Reunion
December 1948, Los Angeles, California
A lot has changed for Ermen Carreira in the past 6 years. She was able to leave her factory job, become a reporter for a newspaper, save enough money to go to UCLA (University of California Los Angeles), graduate with a double major in English and Political Science and get promoted to lead investigative journalist. She was also able to buy a car, move into a better apartment and have a pet cat. Due to the busyness of her life, she rarely reflected on her past in New York but when she did, she often thought of her brother, Daniel. She sometimes wondered whether he survived the war and what was he doing now.
One day, she was assigned to cover a story about a murdered reporter from the nearby Radio station. When she read the initial details, her blood ran cold and a shiver ran down her spine. Raphael Lewis was newly-hired for LA Radio covering crimes and, just like her, was also an investigative journalist when he began to cover a story about Mafia corruption. He was supposed to report it on the day he was killed with cyanide. The local police ruled it as a suicide but she was not convinced.
Since he came from a prominent family of journalists and his father was quite well-known to many in the industry, they all itched to give justice to his death. Although many newspapers released statements of condemnation, very few wanted to do the dirty work of investigating. Ermen decided to do it. Even if she never met him personally, she felt that it was her duty as an investigative journalist herself. She also reasoned that an attack on one was an attack on all of them and that, if Justice wasn't served, more evildoers would feel empowered to keep killing journalists.
Daniel and Peggy heard of this case when the head of the Los Angeles police came into the SSR office to discuss it. It surprised them because, on the surface, it looked like a tragic suicide but it was not. It was a complicated murder case only the SSR had the capability and resources to solve. He also said that the only reason they decided to rule it as a suicide was for the public to forget about it so the actual work can begin. They did this with the consent of his family who repeatedly said he could never take his own life and had so much future plans.
Paolo Petersen, LA Police Chief, then said something that totally took Daniel off-guard: "Another thing, we've granted the family's request that a representative of the Press will join you in your investigation?"
Daniel replied: "I see. Who is he?"
"You mean she. Her name is Ermen Carreira, the lead investigative reporter for LA Times. She'll meet you at the scene of the crime. All she's going to do is to tail around and publish an article when it's all done and over."
On the way there, Daniel and Peggy felt uneasy of having a civilian join them in their investigation. In their eyes, it looked too dangerous for her and reckless of them. That lady didn't have the training they did and the resources they had at their fingertips. They also did not want to be responsible if anything bad happens to her, most especially if she dies. Aside from the fact that the SSR did not have any protocols, standard operating procedures or rules to follow if that ever happens, they did not know if their consciences would take that.
Ermen already arrived there 30 minutes early and was already taking pictures and notes. For her, the only thing that was clear was that this was not a suicide. Aside from the fact that this guy was messy and was writing in his notebook his plans for the day and the near future, the way he died was not consistent with killing himself. Would a right-handed man eat a cyanide pill while watching TV and drinking beer? Another suspicious detail was that his door was opened even if his keys were in his bag.
Suddenly the door opened and a voice was heard: "Hello, this is the SSR. Is Ermen Carreira here?"
Ermen stared at Daniel, feeling that he was both familiar and strange to him. This was surprising to her because she knew LA was a large city and that the only people she knew came from work or her apartment complex. Although she went to Church at the nearby Catholic parish regularly, she talked to very little outside of the Marian sodality she joined and the parish priest. She quickly shook off her feeling and kept taking down notes. She also pushed off the feeling that this crippled man might be someone she knew from her youth in New York.
On Daniel's end, he nearly cried when he saw her. There was simply no doubt about it; this Ermen Carreira is his long-lost sister Ermenjart Marie Sousa. His gut reaction was to run to her, hug her, beg her forgiveness and to go home. He wanted, no needed, for her to go home and take her place in their family. His brain stopped him saying that she left for a reason which was partly his fault, he had no right to beg her to go back.
He swallowed, cleared his throat and approached her: "Good morning, my name is Chief Daniel Sousa of the Strategic Scientific Reserve. I'm with my partner, Agent Peggy Carter. We're here to investigate the death of your friend, Raphael Lewis. Judging from what you're doing, I hope you left evidence for us."
She chuckled: "Raphael Lewis is not my friend but I'm investigating because we share the same profession. Don't worry, I wore gloves when I handled things and put them back where I saw them. If anything, his death was not a suicide."
Peggy chimed in: "That was what we were also thinking."