Luigi gave a mock bow to my grandmother. "Ciao, signora. How are you today? Allow me to introduce myself…"
Grandma Rosa cut him off. "Do not waste your time and mine. I know who you are." She stood in front of me and Josie, broom still between her hands. "You need to leave this house, sir. Now."
Luigi stared at her in surprise. "I don't believe I've had the pleasure of making your acquaintance."
"No, you have not," Grandma Rosa snapped. "And you will not. You should be ashamed of yourself. Making innocent people pay you money. Plus, you do not even have decent furniture in that shop of yours. My daughter bought a lamp from you, and it never worked right."
Luigi's lips curled back from his teeth in a snide grin. "Well then, you should have had her return it for a refund."
"You are a disgrace," my grandmother muttered. "I will not ask you again. Leave this house now, or I will call the police."
Luigi took a step toward my grandmother, and I jumped between them. "If I hear from Gianna, I'll let you know, Mr. Napoli."
He glanced from me to Grandma Rosa then cocked his head at Sergio. "We have to go. Other things to take care of. But we'll be back."
Sergio winked at Josie. "Can I get your number, hot stuff?"
Josie closed her eyes in disgust. "Don't ever darken this doorstep again, you sick, disgusting pig."
He chortled and slapped his father on the back as they exited the house. "I think she likes me."
Luigi turned around, his hand on the doorknob. He smiled, but the piercing dark eyes that regarded us were as cold as ice. I was stunned at the venom contained in them as they locked onto mine.
"When you see your sister, give her a little piece of advice," he said. "You might tell her that she'd be wise to bring me the cash. Then again, maybe you should volunteer to bring the money back for her. That might be the smartest thing to do because if I find her first, she's going to be walking funny tomorrow."
Grandma Rosa stepped forward angrily. "Do not ever threaten my granddaughters again. If I were not a lady, I would spit on you, sir."
Luigi looked over Grandma's head at me. "Wow, that's harsh."
"Out!" she yelled.
Josie and I exchanged glances. Grandma Rosa never raised her voice, probably because most people knew better than to argue with her.
Luigi bowed to Grandma and smiled at me. "Tell your sister Bernardo's funeral is scheduled for Wednesday morning, if she'd like to drop by. She'll be pretty popular. I personally guarantee it."
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Grandma Rosa shook her fist at the front door. "Shameful. That is what they are." She looked from Josie standing there with her hands on her hips, face pale, to me chewing away on my fingernails. "Are you all right, my dears? Did they hurt you?"
I breathed a sigh of relief. "No, we're fine. What the heck is going on? They seem to think Bernardo was carrying on with Gianna and that she took the money he stole from his stepfather."
She snorted. "Ridiculous." Then her expression changed from irritated to somber. "Maybe that is why Gianna left town, because she knew they were trying to harm her."
I frowned. "But Gianna's a lawyer. She would have reported it to the authorities first."
Josie drew her eyebrows together. "Even if Bernardo had told her he stole the money, she couldn't reveal it, right? Because of client confidentiality?"
Grandma Rosa leaned the broom against the wall and put an arm around each one of us. "Make sure she is safe. That is all that matters right now."
"I wish she'd answer my messages," I sighed. "Why hasn't she returned my calls?"
At that moment, Josie's cell phone buzzed from her jeans pocket, and she glanced at the screen. "It's Rob. I'll meet you in the van, Sal."
I nodded and went into the kitchen to retrieve my purse, Grandma Rosa following me. My phone pinged, and I saw I had a message from Mike.
Working late. Don't wait up. Love you.
As I stared down at the text, that little voice of doubt crept into my head again. I should have been relieved he wouldn't be looking for me for a while, but my thoughts kept returning to the fortune cookie message from earlier. Mike rarely worked nights anymore, his reason being that he was always anxious to get home to me. Of course I was overreacting. He had several jobs to finish before our wedding and not enough hours in the day.
