Murder at the Mistletoe Ball

by J. D. Griffo

  “Sergio has a problem with the cops?” Vinny asked.

  “My son doesn’t particularly like authority,” Tommy said. “No offense.”

  “Why not?” Alberta asked. “You said he was never in trouble with the police. Why should he mistrust them?”

  “Because of me,” Tommy said. “I got in trouble with the police, and ever since then, Sergio’s had a chip on his shoulder wherever the cops are concerned.”

  Tommy explained that he was working for a large utility company and was accused of stealing equipment. Unable to prove his innocence, he was fired. The Florida cops made him a scapegoat and it tarnished his reputation, making it impossible for him to get hired by another company. A month later there were more thefts, and lo and behold, the real culprit turned out to be one of Tommy’s coworkers, who was revealed to be the brother of a local cop. Sergio was young and impressionable at the time and it was his first real, hands-on experience with the police. They treated his father horribly and he could never forgive them.

  “Dipende sempre dalla famiglia,” Alberta said.

  “That it does,” Sloan agreed.

  Lisa Marie’s jaw dropped this time. She couldn’t believe what she had just heard come out of Sloan’s mouth.

  “Do not tell me that you speak Italian too?” she asked.

  “Since I’ve gotten closer to your mother, I’ve been studying Italian,” Sloan said.

  “His accent is terrible, but he gets his point across,” Alberta said. “What I said was, it always comes down to family.”

  “That it does,” Tommy said.

  “And speaking of family, let’s go and share this news with everyone,” Alberta said. “It’s time for us to plan our next move.”

  CHAPTER 8

  Due sono la compagnia, tre sono una folla.

  “The Mistletoe Ball is going to be the death of me!”

  Jinx made that declaration the moment she threw open the door and stood in Alberta’s kitchen. Her long black hair looked more wild than wavy and the 1980s houndstooth overcoat she was wearing, with full padded shoulders, gave her the silhouette of a football player, so to the untrained eye she looked slightly foreboding. The only ones who were startled by Jinx’s outburst, however, were her parents. The rest of them had gotten so used to people showing up unexpectedly, making grand statements, and looking borderline homicidal, that such dramatic entrances were greeted, if not with applause, then with acceptance. They had become the norm. Lisa Marie and Tommy had obviously lived a quieter life in Florida.

  “Does no one knock around here?” Lisa Marie asked. “I swear to God, somebody’s going to give me a heart attack.”

  “Sorry, Ma,” Jinx said.

  “And you’re lucky you have a boyfriend,” Lisa Marie said. “Walking around town looking like a refugee from the early days of MTV isn’t going to get you a date. I mean, where on earth did you get that coat?”

  “From Aunt Joyce,” Jinx said.

  Lisa Marie turned to face her aunt and smiled, as if she hadn’t just insulted her. “I should’ve known.”

  “Why does the Ball have you in a tizzy, lovey?” Alberta asked.

  “Because it’s making Wyck even more frantic than usual,” Jinx replied. “It’s bad enough that the Ball is making a reappearance after thirtysomething years.”

  “Thirty-two,” Joyce replied.

  “The Ball is also a kickoff to celebrate St. Clare’s because the hospital’s been around for who knows how long,” Jinx added.

  “A hundred years,” Sloan replied.

  “Plus, it’s the start of a series of fundraising events to raise money for a new wing at St. Clare’s to treat some disease,” Jinx finished.

  “That disease would be breast cancer,” Helen said.

  “Honey, isn’t a reporter supposed to be the person who knows the facts?” Tommy asked.

  “I know all the facts, Daddy!” Jinx yelled. “I’m just annoyed that I have to work on all this stuff while Sergio is missing. I swear to God, when we find him, I’m gonna slap him so hard my fingerprints will be permanently tattooed on his face!”

  Lola, who was a born pacifist unless someone ever tried to remove her food dish before she was finished eating, tried to put an end to the yelling by purring and prancing in between Jinx’s legs. It worked. It was also the perfect stress reducer, and when Jinx picked Lola up, she could feel her blood pressure drop. However, her pulse started to race again when she focused on her surroundings and looked across the room.

