"The Sons of Mount Carmel" Chapter 2 (An NYPD Murder Mystery Novel)

CHAPTER 2

Normally, a direct call to the lieutenant—or sometimes just a text—would have been enough of a notification, even a high-profile murder like a priest—to just give him the basic details as his squad of detectives worked the case until either he or Tazzo got there. But this wasn’t normal. Toni spoke to Sergeant Tazzo who was out at the outdoor range for his annual firearms requalification. Tazzo confirmed that the lieutenant and Father Manny had indeed been longtime, childhood friends.

Toni and Geddes pulled up at Lieutenant Ryan Condon’s home. He was mowing his patch of lawn. It was his day off. It was the first time Toni had been to his home in the two years she’d been assigned to the Bronx Homicide Squad. He lived in a modest two-story brick house in the Throgs Neck section of the Bronx with his wife of twenty-two years. They had no children.

Ryan looked up at the unmarked, black-walled, department car. Toni knew Ryan could see it wasn't good. He shut off the mower and it yawned to a stop. Ryan kept hold of the lawn mower and waited for them to approach him.
"What's up?" Ryan said before they were fully out of the car. A cool breeze, on which was the fragrance of fresh-cut grass, brushed their faces. They were within a couple feet of him in the middle of the lawn before they spoke up.
“It’s about Father Manny, Loo,” Geddes said.
“Father Manny?” Ryan said with focused eyes; fists still gripped to the lawn mower. “What about him?”
“He’d dead, boss?” Geddes said.
Ryan didn’t reply for a moment.
“What? What was the cause? Heart attack? What?”
Toni couldn’t tell Ryan that his friend’s face had been broken open as easily as he’d broken the Eucharist during Mass. Ryan shifted his gaze from one to the other.
“What?” Ryan said again as he took a step away from the mower; placed his hands on his hips and blurted, “Ahh, no, you got to be kidding, don’t tell me homicide.”
Toni reached out to touch him, but he turned away. He started to walk in a circle on his lawn, hands still on his hips, shaking his head. He then stopped, turned to them. “Where’d it happen?” His voice cracked.
“The rectory,” Toni said.
“How?”
“He was shot, boss,” Geddes said.
“Shot?” Ryan said. “Where? Where was he shot?”
“Loo…”Toni paused, “…Loo, he was shot in the face.”
Ryan stood still for several moments, then doubled over; both hands on his thighs as if he was in a football huddle; then he raised up with both fists clenched at the simmering sun when one long wordless burst of heartache rang out from him.
The screen door to his home flung open: a woman rushed down the steps, out onto the lawn and reached for Ryan.
“What is it?” the woman said. “What’s happened?”
It was the first time Toni had seen Ryan's wife. A deep piercing pang struck Toni's chest. She was not what Toni expected. His wife looked to be about Ryan's age only very tired. She looked older than her years. Yet, Toni could see she had once been very beautiful with her long red hair and long legs. Toni wanted desperately to hold Ryan right there on his lawn too.
"Manny's dead, Jocelyn," Ryan said as he straightened up.
“What?” She said. “How?”
“I’ll explain inside,” Ryan said.
Ryan held his wife’s shoulders and guided her back into the house without replying, then twisted back to his two detectives. “Who caught this?
“It’s mine, Loo,” Toni said.
“Is Father Gribbons there?”
“Yes, sir,” Toni said.
“All right. I’ll see you back at the office,” Ryan said. “You taking Gribbons down to the M.E.’s office for the I.D.?”
“That’s our plan,” Toni said.
“All right, I’ll be in the office by three. Call in the rest of the squad.”
“You got it, boss” Geddes said.
Toni stayed still as she watched husband and wife step up into their home. It was the middle of summer and Jocelyn Condon was wearing an oversized flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Toni did not miss the thick scars on the inside of her wrists.

Toni whipped the car out from in front of Ryan’s home.
“Did you see her wrists, Geddes?”
“What about it?”
Toni looked over at Geddes and turned back to face the windshield. "I had no idea."