Written in 62 minutes.

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Tuesday, October 1, 2024

Harborview Towers: Parking Garage

Still unsettled and somewhat raw from the encounter with Sam, Jason just shook his head. “Not now—”

Cameron stepped in front of him, preventing Jason from reaching the driver’s side door. “No. Now. Because I promised my mother I’d go back to school, and there won’t be later. What the hell are you doing here? What happened to not being stupid?”

“Your mother knows I’m here—”

“And that makes it okay?” Cameron demanded. “For the two of you to lecture me and my brothers about ignoring all of this, not doing any that screws things up? Fine. Have it your way. We’ll talk about it at home, and you can explain to Danny what the hell you were doing and why can’t—”

Jason caught Cameron’s arm as the angry younger man turned away, and tightened his grip when Cameron tried to shake him off. “Okay. Okay—okay, let’s just—” What the hell was he going to say? “I shouldn’t have come here, and Elizabeth probably shouldn’t have agreed. But it’s complicated—”

“It’s really not. Either her freedom is the most important thing for both of you or you’re more worried about settling personal shit. Which is it?” Cameron wanted to know. “Why did you have to confront your ex-wife?”

“I don’t—” No, it wouldn’t be good enough to brush Cameron off with platitudes or vague answers. “Let’s both just—” Jason released him. “I don’t know what I thought it would do. I guess maybe I thought I could just—look at her, and she’d admit it, and I’d know what to do next. Or at least we could have a conversation about it. I don’t know why I thought that would work. We haven’t been able to do that since I got back.”

Cameron just shook his head, looked away for a brief moment. When he focused on Jason again, his expression was grim. “I don’t know why I thought it would be different this time. You always do this. You come into my mother’s life, you make her think she’s important to you, you make me and Jake think we matter, and then you take off to whoever needs you next. You did it when I was kid—you think I don’t remember, but I do—and now, what, Danny’s mom is the next person who needs your help? It’s worse to do it this time, because now Jake believes you’re gonna stick—”

“I can’t change what I did before,” Jason interrupted. “I can’t go back and be a better man. A better father. All I can do is try to be better now—”

“And this is you being better? Screwing with Mom’s bail—”

“I’m not doing that—this won’t—Sam won’t be telling anyone about the conversation we just had, trust me,” Jason told Cameron.

“That’s not good enough. Why the hell would Sam be quiet about this when she threw Danny under the bus to get to Mom already?”

Jason grimaced. What was he supposed to do? Tell Cameron they’d discussed the time Sam had allowed Jake to be kidnapped? That she’d hired men to menace Cameron in the park when he’d been a toddler?

“You’re not an idiot, so when I tell you that there are things in my past — things in Sam’s past — that if people knew, if the wrong people knew — we’d both end up back in jail—you know what I’m talking about,” Jason said finally, and some of Cameron’s ire faded.

“When you were working for Sonny,” Cameron said. “Is that what you mean?”

“I’m not—” His throat tightened, and he wondered if he’d have to answer these questions with Jake and Danny one  day. Michael and Morgan, they’d grown up in the business. They’d always known who their father was — who Jason was. But Cameron and his brothers had been sheltered in a way — protected from the reality of what Jason had chosen to do with his life. “I’m not a good man. Not in the way that you, your mother, your brothers, Danny — that any of you deserve. I’ve always known that.”

Cameron shifted, dropping his expression to the ground. “Mom says—”

“Your mother, as we both know, forgives easily. Too easily,” Jason added. “I’ve done things that—that I wasn’t always ashamed of. I made choices when I was your age that I can’t change. I didn’t know what I was throwing away when I made them. People tried to explain it to me, but I thought they wanted to control me.” He rubbed his forehead, thinking of his parents, of his grandparents. “Maybe they did, but they were right. I threw away a future where I could be the kind of father my kids should have. I thought walking away, staying away — that it was the best way I could give them the life they deserved. Leaving your mother, leaving you and your brother — it was never easy. And I never wanted to do it. It’s why I kept coming around. Because I loved you all too much to stay away.”

Cameron hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath. “Okay. Okay. I can get that. And I know you’re not working for Sonny anymore. I always knew—” He met Jason’s gaze. “I always kind of knew who you were, okay? What you did. So did Jake. We just ignored it. I guess like Mom. But what does that have to do with you coming here—”

“Sam lived that kind of life, too,” Jason told him. “Before she ever met me, she’d been on the wrong side of the law. It was—” How to explain that he’d considered Sam his equal because she’d lived a life that was as dirty and grimy as the one he’d chosen?  “There are things we know about each other,” he said finally. “That we’ve kept back because if one of us—if she used any of it — she knows I’d stop protecting. That’s why I had to do this. Why I thought I had to do this,” he corrected. “To remind her what I know. And to make sure she understood what this did to Danny.”

Cameron studied him for a moment, then nodded. “Okay. That feels—that feels true. I didn’t—I don’t know. I didn’t expect you to—I don’t know,” he repeated.

“You thought I’d brush you off with bullshit,” Jason said. “I might have or tried to make you understand it’s not—I can’t treat you like you’re a kid anymore. I get that. But I still remember—” The corner of his mouth curved up slightly. “I still remember the first time I met you, okay? When you were maybe six months old, so having you stand here in front of me, at the same height — it still throws me.” He paused. “I can’t promise not to do anything stupid like this again, Cameron. But I’ll try to be as honest as I can with you — and your mother.”

“That’s fair.” Cameron shoved his hands in the pockets of his jacket. “Did you—I mean, did she tell you why she did it?”

“We never got that far, but the truth is, Cameron, Sam hates me, and she hates your mother. I just didn’t know she hated both of us more than she loves Danny. That’s the only way any of this makes sense.”

