J.M. Griffin - Vinnie Esposito 05 - Season for Murder (24 page)

Gray eyes widened and eyebrows hiked when it burst forth.

“Would you like to share that thought?”

“No, it was just a silly one,” I said. “He’s asked a lot of questions about me, my family, and even snooped around the shop in Providence. I’m just not sure what to make of it all.”

“You have a keen sense of things that are amiss, Vin. Don’t second guess yourself now.”

Plates filled with steaming food arrived. We tucked into the meal without further conversation. Halfway through lunch, I glanced around. Marcus Richmond had just entered the room and was headed in our direction. I leaned back in surprise, placed the fork on the table, and waited. His face held an ominous look. I wondered what was about to descend on my head now, especially since he was supposed to be in New York.

Anderson glanced at me and then turned to see Marcus swagger across the room dressed in street clothes. He smiled a bit and glanced back at me. “Your boyfriend doesn’t look too happy, Vin.”

“Mmm.”

As Marcus arrived at the table, I slid a chair out with my foot, so he could join us. Instead, he simply leaned his hands on the back of it.

“Don’t you answer your cell phone anymore?” Marcus asked with an attitude.

I pulled the offending object from my bag and realized it was shut off.

“It was shut off for class. Sorry. I thought you were off to New York?” I asked. “It must be important if you came back.”

“Now that you mention it, it is.” He glanced at Anderson and said, “Excuse us. I need to speak with Lavinia for a moment.” He beckoned me with two fingers as though directing traffic.

Rankled, I nodded at Anderson and slid my chair away from the table. When I reached the sidewalk behind Marcus, my Italian attitude had found its way to the surface. I stood with a hand on my hip as Marcus turned to speak to me.

“Put your attitude away,” Marcus said with a smirk. “I didn’t want to tell the entire restaurant that your bedroom was covered with Rafe’s fingerprints.”

“Huh, he’s never been in my bedroom unless that was who broke in the other night,” I said tapping my lips with a fingertip and thought of the implications. “I thought you said there weren’t any usable prints?”

He avoided my question and assured me, “There was never a question in my mind of him having been in your bedroom other than the break-in. What did Bellini say last night?”

“He’s going to look into the allegations. There isn’t much in the way of concrete evidence, but he believed me. That’s something, right? How come you’re not in New York?”

“It is something indeed. I had to make a detour and then deal with something at headquarters. I was on the New York state line when I got the call and had to return. It’s just as well, since I wanted to see you, anyway.” He stepped closer, kissed me, and said he’d be in touch.

“I’m glad to hear it.” Kissing him, I stepped closer.

A smile flickered across the chiseled features before he moved away from me and said he’d be back in New York by evening.

As his truck pulled away from the curb, I wondered how he had known I was at the restaurant. Maybe his crystal ball wasn’t broken. I smiled a little and went back inside.

The food was cold. I drank the lukewarm tea left in my cup. Anderson watched me for a minute before he asked if all was well.

“Sure, Marcus wanted to bring me up to date on the money trail. It has reached a dead end,” I lied. I knew it was bad form, but I didn’t want to tell Anderson every single thing about my sorry ass life.

“Was he jealous that we were here together?” Porter smiled a wolfish grin.

“Sorry to burst your bubble, but he knows better.” I grinned and reached for the check.

Chapter 21

Life had begun a downward spiral. The more I found out, the more entangled things became. What was I supposed to do now? Kick Rafe out of the apartment?
Not a good idea,
my little voice said.
Who would clear your mother then? The cops sure aren’t about to go the extra mile for ya, honey.

A huge sigh was the response the voice got. It was time to take action, to bring these matters to a head. No doubt about it. How? Who knew? Not me, that was for damn sure.

The afternoon had turned to twilight as I drove home from the city. I needed a plan and darned quick, too. I swung into the empty driveway and parked the car. The briefcase strap hung off my shoulder as I entered the house. All was quiet and a sense of peace settled over me. Why? I didn’t know since my life was far from peaceful at the moment.

I started to brew coffee. The fireplace heated the living room, and lights twinkled on the Christmas tree. Snacks layered the dish on the coffee table and I had a thick pad of paper on my lap. My pencil flew over the surface and a list of information appeared. I scribbled arrows to connect events. It was the best way I could think of to make sense of the present issues at hand that plagued the crap out of me.