  Jinx was not accustomed to seeing her grandmother and her mother sitting side by side at the kitchen table and it was an image that filled her with equal parts happiness and fear, not to mention an accelerated heart rate. She was thrilled that they were speaking to each other again, but she was terrified that their next argument was one wrong word away. Hopefully, the search for her brother would take priority and the brutal confrontation between the two women that Jinx feared would take place could be avoided. For a while at least.

  “Now that you’re all here, sit down, because we have some news to share,” Alberta announced.

  “That might bring us closer to finding Sergio,” Lisa Marie added.

  Mother and daughter were actually working together, Jinx thought. Could this be the first in a string of miracles?

  “Unfortunately, we still have no idea where Sergio is,” Alberta said.

  So much for that.

  “We did locate a guy who used to be Natalie’s roommate in New York,” Lisa Marie added.

  That sounded promising.

  “We’re going to pay him a visit tomorrow morning,” Alberta announced.

  That was frustrating.

  “The Mistletoe Ball strikes again!” Jinx cried.

  “What are you talking about, lovey?” Alberta asked.

  “I have an editorial meeting tomorrow morning at eight o’clock so I can’t go with you to New York,” Jinx said. “Wyck is revamping the paper to cash in on the publicity of the Ball, which means we’re adding new columns and features, and I get to write an in-depth series of articles about the history of the hospital decade by decade!”

  “I can help you with that, Jinx,” Sloan said. “I have lots of notes and files on the hospital that go back to the seventies from when I contributed to the special edition of The Herald celebrating Tranquility’s one hundredth anniversary.”

  “You’re a lifesaver, Sloan,” Jinx said. “I’ll stop by the library after my meeting.”

  “Don’t worry, lovey, we’ll fill you in on what we find out when we get back home,” Alberta said. “Helen, I assume you’ll be our chauffeur into the city.”

  “You would assume wrong, Berta,” Helen said.

  “What do you mean?” Alberta asked. “You’re always our chauffeur when we have to drive somewhere to interview a person of interest while investigating a new case.”

  Lisa Marie turned to her husband and threw up her hands. “I cannot believe those words just came out of my mother’s mouth.”

  “I hate to disappoint you, but I’ll be with Jinx tomorrow morning,” Helen said. “I have a meeting with Wyck at nine a.m. sharp.”

  “What does Wyck want to see you about, Helen?” Sloan asked.

  “Something about the opportunity of a lifetime,” Helen replied. “I know Wyck is prone to exaggeration, but I’m always willing to entertain new ideas.”

  “I have a Mistletoe Ball Committee meeting tomorrow morning,” Sloan said. “I would try to reschedule, but Bambi is very strict.”

  “You’re having a meeting with a Disney character?” Lisa Marie asked.

  “No,” Joyce said. “Bambi’s the hospital administrator at St. Clare’s.”

  “A grown woman named Bambi is running a hospital?” Lisa Marie commented.

  “Her real name is Bambina DeBenedetto,” Sloan explained. “Bambi is the lesser of two evils.”

  Lisa Marie once again looked at her husband with a bewildered expression. “I can’t believe the things that come
out of any of their mouths.”

  “Joyce, you’re the head of that committee; does that mean you can’t go tomorrow either?” Alberta asked.

  “The meeting is for library and hospital personnel to discuss the making of the video that tells the history of St. Clare’s,” Joyce explained. “I’m off the hook and can join you.”

  “Gram, keep me posted on what you find out tomorrow,” Jinx said. “And Ma, where are you and Daddy staying tonight?”

  “We’ll check back into the Tranquility Arms,” Tommy suggested.

  “Nonsense,” Alberta said. “You’ll stay with me.”

  Lisa Marie smiled at her mother, and although Alberta could tell it was genuine, she could also tell it was strategic. Her daughter was trying to shield her from inevitable heartache. Wasn’t that supposed to be the other way around?

  “I don’t think that’s such a smart idea, Ma,” Lisa Marie said.

  Even though Alberta knew her daughter was right, she couldn’t stop herself from pursuing the matter. “Why not?” Alberta said. “The two of you already broke in here, why not stay the night?”