TJ & Molly’s Apartment: Living Room

Molly stepped back to let Dante into the apartment, closing the door behind him. “Your expression makes me think something terrible happened,” she said with a nervous smile. She leaned against the door. “What’s wrong?”

“Is TJ around?” Dante asked, glancing around the apartment, leaning to look into the tiny kitchen.

“No—he’s at the hospital. Dante—”

“Did you hear about the hearing in Syracuse?”

“No, I—” Molly frowned, came away from the door and passed by Dante on her way to the dining table, layered with paperwork. “No, I thought we were both staying out of that. It’s killing me, but we recused ourselves—”

“Officially because of the incident with Danny and Rocco,” Dante said, and she sighed, lowering herself back into the dining chair. “But we both know it’s because Alexis and Kristina were on the list of suspects and couldn’t be eliminated.”

“Dante, we really shouldn’t—”

“I’m not telling you anything I know officially. Or anything that Chase doesn’t already know.” Dante dragged out the chair across from her, sat down. “This was on a personal level. Danny went to Elizabeth’s hearing with Jake and his brothers.”

“I guess that makes sense. He lives with them—”

“Reynolds made a move to revoke bail based on what happened the night Danny and Rocco were arrested. Because someone told him about the original 911 calls.”

Molly went still, her eyes widening. “Someone—”

“There was a second 911 call — reporting Elizabeth’s address — a neighbor who saw Aiden that night. The vape made it into the call.”

“I didn’t—I didn’t know there was a second 911 call—”

“I didn’t either. No one told us,” Dante said. “But once you go looking for the dispatch records, it’s right there. I got suspended — Anna thinks I used my authority to cover it up—” He grimaced. “I did—”

“You didn’t do anything unethical, Dante. The PCPD releases intoxicated teens to their parents all the time — even those who are high on drugs. It was a first offense — and Danny got into treatment, and I know you’re taking Rocco’s situation serious—” Molly shook her head. “But I don’t understand — why would someone report that?”

“Everyone suspected Sam — and so did I,” Dante admitted. He looked at his hands, laid them flat on the table. “Because of what happened at the Towers, when she threatened to have Elizabeth arrested for kidnapping. We also—I thought she wanted Elizabeth out of the picture.”

“Getting her bail revoked would do that, but it would also hurt Danny if it’s this way, and I don’t think Sam would do that. I know she hasn’t done herself any favors—” Molly paused. “But you brought up Mom and Kristina being suspects. Dante?”

“I think,” Dante said, forcing himself to continue, “that Kristina might have either given Sam the idea or did it herself. Because…she knew Danny and Rocco were at Elizabeth’s. Or supposed to be there. And I think we might have told her the whole story. I don’t remember doing it, but I can see us sitting at breakfast table, and it just coming out. I wouldn’t have thought twice about telling her—”

“Of course not. It involved Danny, and Kristina wouldn’t—” Molly rubbed her temple. “Dante. ”

“Kristina could have done it just to help Sam, but she might have also done it to complicate everything. Because if Elizabeth goes back in jail, she’s out of the picture. Sam goes back for custody, Jason’s fighting that —”

“Maybe they’re not concentrating on her case as much. Letting the trail keep getting cold.” Cold slithered down her spine. “Dante. We’re not really—I know we couldn’t eliminate her, but are we really saying that Kristina murdered Cates and framed Elizabeth?”

“I don’t know,” Dante said. He met his cousin’s worried eyes. “But I don’t think it’s as crazy as I did a few weeks ago. And I can’t—I think we have a duty as officers of the court — I think Diane should know Kristina’s a suspect.”

Pozzula’s Restaurant: Sonny’s Office

Spinelli knocked on the open office door. “You rang, Mr. Sir?”

The use of the old nickname usually brought the hint of a smile to Sonny’s lips, but not today, Spinelli noticed as the aging mobster got to his feet from behind the desk. “You came fast.”

“You said it was important. About the case. Other than the kids, I don’t really have any other priorities right now.” Spinelli set his bag on the chair. “What’s up?”

“Something I probably should have—” Sonny rubbed his chin. “Something I probably should have said a few weeks ago but I didn’t really think it was a possibility. Even now, I don’t know if you can do anything with it. But, uh—”

He turned, and removed the painting from the wall behind his desk, revealing a safe. He spun  the combination and opened it, stepping aside so Spinelli could see inside. “The gun that was used — Brick told me the make and model. I had one of those. Unregistered,” Sonny added, and Spinelli looked at him, alert. “I didn’t—I don’t know when it went missing, but it’s gone.”

“Oh.” His heart started to pound, but Spinelli’s face didn’t betray that. “Who has access?”

“I know the combo,” Sonny said. “Jason does — or did at one time. I don’t know if he still does.” He paused. “Carly knew it, but I doubt she remembers it. And Kristina — she needed money for something, and I gave it to her. But anyone in my organization could probably get in,” Sonny admitted. “It’s not an important safe — just some things in case I need to get out quickly, but most of the guys know it’s here.”

Spinelli looked at him, squinted. “So what do you think happened?”

“Maybe one of my guys took a gun they knew couldn’t be traced and did me a favor,” Sonny said. “And, well, not everyone knows me and Jason are square, you know? All they know he’s an informant. So maybe they were looking to make trouble for him. A little payback.” He shook his head. “Like I said, you can’t do much with this — I can’t prove the gun came from me or that I ever owned it. But I figure I can give you a list of suspects, right? I got the—” He picked up paper from his desk, held it out. “I got a list of the guys I know for sure came through the restaurant last three months or so. Maybe it can help.”

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