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What She Never Knew	By : SisterWine Category: 1 through F > Cold Case Views: 481 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Cold Case or any of its characters. My Characters are The Canne family, Monica and Stacy and Travis DiNuccio. Please do not sue. This is FICTION. I make no money.

Chapter List
- 1-One
- 2-Two
- 3-Three
- 4-Four
- 5-Five
- 6-Six
- 7-Seven
- 8-Eight
- 9-Nine
- 8
- 9
Jennifer slammed the room door shut behind her as kthey both entered the room. "You knew where he was all this time and you didn't tell me? You just let me go crazy for ten years??? How could you, Ray?" Her anger flared as she stared at her sister, sitting on the end of the bed with her purse still in her hands.
Sighing, Rachel stared straight ahead, at the mounted mirror on the wall across from her. "He wanted to be left alone, Jenn. He needed time to heal. Dragging him back home would have done more damage than letting go. He has a good life now. A good woman to be with. They're good for each other. Let it be, Jennifer." Finishing her statement, she looked over at her sister, still standing in front of the door.
"'Let it be'?! After all I've been through, you're going to tell me to just 'let it be'? I gave up everything to find him and now, I have to just shrug my shoulders and go home?" Jennifer shifted her stance but didn't move from the doorway. "Thanks for your compassion for me, Ray."
Rachel stood up and turned to face her sister, upset at the accusation. "Compassion for you?! What about Travis, Jennifer? Where is the compassion for what he was subjected to, growing up? If your friends hadn't have gotten to know him after that ruckus you call a party, you'd still be treating him horribly! And, why did you decide to sleep with him? Just another cruel joke to keep him in his place?" She paused as the verbal slap registered on her sister's face. "You're not the victim here, Jennifer. To you, it was just a 'should've done something' moment. To him, it was a living nightmare. You weren't there to pick up the pieces every time he fell apart just trying to move or communicate. He woudn't even let Mike close to him until he was positive he wouldn't be taken home, or worse. And I'm supposed to pity you?!" Her voice had raised to show her anger but she never moved to act out just how angry she was. "He grew up constantly walking on eggshells and broken glass, just to please someone who didn't give a fucking damn about him, no matter how hard he tried. You made sure of that. Leave him alone, Jennifer. Let him have the happiness he's always deserved."
Jennifer's jaw dropped at the hurtful words. "Marco is his son, Ray. I cant leave that alone."
"And you think he'll just come running back to you, begging forgiveness? He's not the one that needs to be forgiven, Jen. Right now, I don't blame him for his hatred towards our family. You didn't live life through his eyes. You didn't run to comfort him everytime he had a nightmare over what Mark and his friends did to him. Don't you understand? Had Michael not've found him, he'd be dead. Then where would your petty little 'I'm sorry' be? Yes. For ten horrifying years, I kept his whereabouts from you and your cronies. It took five long years for him to at least look up at me and not at his feet." She swallowed and lowered her tone. "Six before he actually smiled at me. Terri adores him and will do everything in her power to protect him. Which is something we never did." Breathing deeply for a moment, she added, "I love my nephew. I love my sister but I love who Travis has become, too. Maybe you should think a little more about who he really is, instead of playing the coiled snake in the grass."
Jennifer's eyes welled with tears that she refused to let fall in front of her sister. instead, she turned, opened the door and walked back out into the afternoon sun, closing the door behind her.
~~~~~~~~~
Scotty stepped off the lift and made his way down the hall, stopping at 4H. He held his hand up to knock but paused to take a deep breath. Letting it out slowly, Scotty gave three quick knocks on the door and waited, listening to the movement inside. As the door opened, Scotty inhaled. "Joe, mind if we have a little chat?"
Joe stared plainly at the detective through the crack in the door, held together by the chainlock. "I don't think there's anything more I can say to her, unless to give her the number for my lawyer. Please, just go away." He had been up and down all morning due to his leg hurting and the restlessness of knowing that Jennifer had found him and was within arm's length.