  “Just to make it clear with everybody, the back door was unlocked, so, technically, we did not break in,” Tommy said.

  “You’re still my daughter,” Alberta said. “You’re always welcome in my home.”

  “Ma, it’s really nice to see you again—nicer than I ever could have imagined—but I think if Tommy and I stayed here that would be pushing things,” Lisa Marie said. “Living under one roof didn’t go so well for us the first time; I don’t want history to repeat itself. I want this time to be different.”

  Alberta was taken aback by Lisa Marie’s heartfelt words. Her maternal instinct fought against the implication that her home could be considered a war zone, but it wasn’t a concept her logical brain could successfully debate. What filled Alberta with hope was that Lisa Marie was hopeful that they could have a future. That was worth not having them stay in her home.

  “I guess what you’re saying is, Due sono la compagnia, tre sono una folla,” Alberta said.

  “I have no idea what that means,” Lisa Marie said. “But I can guarantee you that I didn’t say it.”

  “Yes, you did,” Helen said. “Two’s company, three’s a crowd.”

  “Oh, well, yeah, I guess I did say that,” Lisa Marie. “I’m sorry, Ma.”

  “Don’t be. I want this time to be different too,” Alberta said. “But I hate to think of you staying at the Arms. A hotel is no place for family.”

  “I’d invite you to stay at my place,” Jinx said. “But I have a roommate.”

  “I have a cot from when I did missionary work in Costa Rica that is surprisingly comfortable,” Helen said.

  “I’m sure it is, Helen, but I have the perfect solution,” Joyce said. “Stay with me.”

  “That’s a wonderful idea, Joyce,” Alberta said. “Her guest room is much more comfortable than anything you’d find at the Arms and you’ll be with family, the way it should be.”

  “Aunt Joyce, you really don’t mind?” Lisa Marie asked.

  “I’ll be insulted if you pick a room at Sanjay’s instead of staying with me,” Joyce said. “Just don’t expect me to cook.”

  “Then it’s settled,” Alberta said. “You two stay with Joyce tonight and in the morning come here and I’ll have breakfast waiting.”

  “That sounds perfect, Ma,” Lisa Marie said.

  And it was. After a good night’s sleep in Joyce’s guest room, they returned to Alberta’s house in the morning and were greeted by the smells of eggs, bacon, pancakes, and sausage. The food tasted better than it smelled, which, considering Alberta was the chef, wasn’t a surprise, and by the time they got into Tommy’s Subaru to drive to New York they were fortified and felt ready for the day’s adventure.

  Lisa Marie thought she was going to be the one to walk up to Rudy Lewendorf’s front door and bombard him with questions about Sergio and Natalie, but Alberta pointed out, very diplomatically, that that wasn’t the best way to yield results. First, no one in New York was going to open their front door to a stranger, and second, no one in New York had a front door like they did in the suburbs. They had doors to their buildings, and the only way to make contact with them was to talk through an intercom to be buzzed up. The only strangers certain to get buzzed up to a New Yorker’s apartment were those delivering food. Which was why Alberta’s bag was filled with a sausage, peppers, and onion hero and a container of rigatoni and broccoli. She needed an option if it turned out Rudy was a vegetarian.

  Tommy found parking across from Rudy’s building, and when they found themselves so close to the first break in their case, Lisa Marie wanted to break the rules.

  “I’m going in with you,” she declared.

  “No, you’re not,” Alberta replied.

  “Ma, Sergio’s my son!” Lisa Marie exclaimed. “I have to help him.”

  “No, I have to help him; that’s why you wrote to me in the first place,” Alberta corrected. “If you come with us, you’ll get all emotional and ruin any chance we have of finding out where Sergio is. This is what we do. We’re far from experts, but we get results. I need you to trust me on that.”

  Lisa Marie let out a deep breath. “Then why are you sitting here? Go find out where my son is.”

  Joyce scanned the names next to the front door and found Lewendorf. Before she pressed the buzzer to apartment 3B, she faced Alberta. “You realize he might have already left for work.”

  “Then we’ll stake out the building until a guy in his late twenties returns,” Alberta said.

  “That narrows down the male population in New York City considerably,” Joyce commented sarcastically.

