J.M. Griffin - Vinnie Esposito 05 - Season for Murder (26 page)

Jimmy signaled the waiter again and another round of espresso was served. My nerves had reached overdrive and another cup of pure caffeine hummed its way through my system. I fiddled with the tiny spoon as I watched Jimmy pour more liquor into my cup.

Lola grinned, Muffy smirked, and Jimmy smiled in satisfaction as I sipped. Why? I hadn’t a clue. I just hoped that I had accomplished what I came for.

A half-hour of small talk passed before we rose from the gingham-covered table and prepared to leave. I looked out the window at the two restaurants across the Piazza and nearly fainted when I saw Aaron leave the door wedged between the buildings. My gaze moved upward as a sheer curtain twitched. A faint shadow moved behind the curtain, but I couldn’t make out who it was. I glanced down and finished buttoning my coat, as though I hadn’t seen anything. My heart pounded so loud, I thought everyone could hear it.

As we turned to leave, Jimmy tossed money on the table and grabbed the package. A crooked little grin touched the edges of his mouth as he turned away from me. My eyes wandered the courtyard. I saw Aaron standing outside the restaurant across from us. He waited. My heart pounded harder. Showtime, places, everyone, I thought in a moment of panic.

As we left the restaurant, I glanced back to see the Rudolph Valentino look-alike staring at me. His luscious brown eyes were narrowed. I knew we had been made. He was no waiter. He had to be undercover law enforcement.

Aaron had disappeared from view when I reached the street. Jimmy said his goodbyes, thanked us for joining him, and for the gift to his mother. He placed the hat on his head and kissed us all before he moved away.

With a sigh of relief that the episode was over, I turned to walk away. A commotion at the end of the courtyard caught my eye. Men in dark blue garb with FBI draped across their jackets swung into action and accosted Jimmy ‘The Pipe.’

Appalled at the sight, I momentarily stood in silence. My inner voice started to yell,
Get these women the hell out of here, Vinnie.
In a fraction of a second, I dragged the two women away from the fracas and pushed them into the nearest shop.

We stood in the window and peered down the courtyard as the FBI and the SWAT team secured the package from Jimmy. Calm and cool, he stood at ease while handcuffs were slapped onto his wrists. He never opened his mouth, but glanced around instead. His eyes caught Muffy’s, he nodded as did she, and then he turned away.

The boys in blue opened the package and stood back in disappointment. Their egos were deflated. It was easy to see. I smirked a bit and again realized whose side I was on … my mother’s side. She would not be found guilty, but instead, she would be vindicated. I had no doubt that Rafe was in this up to his blue eyeballs and had set my mother up for the fall.

FBI agents undid the cuffs and handed the package back to Jimmy. They spoke to him and then moved out of sight. Jimmy turned toward the shop and waved. He laughed, and I breathed in relief once again.

It was time to leave Federal Hill before things got dicey. The three of us hurried across the Piazza in haste. My stride was much longer than those of Muffy and Lola. I slowed a tad, so they could keep up. We rounded the corner toward the car when I glanced up the street and came to a complete stop.

The door to the social club stood wide open. Rafe struggled to get free from Jimmy’s grasp and Aaron stood aside, watching the scene. In a flash, I heard gunshots.

The two women were ahead of me on their way to the car in the opposite direction from the social club. I shoved them hard and sent them flying faster toward the vehicle.

“Get in and get down. Hurry,” I yelled at them.

The car doors swung open as Lola and Muffy jumped inside. They hunkered down on the seats, away from the gunshots. I glanced back for a second as the scene unfolded.

Rafe held a gun on Jimmy. No sign of blood was evident from this distance. Jimmy pulled his arm back so fast that I almost didn’t see the movement and then he punched Rafe. The blow landed so hard, I could hear the crunch of bone from where I stood. Rafe flew backward and Aaron jumped him when he hit the pavement.

The FBI and city police surrounded the three men, pulling Aaron off Rafe, arresting all of them. I watched in silence as they were dragged away.

Within moments, the neighborhood stood empty. Alone outside the car, I was glued to the ground while Muffy and Lola huddled within. As I turned to get in, I caught sight of Detective Bellini when he exited the social club. He shook hands with a well-known mobster and smiled.

Scared shitless, I jumped into the car and sped away from Federal Hill as though the devil was hot on my wheels. He probably was. Who knows?

