Family Ties

By C. G. Eberle

John Seraph's life is jeopardized when he begins looking for a missing woman and learns she was involved with one of his brothers and a New York State Senator.

Family Ties recounts how John Seraph is asked by a former classmate to help find his missing sister, because John's father is Stefano Angelo, head of the local organized crime family. John has not seen or dealt with his family in over three years since he walked away from them over moral differences about the criminal organization. John agrees to help and in the course of his investigation he learns a disturbing secret about the missing girl which leads him to her workplace and confronting New York State Senator Kingsley Addar and then his own brother Michael. As John digs deeper his life becomes endangered, but he is determined to learn the truth and see justice served.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Melange Books, LLC
• Release date: Apr 28, 2013
• ISBN: 9781612355658

C. G. Eberle

C.G. (Chris) Eberle is a proud life long resident of Buffalo, New York. A writer since he was 5 years old, Chris started with his homemade comic books and story books, and then seriously took to writing in high school. While in college, studying English Education, C.G. was published twice in 2004 & 2006, and then switched gears to one of his major passions, mysteries.Besides writing C.G. also is a amateur Old West Historian, an avid classic movie fan & collector, a lover of most styles of music, an avid reader, a student of cryptozoology, an amateur Ripperologist, and dabbles in the kitchen quite well. Currently he is finishing his follow up mysteries Family Plots, Family Education, and Family Friend.

Book preview

Family Ties

A John Seraph Mystery, Book 1

by C. G. Eberle

Published by

Melange Books, LLC

White Bear Lake, MN 55110

www.melange-books.com

Family Ties, Copyright 2013 by C. G. Eberle

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should go to melange-books.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the author.

ISBN: 978-1-61235-565-8

Names, characters, and incidents depicted in this book are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author or the publisher. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Published in the United States of America.

Cover Design by Lynsee Lauritsen

FAMILY TIES

C. G. EBERLE

John Seraph's life is jeopardized when he begins looking for a missing woman and learns she was involved with one of his brothers and a New York State Senator.

Family Ties recounts how John Seraph is asked by a former classmate to help find his missing sister, because John's father is Stefano Angelo, head of the local organized crime family. John has not seen or dealt with his family in over three years since he walked away from them over moral differences about the criminal organization. John agrees to help and in the course of his investigation he learns a disturbing secret about the missing girl which leads him to her workplace and confronting New York State Senator Kingsley Addar and then his own brother Michael. As John digs deeper his life becomes endangered, but he is determined to learn the truth and see justice served.

Table of Contents

Family Ties

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

About the Author

Previews

Prologue

If a man is not rising upwards to be an angel, depend upon it, he is sinking downwards to be a devil. Samuel Taylor Coleridge

My name is John Seraph and I’m recovering in a private-room at Buffalo General Hospital. I was shot in my left shoulder, and cracked a bone in my leg. This happened because I helped out an old college buddy, but before I get ahead of myself its best if I start at the beginning.

First, the name my parents gave me is Giovanni Angelo. If you recognize the last name, it’s understandable, because my family doesn’t have the best reputation.

I legally changed my name more than six years ago because of problems with my father and most of my family. This has been going on since my late teens because my old man is boss of the Angelo Crime family—an ‘arm’ of the Magaddino criminal organization—and its claws are sunk into almost every major illegal operation out of Western New York. Some activities the ‘Arm’ engage in are, prostitution, smuggling, hi-jacking, extortion, blackmail, the unions, arson for hire, and most recently, they’ve entered the world of hi-tech cyber and financial crimes. The only thing my old man won’t deal in is narcotics. He’s still old school when it comes to certain things, which is the nicest thing I can say about him.

I’m keeping this journal so I’ll have some kind of record before I forget everything that happened, partly due to the pain killers my doctors have me taking. At least my conscious lets me sleep because I helped a family in need and exposed the truth for them. Hopefully my actions brought the Tillis family some peace and me some redemption.

Chapter One

~ Thursday ~

Last Thursday I got a phone call that surprised the hell out of me, because I barely remembered Sebastian Tillis from our college classes a few years ago. I’m a student at Buffalo State College, working towards my Bachelors in English Education, which can be frustrating beyond words at times.

When I got home, my answering machine was flashing, so I tossed my book bag on the loveseat in my small living room and pressed play. There was a message claiming I won a contest and all I had was call them back. Before it finished I pressed the erase button.

