Chapter 30
Chapter Thirty
The more Gary tried to get his head around Bruno’s revelation, the less sense it made.
“But why? What reason would he have to kill her, unless it was to silence her because she knew about the Rembrandt.” And even that made no sense. “You told him to get her to a doctor.”
Bruno’s face was grave. “Yes, I did. What I didn’t know at the time was that Gianni had his own agenda.
That night when I got the call from Senator Cain, I didn’t ask Gianni to come with me.
He offered, which surprised the hell out of me.
” He sighed. “And as for why he killed her, I only found that out later. Then it all made sense. By the time I discovered what had led to her death, Gianni had already disposed of the body.”
“Did he tell you what he’d done with her?” Dan asked.
Bruno shook his head. “He kept telling me I didn’t need to know.
Then in 2006 when the tunnel collapsed… then I knew.
” He snorted. “Talk about irony. Gianni was the reason for its collapse. At least, the company that supplied the epoxy was, and he contracted them to do the job.” He peered at Gary.
“I’m not telling you anything you didn’t already know, am I? ”
“Yeah, we knew that part.” That was public record. Gary leaned forward, his hands clasped. “You give every indication that you’re trying to steer your family onto the path of legality. How do you square that ambition with doing nothing about Cheryl’s murder?”
For a moment Bruno said nothing, his face dark. Finally he expelled a long breath. “I can’t, and that’s going to haunt me for the rest of my days. My only excuse was that I was protecting my son.” He huffed. “At least, I thought he was my son at the time.”
Gary said nothing but arched his eyebrows.
Bruno met his gaze. “You look surprised. No more than I was, I assure you.” He glanced around the room. “Do you think I might have a glass of water?”
Before Gary could apologize, Dan got up, walked to the door, and spoke quietly with the officer outside, then returned to the table. “On its way,” he murmured.
“Thank you.” Bruno cleared his throat. “I married my wife, Talia, when I was twenty.” He gave a shrug.
“It was a good marriage. We celebrated our fifty-sixth anniversary last year.” His face contorted.
“Last year she was also diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and not long after that, she was on her way out. So there I was, sitting with her in the hospital, holding her hand while she was dying right in front of me, and she told me Gianni wasn’t mine.
She said she’d known she was pregnant when she married me. ”
“Did you believe her?”
Bruno’s face tightened. “What man wants to believe such a thing? Fifty-six years of marriage? I thought I knew her. But a deathbed confession? She said it had been eating away at her for years. And once she’d said it, once the idea was there in my mind…
well, it answered a lot of questions.” He grimaced.
“All the questions I’d dismissed over the years because I didn’t want to think about them. ”
“Do you have a photo of Gianni?” Dan asked.
Bruno took out his phone and scrolled. “That was him the last Christmas before I lost Talia.” He handed Dan the phone.
Dan studied the image, and Gary’s skin tingled.
He’s doing more than just looking.
After a minute or so, Dan handed the phone back to Bruno. He took a deep breath. “Your brother Paul is Gianni’s father.”
Bruno froze, his mouth open. “How did you…? There is no way you could have known that.”
Dan gave him a sympathetic glance. “I know because you do.”
His breathing hitched. “Stupid of me. I’d forgotten about your…
abilities.” Bruno gave Dan an appraising glance.
“I guess all the news reports weren’t hype after all.
” He gazed at the photo. “I asked her why she hadn’t married Paul.
She said she knew I’d be the head of the family one day—Nico was gone—and that I’d have more to offer.
” He swallowed as he stared at the photo.
“They even look alike. I don’t know how I didn’t see it long before.
Me and Gianni, we’re not alike in looks or temperament.
” He pocketed his phone. “Funny thing is, Gianni always felt to me like he was a cuckoo in the nest, something not quite right about him.”
“But why are you telling us all this now?” Gary’s head was reeling. “He’s still your nephew after all. Still a blood relation.”
Bruno nodded, his eyes suddenly cool. “And I’ve been cleaning up his messes for far too long.”
Dan tilted his head. “Like James Sebring’s murder?”
Bruno blinked. “You know about that too?” Another heavy sigh rolled out of him.
“That one was partially my fault. After the tunnel fiasco, I moved Gianni, gave him control of the housing construction company.” His face tightened.
“Except he messed that up too. When James put the bite on him, I told Gianni to pay up and then retrofit the radon barriers. He assured me he’d put it right. ”
“And then James Sebring fell to his death,” Gary concluded.
