Tolerance Book III

Chapter Thirty-Three: Unexpected Encounter

Lower Manhattan

The following morning Jay accompanied Voight and Murphy to the luxurious residence of Henry Billings located in NoHo, the most expensive neighbourhood in New York City.  The man may be having financial difficulties but appearances in the form of the high end apartment in Astor Place certainly did not disclose same.  The neighbourhood name of NoHo was derived from its' location, North of Houston Street and it was close to the botanical gardens and Broadway.  With a legacy of wealthy residents the area attracted well to do families over the generations, including it transpired the Billings' family.   In the early 1950s Harvey Billings made his fortune in timber and since then the family continued to accrue more wealth by diversifying their interests to include commercial real estate.   Fifty-two year old Henry Billings however it seemed did not inherit his ancestors' aptitude for wise business practises and  investments.  As the sole remaining Billings' family member it seemed Henry was in the throes of losing the family fortune generations had built up.  A single man known for lavish spending and an extravagant lifestyle Henry Billings to all intents and purposes appeared to have a perfect life.  Appearances however were clearly deceiving.   Thanks to Mouses' diligent research they had learnt that Billings became a member of the City Council three years previously, at the behest of a number of interested parties.  Those same parties had vested interest in several lucrative business deals over the intervening years with Billings' voting to aid whatever project they were championing.  The information was all in plain sight, irrespective of the IT Technicians' efforts, as details of the projects in question were a matter of public record but unless one was aware of a less than stellar reason for Billings' actions no undue attention was paid to the information so its' import went unnoticed, until now.  It had become clear upon closer inspection of the various dealings that those Billings was facilitating had serious criminal backgrounds when their facades were scrutinized.  The shady dealings on Billings' own construction sites paled in comparison to the actions of the parties whose bidding he charged a hefty sum for.  Armed with all the pertinent information they could accrue the Unit and other members of the Task Force felt confident that the fifty-two year old was a prime target for blackmail due not only to his monetary woes but also his association with parties immersed in the criminal underworld.  Such association if made known would seriously damage the Billings' brand, or at least what remained of it.  Now standing in the white spacious living area of the pillared apartment the three men waited impatiently for their quarry to appear.  His Butler had informed them upon arrival he would be with them shortly.  That had been ten minutes ago.  Jay could see the vein throbbing on the Sergeants' forehead.  Billings was not doing himself any favours aggravating the older man!   Murphy eyed the white, pristine surrounds  from expensive leather couches to the marble topped bar counter 8n the corner wondering not for the first time how people could live in places without what he perceived as real colour.  He shrugged, to each their own.   

Jay also eyed the almost clinical residence.  There wasn't a speck of dust to be seen.  Everything gleamed in the morning rays coming in through the floor to ceiling windows.  The bar was the only space in the living area which seemed at odds with the rest of the dwelling.   Despite the white marbled countertop the shelves shielded by glass doors behind said counter containing the small collection of obviously expensive bottles were deep brown.  It drew ones' eye to the area immediately in the otherwise white retreat  but perhaps that was the intent, to show off the prized collection.  The Detective knew some people collected wine and whiskey like others collected paintings.   Further inspection of their plush surrounds revealed nothing about the man they were awaiting.  In fact the place had a decidedly unlived in appearance.  That thought struck the tired Detective just as Henry Billings strode in, a broad smile across his face and a hand extended.  After introductions took place and handshakes exchanged the men sat down, at the Hosts' bidding, at a round glass table accompanied by white velvet covered chairs located in front of the bar.  It seemed to Jay the particular seating location contrived to again draw ones' attention to the expensive drinks' collection stored on the shelves.  Shifting his gaze back to Billings as Voight laid out the reason for their presence Jay felt the hairs in his neck stand up.  Something was wrong about the man, very wrong.  He frowned trying to ascertain the source of his uneasiness.  The mans' facial features seemed congenial still but upon closer observation the auburn haired man noted his eyes momentarily did not align with the facade he was trying to sell.  The grey eyes briefly held a cold glint and Jay realized with a sudden clarity that they were not in the presence of a potential blackmail Victim they were in the presence of a Blackmailer and Murderer.  Shifting slightly on his seat he caught Voights' assessing glance before the Sergeant returned to conversing with Billings.