Crime Busters

The NYPD have been fighting crime since before the Seamstress Killings.

First, there was the Bronx Bandit where the victims were found packed in suitcases after various motel rooms were burglarized, with stolen credit cards, watches, jewelry or anything of value. The Bronx Bandit was taken into custody in 1982.

The Tooth fairy killer in 1995 extracted all the teeth from his victims and left money under their pillows at every crime scene. He was later caught by the NYPD.

Then detectives came across the New York ‘Cereal killer’, where the killer thought he was the most clever by leaving body parts in cereal boxes. He was caught in 2001.



“All doing life on death row thanks to New Yorks finest detectives, Jeff Lawson, Gunner Monroe, and Claudia Sheffield, crackin cases and catching villains! The real superhero’s of Manhattan.”



-The New Yorker

But the NYPD have been after the Italian mafia for quite sometime. Whether it was drug busts, smuggling or various gang killings, Sonny was on the top of their list, never finding enough evidence to convict her.

Sonny was the daughter of Frankie Dinero also known on the street as Godfather of the Italian Mob. She was all kinds of things. More valuable than cocaine in the drug world. She was either a prize, or collateral. But there was no medium.

A dangerous game to play, was playing with Sonny, because once you disrupt her world, you awaken the whole cartel.

And as the bloodline follows: Richie Dinero her brother, Eddie and Ralphie her uncles, Tony and Frankie her grandfathers, Vinny, Mikey, and Jonny her cousins and they would all guarantee a sentence in such a way that wouldn’t even involve themselves to do it, but a body would come up missing on the streets of Manhattan.

Recently, there’s been talk that the Seamstress killings are related to Ms.Dinero, but again, the FBI doesn’t have enough to convict her.

Detective Lawson undoubtedly was fond of Sonny over the years and she knew it. But he’d never admit it. Sonny was the ultimate ‘man eater’. In-fact, there were rumors that she had eaten an ex-lover before.

But this time, they called this the Seamstress killer. Connecting this one to a woman as her work was carefully knitted together like a sweater, using a sewing machine. Victims were ripped apart only to be sewn back together to perfection. Every victim had buttons for eyes and red lipstick over their stitched lips.

Detectives hit different bridal parlors, and alteration shops to investigate if anyone had been recently discharged and maybe is in a dangerous state of retaliation.

Six

“Excuse me miss, do you happen to have the time?”

The woman sitting upright facing the view of the river from the park bench didn’t move an inch. The teenager walked a bit closer noticing something was off. The woman’s hand looked a bit blue and was as stiff as a mannequin. Facing the woman in a very large hooded fur coat the teen boy let out a guttural scream at the sight.

It was a cold, dreary day as the canines sniffed their way through the grim fog.

“Number six. Caucasian female. Mmm about her twenties. Mouth stitched shut and buttons for eyes, just like the last five.”

This one had an African American females arm stitched on. The pattern of the killings were usually found with limbs of other victims mismatched and sewn on whatever remains were found. Multiple people on one body.

The Seamstress killer wanted their work to be known, like rag dolls, leaving bodies hidden in plain sight to be found as if they were some work of art and the city was her gallery.

And the longer detectives take, the more innocent people suffer.

Jeff’s father is NYPD Official and Magistrate.

Linda his step mom, is also on the city council. So, yea needless to say, the household is pretty involved in busting crime.

“Who could’ve dun it?!” the young boy asked.

“That is the question of the day isn’t it, run along son, and stay indoors for awhile” demanded Detective Lawson.

As forensics take photographs, Detective Monroe (who goes by Monty) dusts the scene for prints.

Detective Lawson and Sheffield take some witnesses in for questioning.

Witness one

“I saw the couple sitting there and then a man in a hoodie left the woman and got into a black sedan.”

Witness two

“My dog barked a bit at the woman sitting there around 3pm but I just kept pulling his leash. That’s when I noticed the small boy talking to her, or what appeared to be, right before he screamed. ….that’s when I called you guys.”

The next day Detective Lawson found Sonny outside of one of her local joints.

Smoking a cigarette she gave him a grim wink as he slowly drove by. Red pouty lips, full bronze cheeks, and dark hair. You couldn’t miss her tall and petite silhouette anywhere.

Fragile little thing, but she is far from fragile. She bleeds poison and can trigger an atomic bomb in the mafia at the drop of a single tear.

Over the course of a few days Detective Lawson and Monty scouted areas of where Sonny would be spotted. Stopping for lunch at the corner cafe, Sonny entered the cafe.

The two detectives sitting in a booth are startled by the view.

Turning towards them she heads their direction. Hips swaying in slow motion.

Taking a seat in front of Lawson, “I heard you been looking for me detective”

“In fact, Ive seen you and your little pal here following me around for awhile now.”Seducing him with her eyes.

“But what I can’t seem to figure out is why. Because you want to find fault in me, or you want to take me back to your bed.”

Detective Monty chokes on his coffee wiping his face.

Unfazed, Detective Lawson politely responds, “as irresistible as that sounds Ms.Dinero, duty calls. And that’s the only reason I’ve been watching you.” Eyes fixed solely on hers.

Seizing him up, innocently, she smirks. Then replies “well don’t let me stop you” exiting the booth.

“Oh and detective” turning back toward him,

“We’ve known each other since childhood, all you have to do is ask, you don’t have to keep arresting me to see me” giving him a sarcastic wink, then walks away.

“I don’t know whether I should be afraid or turned on” Detective Monty teased.

“Here’s a napkin for the drool on your tie, let’s get out of here” Lawson mouthed to Monty.

Seven

Around 2:13am another body is reported in the subway. And that morning he decides to bring Sonny in for questioning.

He tells her the last bloody act was related to one of her cousins, so he just wants to ask a few questions.

