A Woman Was Tied to Train Tracks by a Mafia Boss — Then His Loyal German Shepherd Led the Detective to Expose the Deadly Plot
Chapter 4
Captain Reynolds stood beside Marcus, barely containing his excitement. His reflection in the glass showed a man on the verge of a career-defining victory. “This is it, Cain,” Reynolds said, voice tight with emotion. “Finally, after all these years, we’ve got Moretti. With her testimony and the physical evidence from the scene, we can bring him down. The DA’s already drafting the warrant.”
“It’s moving fast,” Marcus observed neutrally. Through the glass, Sarah was describing the layout of Moretti’s club with impressive accuracy — the location of security cameras, the private rooms in back, even the color scheme of the interior decoration.
“Can’t afford to wait,” Reynolds replied. “If Moretti realizes she survived, he’ll run, or worse, try to finish the job. We need to arrest him immediately before he knows what hit him.”
Marcus turned to face his captain. “Sir, something doesn’t sit right with me. Moretti’s been untouchable for two decades because he’s meticulous, careful. Why would he personally tie someone to train tracks? It’s theatrical, risky, messy. Why tell her his name and what he was going to do?”
Reynolds’s expression hardened slightly. “Maybe he’s getting arrogant. Maybe he thought she’d die before anyone found her.” He paused. “Or maybe you’re overthinking this, Detective. Sometimes the simplest explanation is the correct one. Moretti tried to kill a witness. You stopped him. Now we finally have him.”
“Those knots bothered me too,” Marcus continued, unable to let it go. “I’ve seen them before, in the Marines. Military grade, special forces level. That’s not Moretti’s background. He grew up on the streets, worked his way up through traditional organized crime. It doesn’t fit his profile.”
“You saying she’s lying?” Reynolds’s voice had taken on an edge.
“I’m saying something feels off, and I’d like to dig deeper before we move.” Marcus kept his tone respectful but firm. “Give me twenty-four hours to investigate her background, verify her story, make sure we’re not missing something.”
Reynolds shook his head. “Too late for that, Cain. The wheels are already in motion. The DA wants this wrapped up fast, and frankly so do I. We’ve been trying to get Moretti for fifteen years. I’m not letting this opportunity slip through our fingers because you have a gut feeling.” He walked away before Marcus could respond, heading toward his office where the assistant district attorney was waiting.
Marcus stood alone at the window watching Sarah give her statement, unable to shake the feeling that they were all walking into something they didn’t understand. Rex, who’d been lying beneath Marcus’s desk, padded over and sat beside him, leaning against his leg, eyes following Sarah through the glass with what Marcus could only describe as suspicion. Dogs had good instincts about people, better than humans in many ways, and Rex clearly didn’t trust this woman.
Marcus returned to his desk and pulled up Sarah Morrison’s background, going deeper than the initial check they’d run at the scene. On paper, she looked clean. Twenty-six years old, originally from Seattle, moved to the city three years ago, worked at several restaurants and clubs, including six months at a legitimate establishment before taking the job at Moretti’s Velvet Room eight months ago. No criminal record, no red flags. Her social media presence was minimal but normal. But Marcus had learned to look beyond the surface. He pulled her employment history and started making calls.
The manager at her previous job remembered her as a good employee, reliable, friendly, professional. But when Marcus pressed for details about her personal life, the manager hesitated. “Now that you mention it,” he said, “she was kind of closed off. The other servers would go out after shifts, share stories about their lives, but Sarah kept to herself. She was pleasant enough, but I realized I never really knew anything about her beyond her job performance.”