Next, my sister, Constance, called to see if I was coming to our parents’ estate for Sunday dinner. As soon I heard Connie’s voice I thought Dai nemici mi guardo io, dagli amici mi guardi Iddio! Which is Italian for I can protect myself from my enemies. May God protect me from my friends! I knew I couldn’t ignore her as much as I wanted to because she’d keep calling and irritate the hell out of me. Finally, there was a desperate message from a Sebastian Tillis.

It was simple, but effective. I heard the worry and felt the panic in his voice. I’m looking for John Seraph. My name’s Sebastian Tillis, I don’t know if you remember me, but we were in the Honor’s Program at Buff State. I need some help finding my sister Dana and didn’t know whom else to call. Please call me as soon as you get this. Thanks. After he finished his plea Sebastian ran off his work, home, and cell numbers so fast I had to replay the tape three times to make sure I wrote them down correctly, then stuffed the notepad sheet in my shirt pocket as a reminder to call him after dinner.

This was a major shock because Dana Tills had been missing for almost three weeks, and had been in the news almost nightly. I’d no idea she was Sebastian’s sister and his call left me wondering what he wanted.

* * * *

My day had been a bitch, sandwiched between school and the rush hour traffic from the north side to South Buffalo. I had to deal with insane drivers on the 190 and the Skyway. Normally the half hour drive wasn’t bad, but there’d been a major tie up thanks to a car accident on the 190 South, on top of which drivers around here treat Route 5, the Skyway and the 190 like it’s a NASCAR race track and they’re Dale Jr.

I was tired and hungry since I didn’t eat all day and knew I’d have to get something in my stomach before dealing with Connie or Sebastian. As I scrounged around my small kitchen to see what I had for dinner, I tried to remember Sebastian as best I could.

We weren’t that close, but we were both in the Honor’s Club so that meant we shared some of the same English classes, other Honor’s courses and took part in fund raising when we served as club officers. Sebastian always seemed like an all right guy, but like I said, I never got very close to him. Then again, I don’t get that close to anyone really, by nature I’m a lone wolf.

I kept looking around, and finally realized my fridge and cupboards could’ve belonged to Mother Hubbard and I’d have to order in, go shopping, or go to a restaurant. My direct-deposit wouldn’t kick in till Saturday, so I knew I’d have to be careful with my money and decided I’d have to go shopping at a small convenience store around the block from me.

I live in the Steeple Bay Apartments, which isn’t bad for one or two people. There are 24 apartment buildings on both sides of Arbour Lane. Each building holds four apartments, two uppers, two lowers. I’m in a lower, close to Eden Street, which anchors a winding Arbour Lane to McKinley Parkway and there’s many things I like about this place. Off street parking, laundry facilities, it’s within walking distance to a number of stores and pizzerias in the neighborhood, and I’m a short walk from the Abbott Plaza, which is where my gym is located. All in all, it’s a great South Buffalo neighborhood.

I grabbed my suede jacket, locked up and headed toward the rear parking lot. I could see two of my neighbors’ cars in the tiny lot beside my car, and I went behind them to the fence that had a hole knocked into it as a short cut. Over time a number of my neighbors expanded the hole, making the walk to Abbott Road easier. I cut through and came out in the rear of the convenience store parking lot, which is owned by friends of mine.

I came around to the front and going in I saw two cars in the parking lot, and once inside I smelled the chickens on the rotisserie at the deli counter, and they had my mouth watering instantly. The girl behind the counter was one of four kids the owners, Charles and Dixie Baxter, hired to work in the store. I recognized her from my frequent visits, but I never bothered to learn her name. I didn’t see Charles or Dixie, so I headed to the cooler and grabbed myself a turkey, a chicken and a Salisbury steak T.V. dinners, a package of dinner rolls, a quart of milk and a bottle of Diet Mountain Dew then headed straight for the counter.

I saw Charles coming out of the back and, once he saw me, I got that same big, bright smile he always has for me that makes me feel welcome. Hey there, Johnny, how you doing, son?

Hiya Charlie, not bad. Where’s Dix? I asked because I knew she never left before five thirty. He answered as he began bagging my stuff after the girl ran them over the laser scanner.

Her sister’s not feeling that well and she went back home to help her out some. ‘Back home’ was Atlanta, Georgia. Charles and Dixie moved to Buffalo after they got married in the sixties, because they thought it best to move to a town that was more open-minded than the segregated south where burning crosses could become part of one’s landscape, especially with Charles being white and Dixie black.

After I moved to South Buffalo, the Baxters sort of adopted me in their own way, and they knew about my family issues.

Oh man, is this her older sister?

"Nah, Mazy’s still strong as an ox, this is Ella, and she’s the baby. Ella’s a bit high strung and their mother always fussed over her too much. She expects Mazy or Dix to come