Killerizr: Living Offline


Bocce

Sosa and Mikey took Stockton to Vallejo, and past the old church to Caffe Trieste. Sosa didn’t remind Mikey to call the suspects before hand. It was close enough to be an informal post-dim sum cappuccino. Sosa knew he was violating the “no milk after noon” Italian rule, but didn’t inform Mikey.

“Two cappuccinos.” Sosa asked.

“You know that’s four shots, right?” Mario warned him. He started pulling shots. As the machine started the shots, he grabbed a steel pitcher and started warming up the cream.

“So you guys live around here? You look familiar.” Mario said.

“Actually, we’re from the precinct over there.”

Mario looked up. “Welcome. Surprised you don’t come in here more.”

“We do, not when you’re working, maybe. Well, and Tony’s dad and all.” Sosa was talking about Caffe Roma‘s owner, a third generation cafe owner named Tony, whose dad was also an officer at the Vallejo precinct. He knew Mario knew. Sosa put a ten on the counter to pay for the eight dollar tab.

Mario ignored him. “Next?”

“Come on, take it.” Sosa asked. “I’m uh, here to talk to you about that investigation as well.”

Mario looked at him, took the bill and gave him change. “Alright, give me a few.”

As Mario helped the rest of the line, Sosa took the cappuccinos over to Mikey, who had found a seat at the window.

“Why don’t we go here? Why do we go to Roma’s?”

Sosa rolled his eyes. “You can go wherever you want.”

Mario pulled a wooden chair over and saddled it. “What’s up guys?”

“Just some quick questions: where were you exactly on the night of the Bravo Opera event, at Tony & Nik’s, June 12th?

Mario waited a moment. “Um, I worked, then went to my other job, worked a few hours.”

“What’s that job?”

“Waiter at Firenze on Stockton.”

“That’s in Chinatown, right?”

Mario snorted. “No, it’s North Beach. just on the other side of Columbus.”

“So you never went to Tony & Nik’s that night?”

“I might have stopped by after work. Not sure. I stop by there a lot.”

“You’re working a lot of jobs.”

“Yeah, well, it’s an expensive city.”

“Where do you live?”

“Over on Broadway, near Guadalupe church.”

“Is that Chinatown?”

“No. It’s not Chinatown. It’s North Beach.”

“Do you know any of these names?” Sosa read off the list of victims, mixed in with the first tier list Beth had printed out from Socializr.

“Nope. Except Jane, that’s Tony’s girlfriend.”

“Have you ever met Jane before?”

“Nope.”

“Have you ever used online sites to date?”

“Uh, no.”

“OK, I think we’re done. THanks Mario.”

Mario left and Mikey looked at Sosa. “So, what do you think? Same thing from what I asked him yesterday.”

“Uh, no.” They finished their drinks and walked out onto Grant.

Next: Smugness