Muffins and Mobsters

by Leena Clover

“What does this one say?”

  “He says the feathers sound familiar. He wants me to send him a picture.”

  “Do it.”

  Jenny looked around for Star’s drawings. She had shoved them in a kitchen drawer. She clicked a photo with her phone and sent it on.

  Jason came and sat next to Jenny. They waited impatiently for the man to respond.

  Jenny read his reply off the screen.

  “He says the feathers make him think of a local Jersey gang.”

  “A biker gang?” Jason asked quizzically. “Is this guy sure?”

  Jenny typed furiously, talking with a man she had never met or heard of before.

  “He is asking me to look up the Purple Rooster gang.”

  Jason pulled out his phone and started typing. Jenny did the same with her computer. They looked at each other at the same time.

  Jason showed her the picture he had pulled up on his phone.

  “It does look a bit like Star’s drawing,” Jenny said grudgingly. “But it’s not the same.”

  “Nothing matches other than the feathers,” Jason said.

  Jenny started pulling up information on the Purple Rooster gang.

  “Oh my!” she exclaimed as her mouth fell open. “The Purple Rooster is a street gang in New Jersey.”

  “What do they do?”

  “They are involved in all kinds of illegal activities, mostly drugs. But that’s not all, Jason.”

  “Get on with it, Jenny.”

  “They are connected to some big crime family.”

  “That’s not uncommon,” Jason said.

  “This family is supposedly at war with the Bellinis.”

  Jenny and Jason were both speechless.

  “You don’t think this gang came here to kill Petunia?” Jenny asked haltingly. “She walked away from that life a long time ago.”

  “But she was still a Bellini,” Jason said softly.

  He tapped his fingers on the table.

  “This is too big for you or me, Jenny. You need to take this to the police.”

  “What about Vinny? Shouldn’t I tell him first?”

  “There’s no telling how he will react to this,” Jason warned.

  “This is all speculative,” Jenny argued. “I think we should talk to Vinny first.”

  “Do you have his number?”

  Jenny nodded.

  Vinny offered to meet her somewhere. Jenny reluctantly invited him to Seaview.

  “Do you know what you’re doing?” Star asked.

  “I’m doing it for Petunia,” Jenny said.

  Vinny arrived with Enzo in tow. Enzo was wearing another track suit. Vinny was dressed in a cream colored suit tailored to perfection. Both men wore white colored fedoras. Six Pac and the guys stayed outside with the car.

  Jenny didn’t waste any time in showing Vinny the drawings.

  “What’s this, sweetheart?” Vinny asked, chewing on his cigar. “Some kind of art project?”

  Jenny told them about the man in the hooded jacket.

  “I did some digging. I think he was from the Purple Rooster gang.”

  Vinny and Enzo both threw back their heads and laughed.

  “What do you know about the Purple Roosters?”

  “Nothing,” Jenny admitted. “But I thought this picture looked like their logo.”

  “The feathers are a bit familiar,” Vinny conceded. “But they are not purple.”

  “Aren’t you fighting with that gang?” Jenny asked.

  Vinny and Enzo looked at each other.

  “Not anymore,” Enzo said. “I had a beef with those boys thirty years ago. But I made up with them when I was in prison.”

  “Wait. Are you thinking the Purple Roosters whacked my Ma?” Vinny asked.

  Jenny was beginning to feel embarrassed.

  “It was just a thought. I have no other suspects.”

  “They wouldn’t dare put a hit on my girl,” Enzo whispered. “But since you brought it up, I am going to ask around.”

  “Did many people know Petunia was living in Pelican Cove?”

  “Most people thought she was dead,” Enzo whispered. “I let them think that. It was easier than answering questions about what happened to her.”

  “Do you think Peter Wilson, err Fabio, could have told anyone about Petunia?”

  Enzo looked at her coldly.

  “My men are loyal to me, girl. I trust Fabio with my life. I trusted him with my baby girl’s life. He took care of her all these years.”

  Vinny and Enzo ate Jenny’s brownies before they went back.

  “What do you think, Jason?” Jenny asked. “Was someone taking care of an old grudge?”

  “Why wait so long to do that? Petunia lived here without incident for twenty five years.”

  Something Enzo had said niggled at Jenny.

  “What if this person was unable to track her down?”

  “You mean what if he or she was in prison.”

  “Is that too farfetched?” Jenny frowned.

  “It does seem fantastic at first.” Jason narrowed his eyes. “But it’s not farfetched, Jenny. I have heard of stranger things in court.”

  “How did this person find Petunia? She hadn’t talked to any of her family members since she came here.”

  “Peter Wilson!” they both exclaimed together.

  “He was her only link to her old life,” Jenny said in triumph. “His alibi doesn’t help him here. What if Peter Wilson told someone about Petunia?”

  “I think you might have something there, Jenny,” Jason nodded. “But this is bigger than you can handle.”

