by Keene, Susan
Before Ryan had a chance to respond, the buzzer signaled someone wanted to come upstairs. He walked over and said back over his shoulder. “I don’t think either one of us needs to make another trip. Nathan and the men have all of it in the lift and are on their way up.”
Sophie hugged me and Ryan and petted Chili as she begged for attention. “I have so much to tell you two.”
I rescued her from Chili’s constant flitting. “Sorry, you know everyone is a new person for the first five minutes.”
She reached over to take Chili back. “Actually, I missed her. Waking up without the help of a cold nose on your cheek is overrated. Once Tony and I are settled, we plan to get a dog. Pets are something we weren’t allowed to have when we were children.”
Ryan and Tony moved the boxes and bags into the room they stayed in. I heard Ryan tell Tony, “Let’s put this stuff in the next bedroom. No one uses it. It’ll give you much more room.”
Tony walked down the hall to look at the other bedroom. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure. Kate and I are moving to our house as soon as the rooms are painted and the furniture arrives.”
“Great. Sophie and I are sure we don’t want to live in the East where her name is associated with the mob.”
Sophie joined them. I heard the conversation because they stood in the hallway. “He’s right. When I go into law practice I want to use my own name. I will be Mrs. Anthony Marino, except for my job.”
Ryan glanced my way. “It’s a subject we haven’t approached yet. Kate and Amy have a following under Nash and Perkins. I’ve got mixed feelings. There’s never been a Mrs. Ryan Meade and I like the thought of it being Kate. Half of me wonders why a woman is supposed to lose part of her identity and change her last name.”
I walked over and gave him a kiss. “I didn’t think we discussed marriage yet.”
He didn’t back down. “We both know it’ll come with time. I could never leave Chili.”
I playfully poked him in the ribs. “How long has it been since the two of you have eaten?”
Tony rubbed his belly as if he were starving. “Nathan got us some burgers when we filled up the car the last time. It wasn’t exactly a meal. I’m too tired to cook and I don’t want any more fast food.”
Ryan patted him on the back. “I can fix this problem.” He looked at his watch. “Can you wait an hour?”
Sophie put her arm around his waist. “Yes, he can wait. He isn’t going to faint or anything.”
An hour later, the elevator called us. Ryan went down and came back with four large boxes. He barely sat them on the table before he was summoned again. This trip he carried two large boxes and a loaf of Italian bread. It happened again. “This is the last time, I promise. Kate will you get some plates and Tony would you open a bottle of wine?”
“Red or white?”
Ryan came over to the table and opened the boxes and removed real glass containers of food. “There’s a large choice, so let’s have one of each.”
The boxes contained a Chinese dinner including Crab Rangoon and Egg Drop Soup. There was Rigatoni with Sand dabs, Caesar Salad, and warm bread. Last but not least was Shrimp, crab cakes, salmon with lemon sauce, baked potatoes and, four huge brownies.
Sophie sat and looked at all the food. “This is more than generous, Ryan.”
“My pleasure,” he answered. My chef from The Magnolia was happy to do it. Let’s toast to good food, family, love, and friendship.”
We didn’t talk about ourselves or our problems during dinner. I was relaxed and happy.
Together we cleaned up the mess and retired to the living room with our glasses and our bellies full. It was time to talk about Dominic and the lessons learned while they were gone.
Sophie related the facts of their trip. “I told you some of this on the phone the other night. I’ll try not to repeat myself. I know from what I found in the house, the accounts and from talking to the men. Dominic had this all planned.”
Tony took a sip of his wine. “The supposed marriage between Johnny and Sophie was a ruse to get the Lombardi family to let their guard down. His fatal mistake was trusting Dominic. As soon as they had Johnny in a situation where he relaxed around them, he was assassinated. The murder of Samuel was a cover-up so they would all be too busy to look for Johnny until the De Marco family was out of harm’s way.”
Sophie reached into a packet she had next to her on the floor. “This is a sample of Dominic’s sense of humor. “
I opened the letter. Dear Kate,
It’s a good thing you didn’t try to make it in acting. Sorry you are so distraught about your childhood. Here is a little something to ease the disappointment.
