was. He didn't know this guy was his own flesh and blood."
"Are you shitting me? How in heaven’s name can you sit there and tell me that with a straight face?" the captain asked her, almost shouting.
"Captain, Detective Santiago never saw his father. His mother brought him here when he was very young, and until her death, she was the only listed parent. As far as we can tell, Tyler never laid eyes on him again ... till now."
Sheila went on to explain, "Captain, I know this from personal experience. When Tyler, I mean Detective Santiago, and I were in hiding with the judge in Pennsylvania, we got to talking and he told me he had a vague memory of his father. He was very young when his father went away, and he never saw him again. When I asked what happened, Tyler said his mom told him that his father had to go away and may never come back,"
The captain stared at both of them as if in a trance, while shaking his head back and forth."I hope your attachment to Detective Santiago is not clouding your judgment," the captain said, directing his comment at Sheila. "This is too freaking weird," he added."Who else knows about this?"
"No one, sir," they both responded.
"No one can know about this until we straighten it out. You understand?" the captain told them while pointing his finger at their faces.
"Yes, sir, we understand!" Sam responded as both he and Sheila nodded their heads.
"You two need to understand, we are dealing with the Giordano family who has ties everywhere. Who's to say Detective Santiago was not planted here?" the captain raised his voice. "And now you tell me the man Detective Santiago shot, the man who fell into the East River, was his own father, whose body, by the way, has not been found."
There was a short pause as all three contemplated the gravity of the situation.
"Where is Detective Santiago now?" the captain asked in a calm voice.
"We don't know. What we do know is that he quit the force a few months back, sir," Sam responded.
"Well, find him and bring him back here. I would like a word with him," the captain ordered. "Also find this Nick Costello. Let's see what he knows about all this," the captain added.
"Sir, we've tried to locate the whereabouts of Mr. Nick Costello and have come up empty. After leaving the service he simply disappeared." Sheila stated.
"Then dig deeper. A man does not simply disappear. Somebody out there knows," the captain demanded.
Great to be Free
Wisconsin Penitentiary/October 1984
Joey Escalla, along with a black man, stood inside a holding cell while their release papers were being processed.
"What were you in for?" the stranger asked Joey.
Joey ignored the man and said nothing.
"Hey man, I'm talking to you!" the man yelled Joey.
Joey stared at the man, smiled and turned his back on him, then moved to the corner of the cell, ignoring the man all together. Twenty two years of silence and secrecy taught him how to stare people down without saying a word. With a population of over eight thousand inmates, the Wisconsin Correctional Facility was a magnet for rumors and gossip.
10 Months Ago
For the last twenty one years, there were many rumors about prisoner number 685244 in cellblock 432. Some said he was a spy, others claimed they knew him as the head of a Chicago crime family, and still others said he was a pedophile and was isolated for his own protection. The prisoner kept to himself and almost never spoke to anyone. For more than twenty years, he kept his identity secret from the rest of the population. It was not until a new warden took over the facility that things changed. The new warden immediately felt that all prisoners, no matter the crime, were to be treated with respect and dignity, and not just numbers. And so, prisoner number 685244 was now to be called by his proper name; Joey Escalla.
This bit of information spread through the prison population like a brush fire on a dry windy day, and caught the curiosity of an inmate known as Stan (Slash) Genova. Genova had been a member of the Sabrisio family before it was wiped out in the early 60's by what was later rumored to be members of the Giordano Family. What was even more important was the fact that the Joey Escalla who Slash knew, was rubbed out over twenty-one years ago.
Having information about a guy who was supposed to be dead was like gold in a place like this, but first Slash had to be certain. He had to get a look at the prisoner in cell 432.
Over the next four months, Slash concentrated on pulling library duty. He managed to transfer over to the library, and three months after that he managed to get onto the book dispensary detail. Another month passed before he was able to change with a fellow inmate and get to distribute books to those in solitary confinement.
In late April of 1984, Slash was making his rounds in solitary when he came upon cell number 432.
"You want anything to read?" he asked the man in the cell.
Joey Escalla approached the cell door and looked at the books in the cart.
Slash stared at the man on the other side of the bar and thought to himself, "I know this man. His name is not Joey Escalla. I just don’t remember his real name. But it isn’t Joey Escalla."
Joey looked up at the man and said nothing.
After a few seconds, Joey finally said, "No, not interested in any of your books."
Joey returned to his bunk and lay down. Slash stared for a second or two before moving on.
Joey recognized the man.
So after serving over 21 years of his 22-year sentence, he was faced with a problem that might jeopardize his release.
"Can’t have that," Joey thought to himself.
Slash was now consumed with trying to remember the identity of the prisoner in cell 432. He was convinced he knew him but needed to get another look. However, every time he went by the cell, Joey kept his back to him and would respond with a "No, thanks." With Joey not approaching the front of the cell, Slash was denied the opportunity to see him once more.
Joey knew it was simply a matter of time. If Slash found out Joey’s release date was fast approaching, he might escalate his attempts to uncover the truth.
It was two weeks later when Slash was stacking books in the library that three inmates approached him.
"Hey, Slash. What you in for?" asked one of the men.
"What’s it to you?" Slash responded as he turned and faced them. "What you guys want?" Slash asked.
"Nothing. We just want to know what you are in for," another man said.
"None of your fucking business," Slash answered back.
"Rumor is, you go after young girls," the inmate stated.
"That’s bullshit. I don’t do that shit. Someone's feeding you guys a bunch of lies," Slash defended.
"Now why would someone do that?" asked the