Chapter 23

It wasn’t until we hit the bottom of the hill and headed toward Muffy’s house that the two women sat up straight in their seats. I kept glancing in the mirror while Muffy yelled at me. Lola glanced around, her face as pale as a ghost.

“What the hell did you think you were doing, standing out there? You could have been shot,” Muffy yelled at me. Auntie and Lola sat side-by-side in the backseat. They’d both tumbled into the car at the same time.

“Auntie, don’t yell. It’s not good for your blood pressure,” I said in as calm a voice as I could muster.

“She’s right, Vin. You could have been injured or worse,” Lola added.

“Did you see Bellini come out of the club?” I asked, my eyes flicking to the rearview mirror.

“No, we were hiding,” they both said at once.

I turned down Muffy’s street and pulled into her driveway.

I cut the engine. Stillness pervaded the car and its passengers for a brief period. I guessed we were all trying to get our emotions under control. Muffy opened the car door and stepped out, with Lola not far behind.

“Come into the house and I’ll make some tea, or maybe a good stiff drink,” Muffy directed.

I followed the two women into the bungalow and dropped onto the living room sofa. My tense body relaxed within the confines of the soft, overstuffed cushions. All told, the day hadn’t been too bad so far. Until gunfire erupted, that is.

Across from me, Lola settled in a chair. She flipped through a magazine, but kept glancing at me. When she couldn’t stand the silence any longer, she tossed it aside and leaned forward, her hands clasped together.

“That was a foolish thing you did back there. You could have been shot, ya know? Cripes, you scare me sometimes, Vinnie.” Lola’s deep brown eyes stared at me. There were worry furrows between her eyebrows.

“You’re right,” I admitted. “When the gun went off, I couldn’t move. My legs froze in place and my feet were planted to the ground.”

“I guess that was why you didn’t want me involved, huh?” Lola asked, clasping and unclasping her fingers.

“Yeah, exactly.”

Lola shrugged. “Jimmy didn’t seem so dangerous when we were having coffee with him.”

“Lola, he’s a thug,” I assured her. “A well-paid, no-remorse, lifelong criminal. He probably has a rap sheet that stretches farther than the eye can see. Don’t be taken in by his friendly manner.”

“Right, well, okay,” she mumbled.

“Muffy paved the way for us. It’s as simple as that.”

The cups rattled as Muffy brought the teapot-laden tray into the room. I rose and took it from her. She settled next to me on the sofa and poured the brew into the cups.

“Auntie, tell me why Jimmy wasn’t surprised when the cops and FBI came on the scene.” I watched the smile creep across her lips as she handed the first cup of tea to Lola.

“Honey, you don’t think I’d make the mistake of setting him up, do you? I like living and breathing too well for that.”

“So you told him what I had planned?” I stared at her, unable to believe she hadn’t thought twice about setting me up with a gangster.

“When I called him, he knew there was more to the story than cookies for his mother. Please, Lavinia, he’s not stupid, you know.”

“So, what did you say to him?” I asked.

We sipped our tea and listened as Muffy explained how she had mentioned there was a traitor in their midst. She also explained Rafe’s relationship to Dona, which I hadn’t realized Muffy was aware of. When my mother’s name entered their conversation, Jimmy understood the need to prove my mother innocent and had agreed to the meeting. He also had said that he had known my father in the past.

Unwilling to ask the question uppermost in my mind, I stuffed down the knowledge that Jimmy ‘The Pipe’ and my father were acquainted. I had known my father was friends with Jimmy ‘The Neck,’ since they’d grown up in the same neighborhood. ‘The Neck’ was an enforcer who now resided as a guest of the State of Rhode Island’s prison system.

Bewildered by the fact that I hadn’t fooled anyone but myself, I leaned against the soft cushions and tilted my head back. Why did I do the things I do, I wondered? My mother’s face popped into my head. I knew the answer to the question. There wasn’t much I wouldn’t do for my family.

We chatted about the police and FBI for a while until the doorbell rang. Auntie rose to answer it, but I said I would get it. She sat back and sipped her tea.

The door opened and outside Aaron Grant stood alive and well on the doorstep. He stared at me for a moment and then pulled me outside and gave me a bear hug.

