s eyes blazed.  Putting the fire to his cheek, the sound of flesh burning filled the room.  It was enough to make him sick but he held back his own nausea and prayed for a
nswers.  Hiding his own disdain for his actions, he pressed with the interrogation. “Five questions, Ferris. It will turn into six and you’re torture will turn in to an all night affair.  It’s all up to you.” He put the fire near Ferris’ crotch. “I can’ find other things to burn.”

“No!” Ferris screamed and cried.  “A
lright…” He threw his head back. “Alright.  What do you want to know?” He cried aloud as the pain of the burn caused him to rock in the chair.

“I told you want I wanted to know,” Agosto said, looking Ferris in his wounded face.  “What is Cane planning?  Where is he?  Where is your playground?  What is your part in this?  Who ordered the hits?”

The sound of men coming down the staircase from the main floor of the house to the basement caused Collin to look away from the horrifying sight to the processional of officers, including his officer.

Cory walked up to the camera and turned it on.  Zooming in on Ferris, he waited.

“How do I know that you won’t just kill me once I tell you what you want to know?” Ferris asked, spitting more blood.

“You’ll just have to trust me,” Nicola said, chuckling. “It’s a hard choice.  Trust me. I know, but you’ve made your own bed.  Now, you have to lie in it.”

Collin kept his eyes on his father.  Tears formed at the corners of his eye lids and fell down on this tape around his mouth and cheeks. Unable to look at him any longer, he released a frustrated sigh and looked down his taped feet.

“Cane is planning to take over the illicit drug business with a powerful new type of Molly that is completely undetectable once in the human system.  He’s been testing it for months and now it’s in production.  He has orders from all over the country and he has a partner out of New York, a woman, but I don’t know her name.  I just know that she exists.”

“Is this new Molly what killed the four children in the Baby Boys case?” Nicola asked, unable to let go of the case that had haunted him since he had agreed to take it.

“Yes,” Ferris answered reluctantly.

Nicola chose his next question carefully. “Let’s go back to Cane for a minute.  Where is he producing this new drug?  We’ve searched the city and he’s not around.  Where is he?”

“In Millington,” Ferris answered, looking at the blow torch.  “His father has a farm out there.  It’s still in his mother’s name.  He’s using it to produce the product and prepare it for production.”

Collin threw his head back in disgust. 

Nicola looked over at him and twisted up his lips. “Is Collin a part of this?”

“Of course he is.  Why else would he be here?” Ferris answered, feeling absolutely no loyalty. “Collin kept the scent off of Cane while he prepared for the deal.  Those possible dealers who knew had amnesty as far as Colin was concerned, plus he reported to us on the Baby Boys case and what Magnelli was planning.”

Collin shook his head.

Deputy Magnelli emerged from the shadows and walked over to Ferris.  He leaned into the man with his gun pointed. “Who killed Carmen?” he asked, cutting through the chase.

Ferris swallowed hard as he looked down the barrel of a gun for the first time.  “Collin killed her accidentally.  He was supposed to kill Johnson, but she was there.”  He looked up at Magnelli and pleaded. “I had nothing to do with that.”

Collin tried to speak.  Screaming muffled words at Ferris, he tried to break free.

“Seems like he would beg to differ,” Nicola said to Ferris.  “Take the tape off,” he said to Magnelli.

As soon as Collin could speak, he screamed. “Ferris ordered the hits because Johnson and Steele linked him to DeMario’s death.  We had no intention of using him, but we had no choice.  Dad, you have to believe me.  Killing Carmen was a God’s honest mistake.”

Magnelli started to shake.  “God doesn’t make mistakes, you evil, twisted bastard!  I should have never allowed your crack whore mother to give birth to you.  I should have never taken you in to my home. I should have never allowed you to come home from college, and I should have never trusted you in my house when you joined the police department.”