  “Press the buzzer.”

  Joyce did as she was told, and to their delight, they heard a voice come through the intercom. The voice, however, didn’t sound as delighted as the women felt.

  “Who is it?” the voice bellowed.

  “Food delivery,” Joyce said.

  “I didn’t order anything,” the voice replied. “You got the wrong apartment.”

  “It’s from Natalie!” Alberta shouted.

  The five seconds it took for the buzzer to ring felt like an eternity. Before they entered the building, Alberta turned to give Lisa Marie and Tommy the thumbs-up, a gesture that was greeted by matching stunned expressions. Alberta practically floated up the three flights of stairs, secure in the knowledge that she had once again impressed her daughter. She would have to work harder to get the same response from Rudy.

  “Whoa!” Rudy shouted. “You two don’t look like Natalie’s friends.”

  “We’re not exactly friends,” Alberta confessed.

  “More like business associates,” Joyce said.

  Rudy looked doubtful. “Guess it takes all kinds.”

  After a brief hesitation he let them inside, and Alberta and Joyce immediately had flashbacks of the apartments that dotted the buildings where they grew up. Small boxes with little light and less elbow room. To their immediate left was a galley kitchen and to the right was a refrigerator with alphabet letter magnets on the door that didn’t spell out any words found in the English language and, next to it, a closet door. Straight ahead was a dual-purpose space serving as a dining area and living room. The door to the bathroom could be seen just off the hallway to the right that presumably led to the bedroom because the lounge chair in the main area didn’t look like it would make a comfortable bed even for someone as wiry as Rudy.

  It was a typical New York apartment for a young man just starting out in life. But even though Rudy was a few years from his thirtieth birthday, he had a world-weary look about him. Alberta assumed it was the hallmark of the busy New Yorker, who burned both ends of the candle. Or she misinterpreted his look, and he was just nervous about having two strangers in his home.

  Rudy drummed his fingers on the kitchen table and his left hand was clenched in a fist and digging into his waist. Every few seconds his foot tappe
d on the hard wood floor; he was rhythm in motion. A forced smile was interrupted by a facial tic that made the left corner of his mouth twitch like he was hearing something funny that no one else in the room could hear. If it weren’t for his mop of thick red hair, which was tucked behind his ears and fell to just underneath his jawline, he’d come off as scary. Instead, he looked like an adorable, overgrown country boy trying to make it in the big city.

  “You two really don’t look like the type of people Natalie works with,” Rudy said.

  “We’re not,” Alberta said.

  “You lied to me,” Rudy stated.

  “You might already know us,” Alberta said. “My name is Alberta Scaglione and this is my sister-in-law, Joyce Ferrara.”

  “How would I know you?” Rudy asked.

  “We know Natalie through Alberta’s grandson, Sergio Maldonado,” Joyce explained. “Do you know him?”

  “Does he work at the hospital?” Rudy asked.

  “No, he’s Natalie’s boyfriend,” Alberta said.

  “Not possible,” Rudy said. “Natalie doesn’t have a boyfriend.”

  “She and Sergio have been dating for about six months,” Alberta said.

  “They have not,” Rudy declared. “I saw Nat a few months ago in Florida and she didn’t mention anything about a boyfriend or a Sergio.”

  “Maybe she didn’t want to make you jealous,” Joyce suggested.

  The drumming stopped. “If anyone is jealous, it’s Nat,” Rudy said. “She doesn’t exactly approve of J. J.”

  “Your new girlfriend?” Alberta asked.

  “Yeah, they had what you could call a falling out,” Rudy explained.

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” Alberta said. “I hope that hasn’t had an impact on your relationship with Natalie.”

  “Nat can’t be mad at me, I’m her tristate contact,” Rudy said. “Just last month I introduced her to some new clients in Jersey.”

  “They must’ve been VIPs because Natalie wanted to express her thanks to you in an unorthodox way,” Joyce said. “With some of Alberta’s famous sausage and peppers.”

  Alberta took the food out of her bag and placed it on the counter. Rudy sniffed and appeared to salivate. Clearly the bachelor didn’t get many home-cooked meals.