Rightfully His

32.

All rights reserved...@brightlights101

Andrea had cried herself out, lying in her old childhood bedroom, tucked tightly beneath the sheets.

Matteo was outside in the dead of the night talking with authorities. Despite him being a wanted man for his illegal activities that he was currently dabbling in, no one ever wanted to be the ones to drag him in. So they worked with him.

The house was standing on its last legs. It hadn't completely been eaten away, but there was nothing but ash and some items that weren't scorched. He hoped some of her items weren't completely ruined.

"Have you found the cause of the fire?" He asked the police, arms crossed and chest puffed out.

"Well, it didn't start from a candle, gas leak or maintenance malfunction. This was deliberate. Arson. From what the firefighters found, the place was drenched in gasoline," one of them explained.

"You said you had security cameras posted?" The other asked.

"Yes, I do."

"Do the tapes record and save to a hard drive?" He asked.

Matteo nods.

"If you don't mind, we'd like to receive a copy," he looked nervously. "More eyes the better."

He chuckles, dropping his head and looked directly into both cops eyes. There was nothing funny out of this conversation.

"Trust me, I have more eyes than you think. What can a precinct of amateur make believe hero's find that I can't?" He stands over them.

"No disrespect, sir, we just want to find the person who did this too. The Capaldi's are this towns many close families. We would do anything to help capture this person."

"Tell me," he steps forward. "If you do happen to find them, what is it that you'd do?"

"Well," one of the officers gulps, nervously looking at his partner. "We'd bring them in, question them, gather evidence, book them, put them in front of a court..."

"Let me stop you there," he interrupts, hating everything this man just said. "You guys are the last people I'd seek for help. Want to know why? It's because you abide by laws and rules. You follow a book. And what you just said to me takes weeks to months of careful briefing and planning. What I want is justice but with my hands drenched in their blood and their body six feet under in an undisclosed location. Do you want to know how long that will take?"

The cops were too scared to ask and immediately knew how their contribution would be futile.

"That's what I thought," he scoffs. "But if you think it would be worth your while, I'll send you the copy. Consider this a parting gift. We'll keep in touch," he said before retreating to Andrea's parents front porch.

He sat in one of their chairs , sitting back and taking out a cigarette and lighter. He had said he'd quit the nasty habit but this was the only thing that eased his firing mind. He made it his mission to keep post. No one was getting past him.

Around 3AM, the last of the police and firefighters left. They stated they'd send forensics in the morning to find anything that may lead to a possible suspect.

Morning came around and Matteo had passed out on the chair. Her father had stepped out, shaking Matteo awake. He jolts out of his chair.

"What wrong?" He looked around dazed.

"Come inside," Patrizio beckons softly. "Luciana is making up breakfast."

He steps inside the threshold with all the aches and pains associated with sitting in a wooden chair for hours.