"I'm not here to talk about LA. I just uh..., spent some time with.... Jennifer.... and she mentioned a few things about you. And then, yesterday, when Rachel mentioned your mom dying with you in the room." Scotty could tell he was making Joe uncomfortable, and possibly himself, too. Yet, he held up a hand with an old photo in it. "This is her, right? You and your mom."
There was a silence and a stillness before Joe spoke, again. His tone calm and low, his expression dry. "Goodbye, detective. Your Lieutenant will hear from me."
Scotty shook his head. "Wait. I'm a Homicide detective. This is my job. She came to me because she thought I was you. I took her case because she thought you were dead but, here you are, living and breathing above ground. Your mom's case went cold less than six hours after you were in the hands of Child Services. That's pretty damn fast even for California's standards. A lot's changed since 1977, Travis." He could see the reigster in Joe's face as he used the man's birth name. "I had her file emailed over to me, yesterday. I sat up all night going over it. I know what it's like to lose a loved one and not be able to do anything about it. Jennifer said you always had this photo next to your bed. And, your bear... this is that same bear. isn't it? The one she gave you for your birthday." He shook the photo in his hand for added emphasis as he held it up for Joe to look at. "Don't you want to find out what happened to her?"
"She died a long time ago."
Smirking, Scotty stopped shaking the photo and lowered it. "You'd be surprised what we could dig up." Another silence between them. "Look, I know you have health issues and undoubtedly some nightmares that won't go away. I have some vacation time coming. I'd like to help solve it for you. I promise, we'll get to the bottom of it."
Joe sighed and blinked slowly before closing the door to unlatch the chain and let the detective in. He stepped aside and watched as the detective stepped in and looked around the livingroom.
"You moving?" Scotty noted the half full boxes and several wall hangings on the floor in single-file stance. However, his eyes stopped wandering when he came across the wheelchair, in the far corner. He swallowed the lump in his throat as Joe closed the door behind him and came around to offer Scotty a seat on the sofa.
Joe scooped up a stack of papers from a section of sofa and motioned for Scotty to sit down. "We bought a house." He stood next to the sofa and watched as Scotty took a seat in the offered spot. "I was making coffee. Would you like some?" He leant on his cane as his hip and back hurt but he tried to play it down in front of the other man.
Scotty hesitantly looked up and nodded. "Sure. Please." His eyes moved down to the cane as Joe turned and made his way over to the kitchen.
Joe pressed the button on the coffeemaker and moved to sit down across from Scotty, on the edge of the recliner. "In thirty plus years, I've never found anyone who is willing to help me with my mother's death. Why are you really here, detective?"
"Let's just say, family is important." Scotty shifted as the two men stared at each other for a tense moment. "Look, Joe... I spoke with your old social worker and she gave me the names of the people whose house you were at, the night of her death. LAPD sent over the file which had some holes in the stories. I can't guarantee anything but, it might be a good place to start." As Joe reluctantly nodded, he continued. "They also faxed me a copy of your brother's autopsy."
Joe shifted uncomfortably, his face lost all expression as he looked at Scotty at the mention of his twin brother's name. As the coffeemaker beeped it's completion, Joe's attention was turned toward the kitchen and he thought it best to cool down before breaching the rest of the conversation. He stood up and made his way over to the coffee pot and poured two cups of coffee, offering cream or sugar to the detective. When he got a "no" in response, he finished pouring the hot liquid and replaced the decanter to the pad. As he carefully carried the two cups back into the living room, he asked, "why do you want to reopen my brother's death? It was an accident. What else are you going to put me through, Detective?"
Accepting the cup of coffee and carefully taking a sip, Scotty swallowed and lowered the cup before he answered. "The LAPD seems to think the two are connected. I don't think the Cannes were involved but, they seem to have an idea who is."
"Who would that be?" Joe asked, sitting back down on the edge of the recliner. Again, he watched the other man carefully.
After another sip of coffee, Scotty swallowed and cautiously answered, "A man by the name of Mario Rosini. Your mother might have known him and even dated him."
"Dated him? When?" Joe shook his head in confusion.