I drank the strong coffee and nibbled snacks as I re-read my notes. An idea formed while I scanned the pages. If I could smoke Aaron out of hiding, since I knew in my gut that he wasn’t in Washington, maybe I could put Rafe in a position to act. The only problem being, I had to approach Jimmy ‘The Pipe’ Giannano. Shit. My father would have a cow if he found out.

The phone cradled in my lap, I dialed Aunt Muffy’s number.

“Hey, Auntie, it’s Vinnie. I have a favor to ask.”

Once I had explained what I wanted, she swore in Italian, and then agreed with a certain amount of reluctance. We made a date for the next day, and I hung up. I tore paper from the pad, crumpled it, and then tossed it in the wastebasket. I leaned back against the sofa and considered my plan.

It was risky at best. If Aaron was in the picture and Rafe was filming everything, then Aaron would be bound to come to my aid if he thought I was in imminent danger from Jimmy “The Pipe”. Call me stupid, but it was the best plan I could manage.

There had to be a connection between Aaron, Rafe, Dona Desmaris, Iva Lindon, and Galumpky. The only common denominator I could think of was mob-related money laundering. Galumpky had laundered money for the mob and got greedy. Iva Lindon somehow managed to cash in on Galumpky. Dona found out about it all. Where Rafe and Aaron came into the mix was still uncertain. Only time would reveal all, and the clock was ticking fast.

The phone rang. I answered and heard my mother’s voice on the other end. She rambled on about the money made from the bake sale and how the elderly had enjoyed their day of fun from the profits. I murmured appropriately as she went on and on. She hesitated a moment to ask if I was all right.

“Sure, things are great. The semester has ended and all my shopping is done for the holidays. What could be better than that?” So I lied. We know where I was headed, anyway. The gates to Hell would be wide open when I skidded in sideways.

“Are you sure? You sound odd,” Mom said.

Mothers have that super sense where they can tell from a galaxy away that things are not right with their little chicks. How? Search me. I wasn’t a mom and had no intention of being one soon, either.

“Nothing is wrong, honest,” I insisted. “I always feel this way after a semester ends and the students are off to a different class in the next semester. I just get used to them and they’re gone.”

“Are you sure, dear?” Mom asked with worry in her voice.

“I’m sure. How’s the shop going?”

A chuckle crossed the line and I had to smile. My mother was enjoying her new position. This had been a good idea, I thought with feelings of relief.

“The girls are so sweet. We have a great time. Thank you for asking me to work with them. They need a break, you know.”

“Well, they’ll get one when the holiday is over and the sale is done. There’s a three-day sale between Christmas and the New Year. You’ll be needed full time that week. Can you manage it?” My mother would have walked through crushed glass if I asked, so the answer was apparent.

“If you need me to be there, Lavinia, I will be,” she answered. “You can count on me, dear.”

A smile stretched across my face at her words.

“Did you know that Gianna is related to Dona Desmaris?” my mother wondered.

Surprised, I said, “No, I didn’t know that. Why do you ask?”

“She mentioned that Dona was her grandmother. Gianna said Dona knows Nonni very well. How that is, I can’t imagine.”

The time had come to tell my mother the truth about Nonni and Dona’s husband. With as much care as possible, I told her of the connection. The silence lengthened when I stopped speaking.

“Lavinia, I find that interesting. Nonni did have a wild side when she was younger. I heard that from Muffy. She knows about that side of Nonni. I think that’s where Muffy gets her mob attraction.”

“It’s likely,” I agreed. “I’m surprised you aren’t shocked by this revelation, Mom.”

“It isn’t shocking, just a bit surprising that the whole situation kind of comes full circle. I guess that Rafael is a distant relation of Dona’s, as well. Muffy said that the two original families came to America on the same ship from Italy.”

My breath caught in my throat as I swallowed that tidbit of information. Not only was Rafe related to the Trapezi family, but he was also related to the Desmaris family. Well, doesn’t that beat all? That was the connection, I thought. It was there all the time, and I hadn’t seen it. Dang, I hate when that happens.

We spoke for a few more minutes. Before I hung up, I begged a bunch of cookies from my mother. She agreed with no questions asked. We all have to be grateful for the little things in life.

I thought about Rafael. It was just too good to be true. Dona had never recognized or seemed to notice Rafael when he was at the senior center. At least, I had never seen them together. Hmm.