I typed out a quick Love you too and placed the phone in my purse. When I looked up, I found Grandma Rosa watching me with eyes that stared straight into my soul. "What is wrong?"
It was always impossible to fool her, but I lied anyway. "Nothing. I'm fine."
She gave me a doubtful look. "No. There is something else bothering you besides your sister. Do not lie to me."
"It's silly."
"Silly Sally." Grandma Rosa smiled at the nickname she gave me as a child. When I'd come home after a rough day at school with an earth-shattering problem—like why the new boy was teasing me—Grandma Rosa would say I was being silly and subsequently set my mind at ease. Everything would be fine the next day, she'd assure me. Of course, she was always right.
"Is there a problem between you and your young man?"
As usual, I was amazed by her perception. "I got another weird message today. It was in a fortune cookie."
She nodded. "I suspected it was something like that. Sally, my love, you need to stop letting those cookies bother you. In time, they will consume you if you are not careful." She realized what she had said and then gave a low chuckle. "No fun intended."
I smiled. "That's pun, Grandma. See, I told you it was silly. The fortune said that Mike was keeping a secret from me."
She eyed me sharply. "Please do not tell me you think your young man is fooling around. He loves you more than anything. I will never believe that, and neither should you, my dear."
"I don't." I felt foolish but still couldn't help myself.
"You have been down this road before. Do not travel it again. Listen to your grandmother."
I blew out a long sigh. "It's probably just my imagination running away with me."
She nodded in approval. "Then make sure you go catch it."
I laughed and leaned over to hug her. "Consider it done."
Her eyes were somber. "Go find your sister, cara mia. Bring her home, where she belongs."
* * *
It was close to eight thirty when Josie pulled up in front of the Regal Casino. A light summer rain had fallen during our trip, and the sun was sinking fast in a sky that resembled a giant orange fireball. As we exited the vehicle and I stared upward at the marvelous sight similar to an inferno, my thoughts returned to Mike. I couldn't wait for us to have some alone time together later. In a little over three weeks, I would be on my honeymoon with the man I loved more than anything in this world. It didn't get much better than that.
Grandma Rosa was right. Mike and I had a wonderful relationship. I was getting obsessed with the fortune cookie messages as I had done in the past, and it was time to end this nonsense.
"Everything okay?" Josie asked as we entered through the glass, revolving door.
"Yeah. Come on. Check-in is this way." To our right was a long reception counter with six employees standing behind it. Several people were impatiently waiting to be called from a single line. I guessed they were eager to hit the slots and start feeding their money into the machines. I had phoned the casino on the way over, and they had rung Gianna's room again for me. Still no answer. I wondered if she was choosing not to answer the phone. To my alarm, I found myself wondering if she wasn't alone. What if…
"Sal?"
Josie stared at me with eyes full of concern. I forced my thoughts away and tried to focus. "Sorry. I'm just worried."
She placed a hand reassuringly on my arm. "We'll find her. You'll see."
We took our place in line and waited our turn. The woman in front of us kept turning around and staring with a longing look in the direction of the casino. She had short, blonde hair in a pixie cut and was wearing ski
ntight jeans that didn't do much for her robust figure. They looked so snug that I wondered how she managed to move without pain.
She tugged at the shirt sleeve of the man she was with. "My machine will be gone if they don't hurry up. Can't you do the check-in?"
"No way," he growled in return. "It was your idea to come here, babe. I hate this place. And if I catch you asking for credit in the casino again, you're done for."
Josie and I exchanged a glance, and she whispered in my ear. "Classic gambling couple. Woman wants to spend money she doesn't have. Probably has three kids at home. Bet she feeds them ramen noodles. They'll be divorced within a year if she doesn't kick the habit."
I narrowed my eyes. "Are you an expert now?"
Josie shrugged. "Hey, all the classic signs are there."
It was finally our turn, and we approached a young woman behind the desk, who smiled at both of us. "Checking in, ladies?"