“Vinnie Esposito, you scare the crap out of me. You really do.” He let go and stepped back to look at me, his hands on my arms.

“I do?” I asked.

“Uh-huh, you do.” He stepped past me into the room and turned as I closed the door. “Don’t ever pull a stunt like that again. Good God, you could have been killed when the gun went off. What were you thinking?” Hands on his hips in a Superman stance, he waited for me to answer his question.

“I wasn’t thinking that far in advance, I guess,” I admitted to him.

In an instant, I found myself once again enfolded within his strong arms and held tight to his broad chest. I could feel his heart beat against my chest. I tilted my head upward and smiled, thanking God that I was indeed alive.

Dark eyes peered into mine, his head lowered, and his warm lips met mine. I didn’t struggle or do anything, but enjoyed the kiss and his embrace. Say I’m stupid, or dumb, or lucky. Whatever. Aaron’s kiss felt good, and I enjoyed it. An eternity could have passed, I wasn’t sure, but he finally stepped away and then smiled at me.

“Who’s at the door, Lavinia?” Muffy called from the other room.

“It’s Aaron,” I called back and led the way into the living room. “He already made bail and wanted to be sure we were fine.”

Dark eyes gleamed at me when we entered the room. Aaron smiled and turned his charm on high when he met Muffy’s skeptical stare. He greeted Lola with a smile and the Julia smile met him in return.

“Would you like some tea, young man, or something stronger perhaps?” Muffy asked with a nod.

“Tea will be fine.” Aaron smiled and sat next to her on the sofa. His charm enfolded Muffy like a warm cloak, I could tell by her reaction.

“I’ll take care of it,” I said to her and went into the kitchen for a cup and saucer. When I returned, Aaron had turned the situation to his advantage and the two women chuckled at his rendition of the story. He related how he’d managed to get out of jail without being charged. The two women nodded, but I knew how he’d managed it. They didn’t know he was FBI.

*    *    *

Two hours later, I drove into the Salt & Pepper Deli parking lot. Lola gathered her handbag and some recipes Aunt Muffy had shared with her. Before getting out, Lola turned to me and smiled.

“We did it, huh? We saved your mother from going to jail.” Pleased at the prospect, Lola grinned with satisfaction.

“We sure did and I’m exhausted. Thank goodness the holidays are here. Now I can relax for a while.” I laughed.

“Do you think Jimmy will go to jail?”

“Nah, he probably made bail right away. After all, Aaron did say Rafe tried to shoot him, not the other way around,” I said.

“If Aaron returns home tonight, why don’t you two come to the deli for supper?”

“Sure, I’ll call you later.”

The car door clicked shut and I headed up the street toward the colonial I shared with Aaron Grant. The Yukon with the license plates “HIROLLR” sat in the driveway. I parked next to the gigantic beast and swept into the house and up the stairs.

The door to the second floor apartment swung wide as I reached the top step. Aaron beckoned me inside with a wide grin that turned into laughter. He swept me into his arms once more and twirled me around in the kitchen.

As I left his embrace, I asked what he thought he was doing by hiding out in the City of Providence. An innocent look appeared on his face, and I laughed out loud.

“I was not hiding out in Providence,” he insisted and poured a glass of wine that he handed to me.

“Don’t lie to me. Cough it up. The truth—I know you can share it with me. I’ll just badger you until you do, anyway, so fess up, Grant, right now.” I leaned against the counter in the kitchen that mimicked mine.

“Fine, let’s go into the living room and relax.” He walked away from me. I wondered if he was trying to buy time.

Settled in the high-back chair beside the fireplace, I took stock of the room before I turned my gaze toward the man I had missed more than I realized. Aaron stared back at me before he started to tell his story.

I listened as he went through the information that I had already figured out on my own, concerning Iva Lindon’s blackmail schemes. She had stolen the money and journal from Dona’s apartment and hid it in her own for safe-keeping. Dona knew Iva had stolen it and asked Rafe to get it back. He’d approached Iva and she wouldn’t give the money or the journal up.

I listened with rapt attention as the story unfolded.

Rafe was an FBI agent turned traitor. His family background had always been questioned by the agency, but he’d proven himself so many times that nobody thought twice when he put in for the undercover job in Providence. It was an embarrassment to the agency that nobody was aware of his relationship to Dona Desmaris and the mob.