“The ragdoll thing is pretty cute,” she says. … “But its too messy and not my style.”

“And what exactly is your ‘style’ ” Lawson questioned.

“Pretty eyes and badges.”

Swallowing hard, Lawson takes a sip of water before speaking.

Clearing his throat, he preceded.

“I know some powerful people, my dad for instance, and you know some powerful people, your father for instance, I think we could work together..”

She lets out an obnoxious laugh interrupting in amusement.

“You can’t be serious?” …. “You are serious” dropping her smile.

“Im about as serious as repeating it all over just to hear that laugh again,” initiating his turn in flattery.

And it worked. Sonny looked down at her hands after that remark.

Looking back up with an assertive hair swift, “what about your detective friend, Claudia. Is she not on the case? Where is she at in all of this?”

“She is, but detective Sheffield has been working remotely from different locations as she’s had some personal matters to deal with at home. Her husband and her are going through a nasty divorce, and she’s been needing to take some time, but she’s on the case”

“That’s a shame.”

…… “suprised you haven’t taken her up yet, you’re a looker, and she’s a foxy gal.”

“Because we’re coworkers. And that’s it.”

“And…. She’s not my style.”

Her eyes sparkled. “And what’s Jeffeys style?”

“Pretty eyes and felonies.”

Letting out that obnoxious laugh again,“there it is” he completed.

“Anywho, I’ll see what I can do. But I can’t make any promises.”

Seamstress Killer amidst

A few days later Frankie barges in the police department. Normally, Richie gives word on his behalf, or he sends one of the other brothers to be his spokesman, but the Mob Lord, was here in person.

“I don’t know what game you think you’re playing but whatever conversation you had with my kid, she’s now missing.”

“Missing?!”

Trying to solve a serial killer murder and now the mafias missing daughter is more of a workload than he had in mind.

“We will put out a missing persons report immediately. And I will personally make sure we ….”

Cutting him off,

then raising a finger to his forehead,

“You’ll find my daughter. Just know that.”

And that is what a clear cold mafia threat sounds like.

Eight

Later that evening, Jeff couldn’t decide if she was missing or on the run after their conversation in the office, and Frankie was maybe just part of the script. This is how mafias work. They play their innocence in fascinating theatrics but in the grand scheme of things, they are still robbing morals.

A witness came forward and said she thought she spotted Sonny getting into a black vehicle, a sedan to be exact, with a man in a black hoodie.

Which was the evidence of what both witnesses saw at the park with the last rag doll sighting.

The black sedan was finally traced and found abandoned leaving another dead decapitated in the trunk.

Forensics were all over it. Things are getting steamy and time is running out.

If Sonny dies, the whole Mob will be after Lawson and If Sonny is the rag doll killer, well, the Mob will still be all over the FBI like they were when Vinny was incarcerated back in 2001.

Claudia took over the scene for Lawson so he could go a different route on the investigation.

“What will you do?” Claudia asked Lawson.

Around 12:40am Lawson received an anonymous call.

“ Jeff…it’s me, Sonny”

“Sonny, tell me where you are and I will come and get you!”

“Can’t you trace the call?”

“We’re on it. But I need you to help me a little more”

“I’ve been kidnapped. And I don’t know where I am. But it appears there’s hundreds of body parts stored here and I’m in some sort of a cooling warehouse”

“Sonny, you said you’re in a large cold warehouse, do you see any windows?”

“No.”

“Wait. …There’s one on the roof. Just a glass hole”

Mapping the area with drones all over the area the call was traced, and they located two buildings in that region with windows on top. One by the meat market and another off by the river.

“My bet is the meat market.”

Detective notifies for back up and heads to the location.

Upon arrival, Lawson breaks a bolted chain and enters the premises.

When he reached the lower level he couldn’t believe what he saw. “HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!”

“Claudia!? What’s all this ?”

Caught in the act of stitching up cold flesh seated at the sewing machine.

“Where’s Sonny?”

“I know what it looks like, but she’s framing me! You have to believe me Jeffrey! She had me sit here as a set up!!BE CAREFUL LAWSON! She’s the Seamstress!!”

Not knowing what to believe the gun steadfastly aimed at her.

Back up arrived moments later .

“She’s in here! We found her!” Monty exclaims.

When detective Lawson looks away, Claudia pulls out her weapon and fires at Lawson grazing him in the arm.

Claudia now shifting at the rest of them.

“Claudia you’re caught! It’s over.” Shouted detective Monty, “ lower, your weapon!”

“This is all your fault!” Now aiming at Sonny.

“NO!!!”

Detective Lawson leaps upward from the ground putting a bullet right in the center of Claudia’s forehead, but also taking another one blocking the shot from Sonny.

Detectives retreat.

Her brown eyes wide open. Lips parted gently.

“You … you, saved me”

Lifting Sonny in his arms he stammers, “you are okay?” Scanning her for injury.

She pulls him into her and kisses him without restraint, he submits wholly and kisses her back. His other hand lifting her chin and fingers entangled her hair. The first bloody kiss Lawson has hungered for in over a decade.

NEW YORK HEADLINES

“WHO DUN IT?!”

“UNDERCOVER SEAMSTRESS KILLER DETECTIVE CLAUDIA SHEFFIELD AND MURDERED IN THE SAVING OF HOSTAGE SONNY DINERO,

DETECTIVE JEFF LAWSON SAVES THE DAY”

Turned out the victims all had some sort of relation to Corbin Sheffield, Claudia’s cheating husband.

Richie D. enters the police department and asks to speak to Lawson.

He tells Lawson, his father sent him and a debt will forever be paid in his honor.

************* **THE END****************

ALL COMIC IMAGES ARE CREATED BY THE AUTHOR ON NIGHTCAFE.