"I'm wondering if you can tell me what room my sister is in?" I asked. "Her name is Gianna Muccio."
Her smile faded. "I'm sorry. We don't give out room numbers for our customers."
"Oh, come on," Josie groused. "It's not like she's a stranger."
The woman looked at Josie and frowned then pointed her finger at me. "If she's your sister, then why don't you already have her room number? Can't you call her and ask for it?"
This was just what we needed right now—Sherlock Holmes posing as a desk clerk. "She didn't answer her phone when I called. Please, this is really important. She could be in some type of danger."
She gave me a doubtful look. "I'm sorry. Rules are rules."
"For God's sake." Josie slammed her hand on the counter. "Just give her the room number, lady. We're not mass murderers."
"Is there a problem?" A distinguished-looking gentleman with graying hair at the temples moved to the woman's right and observed us with interest.
The woman waved a finger at me. "She wants the room number for her sister. I explained we can't give those out."
He looked at us like we were clueless. "Sorry, ladies. No can do."
"This is crazy!" Josie exploded.
People were starting to stare. Afraid that we were about to be kicked out, I gave them both my most gracious smile and grabbed Josie by the arm, leading her away from the counter and the sets of eyes that followed us with curiosity. "I'm sure she's in the casino. We'll look for her there. Thanks anyway."
Josie was still mumbling under her breath as we walked to the other side of the hotel. Screens with colorful images came into plain view, and a variety of beeping noises could be heard from the machines.
"Look," I said. "It's not going to do Gianna any good if we get ourselves kicked out of here."
"I know." Josie's tone was irritated. "But I still think it's a stupid policy." She scanned the room. "Should we try here or the non-smoking section?"
"Definitely non-smoking," I said. Like myself, Gianna hated cigarette smoke, but not enough to deter her from visiting the casino entirely. Our mother, to her credit, didn't smoke that often and never in the house. Still, Gianna felt it was her duty to preach to Mom about her bad habit every chance she got.
There were several non-smoking areas. Since it was the shank of the evening, the place was crowded, and even in the labeled sections that stated cigarettes weren't allowed, smoke permeated the air so thick that it seeped into my clothes. Mike would surely smell it on me when I got home. Not that it mattered because I planned to tell him where I'd been. I hadn't wanted to relay it in a text earlier for fear he would worry.
No more secrets between us—at least not from me. Ugh. There you go again, Sal.
The noise was mind-blowing. People at one of the craps tables were screaming over a recent win. A live band was set up in a corner of the room, and I had to cover my ears for protection from the heavy metal music. I searched the room in confusion. Then, all of a sudden, it dawned on me why Gianna would come here. It wasn't just for the machines. She wanted to blend in with the crowd, in case someone happened to be looking for her. This thought didn't sit well with me.
"You did what?" A sharp voice sounded behind me.
I whirled around, puzzled why someone was yelling at me, but an angry female voice answered quickly. "So what? I know it's going to hit soon."
It was the same couple that had been in line at check-in. They were standing in front of a ten-dollar poker machine. Too rich for my blood. They looked like they were about to choke the life out of each other.
"You hit five hundred, and then you dumped it all back in already?" the man said in an incredulous tone.
"It's going to hit big, I just know it, Sam."
Sam didn't seem convinced. He started to drag the blonde woman away from the machine while she, in turn, started screaming and hitting him with her purse. Security rushed over to escort them both out.
"You're an addict!" Sam yelled. "I'm getting a divorce before you mortgage the house out from under us."
"Too late!" she screamed back at him.
Josie nudged me. "Told you so."
I shook my head in disbelief at the spectacle and then turned in the opposite direction. Back in a dimly lit corner of the room, a petite young woman with beautiful chestnut-colored hair sat at one of the penny machines, idly pressing the button. Her expression was bored. She wore large dark glasses, and her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, but I'd recognize my beautiful sister anywhere.
I nudged Josie and pointed. We both walked over and stood beside the machine until she looked up at us. Her manner instantly changed from indifference to relief, and she brought a hand to her mouth. "Oh my God."
