Russo vs. Giovanni
A Response to Fictionistas May Prompt Celebration.
James McCormick was new to the NYPD and just finished at the top of his class at the police academy. He had the command presence that all recruiters look for and the charisma to charm any crowd. He loved his city and maintained a deep disdain for anyone who tried to destroy it. When his captain called him into his office on his first day, he was confident it was a good thing.
“McCormick! Come in! Sit down.” The captain was more jovial than James was comfortable with, but he matched the captain’s energy and flashed a white, toothy smile. The captain tilted his head. “Has anyone ever told you that you look like that famous actor – oh, what’s his name?” The captain looked up and snapped his fingers trying to recall. “He’s been in a lot of movies. Star Wars, Taken, gosh what’s his name?” The captain began to chuckle. James knew where this was going. “Liam Neeson,” said James. “Yes sir, I have,” James said with a smile and a nod. They both laughed about the coincidence. “Seriously, you look like you could be related to him.” The captain shook his head and the smile disappeared from his face as his entire demeanor suddenly changed. James sat back in the chair facing the captain’s desk, and the captain put his elbows on the desk and rested his chin on his folded hands. The captain stopped the pleasantries and stared intently at James. “I have a special assignment for you.” James was intrigued and rejoiced internally, but again, matched the captain’s energy and kept a straight, stern face. “You might know about the old rivalry between the Russo’s and the Giovanni’s.” James nodded. “You might also know about the political and philanthropic connections both these families have in this city.” James nodded again. The captain continued, “We have reason to believe that the Russo family is planning a major coup on the Giovanni family and we need someone to prevent that from happening.” Of course, James thought. Without the head of the Giovanni family, New York wouldn’t have a mayor anymore. “We need someone to go under cover and figure out what their plan is.” James nodded. “I can do it,” He tried to say as calmly as possible, while his mind jumped for joy about his first under cover assignment. “I hope you can,” replied the captain. “Now, go see Derrick in the undercover unit. He’ll help you with the rest.”
Derrick’s office was just a short walk down the hall. Derrick did not give the same happy greeting as the captain. “Alright kid, here’s the plan. We’re going to capitalize on your looks. We all know you look like Liam Neeson, now you’re going to become him.” Other people came rushing into the room and after a blur of sound and movement, James looked in a mirror and saw new wrinkles on his face, thinner, grayer hair, and a slight contour to his jawline. Derrick broke in before James had a chance to react. “Now, the last thing – can you sound like him?”
“My parents are Irish immigrants, of course I can talk like Neeson,” James said in a perfect imitation of his subtle, but clear brogue. Derrick nodded and handed him a piece of paper. Written on it was the name of a restaurant, day and time. “The Russo patriarchs meet there every week to discuss their business,” explained Derrick.
The owner of Milano’s Ristorante was well known to the Russo family and a trusted confidante. He knew their orders and always brought out the good wine and coffee for the patriarchs’ meetings. As he was bringing out the last tray of espresso, James McCormick, disguised as Liam Neeson entered the restaurant. Everyone stopped talking and looked toward the door. The owner stopped dead in his tracks, nearly dropping his tray. The meeting was bigger than James was expecting. There were no less than 25 men in attendance with varied age ranges. This was more than just a meeting of the patriarchs, the cousins and in-laws showed up too. Something big must be going down tonight, thought James. Stoic and confident, James strode over to the most distinguished of the group, Vincenzo Russo. Vincenzo focused on his food, wine and coffee as James grabbed a chair and sat next to him. Vincenzo refused to pay attention to arrogant insubordination.
“I hear you’re looking for a hired man,” James said, flawlessly imitating Liam Neeson. There was an uncomfortably long silence. Everyone looked intently at the newcomer. The restaurant owner was still standing board stiff holding the tray of espresso. Vincenzo continued eating his pasta and took a few sips of his wine. Everyone waited. Minutes went by before Vincenzo pressed his napkin to his lips, leaned back in his chair and broke the silence.
“Before you tell me where you got your information, tell me why I should hire a mick.”
“I work for money, not nationality. And I think you’ll find I possess a certain set of skills that are well worth the price.”
Can you guess the prompt?
A Detective Disguises Himself As A Celebrity To Enter An Elite Club of Criminals.
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