Sophie reached for the packet again and handed me a cashier’s check. “This has got to be a joke or a hoax. Why would he give me this?”
Ryan came over and looked over my shoulder. “I guess you won’t have to worry about whether the bills will get paid or not.”
Sophie tried to put an explanation with the check. “I know you’re shocked that Dominic would leave you a check for one million dollars. I went to the bank where it was printed. It is indeed real and yours.”
I read the letter again. “He knows Denise Madison, my mother. He has to. How else would he know about my false childhood? As soon as you are rested, it is time to call on her. She knows more and doesn’t want us to know.”
Sophie, Tony, and Ryan all said “yes” at the same time.
I took another look at the amount of the check. “I don’t want his money.”
Sophie moved over to sit beside me.”Yes, you do. You deserve it. Give it away. There has to be something you are passionate about. You’re not the only one who received a letter and a check. Tony received one as did his mother and the principles of the now-defunct crime mob he represented.”
Tony filled my glass with more wine and offered more to the others. “I had the same reaction as you. My letter said he didn’t want me to marry someone who held the purse strings so I should have some money of my own. As far as we could tell from the checkbook, he gave everyone between fifty-thousand and a million depending on their standing and loyalty to the family. One of the biggest checks went to my mother, and one went to your mother.”
I looked at Ryan for guidance. “That answers a multitude of questions. Now that we know who, the only question left is why. As for the money, I agree with Sophie. Give it to charity.”
I was weary and didn’t want to talk about Dominic’s money. He made me and my sister’s lives lies, and to ease his conscience he wanted to throw money at it. “Let’s go to Mother’s.”
Sophie stood. “Yes, as soon as we get a good night’s sleep. Maybe you should make a stop at a bank. Ryan can show you how to arrange the accounts so they’re all insured. We’re going to rest now. Any time after noon tomorrow is good to go to Florida.”
We all said our goodnights. Ryan and I took a long walk with the dog. I didn’t have anything to say. I wondered if I should tell Amy and maybe give her some of the money.
I tossed and turned so much I woke Ryan several times. Once I must have dozed off because Ryan shook me gently to tell me he had a hot bath waiting for me. He thought it would calm me down. As he left the bathroom he stopped. “The money need not make you anxious. As close as you and Amy are, I would think long and hard before I told her the details of your new found wealth. Money has a way of driving a wedge into any relationship. Now soak and relax. Everything will work out.”
Ryan again was wise. By the time the bath water cooled. I was drowsy. Once I slipped under the warm covers, I slept like a baby.
A noise scared me. The room was dark so I knew it was the middle of the night. What woke me was a dream or a nightmare. I wasn’t sure which. Denise Madison was at my high school graduation. I asked about my childhood and she handed me a check for a million dollars. At my college graduation, I said I wished my father was alive to see me get my degree. She gave me a check. The dream went through e
very highpoint in my life. At every occasion she handed me money.
The check was on the dining room table. I got up, walked in and looked at it for a long time. I tore it into a dozen small pieces, put it in a small bowl, took it out on the balcony and burned it. I let the ashes drift away in the morning breeze.
I crawled back into bed, snuggled up to Ryan, and went to back to sleep.
The alarm went off at eight. “Why do we need an alarm?” I asked.
“We have a lot to do today. It‘ll take awhile to straighten out your money and put it someplace safe. I chartered a plane to fly us all to Florida. We need to be at the airport by about two.”
I wondered how he would take the news that I was a millionaire for less than twelve hours.
He walked around the bed and sat down next to me “Is there something wrong? Do you still want to visit your mother?”
I laid my hand on his leg. “It’s not that. I tore up Dominic’s bribery check up and burned it. No one should be able to negate your life and give you money thinking it would ease the wrong that was done. The money will go into Sophie’s account and she can give it away.”
“I would have been surprised if you kept the money.” I hugged him. “So now we have some extra time we didn’t think we would have, right?”
“Right.”
