Tyler demanded, ignoring his question.
"I don't know, but the captain was in there with Sam and Sheila for about an hour. They were going back and forth. Finally, they left and they didn't look too happy. What's going on Tyler? You in some sort of trouble?" Eric asked him.
"I don't know and I ain’t got time for them right now. I need a big favor. I need you to look up a guy for me. Will you do that?" Tyler asked.
"Yeah man. No problem. I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for your ass saving my life on a couple of occasions. Least I can do. But you got to call the FBI and find out what they want with you. Do that for me. Ok?" Eric pleaded with Tyler.
"OK, man. You got it," Tyler agreed.
He hung up with Eric after giving him all the information he had on David Spencer, but lied about having a number where Eric could reach him. Tyler promised to call him back later that day.
After some time, Tyler decided to call FBI headquarters to find out what was going on. He was about to call them from the house, but decided against it as he was sure they monitored all incoming calls. He wasn't ready to let them know where he was.
After driving approximately thirty miles from the house, Tyler checked into a motel, paying cash for the room.
"Hello, may I speak to agent Sheila Cooper or Samuel Williams?"
After a few minutes and a few rings Sheila came on the phone.
"Hello, Agent Cooper here. How can I help you?" Sheila said.
"Hi, Sheila," Tyler said.
"Tyler!" Sheila almost shouted. "I mean Detective Santiago," Sheila said and then corrected herself. "Sorry, Mr. Santiago. I understand you are no longer with the police force."
"That is correct. I heard you folks are looking for me." Tyler said plainly.
"Ye... Yes we need to talk to you," Sheila said.
"What do you want?" Tyler asked matter-of-factly.
"We need to ask you a few questions about something that has come up during one of our investigations," Sheila said.
"And what investigation might that be?" Tyler asked her.
"I am not at liberty to discuss the matter over the phone, Mr. Santiago," Sheila said in a practiced “by the book” voice.
"I am afraid you will have to, as right now I am quite busy," Tyler responded.
"Tyler," Sheila said in a softer voice. "Please come in. We really need to talk to you."
"About what?" Tyler asked impatiently.
"I... I can't tell you over the phone. Can we meet somewhere?" Sheila pleaded.
"I am very busy right now. I promise I will call back in a couple of days," Tyler said.
"Where are you?" Sheila asked him.
"Sorry, but I got to go. Promise to call back in a couple of days," Tyler responded and hung up.
Tyler left the room, paid for the long distance phone call and was back at the house in less than an hour.
A couple of hours later he called Eric back. There was little to report, other than the fact that Mr. David Spencer was a successful lawyer who also had a degree in accounting. He had a couple of run-ins with the law, but nothing serious. The IRS had called him on the carpet on a couple of occasions, however, his expertise in both the law and accounting managed to keep him out of jail. Additionally, he had successfully defended some shady characters that were believed to have mob ties.
OCTF Headquarters
New York City
As John Connolly, head of the Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF), watched his agents Sheila Cooper and Sam Williams file into his office, he wondered why his superiors did not demote him for his failure to protect Judge Livingston from an assassin’s bullet. He figured it was because they were working in conjunction with New York City police, and his superiors and the city's politicians were too busy blaming each other. However, Connolly was beyond that. It was a joint effort and, as far as he was concerned, they were all to blame. Nevertheless, how could he blame Agent Sheila Cooper or Detective Tyler Santiago when they were both out of town protecting the judge? In fact, they managed to keep him alive long enough to bring him to the courthouse to testify. The assassin simply outsmarted them.
"Captain, we have been pouring over the information about this Theo Gresco," said Sam.
"And?" responded the captain.
"Well, here is what we have; He was born in Chicago to a Lucia and Sergio Gresco. At the age of eight, he witnessed his father's death when the store they owned was bombed. It appears his father pissed off a local crime boss when he refused to pay him extortion money. Immediately after the bombing, his mother took him to Sicily where he remained for most of his youth. While there, he learned how to fire several weapons and became somewhat of a celebrity for his marksmanship. Though I cannot confirm it, there was a strong rumor that he was solely responsible for the execution of several members of a well-known crime family after they had threatened his grandparents. Though his mother is dead, I cannot determine how and when that happened." Sam reported.
Sheila continued with, "In late 1954 Mr. Gresco, then 21 years old, returned to his old neighborhood in Chicago. He got married to a girl by the name of Sylvia Santiago. Also during that time, he befriended Nick Costello, a neighborhood thug. During the same period, two men were executed on the same corner where Theo Gresco's father owned his store, the one that had been bombed. An unidentified caller, who supposedly witnessed the event, named the two victims as Mario Pierina and Rico Vitalia, and claimed that he saw Nick Costello execute them.
“Though it took some time and many phone calls, we managed to break through the red tape and get a hold of Theo’s and Nick’s military records. These records show that both Theo Gresco and Nick Costello joined the service within a week after the execution of those men. They did their tour of duty together overseas. Where exactly, we don't know. However, both men were listed for many commendations, including marksmanship. What is really interesting is that both men received numerous Vietnam medals as well when officially we weren't in Vietnam." Sheila said.
Before continuing she looked at Sam, took a deep breath and went on with, "Of real interest is that Sylvia and Theo had a son. A son they named Tyler."
"Why would that be of interest to me?" the captain asked.
Sheila stared at the captain for a second, sighed deeply, and went on, "Because, sir, further investigation found that Detective Tyler Santiago is Mr. Theodore Gresco's son."
It took a few seconds for the impact of what Sheila said to sink in. "What!" the captain almost shouted. "Are you sure?" he asked them both.
"Yes sir. We double-checked and then triple-checked. Detective Tyler Santiago was raised by his uncle George, who happens to be the brother of Sylvia Santiago," Sam finished.
"Holy crap," commented Captain Connolly, who was now standing and holding his hand to his forehead.
Seeing the captain's reaction and the look on his face, Sheila spoke up, "Captain, based on all we have found we don't think Detective Santiago knew
