The man continued drinking his Bellini, as he punched in a phone number on his cell still highlighting the photo of Luke and Noah's embrace in the park.

"Yeah...it's me. So did you get the photo I sent you?......Yeah, it's Maieri.....I never trusted that S'OB.....But you didn't believe me.... Well now you have the proof.....Maieri's turned against the family....He must be punished.... I don't need any one's approval..... We're the new leaders of the family and we will take care of them..... Go pick up that godd'amn f'ag and traitor."




A sullen Luke stared out the window in his office. He knew what had to be done. It wasn't going to be easy. But he had no choice. It was after all the right thing to do.

"Excuse me Chief..." Policeman Ugo Lombardi stood in the doorway. "Castelli and Patrizi are here." Davide Castelli was a preliminary investigating magistrate, while Saverio Patrizi was the lead detective on the department's Anti-Mafia Task Force.


"Thanks, Ugo. Show them in." He shook Castelli's and Patrizi's hands and gestured to the two chairs flanking his desk. The young commissioner sat down behind his desk and went straight to the point.

“For the good of the district, I'm removing myself from the investigation into the Gambino Family. I allowed myself to become involved with one of the suspects and acted in an unethical manner. I accept the consequences for my actions.”

"What? Why?" Patrizi and Castelli protested. Luke held up his hand to silence them.

“I have questioned my ability to head this investigation from the very beginning. But something happened this afternoon that has caused me to conclude that I cannot maintain a professional, impartial approach to the case." Luke nervously passed his hand through on his hair. "While we were in Scipioni's Park trying to locate Valerio Coppola, I made the decision to split up the investigative team with each of us taking a section of the park to search. I did not know it at the time but someone was following me. Thankfully, Noah Maieri saw this, grabbed me and hid me in the woods. He probably saved my life and . . ." Luke struggled. ". . . he kissed me and I let him do it."

Castelli and Patrizi exchanged shocked glances. Then Castelli spoke.

“Luke, stop. I think. . . ” He was interrupted by Elena running into the office.

“Luke! Maieri was on the phone talking with some supplier, when the phone went dead," she excitedly explained. "We think Maieri was surprised by someone cursing at him. You need to hear the recording."

Luke turned back toward his visitors and started to speak only to be stopped by Castelli.

"Go on Luke. Check it out," he advised. "We can talk later."

Luke ran from his office into the district's communications' section annex, while Castelli held back back Elena. "Look at the concern in his eyes. Obviously, Noah Maieri is more than just a suspect to the commissioner."




Thanks to the tracking device the police had installed in Maieri's phone, the district's special services unit was able to pinpoint the location of his last transmission. Ninety minutes later, Luke along with the detectives assigned to the case and CSI investigators stood in a run-down suburb framed by abandoned sheds and no sign of life. They found Noah's phone smashed to bits but nothing else.

There were no surveillance cameras present nor anyone be found who might have seen Maieri leave the area. Call it years of experience or just a hunch. But Luke knew Noah had not gone willingly with whomever surprised him. The last wire tap sequence played again in the mind of an increasingly frightened Luke.

“You miserable filthy piece of s'hit!”

“What the hell!"

“You’re a disgusting f'ag.”

Deafening silence.

Luke could hear the fear in the voice of this man for whom he had not only jeopardized his command but also the respect of his staff.



Meanwhile in a dark, dingy room not far from where Luke stood was an unconscious, beaten Noah strapped to a chair.