We made good use of our free time.
CHAPTER 33
T he four of us arrived in St. Petersburg in time to check into a motel, have a great dinner, and discuss our plan for the next day―and Mother.
Sophie sat with her feet tucked under her on the couch next to Tony. “I think we should all go and not give her any warning.”
He put his arm on the back of the couch where she sat. “I have learned you can find out more if no one knows you’re coming.”
I sat at the desk. “I agree. Let’s go early afternoon so if she’s teaching, she’ll be done for the day, and home.”
Ryan got out of the chair he sat in. “It’s late. Since we all could use the rest, I propose we meet in the lobby at eleven. We’ll have brunch somewhere and head out there.”
We all agreed. They went next door to their own room.
The weather was warm and sunny. A gentle breeze blew in from the ocean. Ryan and I went for a walk on the beach.
Tony rented a car. The ride to Mother’s was quiet which made it longer than ever. He parked a block from the house. We walked the rest of the way. I thought it best to go to the back and go in through the door off the deck.
When Ryan opened the door, we walked through the empty kitchen and into the den. Mother sat in her favorite chair and appeared to be interested in a magazine. A man lounged on the couch, his face covered with a ball hat and his head rested on a pillow.
He sat up; the hat fell to the cushion. And there sat Dominic De Marco. Mother looked up and dropped the magazine to her lap. It dawned on me, she had never seen Sophia and me together before. “Why are you here?” She said it the way you’d talk to an intruder.
I looked at Dominic. “I believe a better question is what’s he doing here? He’s dead, you know.”
Her face paled. “We can explain all of this.”
I couldn’t keep the contempt out of my voice. “Hopefully you can explain it better than you did last time I was here.”
Sophie walked to Dominic and stood in front of him. “You look pretty good for a dead man.”
His hair was long. I’d say he hadn’t had a haircut since he left the Compound. He was dressed in well-worn jeans and a polo style shirt with no visible logo. “What three people had to die in that car for you to get the luxury of sitting in a condo by the beach?”
He looked up at her. “They were homeless. No one will miss them.” He sounded surly and unrepentant. “My, you two have a lot of anger for two women who grew up with every advantage, including college and law school.”
I looked from Mom to Dominic. “Do you think that’s enough to make up for kidnapping two babies, lying about our heritage and making our entire lives a lie?”
Ryan came to me and wrapped his arms around me from behind. “This will not get us anywhere. We’ll all sit down and listen to the story I am sure these two would like to share now that it makes no difference to anyone but these two women.”
Since neither Mother nor Dominic offered us a seat, we sat where we wanted. Tony sat next to Dominic, Ryan and I sat side by side on a loveseat, and Sophie sat on the other side of the room where she could see everyone clearly.
Dominic ran his hand through his hair. “We don’t owe you an explanation.” He looked Sophie in the eye. “Since you’re my only daughter, I will explain.”
I leaned forward and looked at the woman. “Who are you?
Denise looked at Dominic. It looked as though she wanted his okay to answer. “I’m Denise Madison.”
I couldn’t believe her answer. “One question, one lie.”
Tony crossed his arms over his chest. “Let me tell you what we know, and you can correct our facts or fill in the blanks. We know Denise Madison died in a car crash in 1970. Her driver’s license, social security card, and credit cards were not used until 1975 when she miraculously came back to life as a college graduate and taught high school. It happens to follow the same timeline as Louise De Marco’s death.
We stared at her. The blood seemed to drain from her face. She slumped in her chair.
Dominic spoke up. “I’m your uncle. Your mother was my sister?”
Sophie asked. “If our mother was a De Marco, who’s Roxy Watkins?”
Dominic grinned. “It was a name she used to hide her identity from people she didn’t want to find her.”
“What people? Her husband thought her name was Roxy Watkins.”
He turned toward me. “The ones that eventually killed her. Did you meet Jonathon? I’ve never even met him. I considered him a diversion to keep my sister busy while she was in exile.”
Ryan joined the conversation for the first time. “Wouldn’t it be easier to tell us the story instead of playing twenty questions and making derogatory statements about their mother and father?”
