Sweat dribbled down my forehead as I rushed through the hospital doors. I went straight for the counter behind which a rather old secretary was sitting.

“Hello I’m looking for S56.” I was breathing rapidly and couldn’t catch my breath.

The secretary looked at me suspiciously, “What is your name sir?”

“I’m S56-.” She looked at me strangely so I continued “He is my father.”

“Go down to morgue. You’ll find him there.” Her tone was biting.

I felt like someone had drenched me with ice cold water. I didn’t feel like running anymore so I limped down to the steps, feeling colder and colder the further down I went.

Once I finally reached the morgue I saw a man standing at the entrance. I asked him about my father and he pointed down further into to morgue.

A body was lying down on a table, covered with a white sheet. Around it two people were standing one was a doctor; the other was a man around my age, whom I didn’t know. I walked past the man and stood before the dead body. I hesitated for a second then gently removed the cover from over his head. I was aghast; there was an enormous bullet hole right through his head.

I was still shock stricken when the man behind me tapped on my back. I turned around and saw the man staring at me with dead eyes.

“Who are you?” he said weakly.

“I’m his son”

That surprised him. His eyes widened and he almost squeaked, “Mr. S56 had a son?”

“Not really, no. He wasn’t even married to my mom and he only visited me once ever since he came back to Detroit from Philadelphia.”

“Mr. S56 was a busy man…”

“Ye, I’m sure he was. Who are you?”

“My name is Martin I was his bodyguard.”

I couldn’t help but laugh, “Such bodyguard.”

“I wasn’t there when it happened.”

“Do you know what happened to him?”

“I Do.”

“Well, TELL ME!”

“Excuse me sir.” The doctor interrupted “Keep your voice down and take any conversation outside this hospital. Now, come sign here so we can get the body ready for graveyard”

I took a deep breath, took the form from the doctor’s hand and signed wherever needed to be signed.

“Let’s go sit in the park outside the hospital.” Martin said as he was leaving the morgue...

“So what did you say your name was?” Martin asked as he was sitting down on a bench with a coffee in his hand.

I sat next to him, “My mom named me after him.”

He sighed and started dirking his coffee.

“SO? Tell me already.”

He looked up at me and placed his coffee down. He then rubbed his eyes and started retelling a summarized version of what had happened:

“We were in NY on business. An FBN agent named Doyle gave us the address of a dealer in Bronx, someone named Rissotoni. We were driving in a van filled with cocaine heading for this guy’s house. While on the way Mr. S56 saw an associate of his in the streets. Seeing that he needed help, I was sent to help him out. So I got off the van and headed toward Mr. Suisitsu, the associate I told you about. While helping out he asked me what I was doing here and I retold the story. As soon as I mentioned Rissotoni’s name Mr. Suisitsu’s face turned red and he started sweating. He jumped inside his car in a rush and urged me to come. He sped all the way to Rissotoni’s house. When we were near we heard a gun shot. Mr. Suisitsu parked the car around the corner and after a few seconds we saw two dead bodies being put in the trunk of a car. That car took off and so did we. Outside the town we rammed the car and took out the driver. In the trunk there was the body of your father and Marshal, he was new to your father’s entourage.”

“What happened to the van and the rest of the people?” I asked.

“I don’t know. All I did was escape NY and managed to do so with your father’s body. I couldn’t bring Marshal back with me.”

His head dropped as his story ended.

“What are you going to do now?” I asked him not unkindly.

“What can I do?”

“You can show me to my father’s house.”

A smile appeared on his lips…

After a ride through the Black Bottom we arrived at a house on the edge of the city. The house had two floors and seemed that the housing area itself was on the second floor since almost the entire first floor was occupied by a garage. The house was positioned in the middle of a nonresidential area and around it was mostly patched with shrubs and small tress. The house itself looked bleak and colorless. It was ordinary.

Martin placed a key inside the lock on the front door and opened it. Two staircases were inside, one lead to the second floor and the other to basement.

“What’s in the basement?” I inquired.

“Nothing really.” Said Martin and proceeded up the stairs.

I stepped inside the house and couldn’t help but feel a great disappointment. The house was barely furnished. It felt that he only came here to sleep and nothing else.

“Is this it? Is this all that has been left behind from him? Is this all he had?”

“Mr. S56 wasn’t much of a luxury seeker, most of his possessions were in a federal bank; which is now gone.”

I sighed and headed toward the sole bedroom. In the middle of the room there was a neatly ironed attire. It was put there with extra care. I turned toward Martin and asked him about it.

“It belonged to your father. He was wearing that when he was shot. I had it dry-cleaned. There also was a pair of gold cufflinks which the bastards stole.”

I took a closer look at the outfit. The white shirt was unusually white, must have been something the dry cleaner used. The tan colored pants were placed right below the shirt and bellow them there was a pair of dark brown leather Toe Cap Oxford Shoes. There seemed to be some faint drops of blood on the shoes but they were hard to see.

I dropped on the bed next to the dress, “What should I do know?” I asked myself out loud.

“No offence but, you’re just a civilian. There is no much a civilian can do about this situation.”

“What if I don’t wanna be a civilian?”

Martin laughed, “Look, this life of ours isn’t for everyone. Once you’re in it you’re not getting out alive.”

I sat up on the bed and replied, “What makes you think I’m not already in it?”

He looked at me but said nothing, he knew what I meant. After some hesitation he said:

“Then there is someone you must meet. Come with me, I’ll take you to him.”

With that said Martin rushed back down the steps and I followed him. Once outside I saw he was opening the garage door.

The door was opened and I looked inside. Light of the day shone on a black beauty. I was almost drooling.

“Is that a Rolls-Royce?” I asked with my eyes almost popping out of my face.

“That is a Phantom III. It’s the latest edition, not many of it around.” He then extended the keys toward me, “Do you wanna test drive it?”

I snatched the keys…

Driving around the town in my father’s car seemed to take the worries away, but that didn’t last long last. Before I knew it I had to ask:

“Where are we going?”

“We are going to meet a man. A man that can get you ready for this life of ours.”

“Who do you mean?”

“Don Capazzo, you’re father’s boss.”

I didn’t know who Martin was talking about. My father and I barely even met, let alone talking about his shadowy business. So while trying to keep one eye on the road I turned my face toward Martin and asked:

“What can you tell me about this Capazzo guy?”

“Well, his full name is Tony Capazzo and he took your father in when he was still young. You’re father had high regards for him. Anything else about him, you have to find out by yourself.”

“Are we going to his house now?”

Martin laughed, “No not his ‘house’, his headquarters.”

“Oh, yes, of course, Headquarters, surely. Oh, by the way, am I dressed to the occasion?”

Martin looked at me and smiled, “You look just like you’re father Mr.S56. It’s a shame those cufflinks are missing, otherwise that outfit fits you perfectly.”

I kept on driving toward the address Martin had given, all the while contemplating what was going to happen. After a while we arrived at a building which looked pretty much abandoned.

“We’re here, park the car” Martin said.

Once I got out, I stood right next to the car and placed my elbows on the roof and took a good long look at the headquarters.

“Oh, you didn’t tell me what the name of the family was.” I asked.

“The Capazzo Crime Syndicate.”