Scotty bit his lower lip in regret of what he had opened the conversation up to. Wth a deep breath and a spark of wanting to get it out of the way, he said it flatly. "They think, and I think so, too, that he is your father." He swallowed and waited for Joe to digest the new revelation before continuing.
Joe nodded as it slowly sank in. "Do they know where he is?"
"Jersey."
Joe didn't reply. Instead, he stared at Scotty with mild contempt of the news. After a long while of uncomfortable silence, he finally mustered the urge to speak. "If they know where he is and can prove that he killed her and Marco, why don't they arrest him? What do they need me for? I wasn't old enough to be counted as a credible witness." Joe's hands started to shake from the conversation and agitation that it dredged up and, instead of spilling his cup of coffee that he had held, he moved to place the cup on a small side table, next to the chair.
"They seem to think that, since you were in the room, that you actually saw it happen and lcan verify that he was there that night." Scotty took another sip of his coffee and swallowed before adding the rest of the theory. "They think that if they get him to admit to her murder, he might shed some light on what happened to your brother. He's a violent guy, Joe. Son of an Italian mobster who can't let go of his wife and kids."
Shifting, Joe wasn't sure about hearing the rest of the biography on his absent "father." The small clock on the large oak entertainment centre, to the right of him, chimed noon and dragged his attention back to where they were. "I'll think about it. Maybe, when all this from Jennifer dies down. They waited 30 years, I think another month won't hurt." After another minute of silence, he reached for his coffee and took a sip before replacing it to the table and slipping his hands between his lap.
Scotty sipped his coffee and placed the cup on the small glass topped coffee table in front of him. "That was the second thing I came to see you about. I had a talk with Rachel and Jennifer, before they left, and they seem real genuine in their offer to introduce you to your son." He could tell the mention of their names was not sitting very well with Joe, as he expected as much. However, Joe didn't seem to want to argue about it anymore than he really felt he had to. They both had their say to eachother and he was ready to move on. Scotty was at least willing to extend a helping hand, if Joe needed it.
"I'll think about it."
Scotty nodded.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The car stopped in front of the two-story house. It sat there with the engine running as the two occupants stared up at the tall, white house. They had already been past the Cannes' house and only stopped briefly as the painful memories came rushing back and Joe had asked to leave. Terri had stayed silent whilst Joe decided for himself if he should open the door and step out, or not. She hadn't really wanted to come but felt it was her duty to protect him from any harm that might ensue from being back in his old neighbourhood. "Are you okay? Do you wanna just go?" She asked after a tense moment of frozen silence.
Joe stared out the passenger window but turned to look at her as she spoke. "I just.... I don't... I don't..." he stumbled over his words and choked on his breath. Jumping as she softly reached over and held his hand, that lie in his lap, he regulated his breathing.
Terri smiled softly. "Okay. Did you want me to at least drop off the gift for him? I'll just ring the bell and hand it to her. You can lock the doors, if you feel uncomfortable, okay? I'll be right back." She motioned to the brightly wrapped present in the backseat and then reached for the doorhandle to open the driver's side door.
"No." Joe grabbed her hand and halted her. "Since we're here, and bought him the gift, we might as well go inside." He sawllowed and felt he couldn't breathe as he opened his own door and started to climb out. he had dreaded coming back to California, let alone being back with in arm's reach of the Cannes, but he had needed closure just as much as the little boy wanted to meet his father. He knew it felt horrible to be disappointed on his birthday and that he would regret the opportunity if he didn't do it now.
"Okay." Terri shut off the engine and opened her door. "Just let me know when you've had enough." She stepped out and shut her door before opening the back passenger door and retrieving the large, rectangular box from the backseat. She paused as she reached for the cane that lie on the floor. Backing out and straightening, she leant over the roof the rented Taurus and asked softly enough for him to hear but not a passerby. "Did you want your cane?"
Joe closed his door and turned to face her. After a glance back at the house and knowing who would be there, he shook his head. "No. No, I'll be alright."
