Bronx Requiem(128)
Amelia Johnson never became a suspect in the Watkins or Williams shootings.
It took three years and multiple witnesses who came forward to testify against Whitey Bondurant, but eventually he was convicted of multiple homicides and other felonies, which earned him four consecutive life sentences.
The New York State Police investigation concluded that the deaths of Oswald Remsen, his sons, and Austen White were the result of a bloody falling-out over money connected to a prostitution ring. The Department of Correction pushed the state investigators and prosecutors to close the case as soon as possible.
Beck made good on his promise to Queen-Esther Karen Goodwin. He fronted her $100,000 in relocation expenses, promising her more when he finished selling the properties in her name. Esther didn’t believe Beck’s promise of more money, but once he gave her the first hundred grand, she quickly signed over power of attorney to the lawyer fronting the sale of Eric Jackson’s Bronx properties.
Phineas negotiated a witness-protection deal for her that provided both immunity and help setting up a residence far from New York.
Two months later, when all property sales were completed, after fees paid to Phineas, the real estate lawyer, Alex’s hackers, and the Bolo brothers, plus repairs made to Ciro’s Escalade and new guns purchased for Demarco and Manny, the net was $1,725,000 and change.
Beck wired Esther an additional $331,250—the balance of her one-quarter share of the sales. That left one share for Beck and his men, one share to fund a trust for Amelia, and one share Beck donated to organizations that helped women and girls escaping from prostitution.
During the time Beck and Alex helped Esther plan her new life, she argued less about testifying for the FBI than she did about her new name.
Beck and Alex insisted she pick a name completely different from her current name. Esther was adamant that Queen remain part of her name, explaining that her mother had named her after the Queen of the Persian Empire.
After a good deal of debate, everyone finally agreed on Tamara Elisabeth David, after Tamar, the daughter of King David. This, of course, was a downgrade from a queen to a princess, ironic in its connection to Amelia’s working name, but Queen-Esther allowed it because she had grown fond of Amelia, even though she never admitted it. She also liked the biblical connection to Tamar, and the inclusion of Elisabeth, which was her mother’s name.
Although everything had worked out as Beck had hoped, there were still loose ends. Ippolito was alive and able to connect Beck to Palmer’s death, but he had no proof, the building security-camera recordings were long gone, and he had no interest in implicating himself in the murder of an NYPD detective.
Quite a few in Jackson’s crew escaped the FBI sweep, but none of them were big players. There were still three young men alive who knew Amelia had shot Derrick Watkins, but Beck couldn’t see why any of them would come forward, and the cops weren’t looking to reopen the case.
What exceeded Beck’s expectations was how effortlessly Amelia became part of the Red Hook household. She became the kitchen assistant of the baleful Manny Guzman. Not in his private downstairs bar kitchen. Manny would never allow that. But he did let Amelia shadow him in the second-floor kitchen. It gave him almost daily pleasure to have someone to pass his skills on to. And Amelia made him very proud when one night in late June she single-handedly prepared an evening meal for everyone in the house, plus the formidable Willie Reese.
Willie’s role as personal bodyguard evolved more into the role of an overprotective older brother. He let it be known in the neighborhood that no one was to bother Amelia. Not a look, not a comment, and certainly not a touch. It took someone of Willie’s size, demeanor, and reputation to enforce his edict since Amelia effortlessly attracted male attention, but it held, and gave Amelia an opportunity to thank Willie Reese for something she had never experienced in her entire life—the freedom to walk in a neighborhood without fear of being harmed or harassed. Her gratitude gave Willie a sense of pride and satisfaction he’d never experienced.
When it came to Ciro, who visited the Red Hook headquarters the least, Amelia kept her distance. She had concluded correctly that Ciro Baldassare was not a man to be taken lightly, and also the least susceptible to her charms. However, Ciro knew Amelia Johnson had made her bones, so he treated her with a good deal of deference and respect, which she returned in kind. He enjoyed making a point about how Amelia had saved Demarco by taking on a giant albino assassin. He called her The Kid. She called him The Italian.
The deepest bond of all blossomed between Amelia and Demarco. She couldn’t quite understand how someone who looked like him and was able to beat down a man like Whitey Bondurant could be gay. And perhaps she felt obliged to test him every once in a while by being softly seductive around him, which both pleased and amused Demarco. Amelia became his little sister/makeover project/coconspirator. When it came time to buy clothes for her father’s memorial and burial, Demarco took Amelia directly to Bergdorf’s, where he helped her pick out a beautiful, Akris Punto jacket in black, a dark purple embellished-edge silk blouse, and black Francoise-twill fitted pants, all of which fit her long-limbed figure beautifully, making her look effortlessly elegant.
Walter, as promised, had made all the funeral arrangements. He joined Beck, his men, and Amelia for the burial at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, not far from where all the troubles had started. It was a pleasantly warm day in June, the sun shining softly in a bright blue sky dotted with lazy clouds. Woodlawn had the reputation of being one of the most beautiful cemeteries in the world, and so it was, although Packy’s plot occupied a spot in a rather plain corner of the graveyard.