A rap on the front door broke into my thoughts and I answered on the second, louder rap. Lola stood on the doorstep waving a bag of goodies and holding up a bottle of wine.

With a grin, I stepped aside and swept my arm outward, so she could enter. Sniffing the bag, I wondered what concoction she’d put together this time. I followed her into the kitchen. I slid plates across the counter. Wine glasses chinked as they tapped the counter.

Lola pulled the cork from the bottle and poured the sweet-smelling, rich burgundy liquid into the glasses. I opened the bag and pulled the foil-covered container onto the counter. The aromatic blend of garlic, red pasta sauce, and chicken permeated the room. Lola had made chicken parmesan set on a bed of al dente pasta.

The Julia Roberts smile spread across her face when I peeled the foil of the container off and inhaled the spicy blend floating up from the food. We spooned portions onto our plates and pulled apart the crusty bread she’d included in the bag. The wine hit the spot as the meal disappeared.

“What brings you by, besides this need to feed me?” I asked around a mouthful of ziti.

“I figured out a plan to expose Rafe and maybe get Aaron to reappear.”

“What kind of plan?” I asked, surprised and a little leery. “If it’s dangerous, I can’t let you get involved. It’s okay if I risk my neck, but you can’t do that. Imagine your parents’ reaction, never mind your brother, Marcus, and Aaron’s.”

“I just thought that if we could draw Aaron out into the open, we could somehow implicate Rafe. Then we would have the proof needed to clear your mother.”

“What do you propose?” I asked, more than a little skeptical, but thankful at her effort to clear my mother.

“We could let it be known there’s evidence remaining in Iva Lindon’s apartment, and that Mr. Perkins happened across it. Then we could set a trap for Rafe, who would be bound to come retrieve the evidence, right? If the word gets out that we’ll be there, I’m sure Aaron will show up and save the day.” She shrugged petite shoulders, her auburn locks bounced, and the Julia smile surfaced again.

As a plan, it was a lot safer than what I had in mind, but then again, it could turn deadly. Especially since Mr. Perkins might get hurt in the bargain. What the hell, we had a lot to lose either way.

“You believe that I really did see Aaron at the mall? And you think this would work? Have you planned any of the details yet?” I asked one question on top of the next while refilling her glass and mine.

“I know you saw him. You’d know him a mile away, Vin.” Lola smirked. “Do you doubt that this would work?” she asked. “Have you got a better idea? So far as details, well, um, I thought we could work that out together.” Lola twiddled with her fork. I knew she hadn’t thought it through.

“You’re on the right track, Lola, but I wouldn’t want to see Mr. Perkins involved in our mess.” I sipped the wine. “I do have an idea, though. It’s much more dangerous than yours, and involves Jimmy ‘The Pipe.’”

Her wine glass stopped in midair as Lola’s brown eyes focused on my face. “You’re shittin’ me, right?”

“Like I said, it’s only an idea. I called Muffy to ask if she’d help by running interference for me with Jimmy. She knows everyone at the social club on Federal Hill. Muffy wasn’t real happy about the request but agreed to it.” I toyed with a shred of bread for a second. “Rafe’s been filming the happenings on the Hill and has the photos to prove it. I saw them for myself. I figure if Jimmy will meet with me, Aaron might get wind of it and come to what he thinks is my rescue. You know how these guys get when they think I’ve overstepped my bounds?”

With a burst of laughter, Lola said, “Hell, your idea is much better than mine. More exciting, too. So how does Rafe fit into this?” Lola’s brown eyes sparkled.

“He films all that happens with the mob. He has me and my parents, you, and the mob on his film cards. Rafe must have set up a place that’s close enough to get the pictures. I was surprised to see my mug and those of my parents, but he is a fed, after all. I’m sure he’ll be around tomorrow, especially if I let it be known I’ll be on the Hill.”

“Let’s do it. What’s your excuse to meet with Jimmy?”

“His mother is friends with Nonni. I thought I’d take Jimmy some of my mother’s pastry, wrapped in a brown paper bag. I’ll deliver it to him as a gift for his mother from Nonni and ‘The Bake Sale Queen
’
. It will appear that I’m making some kind of deal, and Rafe might think I’m handing the journal over to Jimmy, since nobody will know what’s in the bag except me, Muffy, you, and Jimmy. What do you think?” I grinned at the look on Lola’s face.