J.M. Griffin - Vinnie Esposito 05 - Season for Murder (14 page)

“I guess the police will question everyone who knew her,” I said.

“Maybe I should let them know about these folks, huh?”

“It might be helpful, but it could also be very stressful for those elderly people if they didn’t have anything to do with her death, Brett. I can’t tell you what to do, though.” I’d planted a seed of doubt in his mind concerning the old folks and the cop’s interaction. The only reason I had bothered to mention it was because I wanted to get to them first.

“Maybe you’re right. I’ll think about it over the weekend and then make a decision. Thanks for your help, Vinnie,” Brett said in earnest.

Guilt riddled me for a fleeting second. I’d just used the sorrow from the loss of Brett’s gran for my own benefit.
The road to hell is paved with good intentions, isn’t that the saying?
I considered the truth of the saying. My only intention was to get my mother off the hook.

After Brett left, I thrust my hand into the tree and grasped the trunk around the middle. It was heavier than I’d thought and stood a good eight feet high. I staggered back under the weight. This was no Charlie Brown tree. I struggled to drag it into the house through the back doors. It hadn’t seemed this heavy when I’d bought it, but then Rafe had helped carry it.

It would have been smarter to bring it through the front doors into the living room, but I hadn’t thought of that until I was halfway into the kitchen. Stray pine needles cluttered the floor as they dropped from the branches. This was the cost of having a real tree. I grimaced at the trail of green pine needles. It took some doing, but I got the tree into the room and dropped it to the floor. I sweated and puffed over the exertion.

The furniture sat away from the front windows. Several boxes of decorations lay piled atop one another at the ready. I delved into a cardboard box in search of the tree stand. It lay at the bottom of the box. Bulbs and lights were strewn all over the floor and library table. I forced the stand onto the tree trunk and cranked the screws tight to hold it in place.

Sweat trickled down my forehead. It soaked my scalp and hair by the time I’d managed to get the stand in place. Grasping the tree, I hauled it upright and dragged it between the two windows. Wide branches hung past the windows and stretched toward the door. I stepped back and gazed at the Scotch pine.

Branches laden with thick clusters of needles filled the tree. The pine smell had already filtered throughout the house. Happy with the tree, I walked toward the kitchen and got the hand vacuum to clean the needles that had fallen during my struggle.

I emptied the filled vacuum container into the trash and returned to the living room. I stood in front of the tree to admire my handiwork, when it toppled over, taking me to the floor underneath it.

Arms flailing, I fought my way clear of the thick branches. Rich laughter sounded from the doorway. I turned to stare up at Rafael. His shoulders shook and his laughter was contagious. Laughing, I asked for assistance.

“Do you think you could lift this damned thing off me?” I begged.

“Sure, no problem.” His shoulders heaved, and I knew he was enjoying himself. He grasped the tree, as though it weighed nothing, and lifted it off my body.

Within seconds, I’d scrambled out from under the thick branches. Rafe stepped forward and picked pine needles from my hair.

He peered at the stand attached to the bottom of the tree trunk.

“It looks as though you didn’t balance the tree correctly when you placed the stand on the trunk. I’ll go change and be right back to give you a hand with this, or it’ll never stand up.”

My smile of agreement met his words. The tall, lean man left the apartment to return a few minutes later wearing old jeans and a flannel shirt. I stared at the outfit with a grin. Rafe was a man who seemed to take on the persona of anyone he wanted. He reminded me of a chameleon. I grinned, but never made a comment.

A half hour later, I’d draped the perfectly balanced tree with tiny colored lights. Boxes of ornaments littered the library table, waiting to be hung on the branches. Hungry, I turned to Rafael and asked if he wanted a sandwich before we decorated the tree. He smiled, nodded, and followed me into the kitchen.

A few cold cuts and some sliced cheese were the only fare I had to offer. I chuckled at the vision I must have presented to Rafe when he found me under the tree branches.

Rafe smiled and asked, “What’s so funny?”

“I must have been a sight under the weight of the tree, huh?”

“It was too precious for words. I would have liked to capture it on film.” He laughed and caught sight of the bracelet.

“Is the bracelet new?” he asked.

