Scarier than Evil: Chapter 2 – Digging Deeper

Chapter 2 – Digging Deeper

Before my alarm rings, I wake up and cannot go back to sleep to the point where I get up from bed and start to get ready. I look in the mirror and look at my red eyes that never cease to give me pause when I look at them for more than a few seconds. They result from the enhancements given to us, so every officer has red eyes. I turn my mind away from the banal issue, comb my short black hair, and can’t help but remember my brother’s reminder of styling it and getting a “real man’s haircut”. After, I put on my dark blue police uniform, hat, gloves, and shawl all of which have ballistic weave in them. Alicia puts her arms around me and rests her head on my back as I fix my uniform, put my gun in its holster, and phone and other equipment in my pockets.

“You’re up early. Is something bothering you?” she sleepily asks.

“I’m fine. Just couldn’t go back to sleep,” I say.

“When you’re up this early, you’re usually anxious about something. Are you worried about your brother?”

“When am I not concerned about him? He’s been mixing himself up in some shady business as of late.”

“Don’t worry about him. I’m sure he knows what he’s doing. It’ll be fine.”

“I hope so.”

Alicia and I go downstairs to make breakfast and as we’re eating and watching the news, we see Giovanni, head of the Coronamento Corp and boss of Salvatore, appear on TV and present the evidence that proves the innocence of the man Salvatore broke out from prison yesterday.

When questioned about keeping the man in his company building, Giovanni says, “We’re keeping him safe there because we can’t trust our justice system that put an innocent man who tried to expose his corrupt family’s crimes behind bars in the toughest prison we have. Until my attorneys properly secure his freedom, I will personally ensure his safety.”

My kids ask me if Giovanni can do what he’s doing and I tell them, “No, but we can’t forcefully take that man away from him, especially after the evidence Giovanni has shown and because of who he is and the people and resources he has.”

I quickly finish my breakfast, kiss my family goodbye, including my dog, and leave to see Salvatore. Sure enough, he’s home as he said he would be. His dog, Brozo, and my nephew, Davito, are the first to greet me at the door and most excited to see me while his wife, Isabella, presents me with a meal and coffee as is our family tradition to give food to guests, especially family. Since I already ate, I tepidly pick at my meal, as a form of respect and thankfulness. Meanwhile, my brother greets me and acts as if I’m just here to say hello, share a meal, and that nothing is happening.

“Be serious, Salvatore,” I say. “Tell me what’s going on.”

“Something big and involves a man who wants to get rid of the police,” Salvatore says.

I don’t say anything for a few seconds, anticipating it to be a joke, but Salvatore doesn’t say anything and he has a straight face.

“You’re serious? That’s ridiculous.”

“Is it really? What do the police do that state, corporate, or hero group sponsored superhumans and vigilantes can’t? You guys have unique armor and enhancements that no one else has, but the whole modern knight thing is a larp to take advantage of the cultural shift back to traditionalism and I’m sure that one group or person will outdo what you guys have.”

“Is that why we have someone trying to get rid of us? Because they think we’re outdated?”

“There’s that and he has a personal grudge against the police.”

“What does this have to do with yesterday’s prison break?”

“They started it to get the help they needed out of prison. I tried to stop it with my help inside the prison, but I could only do so much, and we had another ace up our sleeve.”

“The relative of the Humphreys?”

“Yes. We were going to free him one way or another anyway and then get him to help us find his stash of information on the man we’re after since they’re both from the decrepit part of the city.”

“And why are you helping me? If the man did get rid of the police, then that gives me a reason to join you at Coronamento.”

“Giovanni respects the police as a virtuous institution at its core and has many friends within it that greatly help him. Also, he and I would rather have you join us of your own free will and not out of desperation.”

“And because you’re making it look like a favor done out of the kindness of your hearts.”

“We also want you to handle this on your own to prove that the police are still useful and do things that other groups can’t. I’ll help out with the odds and ends, but it has to be you who brings in the man we’re after.”

“Who is he? Say his name already. You seem to know it.”

Salvatore looks away from me for a second before saying, “It’s Uncle Edoardo.”

“Uncle Edoardo? Last I heard he was enjoying his retirement. Why would a man who worked with dad try to get rid of the police?”

“Giovanni and I have our theories, but you should be able to find some information at his house.”

I sigh and look at Salvatore hoping that he’s joking, but just like last time, he’s serious.

“I hope you’re wrong about this,” I say as I get up.

“Remember what dad taught us! If he or anyone pulls a gun on you, you do not hesitate to kill them.”

“I know. I’ll be careful, Salvatore.”

I say bye to Isabella who tells me good luck while Davito acts as if I’m off to be a hero saying, “Go get the bad guys, Uncle Renzo!”

“I will,” I say with a chuckle.

Salvatore has always reminded me not to hesitate when in danger since it’s how he saved our parents and me from being killed by people we considered family. Still, he keeps the memory fresh in his mind to motivate him to change the world by working for Coronamento while I try to keep the memory out of my head, and if I ever remember it, it reminds me to be an uncompromising cop just like our dad was. Getting back in my car, I drive off to Edoardo’s house and call Chief Bernardo to tell him what Salvatore told me.