Denise chimed in. “We would like to have a life after today. You know more than you should now. “
I leaned forward and glared at her. “We also know you were never a surgical nurse, there was not a Dr. Signorelli, and Sally Jeffers was a janitor and not a nurse.”
Sophie chimed in. “Our mother was not a Lombardo, she was not killed in a shootout in 1980, but she was shot to death in 1988. We were not born at Honor Hospital but at Missouri Baptist to Roxy Watkins and Jonathon Gaddu.” Sophie stretched her legs out in front of her. “We want you to fill in the gaps in our story. You can start by telling us why our birth certification has an alias listed as our mother’s name.”
Dominic put the ball cap back on his head. “We’ve kept the secrets this long, why not let it go? You will put us in danger.”
Tony tapped his fingertips on the arm of the couch. I knew it to be a sign he was irritated. “How can you be in danger? The De Marco crime syndicate is defunct as is the Lombardi family.”
Denise glared at her. “If you believe those two families are the only danger from the Mafia, you are naïve.”
I asked again. “Who are you?”
“I’m Louisa De Marco, just like you figured out. I’m your aunt. Margaret was our youngest sister.”
“Sophie kicked her shoes off and tucked her legs under her. “So our father is Jonathon Gaddu, the play write, and our mother was Margaret De Marco. That part is true.”
Dominic looked at Sophie. “Yes, how did you figure that out?”
It was Sophie’s chance to grin. “My sister is a private investigator. We’ll ask the questions and you answer them. Why didn’t you give us to our father?”
“Your father is a soft man who couldn’t stand up for ten minutes to the people we were protecting your mother from. He had no idea she had ties to the Mafia. I would have had to come out and burst his bubble
about his beautiful red-haired wife. She was safe until you were six. Jonathon was in France with his dying mother. A movie was being shot around New York. She had always wanted to be in the movies. I can’t remember a time when she put anyone else’s safety ahead of her own desires.”
Ryan asked. “Why don’t we cut to the chase? What did their mother do, see, or hear that put her in such mortal danger? And what happened to her? Also, while we’re at it,” he glanced at Denise, “Why did you split these women up when they were babies?”
Dominic stood. “If we are going to tell you all of that, I need a drink. Anyone else?”
Denise stood also. “I’ll go and help.”
Tony put his hand up. “You rest. I’ll go with him. I’d feel much better if the two of you were not alone together. He moved his arm in a sweeping manner to include, Sophie, Ryan, and me. “All of us are weary of this entire mystery. These women deserve to know the answers to all the questions Ryan asked.”
Dominic didn’t say a word. He left the room with Tony at his heels. A few minutes later, they were back with iced tea and condiments. Once we were all settled, Dominic opened up, “Your mother, Margaret De Marco was vacationing with her sister Louise in Las Vegas.” He pointed to Kate’s mother. “Margie wanted to shop and Louise didn’t. She took off on her own and left the strip to find a candy shop she’d heard about. Little did she know that the Vegas Mob used the back of that location as a meeting place. There was no closed sign on the door and the inside wasn’t dark. Your mother went in. She wandered around looking at things when she heard gunfire. Three men ran out of the back room, through the shop, and out the door. She ran at the first shot, but they were moving so fast, one of them knocked her down so hard it broke her leg.
“The men left in a car. There were no cell phones then. She stayed on the concrete until someone who heard the shots called 911. Margie ended up in the hospital with her sister at her side. You were there Louise, tell them what happened.”
“It was cold. She was in shock, badly bruised and suffered a compound fracture. They kept her overnight for observation. In the wee hours of the morning, two men came into the room. One man covered Margie’s mouth and nose so she couldn’t get a breath. He told us he didn’t know who she was, but he would find out. If she ever told a soul, they would kill her. He looked up and read her information. Margaret Dc Marco. The other man put a gun to my head and warned me too. I was sure Margie would be dead by the time the man removed his hand. At first, she flailed her arms and kicked her feet. By the time he let go she was still.”