When she stood up, I hugged her tightly to me, a small sob escaping from my lips. "I've been so worried about you."
On closer inspection, Gianna looked like she hadn't slept in weeks. She leaned over and hugged Josie.
"Are you okay, hon?" Josie asked.
Gianna's voice trembled as she nodded. "Yes. I'm so glad to see you guys."
I glanced around us. "Why don't we go up to your room so we can talk in private for a while?"
She nodded and led the way out into the hallway where we all piled into the elevator. She pressed the button for the fifth floor and then stared at me, her eyes mournful. "How did you find me?"
"You left a free night stay card in your desk. Call it intuition on my part."
Her chocolate-colored eyes started to fill. "I'm so glad you did. I've been missing you like crazy."
The elevator door opened, and we all walked down the hallway together. I put an arm around my sister's slim shoulders. "Why didn't you return my texts? I've been so worried about you. We all have."
"I'm sorry," Gianna said sadly. "My phone died shortly after I texted you, and I forgot to bring my charger with me. I've been meaning to go get a new one. I—I kind of left in a hurry."
Josie glanced at me worriedly. I told myself that I wouldn't panic, but the quivering in Gianna's voice caused my concern to skyrocket. I stared at her hands, which were shaking. This was not normal behavior for my sister. What was going on?
We sat down on the edge of her bed, and I reached for her hand. "I have some bad news about your client, Bernardo."
Gianna nodded and looked at the floor. "I know. I saw his picture on the news." She sighed. "I was afraid that might happen."
Panic enveloped my body. I grabbed both of Gianna's hands and peered into her eyes. "The police want to question you. I didn't tell them where you were because I wanted to talk with you first and find out what exactly happened. I know you didn't have anything to do with his death, honey."
Gianna started to sob like a child. I reached out and wrapped my arms around my sister, hugging her to me as I used to do when we were kids and she'd fallen off her bike.
"Do you know how he died?" I asked.
"Yes," she said through her tears.
Josie bit into her lower lip. "Sweetheart, just tell us what happened. We're here to help you."
Giann
a wept softly in my arms. "You can't help me," she whispered, "because I'm the one who killed him."
CHAPTER TWELVE
My blood ran cold. Okay, I must have heard her wrong. "What are you talking about? You're not a murderer." Please, God, let this be some kind of mistake.
Gianna wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. "I thought he was okay afterwards. Honest. But I must have killed him. It's the only explanation I can come up with." She started to cry again. "Sal, I don't know what to do. I guess I should go home and turn myself in."
I clutched her tightly by the shoulders and forced her to look at me. "Tell me exactly what happened."
Josie sat down on the other side of Gianna. "That slime made a pass at you, didn't he?"
Gianna's expression was full of misery. "Bernardo said he wanted to talk about the trial. He was convinced they'd retry him. So I told him we could go back to the bakery and speak there."
"Why didn't you just tell him you wouldn't represent him again?" Josie asked.
"That's not the way it works," Gianna replied. "As a public defender I don't have any choice of who I represent. I'm not allowed to turn clients down, and it's very likely he would have been assigned to me again anyway."
She blew out a breath and continued. "I told Bernardo that until we heard back about another trial, it would be best if we stayed away from each other. He seemed to understand."
I stroked her hand. "Go on."
"Then he asked me if I had any aspirin. Said he had a bad migraine. So we went upstairs to my apartment." Gianna stared at the floor. "I went to get him a glass of water, and when I turned around—Bernardo grabbed me. He told me he was in love with me and that he was leaving his wife. I was in complete shock. I never even saw this coming. So I asked him to please remove his hands, but instead he kissed me and wouldn't let me breathe. I tried to free myself."
Her hands were shaking so bad that I steadied them with my own. "I figured it was something like that. What happened then?"
Burned to a Crisp (Cookies & Chance Mysteries Book 3) Page 10
