Dear Diary,

Sorry for tearing pages out. I spilled tea on it and figured it was best just to just start over rather than hope that I can read through the blur later on.

No wonder I’ve spilled tea…I’ve been a little nervous.

Apparently the job I did for Gallo was maybe a little too good. I got home from laundry yesterday and there was a couple black cars parked outside my building. When I approached, two men in suits stepped out and asked if I was Miss Vitale. I asked who they were and one, large guy with a shiny bald head, said they were friends of Mr. Gallo who would like for me to attend a party at his place tonight.

Coral was looking out the window at them and me with wide, terrified eyes. One of the men asked if I had any issues with my nosey neighbor, and some other comments made it clear she’d been outside when they pulled up and there’d been words exchanged. I’ll no doubt hear from her later on when she’s recovered from the shock.

It didn’t work to tell them I didn’t have anything appropriate to wear to a party. “Mr. Gallo says, come as you are.” I was wearing black leggings and my Advanced Recycling shirt, mismatched socks, and converses. Hardly party wear…did I mention I was doing laundry? Don’t judge me, diary.

I asked if they would mind if I dropped off my laundry and if I needed my bag. They didn’t seem to like the idea but one offered to take the load from me and escort me to my apartment in such a way that it was pretty clear I didn’t have an option. I don’t know why I’m sharing all these details…it's not like the police or Cooper will be reading this if I go missing…Maybe dad. Dad, if you read this, I dunno. Don’t be too mad at me when you resurrect me? That’s assuming you find a body to resurrect.

Gallo’s house is outside of town. I wasn’t keeping track of directions. Mostly I was trying to not feel sick as I hung onto my necromancer kit and hoped that Mr. Gallo didn’t think I was part of the family or anything. I’m a freelance necromancer. I’m not a mobster…or gangster…or whatever it's called.

Maybe it would have been better if I’d failed to resurrect Gallo Senior? Maybe he would have killed me if I failed…I would have been embarrassed to death anyways to perhaps its all the same.

I did ask what the party was for. One of the guys, who I learned was called Johnny, said it was Mr. and Mrs. Gallo’s anniversary.

I remember saying that was nice and thinking, surely no one needs a necromancer at an anniversary party. Who in their right mind is dying then?

I then panicked, what if its Mrs. Gallo? What a hell of a time to die?

It wasn’t.

Mrs. Gallo was greeting guests when Johnny and the other guy led me in through a side door. Johnny pointed her out - a large lady in a gold dress and a really nice laugh.

I didn’t meet her. Instead I was put in a corner near another door and told to wait there. “Just stand there and look pretty,” Johnny said with a wink. I didn’t really understand what that meant. I was in leggings and converse among people in cocktail dresses!

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Thankfully, I didn’t recognize anyone for the most part. One tall black man looked familiar but I couldn’t place him. He was standing beside Mrs. Gallo and a lot of people seemed to give him a wide berth otherwise which made him easy to watch while I waited.

Johnny came up and got me. We went downstairs to a basement that had three doors leading off of it. I heard cries through one of the doors and froze. Johnny saw that I had fallen behind and came back and got me. “Mr. Gallo is waiting.” When I didn’t move he asked if I’d eaten. Horrified at the idea of eating I shook my head.

“Good, you won’t puke.”

He practically dragged me to the door where someone was definitely crying and moaning in pain on the other side. He knocked and it opened on a room lit by a single bare bulb. Mr. Gallo was there in a nice tux, sipping some brown alcohol on ice. The other men were in various dress states - some had suits like Johnny but had taken off their jackets and rolled up their sleeves while another had only pants and an undershirt and another was shirtless and covered in blood.

I noticed all this because it was better than looking in the middle of the room which was where the crying was coming from. A man tied to the chair under the swaying lightbulb. I didn’t dare look at him too long.

Mr. Gallo greeted me with a hug and told me to come in as if I’d just entered a nice little get together. I clutched by bag and tried not to think about my Medean Oath to not harm the living.

“Luca, my boy, this is my dear friend Miss Vitale. She is a necromancer. Do you know what that is?” Mr. Gallo asked the man in the middle of the room. I don’t know if he answered. Mr. Gallo went on. His words are still ringing in my head diary. I’ll be having nightmares about them.

“She is my insurance. You see, you might think you can get out of this whole mess by dying, Luca. That death will release you from pain and fear and anything else I can dream up for you. But you would be wrong. Miss Vitale here is my guarantee that you will tell me what I need to hear or she will do her job as many times as needed. Understand?”

No, diary, I didn’t think it was a good time to explain that the more you bring someone back and they die the more likely the connections between body and spirit can be frayed to the point of it no longer working. That this was especially the case when it comes to spirits that do not want to come back at all. I don’t think it was a good time to discuss the fine print.

Luca sobbed and started mumbling. I don’t know what he said. I caught some apologies and pleading and then a name repeated over and over - Paul. Paulie. Paul.

That seemed to work for Mr. Gallo who grinned, patted the man on the head and gestured to Johnny who ushered me out of the room. We were on the steps when I heard the gunshot. Upstairs, I was told to wait in the corner again. I slumped into a chair.

I don’t know how long I sat there before Kate found me.

She asked me if I was ok and that was when I puked.

Theres no point feeling embarrassed about it. No one seemed to even see me besides Kate, Johnny, and a waiter who went to get some staff to come clean up. Kate followed me to the car where she told Johnny something about us being friends and asked if I was alright. Johnny said something about being a great help to Mr. Gallo but not feeling well so he was taking me home.

That was when I realized who the black man was with Mrs. Gallo - it was Edward Beghana. Kate’s father.

I don’t know if I need to think about anything more than that. We left Kate outside and Johnny gave me a roll of bills when we got back to my place.

“I don’t need to tell you not to tell anyone what you saw tonight,” Johnny said in a friendly way. “Not even that pretty thing that was worried about you.”

I nodded and put the money in my bag and tried to find my keys. My hands were shaking. Johnny took my back and fished out my keys and got me into the apartment. “Don't’ worry about it, kid. I puked my first time too.” I don’t want it to be my first time though. I want it to be the last time. I want it to never have happened.

I passed out on the couch. It's now four in the morning and too late or too early for take out so I’m munching on crackers and trying to figure out what the hell to do.