“I got it for my birthday, ahead of time. Isn’t it great?” I held it up for inspection. The sun shining through the sliding doors caught the rich gold. The bracelet gleamed in the light.

“Mmm,” he said as he inspected it.

We ate in silence until there was no food left. I wondered why Rafe had become so quiet, but hesitated to ask. After we’d finished our light repast, we returned to the tree.

“Would you like me to place the star on the top for you?” he asked with a grin.

“Why? Don’t you want to see me crash onto the floor, tree and all, with my usual gracefulness?” I laughed handing him the star.

Dragging the step stool near, Rafael took a step up and placed the star on the tree-top. He angled it upright and then stepped down to view his handiwork.

“Good job,” I said with my hands on my hips as I leaned back to view the star.

“Practice, just lots of good practice, ma’am.” He bowed and grinned.

After the final ornament was hung and the tinsel was strung onto the branches, I brushed my hands together, indicating the job was finished. Storage boxes littered the room. It only took a few minutes to clear all the debris away and stow them on the shelf in the basement.

We’d worked nearly all afternoon to finish the decorating, and I was glad to have it over with. Rafael situated a few pieces of furniture to balance the room. He lifted the hand carved lion from its pedestal. Moving the pedestal while he held the sculpture, I stepped back so he could replace the sleek piece of art.

“Your aunt Livvy did this piece for you, didn’t she?” Rafe asked as he ran a hand over the smooth surface of the fierce cat standing on its rear legs, front paws splayed.

“She’d done it about five years ago, and said that I would someday inherit it.” My heart squeezed a bit as I stared at the animal. Clearing my throat, I said, “I hadn’t realized it would be so soon.”

His warm hand lay on my shoulder. I glanced up to see understanding in his eyes.

“If she was anything like you, I’m sorry I didn’t have the chance to meet her.” Rafe smiled. I blinked hard to keep tears at bay.

“Thanks. She was a real character, but then most of my family members are, so …” The words faded away as I turned back to the tree and plugged in the lights. A glow of colors reflected off the walls and windows, bringing delight with it.

Feelings of warmth caught my attention after Rafael started the fire. Together, we surveyed the entire room. He nodded his approval, and I grinned in agreement.

Chapter 13

When the door-knocker thumped, I went to answer it. Rafael stood in the doorway waiting to see who was on the outside steps.

“I figured you’d be setting the tree up when I saw it against the garage as I went by this morning. Here’s some food for you to share.” Lola grinned and glanced past me at Rafe.

The congenial smile on his face was a wide one. She’d had a soft spot for him since he’d moved in. Appreciative of her help in finding a place to live when he’d left Boston, Rafael spent a good amount of time at the deli.

My curiosity went on another rampage as I wondered if this was the man from Lola’s past who Monica predicted would return to her life. Since they were distantly related, probably not.

My glance went from one to the other and I smiled, took the food, and headed into the kitchen with it. Laughter from the room trailed behind me as the bag of goodies landed on the counter. I quickly unloaded the fare.

Plates lined the counter as the two of them entered the room. Coffee perked and wine sat at the ready. I helped myself to the container of flakey puff-pastry, filled with creamy mushrooms and thin sliced beef. Flavors from heady spices mingled with the mushroom sauce, tasting heavenly. I moaned.

Laugher met my response to Lola’s cooking. Rafael helped himself and served Lola a portion. His eyes widened as he chewed.

“Mmm, this is wonderful.” Rafe grinned.

“Of course it is.” Lola smiled and toyed with her food. I watched Lola as she glanced at me and then darted a furtive look toward Rafael. Interested, I leaned back in the chair facing her in silence. Unaware of the secretive glance, Rafe kept shoveling the food into his mouth like a starved man, even though we’d eaten not so long ago.

“Try some of this,” Lola ordered with a smirk. She slid stollen pastry onto a dessert plate I handed her, shoved it in front of Rafe, and with a slight nod, she motioned me toward the living room. My curiosity climbed out of control. I nodded in return.

“I want a look at that tree again. It’s given me an idea for a recipe,” Lola said and slid from the counter.

Rafe’s rich, blue-eyed stare slid toward me. I shrugged.

“I’ll be right back,” I whispered.

Rafael nodded and kept eating.