The door opened, and an officer brought in a jug of water and a glass. He placed them on the table, then retreated. Bruno poured himself a glass and drained half its contents.
He set the glass down on the table. “When I learned about the accident, I knew Gianni had murdered him.” Bruno stared into the glass. “Then there were two murders under his belt.”
Gary coughed. “Possibly three.”
Bruno jerked his head up and stared at him. “What?”
“There was another headless corpse found in 2007. We have reason to believe that was Gianni’s handiwork too.”
Bruno let out a slow breath. “Kevin Donaldson. Of course.”
“Did you know him?”
“Let’s say I knew of him. Kevin was the head of another family in—”
“When you say ‘family,’” Dan interjected.
Bruno nodded. “A rival family might be a better way of putting it. At least Gianni saw it as such. He was certain they were trying to take over from us.” He rolled his eyes.
“Take over.” Another shake of his head. “We might be the same blood, but me and Gianni, we see the family so differently.” He scowled.
“We’re not the mob,” he said, air-quoting.
“Problem is, that’s still how we’re perceived, and it’s that perception I’m fighting to change.
So here we are, locked into a power struggle that’s gone on for far too long.
Gianni wants to go back to the ‘good old days,’ and he probably has my brother’s backing to do just that.
So I’m not fighting one DiFanetti, but two.
But as long as Gianni sees this family as the ‘mob,’ then I need to stop him. At all costs.”
“And now you understand why my client is concerned for his safety,” Mr. Martin added. “You met his brother?”
Gary nodded.
“Then you must realize he and Bruno are nothing alike.”
Gary recalled his evening “visitor” with a shiver. “You’re right, they’re not.”
Bruno took another drink from his glass.
“Gianni said we needed to do something about Kevin Donaldson. He said we needed to cut the head from the body to put a stop to them.” He shook his head.
“At the time I thought he was talking figuratively. I told Gianni we should simply step aside and let them do whatever the hell they wanted, but I was wasting my breath. I suspected him of having something to do with Kevin’s death, but I couldn’t prove it.
And he denied it, but he always did deny everything, even as a child.
Then someone else owned up to it, so I thought I was wrong. ”
Gary nodded. “Frank Wyler owned up to it—after a visit from Gianni.”
A dark cloud rolled across Bruno’s face. “And this is why I have to put a stop to him.”
“You do realize my client has no proof Gianni murdered Kevin Donaldson? Or that he killed Cheryl Somers and James Sebring?”
Bruno stopped Mr. Martin with a hand to his arm. “Which is why I’m here.” He finished his water, then looked Gary in the eye. “If you need me to be a witness, I’ll do it.”
Gary strove to keep his face straight. “You’d help us put him behind bars?”
“Yes. Because someone has to help you do it, and I know where all the bodies are buried.” His eyes gleamed. “Again, figuratively speaking. But if you want Gianni, you’re going to have to move fast.”
“Why?” Gary’s pulse quickened.
Bruno glanced at his watch. “Because around about now, he’ll be at Midway in Chicago, ready to board a flight to Boston, and once he lands and gets wind of this, he’ll turn tail and be on the first plane out of here.
Probably someplace where you can’t find him.
Or extradite him.” His expression grew grim.
“Unless he knows already, and believe me, that’s a distinct—and unfortunate—possibility.
” He shuddered. “Which is why I want to be someplace he can’t find me. ”
Gary made a note. “We’ll meet his flight.” He leaned forward. “I do have one question left.”
Bruno arched his eyebrows. “I thought we’d covered everything. I assume you know why Gianni removed Cheryl’s head—to make identification difficult. I don’t suppose he ever believed her body would see the light of day, at least not for a very long time.”
“Yes, we came to that conclusion too.”
“What happened to the heads?” Dan asked. “Kevin’s was also missing.”
Bruno shrugged. “I can hazard a guess. My bet is that one day in the future, they’ll turn up in a pile of rubble when someone tears down one of Gianni’s building projects.
Either that or he threw them into the ocean, weighted down.
Pouring concrete over them makes more sense.
That way, it’s less likely some fisherman will come across them. ”
“I have a question.” Gary met Bruno’s inquiring gaze. “Why?”
Bruno frowned. “Why what?”
“You took over a powerful family with its roots in organized crime, and then you did your best to change its direction. Why? What happened to bring about such a drastic change?”