He was upset, breathing hard. Seeming not to notice anyone else, he bore down on a balding man in a polo shirt: Angelo Figliomeni, Nikki’s boss and the supervisor of Phoenix Seven.
“You’re supposed to liaise, to translate…you’re supposed toassist,” Valerio yelled. “Instead, you played cop and threw your weight around!”
Angelo grimaced. He glanced around as if looking for support. “The girl is lying. Anyone can see that she’s lying.”
“Are you really that stupid? They’re witnesses, not suspects! They’re in shock!”
“You don’t know Americans.” Angelo emphasized the words with both hands. “I have a cultural understanding you’re blind to. You should trust my judgment.”
“Your judgment?” Valerio scoffed. “Your judgment means that the witnesses aren’t talking now—that we’re further behind than when we started. It means that the Americans have a legitimate complaint against the police.”
Angelo was unrepentant. “Let me deal with the Americans.”
“Oh, I think you’ve done quite enough!”
Navigating the crowd, Sonia stepped between the two men.
“Thank you for your assistance,” she told Angelo. “We’ll take it from here.”
Angelo seemed to hesitate, glancing between Sonia and Valerio.
Valerio stalked away, slamming back out through the door.
—
Nikki had never known Valerio to burn hot. In their years of friendship, she’d relied on him to be calm and reasonable. She took a step to follow, but the movement caught Angelo’s attention.
He pointed at her. “There you are!”
Then he gestured to Romano at his side. “You. Go get the car.”
Then, back at Nikki: “Where the hell have you been?”
“I’m here now,” Nikki said evenly.
“Alright!” He straightened his shirt, squared his shoulders. “I’m leaving. I’ll see you on the morning shift.”
Nikki pushed back. “I can’t work the morning shift now. I haven’t slept.”
“You need to take your work responsibilities seriously!” he barked. He seemed to vibrate with fury.
Sonia’s calm voice broke across them. “I expect we’ll need Investigator Serafino for the next few hours. I’d appreciate it if you adjust your schedule.”
Like an attack dog changing targets, he turned on the detective, eyes bright and feral.
“I manage my teams!” he bellowed. “I’m the supervisor. Not you!”
Sonia’s expression, always unreadable, hardened.
“Reconsider your approach, Investigator Figliomeni,” she said. The words were quiet and clipped. “The Polizia di Stato have a good working relationship with Phoenix Seven. Do not harm it now.”
Angelo stared back at Sonia, breathing heavily through his nose. She met his gaze.
“Your witness is lying,” he grumbled. “Know that your witness is lying.”
—
In the awkward silence after Angelo’s departure, Sonia greeted Nikki with her typical professionalism.