Nodding, Terri shut the door and locked the car, sounding the beep of the alarm to alert the house they had arrived. She slipped the keys into her jeans pocket as she rounded the back end of the car and stepped up onto the curb. Keeping her voice low as before, she looked over at him. "You ready for this?"
Shaking his head, Joe slipped his hand into her's and held it tightly. "No." He took a breath as the front door opened and an older woman stepped out and watched them. Joe's breath caught as he recognised the woman.
"Ray, he's here!" Becky turned and called back into the house before stepping down off the front step and making her way out to greet them. "Travis! Travis, oh Travis! Oh, my baby boy's come home! I've missed you, so much!" Running as fast as her older legs could carry her, Becky wrapped her arms tightly around shoulders and hugged him for what seemed like forever.
"Hello, Miss Becky. I've missed you too." Joe's voice caught as he hugged the woman back and smiled to himself that she had been there to greet him. When they finally separated, he introduced her to Terri. "This is my fiancee, Theresa; Terri. Terri, this is Becky, my second mother. Her son, Michael was my best friend. My only friend."
Becky and Terri shared a smile and a hug as they greeted one another. "Just call me Becky, dear. I've been trying for years to get this one to do it but he's stuck on this Miss everything." She laughed.
Terri giggled and nodded. "I know. I catch him saying it to me and our friends, too. It's good to finally meet you, Becky. He can't stop telling me all about you and your wonderful cooking."
Blushing and laughing at the compliment, Becky leant in and whispered, "he loved my meatloaf and my casserole. I'll give you the recipe." She winked. "but, you have to promise to come back and see us, now." She slreached up and grabbed Joe's chin and held a firm gaze on him. "I mean it, young man. Don't you make me chase you down, now. My old legs are too old for running all over creation but I can still take you over my knee." She smirked to let him know she was only joking, which gained a guilty nod and a smile from him.
"Yes, ma'am." He looked over Becky's shoulder at who else came out to see them. He could feel the anxiety rise in his throat as his heart beat faster and harder as his eyes finally fell on Jennifer, standing at the door, watching them.
Rachel walked up to him and hugged him before nodding and smiling to Terri. "Michael's outback, helping Danny with the grill. There's plenty for everyone. Please stay."
Joe looked over at Terri, who gave him a neutral look.
"It's up to you. Whatever you feel comfortable with." Terri smiled and held up the gift to give to Rachel.
Looking back to Jennifer, still standing at the door, and joined by her son, Joe looked back to Terri and nodded. Tears weld up and his breath shallowed as the emotions swarmed him. They stood in the middle of the pavement as Becky hugged him again, glad he was alive and safe.
Becky sighed loudly and pulled back to look at him fully. "Well, you're still skinny. She has a lot of work cut out for her, if she's gonna fatten you up, boy." Reaching up to pull his face forward, she kissed his cheek and hugged him again, feeling overwhelmed that her prayers were finally answered and that she had him there to hold and talk to, instead of visiting his grave in tears. "I want you to tell me all about where you're living and what you're doing now. And then, I want you to tell me why you've kept this secret away from us all these years." They had started walking back up to the house when she stopped him again. "Travis, you know you could have always come to me and told me anything. Baby, I am always on your side. You know that. We'll get through this, together. Okay?" She smiled as he nodded. "Now, Rachel told me you were coming and I baked a nice big chocolate cake for Marco and Michael bought the Spumoni, for you, and we have presents for both you and him, even though, it's his birthday. We thought we would make up for all the ones you didn't get."
Joe glanced up at the small face standing at the door, watching them. "Does he know who I am?"
"He knows the important parts, for right now. He's a good little boy, Travis. Just like his daddy. Come on and meet him." Becky slipped her hand in his as the three of them walked up to the door.
Though, he had only wanted to stay for an hour or so, they ended up staying for half of the night, talking and laughing and reliving the nightmare of what happened, after the children and birthday boy had fallen asleep. He had enjoyed meeting his son and, in return, Marco had loved meeting his dad. After all the fears and nervous jitters had ended, he was glad Terri had talked him into going and, for once, he felt he had a family, again.

End.
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What She Never Knew