“It does sound ridiculous, but Salvatore isn’t the kind of person to accuse someone of a crime without convincing proof,” Bernardo says. “Edoardo was always the kind of person who was sympathetic and only used violence if it was absolutely necessary. See what you can find out and keep me updated. I want to know as soon you find something.”

“Yes sir,” I say.

The area where Edoardo lives is a recovering decrepit area of the city. Since Coronamento kicked the Humphries out, they’ve been redeveloping it by bringing new jobs and even its own dedicated police precinct where the cops hardly went due to the high levels of danger. Edoardo once told me that the area wasn’t that bad when he was growing up and the police weren’t shot on sight, but now I’m really curious why he's doing what he’s doing when the neighborhood is getting better. Stopping by his front door, I see that the mailbox is full as if no one has taken it for a few weeks, which is strange since he’s usually back from traveling at the end of the month. I knock on the door, wait a few seconds, and then knock again. Huh. No one seems to be home.

Looking around, I find a hidden key in a loose brick that Edoardo told me he kept here in case he lost his own. I’m inside the house now and it’s eerily quiet. Everything has a layer of dust on it, but nothing seems out of place. It’s as if Edoardo has recently left the house in clean shape as usual, and has simply, not come back to clean it. Around the house, I find pictures of him and his family and ones with him, my dad, and Chief Bernardo. These photos remind me that I should possibly question Edoardo’s children even though I know they haven’t seen him since their mom died.

Nothing looks out of the ordinary until I notice a bookshelf in his bedroom that is hiding a room behind it. I push aside the bookshelf and enter the room to find what looks to be an investigation room with maps, photos, and news reports. These maps of the prison and pictures of the escaped prisoners and the writing on them instantly confirm my fear that Edoardo planned the prison break. Among the many papers, I find a journal under them. In it, Edoardo details his plans to get rid of the police since the new hero and vigilante groups can do something that it can’t, namely change the law and not be bound by it. What catches my attention the most is the part of the journal that addresses my name directly.

It says, “I hope whoever is reading this will take my words to heart. If I had to guess, one of my best friend’s boys, Renzo, is one reading it, and if you are, I hope you don’t turn out like your dad. He was headstrong about doing the right thing through the police force, but it almost got him killed on more than one occasion such as the one where you were almost killed. The law doesn’t deserve good men like him or my other best friend, Bernardo. Tell him that I wrote he’s a good man and to stop blaming himself for everything.

I hope the reason that I’m doing this resonates with you. The police are filled with criminals and corrupt men who want to use their position for wealth and to get away with crime. This is not news to anyone, however, with the advent of superhuman and vigilante groups, the police have become irrelevant. They deal with most of the criminals nowadays while the police are only around to make sure they do things by the book. Even then, the police will let them get away with going above the law for good or ill. These forces of justice can strongarm the government into making proper laws and get away with enforcing justice in a way that the law cannot punish them. What does the death penalty or prison mean for those who can take a bullet to the face, become immaterial, or are supported by people like them? Laws are enforced by strength and the heroes and vigilantes of this age are changing the world.

Quit your job now, Renzo, and join your brother at Coronamento. Otherwise, if you want to get me, I would have started my plan by the time of writing this, and should be in the area that I circled in the map of this room. I’m doing this as a favor to you, my nephew. I wish you well and that we don’t meet each other at the business end of guns. I love you and tell your family that I love them as well.”

The sound of a door opening causes me to drop the journal and immediately draw my revolver.

“Renzo! Are you here?” I hear Kurtis say from downstairs to my relief.

Going downstairs, I tell Kurtis and Alex what I found and ask them why they’re here.

“We overheard Chief Bernardo talking to you and didn’t want you to be in this dangerous part of the city alone,” Alex says.

“Yeah, why didn’t you ask us to help you?” Kurtis asks.

“I’m sorry guys. I didn’t think about it because I was so focused on learning more about this case.”

Alex and Kurtis understand my reasoning and remind me that they’re always available to help me. After thanking them, I call Bernardo and tell him what I found. He cuts me off, says he’ll be down at the house, and within minutes, he and an investigation squad of five people come to look through the scene for any or more clues about Edoardo’s whereabouts and plans.

He reads through Edoardo’s diary, slams it down, and then says, “He says to stop blaming myself for everything, but this only wants me to do that more.”

Before I can say anything, he radios back to the precinct that he wants every available state trooper and officer to search the area that Edoardo circled on the map.

“Sir, I’d like to be part of the search,” I say and then add, “If possible, can Alex and Kurtis aid me?”

“Of course they can. You can aid the deadly pursuit squad that is searching in the mountainous region outside of the city where Edoardo is most likely to be. I hope you boys are ready to drive fast cars for an intense car chase. Now, get there and get our man, dead or alive!”

“Yes, sir!” we say before heading out to get our cars and Edoardo before he can do any more damage and bring his plans to fruition.