Stubborn and in Love (Book Three)

7.

The next few weeks at work I spent researching all the banks in New York state to try and match the one in Frankie's note.

"Have you tried banks in Georgia?" Daniel suggested.

"I've gone through the phone book about a million times, no Starry bank seems to be anywhere near here."

I slumped back in my chair and closed the case file. Jack had taken the reigns on Roberto's murder, but no leads had gone anywhere.

Peggy and Daniel's wedding was quickly approaching. Their wedding was scheduled for March 24, a fews days after the first of spring.

Angie and I had been fitted for our bridesmaids dresses, which were in the process of being altered. Wedding planning was in full swing.

The night of the party at New Years seemed like forever ago, washed away by the dead cold of late January. It felt as if we were at a standstill. Jack and I decided to stay late at the office to work on the case more.

"We've tried all banks in New York, correct?"

"Yeah."

"All the ones in Georgia?"

"Uh-huh."

"And all the ones in the tri-state area?"

"Yes, Jack. Every. Single. One."

I took a frustrated bite of my pizza and sat chewing on the edge of Jack's desk for a minute.

"Jack?"

"Yes?"

I could tell by his tone he already knew what I was going to say.

"I think...I think we have to go back to Frankie's vineyard."

His posture deflated as he rubbed his temples. "I think you're right. Should we call for backup?"

"No, I think we can handle this one ourselves."

The next day Jack and I bought tickets and boarded yet another flight to Georgia. The plane lifted gently off the runway, taking flight among the puffy white clouds and soaring birds.

Jack pretended to be asleep, but I knew he was just trying to hide his anxiety. Trust me, I was worried about going back to the vineyard as well. I rubbed the compass bracelet he'd given me for Christmas to try and calm my nerves.

We had no idea what we were walking into now. After the cops searched it for evidence to use against Frankie in a trial that never took place, his house had been left alone.

There might be looters, Mafia members, who knows. We had to be careful.

Jack's POV

Melody and I headed straight to Russo's vineyard from the airport. There was no time to waste, we needed to gather information. We took a rented car back to the vineyard, which now looked like a ghost town.

The skeletons of once ripe grape vines were blowing in the wind, the branches snapping with a touch. Police tape covered the doors, now shredded in pieces by neighborhood dogs. We headed up the creaky steps, revolvers in hand, and stood facing the large white door.

"Are you ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be."

I opened the door cautiously, making sure to keep my body in front of Melody to shield her from any hidden attackers. When we stepped inside, it looked like it had never been touched before, like a doll house sitting in a shop window.

"Well, looks like no looters have ransacked the place yet."

"Everyone's probably too afraid to step foot in here."

I ran my finger along the banister, a thin layer of dust rising from it.

"Frankie's study is this way, that's the most obvious place to look first."

Melody twisted the shiny gold handle, but the door stayed shut. She nimbly removed a bobby pin from her hair and started working at the lock.

It popped open a minute later, revealing the inside of his study.

"What happened to your lock picking kit?" I asked her.

"Lent it to Peggy. Maybe I should get her a permanent set as a wedding gift."

I smiled softly, then focused on the task at hand. While Melody searched his desk, I went through the cupboards on the far wall.

After a few minutes I turned towards Melody as she stood up with a few papers in hand.

"What did you find Mel?"

"These are some letters addressed to Frankie from someone titled SBNY. What does SBNY stand for?"

"I don't know, some type of code name. Are all the letters signed consistently with that?"

"All of these ones are. They're all talking about forms of payment, but it seems encrypted."

I read over the letters carefully, trying to see if I noticed the form of code.

"What did you find Jack?"

"Some bank statements. All of the payments being sent are encrypted as well. We need to bring these back to Peggy."

Carefully, I slid the papers into an envelope and tucked it under my arm. We left the study quickly and continued down the hallway, lined with pictures.

I saw Melody glance at the photo of her and Frankie, but she quickly looked away.

"Are you doing okay sweetheart?"

"I'm okay, let's just continue looking."

We checked bedrooms, locked closets, anywhere trying to find a sliver of information. As we passed another lounge room, Melody stopped and headed over to a certain painting.

She removed it from the wall and set it on the rug. Her hand pushed against the spot where the painting had been, and the area slid back to reveal a hidden safe.

"Frankie used to store some automatic revolvers in here, but he never told anyone about them. They always looked interesting-"

She trailed off, a startled look painted on her face.

"What's wrong?"

"The revolvers. They're not here."

"Maybe the local police station took them, or some goon who worked for Russo."

"That can't be right. Frankie loved these revolvers, they were his pride new inventions from the black market. He'd never let anyone touch them. I only knew where he stored them because I hid and watched him open the safe once."

"What are you suggesting?"

"Someone else has been in this house."