| Mystery and Crime Fiction posted October 11, 2021 | Chapters: |
1 -2- 3... 
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The spider tosses out his web.....
A chapter in the book Revenge
Sweet Revenge Begins - Chap 2
by Begin Again
| Background A member of the crime team is drawn into a diabolical scheme by an ex-con, Vito Moretti, who spent eight years in prison for a crime he didn't commit. Upon his release, he set out to get revenge. |
NAPA VALLEY, CALIFORNIA
Second Crime Scene
(2800 miles from Savannah, Georgia)
Francesco’s Restaurant
Friday, 10:30 P.M.
“Have you heard from ballistics yet?” Garth snapped as he surveyed the room. His chest tightened when he saw Emmy and Liz consoling Allie at a far table.
“It’s only been two hours since we found the bullet, boss. It takes time.”
“Tell them I need answers, stat. Do you understand, Tango?” Garth couldn’t take his eyes off Allie. “It was supposed to be a beautiful night, but someone had other plans.”
Dozens of FBI agents and law enforcement swarmed Francesco’s dining room. Garth Woodman, the FBI Director’s right-hand man, had wrapped up the case he’d been working on and had arranged an intimate dinner with Allie, aka Allyssa Shelton, Investigative Journalist, and FBI Contributor. Moments after he joined Allie at their table, all hell broke loose.
“Boss, the Director, wants me to record your statement regarding the moments up to the shooting.” Tango knew his boss all too well and waited for the explosion.
Garth’s face was angry, and he growled, “Not now, Tango. I need to walk every inch of the crime scene, inside and out. He can hear about it later.”
Tango winced and stretched out his hand to Garth. It held his cell phone, and the Director was face timing. “Agent Woodhouse, I want you to do it now, and that’s not a request. I am ordering you.”
Garth grabbed the cell from Tango’s hand and turned his back on him. He couldn’t recall the last time the FBI Director had referred to him as Agent Woodhouse. They’d worked together for years and remained on a first-name basis. “Director, I need—”
“Garth, it’s not about what you need. I want you to step away from the scene with Tango and record a statement. Do I make myself clear? Or I can have a jet ready in thirty minutes and come there personally if you prefer.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Garth sighed. “Owen, you know you are the only person who could get away with this, don’t you?”
The Director chuckled. “That’s why I’m on the phone. Now, get it done so you can get back to the investigation. Call me as soon as you know anything.”
“Yes, sir.” Garth shoved the cell phone into Tango’s hand. “You could have warned me.”
“Nope, I was following orders.” Tango fought to keep a straight face. “Shall we go outside?”
Garth’s eyes traveled to Allie. “Give me a minute.” Not waiting for an answer, he moved across the room to the women.
Allie jumped up and rushed toward him, burying her tear-stained face against his chest. “What’s happening? What about my sister? Who shot at us?”
Garth tightened his arms around Allie and stroked the back of her head. “Slow down. Give a guy a chance, okay?”
“Sorry. I’m just so scared. I need to know if Jaz is alright.” She lifted her face toward his and their eyes locked. “Tell me she’s okay.”
“I wish I could, but right now, I don’t have any answers. I’m going to step outside where it’s quiet and record a statement. When I come back, I need you to tell me every detail you can remember about your last conversation with Jaz and anything else you think would help. We need to know where to look for her before we can help.”
“Oh my God, I don’t know. I haven’t heard from Jaz for six months, and that conversation didn’t end well.”
“You can do this, Allie. We need names of people who might know where she was or what she’s been doing. The video was short, but did you recognize the background or the guy? Did you notice anything different about her?”
“I only saw a man’s hand on her arm.” Allie cried again. “I can’t do this, Garth. She expects me to help.”
“And we will help, Allie. We have to start somewhere, and tracking her whereabouts for the last six months might give us a clue. Think hard, Allie. You are our link to finding her.” He hugged her tightly against his chest and then released her. “Emmy and Liz, keep a close eye on her, please.” He kissed the side of Allie’s head. “I’ve got to get back to work.”
Their eyes met before Garth walked back to Tango. “Okay, let’s get this out of the way.”
Tango and Garth left the restaurant and walked down the street to a quieter area.
“This okay?” Tango looked around to see if anyone might be in the area. “It appears to be pretty quiet to me.”
“Yeah, it’s fine. There’s not a lot to tell anyhow, so let’s get it documented.”
Tango took out his phone, selected video, and spoke, “Garth Woodhouse statement regarding crime scene at Francesco’s–Friday, Oct. 1st at 8:30 P.M.
He handed his phone to Garth. “Tell it any way you want.”
Garth took the phone and walked away from Tango before he spoke. “I had dinner plans with Allie and entered the restaurant at approximately 8:15. I’d been finishing and, so I was running late and had spoken with Allie, suggesting she might be more comfortable waiting at the table. The hostess had shown Allie to the table about five or six minutes before my arrival.
As I approached Allie, my date, it surprised me to see a bottle of expensive wine, two glasses, and a red rose on the table. My immediate response was, “Wow.” Allie responded she thought I had ordered the wine. She also showed me a note that accompanied the wine. To the best of my knowledge, it said something like, Allie, you should be in the movies. Neither of us had any idea what the note meant or who might have sent it.
“I was about to ask the hostess if she knew who ordered the wine when Allie’s phone rang, and she recognized her sister’s ringtone. Since her sister, Jasmine, had been out of touch for several months, I told Allie to answer it.
“A video was playing. It showed an identical table setting to ours, with Jaz seated across the table. A man’s hand was visible on her arm. Her sister looked frightened, and she screamed into the phone, “Allie, help me.” I heard a gunshot, and the video stopped.
“Another gunshot followed, except this one passed through the window next to our table, shattering glass everywhere. I pulled Allie to the floor with me. Once I was sure the shooting had stopped, I called Tango and brought the team on site. We are now investigating the crime scene.”
Garth finished his statement, handed the phone to Tango, and snapped, “Come on, Tango. We’ve got a crime to solve and it might be on the east coast.”
 Recognized |
Welcome! Thank you for reading the beginning of "Revenge," a follow-up to Book Three - Secrets in the Wind. I hope you find enjoyment in the story. Allie Shelton is an Investigative Journalist. One of her first assignments resulted in the wrongful arrest and imprisonment of Vito Moretti.
Characters:
Vito Moretti - a black-hearted ex-con with vengeance in his blood
Charles (Charlie) Dubois - a childhood friend who enjoys living luxuriously
Marion Carrington - a star in her own mind and suffers from dementia
Henry and Tina Pagani - an elderly couple living on St. Simon Island
Alyssa Shelton (Allie)- Investigative Journalist and unofficial FBI Agent
Jasmine Shelton (Jaz) - wanna-be-movie star and living on the edge of life
Garth Woodman - FBI Agent and Allie's love interest
Hank and Emmy Armato - retired detectives and current Private Investigators
Pays
one point
and 2 member cents. Characters:
Vito Moretti - a black-hearted ex-con with vengeance in his blood
Charles (Charlie) Dubois - a childhood friend who enjoys living luxuriously
Marion Carrington - a star in her own mind and suffers from dementia
Henry and Tina Pagani - an elderly couple living on St. Simon Island
Alyssa Shelton (Allie)- Investigative Journalist and unofficial FBI Agent
Jasmine Shelton (Jaz) - wanna-be-movie star and living on the edge of life
Garth Woodman - FBI Agent and Allie's love interest
Hank and Emmy Armato - retired detectives and current Private Investigators
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