When New York City Goes Silent

"Okay then sweetie," Harrison Zuccaro said, as he spoke to his niece Cherie and locked up the hotel which he owned. "I will be there in about 20 minutes. I am just locking up the Hyatt. No need to be worried."

"Fine. But you are already 45 minutes late. so hurry it along already," Cherie remarked on the other end of the phone."

"I'll see you soon. Can't wait to try your dinner."

"Just to warn you, it's already cold," she said in a jokingly way and hung up the phone.

Harrison stood at the street corner, holding out his hand, hoping to catch a taxi on what people called the "impossible-to-catch-a-taxi" road. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a black car, slowly but surely approaching. Harrison had lived in New York all his life, dealing with drugs, insane people and the insane crime-rates. So, as usual, he brushed this black car off and continued to brandish his hand in the cold night air.

A taxi finally stopped in front of Harrison and he proceeded to get in.

"Ohhhh," Harrison exclaimed. Just like that, Harrison felt a sharp, excruciating pain in his back as he feel to the ground as the guys from the black car swarmed around. The taxi driver had speed off, Harrison's only witness.

*****

“Harrison Zuccaro,” Don said as he dropped the portfolio on the desk in front of me. “Missing since Monday. Possible murder.”

“Any relatives?” I asked inquisitively.

“One, a niece. He also had a girlfriend.”

“Was his girlfriend older or younger?”

“Younger.”

“Much?”

“About 30 years.”

“Golddigger?”

“She claims she was really in love with him but you should probably check her background more,” Don explained. “So, can you take the case Pamela?”

“Sure” I said, sounding real nonchalant; but really I was excited to try out more of my detective skills. For the past few months they had been hibernating under mounds of desk work and other various papers.

“Great. Heidi will be your partner on this one.”

“What?” I asked, as I followed him down the hall. "I don't work with partners. Especially the rookies on the bureau."

“Well, you had better learn to because she is the only one available for this kind of mission right now. So take it or leave it.” He said as he left me standing in the hallway, jaw dropped.

As I finished my shift at the agency and walked out onto the bustling streets of New York City, I figured that I should probably start some light research on Harrison Zuccaro. Where did he work? How welathy was he? Any reson for people to have a motive to kidnap him, or even possibly kill him? I knew the first place I would have to look for answers was his niece, then his girlfriend. But the first thing I had to do was get some sleep. Tomorrow I would have that annoying little rookie, Heidi, trailing along on my heels.

****

Living in New York City, the noises and smells are constantly around you, preventing you from going to sleep and encouraging you to wake up. I was juist one of those days. I had barely gotten any sleep the night before and I knew if I didn't get an espresso down my throat pretty quickly, I would most likely fall back asleep and miss my interview with Harrison's niece.

Walking down to the corner Starbucks, I barley noticed all the usual hustle and bustle around me, which is why I was definatley surprised when I heard someone behind me yell my name.

"Pam, wait up!" I knew without looking it was Heidi, my new partner.

"It's Pamela," I remarked, almost a little too coldly, soon after regreting the way I spoke to her. "Would you like anything to drink?"

"Thanks but no thanks. I'm not a coffee person," she explained to me. "I'll have a blueberry muffin." she said to the man behind the counter.

"So, are you ready for the interview?" I asked as we walked into the already crowded office space. I had to print off my interview questions and get loaded with the usuals: microphone, recorder, notebook, and a special cell phone leading directly back to Don's office. Not hearing an answer from Heidi, I immediately turned around to find her standing right behind me, decked out in all the same supplies that I had strapped to my waist.

"All ready!" she replied eagerly with a very large smile on her face. Seeing her standing there, my heart went out to her. I had to admit, I was the same way when I first started on the bureau five years ago.

The subway ride over to Harrison's nieces' apartment in Greenwich Village was pretty quiet, besides the occasional cough of the very dirty looking man sitting next to me. As I sat there I looked over the file a little more closely, knowing Heidi was also peering over my sholder.

Name: Harrison Zuccaro

Age: 56

Height: 6' 3"

Weight: 198

Physical features: white/gray hair, blue eyes, walks with a slight limp, tall frame, slim figure

Missing since: Monday, August 23rd

Notes on disaperance: Last seen at the company he owns, last one to leave that night, the last person he talked to was his niece.

The subway came to a halt as Heidi and I stepped off the D train and headed for the sun-kissed street. Holding a map in my hands, I felt like a tourist in my own city.

"Okay, she lives on Grove street," I said heasitantly looking at the surrounding streets and trying to comprehend what direction I was supposed to go.

"That way," Heidi said without even having to look at the map.

"How did you know for sure?"

"I grew up here. I know this village like the back of my hand," she exclaimed smugly as she started to strut down the street in her Menolo pumps.

"Wow!" I said under my breath. In one way, the student had become the teacher. Heidi was definatley starting to come in handy.

By the front of Cherie's apartment, it was clear that Harrison shared his fortune with her. The cream-colored, ivy covered, victorian style apartment screamed wealthy.