The Don's Trust

Chapter 30

As if there wasn't enough animosity fueling Vito during Miguel's inquiry, the sight of the middle-aged detective made it fold by ten. Vito's outward appearance didn't give away any telltale signs of his state of mind. A stoic look on his face was the way to go and at this point in his life, he did it subconsciously.

Philip signed his colleague to step out of the room with him. The two men disappeared from Vito's sight and his thoughts went to Valentina. More than once, she asked him what to do in different hypothetical situations. Now more than ever, Vito was glad for her thoroughness during her questioning. He trusted her to do as he instructed her to, either Damian or Enzo should be aware of the current situation by now.

Vito looked up when Philip joined him in the cramped space. This time around, it was Vito and Philip occupying the interrogation room. Miguel Costa wouldn't be returning. Vito shifted in the uncomfortable chair given to him and drank the coffee from his paper cup. It came to no surprise the beverage tasted bland.

''Hello, there. I'll be taking over from my colleague. My name is Philip Coleman,'' He extended his arm to Vito.

Vito took up on his offer and shook hands, ''Vito Grimaldi.''

Vito caught on to the man sitting across him. Philip acted as if he hadn't come in contact with the Don of the Grimaldi crime family before. Vito wasn't the only one being recorded by the camera, Philip was in the same boat. Had Philip made it known he let his target get away on more than one occasion then it would cause a blemish on his career. Everything said in the room would be on record. Philip's pride wouldn't allow any kind of proof of his past failures come to light.

Philip grabbed a packet of cigarettes from his pocket, took one for himself and offered Vito a smoke as well.

''No, I'm good. What did you say your name was again? Phil?'' Vito couldn't care less if he bruised the detective's reputation.

Philip coughed loudly and ran a hand through his auburn-coloured hair, ''No, it's Philip.''

Ever since Valentina moved in with Vito, he started smoking less than he used to. An old habit of his was slowly but surely going away. Valentina had a positive influence on him.

''Let's start, shall we? You are here for laundering large amounts of money. We have concrete evidence of your illegal transactions. One of your associates confessed and told us everything. Are you aware of this?''

Vito didn't say anything in return. In his head, he was connecting the dots. Trying to find out who ratted on him.

Philip continued, ''There are some things we need to discuss, but before we do that, I'll give you a chance to come clean on your own. Is there something you want to tell me? Anything at all?''

''I'm afraid there isn't anything for me to say, Phil.''

Vito wasn't going to confess to anything. He had to abide by the rules in his world and not the one Philip was living in. The code of silence was a vital part of Vito's life. By keeping his silence, he protected the people around him. Had he not done so, the people around him would be held under suspicion by authorities. Something he didn't want Valentina to have.

''Ah, I see. Nothing to say, huh? And like I said, it's Philip. Not Phil.'' He clipped.

''I didn't mean to, Phil. I mean, Philip. It just so happens that your name is quite similar to that of a friend's of mine.''

Under normal circumstance, Vito wouldn't try aggravating other people. Today, however, he let his emotions take over. He only called Philip by the wrong name out of sheer spite.

Philip cleared his throat, ''To get back on topic, we know of your illegal activities. I'm going to give you one more chance to do the right thing. Is there anything you want to say? Maybe something that has been weighing on your conscience? Get it off your chest. It's understandable to stray off the right path, but that doesn't mean you are a bad person. I know that deep down you're good. I'm here. I'll listen to you, Vito.''

Vito's concept of doing the right thing was a far cry from that one of Philip's.

'''Like I said, there isn't much I could tell you. I haven't-''

The detective interrupted Vito from denying his involvement in criminal activities, ''We have you on video, Vito. How you're connected to drug trafficking. We have witnesses. Don't you think it's time to cut it out and own up to what you did?''

Vito had always been a careful individual. He knew Philip didn't have any evidence on him. Even if the detective did manage to get something on him, Vito doubted they possessed high-quality footage. Nothing the right lawyer couldn't handle in court.

''I can't confess to crimes I haven't-''

''What about gambling? I have multiple resources informing me of your frequent visits to casinos. Have you been involved in illegal gambling?'' Philip spoke up again.

''I'm not involved in any illeg-'' For the third time in a row, Philip cut Vito off.

''You can't keep denying the truth. Your brother, Christopher, confessed to murdering a while ago. Be more like him, be better. Tell the truth, Vito. Otherwise, we'll be here for a very long time and I don't think that's what you want.'' Philip tilted his head and raised his eyebrows.

Both Miguel and Philip brought Vito's family into the conversation in an attempt to take advantage of his emotions. In the few minutes, the colleagues conversed outside the room, Miguel told Philip how he got a rise out of Vito by mentioning his family. If Philip could get a confession out of Vito utilizing his manipulation skills, he wasn't going to step away from the opportunity.

''In that case, we'll be here for a long time, but I don't think you'd want that either. Don't you have a family at home to take care of?'' Vito glanced at Philip's bare ring finger. The skin where the wedding ring used to be was lighter than other parts of his hand, ''Even if you're divorced, you probably still have a kid? I saw the news the other day and the number of robberies is worrying.''

Philip frowned at Vito mentioning his family, ''I have a daughter, but she is old enough to take of herself. She doesn't need me constantly around to keep her safe''

''If you say so. I'm sure she'll be more than safe, Philip.''

The hairs on Philip's arm stood up as he listened to the underlying threat in Vito's words. He could hear the volume of his heartbeat going up.

Vito's words were empty. A simple bluff. Harming the innocent was something the Don was strongly against.

Nine more hours went by before Philip was done. After Vito's hidden threat, Philip took a more vigilant approach in his questioning methods. Philip hoped Vito would still confess if he got mentally tired thus letting info slip. To his dismay, Vito wasn't cooperating. The Don had been placed under much worse circumstances, in the past. This was child's play.