Conflagration

Chapter 2

Peyton sat in an interrogation room, a cup of cold coffee in front of here. She was cold and uncomfortable and really didn't want anything to do with this. There were probably a million other things she could be doing at this moment. Even in death, Lukka was causing her problems.

Her husband had been murdered? How? By who? Why? Could it have been a crooked cop?

Detective Blackwell walked into the room and sat across from her. "Mrs. Di Maggio-"

"Doctor. It's Dr. Di Maggio."

The detective cleared his throat. "Dr. Di Maggio. I'm Detective Blackwell, we spoke on the phone a few days ago."

Peyton nodded, looking down at her wedding ring. She couldn't believe this was actually happening. Lukka should be at home with Emilio while she worked. Not dead. His ashes shouldn't be on the mantle next to their wedding picture.

"Did your husband have any enemies?"

"He was a firefighter. He was a hero in this town. Nobody hated him."

"Someone hated him enough to kill him."

Peyton sighed softly, rubbing her forehead. "He was in some business that was less then legal."

Blackwell sat forward, steepling his fingers. "Like what?"

"He was buying black market guns and selling them to crooked cops. He was working with CPD IA, trying to catch crooked cops, so when he sold a gun, that cop would inevitably use it in an illegal way and go to jail. So maybe it was one of them. I don't know."

Blackwell wrote that down. "And how long has he been doing that?"

"I have no idea. It was supposed to be kept from me, but he ended up getting hurt once and he had to tell me."

"How was he hurt?"

Peyton groaned. She didn't want to relive that day. "He uh, he was doing one of his buys. The wholesaler he buys from, bought from, had another client. The client recognized Lukka and tried to blow his cover. Lukka shot him in the knee. The guy grabbed a gun and shot Lukka several times in his back and shoulder." She shook her head, fighting back tears.

His job was dangerous as it was, and he went out and did something ten times more dangerous. She never understood that. He was a gluten for punishment.

"He came home covered in blood, I dug all the bullets out and I stitched him up. He refused to go to the hospital, but I had some antibiotics and saline to give him in a drip. After asking him what happened a million times. He eventually told me what he was doing and how he got hurt. I was so pissed and asked him to stop, but he was helping to clean CPD up which I admired. Detective, my husband was a good man. All he wanted to do was help people. I know some of what he did wasn't up to board, but he was helping nonetheless. That's who he was. That's the man I feel in love with."

Detective Blackwell wrote down what she said. "Okay. I will give this over to the department and we can see who was recently let out. Maybe we'll get a lead."

Peyton nodded, pulling her glasses off and rubbing her face. Lukka was trying to be an even bigger hero and it might have gotten him killed. Great.

She put her glasses back on and sighed. "Am I done here? I need to get back to my children."

"Just a few more questions Dr. Di Maggio."

Peyton looked up at him. "What else could you possibly want to know? I already told the police I was in surgery during the time he was murdered. I didn't even know he was dead or dying until he called and left the voice message. He was already dead when I got it."