Deadly Silence (complete) Chapter 42

The Law & Order theme song began to play, catching both father and daughter by surprise. Reaching into his pocket, Samuel pulled out his phone with a sheepish look on his face. “It’s Charles. One second.”

“You gave him the Law & Order song as his ring tone?” Vivian asked incredulously.

“It seemed appropriate,” he shrugged as he answered the call. “Charles,” he said as greeted, getting to his feet and stepping out of Vivian’s room for some privacy. Who knew how this call would go.

“They’re all a bunch of idiots,” the lawyer responded in kind, voice rougher than usual. “Honestly.”

“Glad we can agree on that.” Samuel couldn’t help the smile that spread at the remark. “So what were they after?”

“Gabriel,” Charles huffed.

This had Samuel frowning as he double-checked the door to Vivian’s room was shut. Lowering his voice, he said, “What do they think they have?”

“A whole lot of dog shit, if you ask me. I’ll be there in twenty to give you the details.”

Talking over the phone was always a risk. Line taps, bugs, call logs… It was safer to talk in person about anything that so much as brushed against illegal. Gabriel’s chop shop was definitely illegal and should never be discussed where anyone might listen in uninvited.

Call it paranoia, but Samuel wasn’t one to take chances on something that might land him or his boys behind bars for any amount of time — at least not once they were adults.

Making enemies was easier than friends in his world, and he made sure to tread carefully. Gabriel wasn’t quite so careful and had made a few people angry with his chop shop, taking business away from others in the same line of work; jail time might not go well if he were to find himself stuck behind bars.

Not that his middle son couldn’t take care of himself, but Samuel knew Gabriel wouldn’t have gotten into the business if his father wasn’t doing underhanded things to begin with.

Samuel had brought his sons into the underworld when they were still too young to know right from wrong and, one day, he would pay for his selfishness. Until then, he would do everything in his power to keep them safe.

He always warned he’d let them pay the price for their own stupidity, and he had; until they’d become legal adults. That was when he realized stupidity could get them killed.

Instead, he played middleman, preventing the mistakes his sons made from being found, or fixing them by whatever means necessary. Then he told them about their fuck up and exactly how it would have cost them.

It was fortunate that both grown sons were quick at learning from their mistakes. They even noted a few Samuel himself had almost made, or pointed out an alternative that would reduce the risk, so it wasn’t a one sided conversation.

Samuel let out a sigh as he scrolled through his phone. Some things were simply out of a person’s control, and Sokolov was one of them. The man tended to just show up whenever he wanted instead of as directed. Unfortunately he was too good at what he did to let loose, and his connections also made it difficult to end things on anything other than a good note.

If Sokolov didn’t want to change his ways then he wouldn’t and there was little anyone could do about it.

Gabriel had stayed late Monday night, talking it over with his father on what they could do about it.

Sokolov’s family was Russian mafia, though they were still in Russia and didn’t pose a threat for the most part. This meant if Samuel pissed Sokolov off there would be trouble. He couldn’t be trusted to tell his family the truth about putting Gabriel’s entire operation in jeopardy, nor could Samuel say without a doubt the family would even care one way or the other.

They would care if their son ended up in jail. Whether it be by his own stupidity or someone else’s made no never mind.

Samuel had dealt with the Sokolov family a few times over the years, and disliked them immensely but they were too well connected to cross, and he liked having ties to a big fish in the pond.

It kept his family safe.

Unless the big fish’s stuck up son fucked everything up.

Samuel selected the contact he’d been looking for and waited for the other person to answer.

“What?” Came a smooth voice on the other end of the call. The greeting was normal, sharp tone included. The man was a grump on a good day and hated being disturbed but couldn’t refuse work that paid the bills, either.

“I want everything you can find on Detectives Amelia Mersey and Paul Oglivie.”

“Going after some piggies?”

Samuel had to force his eyes not to roll. “Take it or leave it.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I got it. Usual price plus fifty cause they got badges.”

“Make it seventy five for both, not fifty per, and I’ll pay.”

“Tch. Robbing me blind.”

“Extra fifty if you can get it for me by tomorrow, less ten every day until it’s your usual rate.”

There was silence as the man seemed to think about the offer. “If you want it done good it takes time.”

“Fine, less five every day until it’s your usual rate.”

“See? Now that’s better. Consider it done.”

Samuel hung up the phone without saying anything more. Those two detectives would pay for scaring his daughter. It was odd that she’d been so shaken up by them when she’d been in many interrogations or interviews before. Sure, it’d been during the first couple years after being found, but it wouldn’t be a stretch to think she wouldn’t be too bothered by another.

Not like this, anyway.

Was there more going on? He’d have to wait for Charles to get there before talking to her about it. They would get the answers one way or another regardless.

Texting his two eldest sons, Samuel invited them over for supper with the caveat that one of them had to pick up food on the way. He would let them figure out what kind and who would pick it up.

Checking the time, he turned and opened Vivian’s door. “Charles said he’ll be here soon. I’m going to talk with him when he gets here, then we’ll come talk to you, alright?”

“Okay,” she nodded, still sitting in the middle of her bed.

“Feel free to finish the snacks if you want,” he told her with a small smile. “Sebastian and Gabriel are coming for supper and bringing food.”

“Sounds good,” she replied with another nod.

As much as food made his sons perk up, this was not the case with Vivian. He’d eventually figure out what would bring a smile to her face no matter the circumstance but, until then, he had to settle for doing his best.

Leaving his daughter alone for the time being, Samuel made his way downstairs, back to his office where he settled to wait for the lawyer to arrive. There was a lot going through his mind, and without more information he couldn’t narrow down what to focus on.

Knowing this was about Gabriel made things easier, but was that all it was about? What if they were attempting multiple angles, hoping to find a weak spot?

Not that Gabriel’s side hustle had any connection to Samuel’s dealings, but the fact they were father and son wouldn’t be ignored. There was always the possibility any chink in his son’s enterprise could eventually lead to his father’s or vice versa.

Only time would tell what all the police were after, what they thought they knew; and Samuel would be waiting for them, patient as always, ready to pull the rug out from under their investigation yet again.