The next day, I have to meet with Prosecutor Toro at 2 p.m. I had it set for a little while. I don't have much time to think about what happened last night. Since my last encounter with M. Toro, I can meet with him without much difficulties. I feel a certain anxiety as his secretary lead me to his office.

"It's been a while, Mr. Way," the taller man greets me and we shake hands.

"Thank you for having me, Mr. Prosecutor Toro."

"It must be important for you to want to meet me personally." Mr. Toro smiles to himself.

I nod. "It is, and things have evolved so much, too. Let me tell you what happened."

"Take your time, please. I want to hear all you know."

I start summing up the case, how I paid Emily a visit, tried to investigate her death. I don't tell a word about Frank Iero, though. I tell him how I discovered that Dante D'Avanzo claimed Emily's stuff.

"D'Avanzo is somewhat involved with the mafia. It controls the illegal alcohol trafficking in this city. We don't know much about Dante D'Avanzo and what his role is."

"But we know for sure that he isn't a good man," I complete. "It makes the thief of Emily's things even more suspicious."

"Indeed. The mafia is also important in New Jersey and they work in close collaboration with the Solazzo family. I have investigated them before but I never had enough evidence to engage legal actions against them."

"I can help you find evidence!" I offer.

Mr. Toro sighs. "Don't be in such a rush, Mr. Way."

"Sorry. I shouldn't have come and take your time with my problems." I look down and Mr. Toro gives me a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry about it, Mr. Way. Our objectives are similar in this case. We must stay two steps ahead of them."

I approve. "I am only a beginner a journalist, but please let me know if you ever need anything!"

"Of course. Do you intend to keep investigating D'Avanzo and Emily?

"Of course!" I state without giving myself time to doubt. "I got someone on D'Avanzo. When he asked for Emily's belongings, he was hoping to find 'something valuable'. Emily's father is surely connected to D'Avanzo. I dug that lead : George Taylor is a police officer who might have had connections with the mafia. That was surely the cause of his death, actually."

"Mmh... A corrupted officer. He died in the line of duty, didn't he?" Prosecutor Toro asks and I nod.

"And I can't have access to his file. His former partner, Bob Bryar, barely revealed anything about him. I think he just wasn't willing to, for some reason."

Mr. Toro hums. "George Taylor might have discovered something important for the police to try to hide his file."

"Probably, yes. Finding this file might clear up many things."

"I may be able to do something about this," Prosecutor Toro states, thoughtfully rubbing his chin.

My eyebrows rise. "You mean that you could obtain George Taylor's file?"

"I am not sure yet, but I do have access to certain paths that are closed to you."

"Mr. Prosecutor, I..." I have nothing else to add, overwhelmed by gratitude.

"This case hasn't been easy for you. I will help you the best I can. And, as I said, we share the same purpose in this case. You are helping me putting together a file against the mafia."

Wow, Mr. Toro is really dedicated to his job... I am finally making lots of progress on this case, and I have a few allies I can count on. At least I hope.

"I will reach out as soon as I got something for you," Mr. Toro promises. "For now, you should try to relax."

"Thank you, Mr. Prosecutor. I will."

I leave the building. The next day, I head for the usual café to meet with Leo. He told me on the phone that he has gathered interesting info. I arrive in time and see him discreetly wave at me as soon as I step inside. His cherub hair is easy to spot without any sort of hat to cover them.

"Sorry for making you wait."

Leo beams at me and drag a chair for me to sit. "Take a seat so you don't fall down once you hear what I have to say."

"Come on, tell me everything," I urge. He peaked my curiosity.

"Well, you asked me to investigate George Taylor's death, didn't you?"

"Got something new on that?"

"Of course! But..." His smile vanishes to leave room to a more somber expression. "I am not sure that you can face those kinds of consequences."

I frown, rearranging the chestnut hair falling in my eyes. "What do you mean by that?"

"Listen, even if I make a living by selling information, I still must warn you. Unless you are obliged to investigate this case, you'd better give it up. I have discovered that George Taylor's death has something to do with a man named Dante D'Avanzo. That man used to work with the mafia, but then he stopped, apparently."

Him? Again?

Leo notices my expression and rises an eyebrow. I quickly explain myself, how our paths crossed, without going into details.

"Fair enough." Leo nods. "So, Taylor's death seems to be accidental, it was a collateral damage during an altercation with mafia men." He sips his coffee for a few minutes before resuming. "Apparently, he was shot. He could have been reached anywhere, maybe it was a lost bullet from a machine gun. Anyway, that's how poor Taylor died."

"Did... Did D'Avanzo kill him?"

"From what I've found, I believe so..." Leo pouts sadly. "D'Avanzo was then accused of murdering Taylor and was sentenced to jail, but he was freed after 6 months because of a lack of evidence against him."

"So the charges were dropped, just like that?" I gasp.

"Yes, they were. He has lots of support. You don't want to have him on your back." Leo looks down, a sign that he was done. I thank him and give him his payment.

As I prepare to leave, I hear Leo's soft voice behind me. "Please take care, Mr. Way. D'Avanzo was once part of the Solazzo family."

The Solazzo family... Is this all connected to the infamous mob family?

I think about what Mr. Iero told me, two days ago. 'All I can say is that... D'Avanzo has close ties with the Solazzo family.'

How did he know that? What are Mr. Iero's ties with the mafia? Did I guess correctly, that one night? I also recall Mr. Iero's odd question, before we parted ways. 'Do you have any idea of who I am?'

The more I think about it, the odder the question sounds. It peaks my curiosity, and despite the answer I gave, back then, maybe whom he is does matter a little bit to me. Not that I truly care, but now I'd like to know. Mr. Iero knows a lot of things, so that would only be fair.

"Leo? Can you investigate a certain Frank Iero, for me?" I ask him, feeling a bit shameful to go behind his back. So I add, "just basic information. Nothing thorough or too specific."

Leo gives me a weird look but he nods.

As I exit the café, I decide to make an appointment with Mr. Toro's office again to tell everything that I discovered today.

______

I go back to work and as I am agitated from Leo's revelations, when suddenly...

"Gerard, you got a call," Trohman tells me. I thank him and pick up the phone.

"Good evening, this is the Gotham News."

"It's me, Gee!" I hear Mikey's voice. My blood turns cold for a second, hearing his voice makes me nervous. Did Mr. Iero keep his promise?

"Gee, about Dad..." For some reason, my brother interrupts himself for a moment. My heart is drumming. I really hope the situation didn't worsen... Breathe, Gerard, breathe. Mr. Iero promised to help us. It will all be okay. I tighten my grip on the phone.

"It's over! Dad is okay!" he announces and I sigh in relief. That is a big weight taken off my shoulders.

"That's great!"  

"But there is something odd about it. These men simply told us that they were...letting it go. I've been thinking about it. Why would they suddenly leave us alone?"

It seems that Mr. Iero kept his word. I can't help but smile a little. I just cannot confess to Mikey or the rest of my family that I asked for help to someone who is somewhat connected to the mafia...

"Uh, I...have no idea.  Who knows what they are up to?" I answer.

"The matter was resolved soon after I phoned you, so I thought maybe one of your acquaintances..."

"Don't try to look for an explanation, Michael," I interrupt. "Don't overthink it. For once, fate is playing in our favor."

"Alright, alright. You're right, all that matters is that it's over!"

Now that the problem is dealt with, I can keep chatting with my brother serenely before eventually hanging up. Everything seems brighter now. All this thanks to Mr. Iero.

But...why did he insist that I stop my investigation? I simply don't understand his motives. I don't understand this man. I only have hints, guesses and glimpses.

______