The room was empty when I entered. I heard a slight noise from the front entry and slid out the door to join my petite friend.

“My brother just called. He said there’s been talk of money laundering at the senior center. Bobby said the FBI or state police have been watching the place and might have an undercover agent working there. Any ideas?” Lola whispered.

“No, none. Marcus has asked a few questions, but hasn’t uttered a sound about state police involvement. You know how close-mouthed he gets when it comes to business,” I murmured and then smirked. “If there’s an undercover trooper there, he must be as old as the hills. Those are the only people there all the time.”

“Maybe it isn’t them. Maybe it’s FBI or someone.” Lola’s hair bounced around her sweet face as her head bobbed up and down when she spoke.

“Like who?” I asked.

Lola thought for a moment and said, “I don’t know. Maybe PPD has someone undercover.”

“I’ll find out tomorrow at the bake sale. I promised Mom that I’d give her a hand.”

“Good. I’ll be there to help you with that. Then we can sneak around later.”

“Lola, you shouldn’t get involved in this. It’s dangerous. My mother and Muffy, encouraged by a resident, Mr. Perkins, have already rifled through Iva Lindon’s apartment twice.”

“Her family will be clearing her things out pretty soon, won’t they?” Lola wondered aloud.

“The rent has been paid until the end of December, so they have a few weeks before the job needs to be done,” I answered. “Until that time, I have to keep my family from being arrested for illegal entry and who knows what else.”

“I’ll be there early tomorrow with some baked goods and we’ll see what happens, okay?” Lola grinned, a mischievous sparkle entered her eyes and I couldn’t help but smile back.

I raised my hands and said, “If you insist. Did you know Brett MacIntyre was related to Iva Lindon?”

“No, I didn’t know. I’d heard his family now lives in New York, though.”

“He told me today Iva was his granny. I nearly shit myself. The last thing I need is to have him wandering around the senior center in search of his granny’s killer.”

Lola’s eyes widened. “He won’t do that, will he?”

“I sure as hell hope not,” I whispered. “I put him off about going to the cops with information on enemies Iva had, so maybe we’ll luck out.”

On the other side of the door, I heard a voice call our names. We scrambled inside and caught a speculative gleam in Rafe’s eyes.

“Everything all right out there?” He smiled.

“Oh, yeah, Lola was going to leave, but had forgotten to say goodbye to you,” I lied. I was going to hell anyway, so another fib didn’t matter at this juncture.

“Uh, huh. Now try telling me the truth, both of you.” He pointed to the sofa and ordered, “Sit down, right now.”

Instead of adding to the deception, we sidled toward the sofa and sat side-by-side. It may have been a first in my life to do what I’d been told. The man had issued the directive in such a way that I felt it prudent to obey the command.

Lola said nothing, her eyes as large as saucers. I leaned back against the sofa and waited. This wasn’t the first time I’d been interrogated by someone. It was just the first time I didn’t mind. Rafe may offer ideas in exchange for answers to his questions. It was worth a try, anyway.

“What’re you two getting up to?” Rafe asked with serious eyes as he took a seat in the leather chair across from us.

“Nothing,” Lola fibbed.

“Lola, you are such a lousy liar. You must not get as much practice at it as Vinnie does.” He grinned.

“Oh.” Lola’s brow furrowed. “I guess maybe you’re right.”

My eyes flew to her and then to him. I wanted to deny his words, but they were true and we all knew it. Why bother?

“It’s like this. We’re planning a surprise for my mother on Christmas. Lola just wanted to clarify some details,” I lied.

“My patience with you is usually long, but this insistence you have of not telling the truth can wear a person a bit thin.” His dark eyebrows gathered in the middle causing a unibrow as a lock of black hair fell forward. “Now, try again.” He sighed, crossed one jean clad leg over the other, and leaned back in the chair in relax mode.

From his manner and body language, I realized he was trying to make me spill my guts. It didn’t seem worth the argument, so I figured I’d comply.

“We were discussing the senior center,” I admitted in a huffy manner.

His brows arched. “What else?”

“The bake sale is tomorrow. We were making plans for that.”

Rafe nodded. “Okay, what kind of plans?”

I could see his mind working and knew he’d put the whole thing together in a flash, so I confessed.