  “I will go to the police station first thing tomorrow morning,” Jenny promised. “They can question Wilson about this.”

  Jenny went up to her room after bidding Jason goodnight. She hoped her latest theory would lead them to the killer. She was saddened by the thought of Petunia being the victim of some old feud. She tossed and turned under the covers, waiting impatiently for the sun to rise.

  Star accompanied Jenny to the café the next morning. She wasn’t used to early mornings. Jenny forced her to sit down and put her feet up after she had yawned nonstop for fifteen minutes.

  Jenny poured her a fresh cup of coffee.

  “You didn’t have to come in with me. I have to learn to handle everything myself.”

  “This work is too much for one person,” Star argued as Jenny mixed the muffin batter. “You can’t work in the kitchen and serve the customers at the same time.”

  “What if I ask them to serve themselves?” Jenny thought out loud. “I can just set everything out on a couple of tables.”

  “You need to think seriously about hiring some help, Jenny.”

  “I know that,” Jenny said. “Just not yet.”

  Adam came in for breakfast.

  “We have a lot to talk about,” Jenny told him as she served him the breakfast special, a three cheese omelet with spinach and sundried tomatoes.

  “You want to talk here?” Adam asked.

  “No. Let me take care of the breakfast rush. I’ll see you at the station.”

  Heather came in to help. Jenny packed some fresh oatmeal raisin cookies in a box and walked to the police station. She handed the box to Nora, the desk clerk.

  “Just what I needed,” Nora said happily.

  “No cookies for me?” Adam teased when she entered his office.

  “Too much sugar is not good for you,” Jenny kidded.

  She told Adam about the gang logo first.

  “The Purple Rooster gang used to be notorious,” Adam told her. “But they have fizzled out in the past few years. Their leader was killed and most of the older members went to prison.”

  “So you don’t think they could have a hand in this?”

  “The Bellinis don’t think so, do they?”

  Jenny shook her head.

  “Can you double check, just in case?”

  “This is out of my jurisdiction, Jenny. But I’ll put some f
eelers out.”

  Jenny continued her theory about old feuds.

  Adam’s eyebrows shot up.

  “That’s one line of investigation we haven’t pursued.”

  “Do you think there’s any substance to it, though?”

  “If it was a gang hit, we may never find out who did it, Jenny.”

  Adam had turned serious.

  “We are hitting a wall wherever we turn,” Jenny said in frustration.

  “I know your efforts helped us solve some murders, Jenny. But things don’t often work that way.”

  Jenny turned to Peter Wilson.

  “He was the only one who knew Petunia’s real identity,” Jenny stressed. “He has to be involved in this somehow.”

  “These fellows are generally pretty loyal,” Adam mused. “I don’t see Wilson going against his boss. He has his own family to think about.”

  “That’s all I have,” Jenny sighed. “But none of this helps.”

  “We are doing all we can, Jenny. Don’t give up yet.”

  “Have you checked Laura Bellini’s finances?” Jenny asked suddenly.

  She told Adam about the million dollars Petunia had given her.

  “There’s something else about Laura,” Adam said reluctantly. “Police didn’t find the gun registered to her.”

  “You think she ditched it?”

  “She said it went missing.”

  “She has to be lying, Adam.”

  “Laura said she reported her missing gun long before coming to Pelican Cove.”

  “The first time or the second time?”

  Adam was apologetic.

  “We are still following up on that.”

  Adam’s phone rang. Jenny caught a few random words as the person on the other end let loose a tirade. Adam apologized repeatedly. Jenny stared at him in amazement. She had never seen him so subdued before.

  Adam hung up the phone and rubbed his eyes with his hands.

  “That was Barb,” he sighed. “She’s not happy.”

  “How is she?” Jenny asked with genuine concern.

  “Recovering nicely, judging by her energy.”

  Barb Norton was well known for making absurd demands of everyone. But Jenny knew she was justified this time.

  “She wants to know why we haven’t caught her attacker yet,” Adam disclosed.

  “Why haven’t you?”

  “We don’t have a single eyewitness,” Adam growled, frustrated. “It’s almost like some phantom figure hit her and disappeared in thin air.”

  “Just like Petunia,” Jenny said softly.

  She sat straighter, her eyes growing wide as a sudden thought hit her.

  “What if the two incidents are related? Could someone be targeting older women?”

  “I don’t think so, Jenny,” Adam dismissed.

  “Why not?” Jenny argued. “They were both the same age. They were both the same height and build although Petunia’s hair was darker.”

  “Stop right there, Jenny,” Adam warned. “I have too many things to work on already. I don’t want you to start a panic in town with these silly theories.”

  “It’s not silly,” Jenny said coldly. “I think it’s worth thinking about. It’s not like you have any tangible leads, anyway.”

  “I can’t stop you, Jenny. Do what you want.”

  “Let’s not fight, please,” Jenny urged.

  Adam’s voice turned softer.

  “That’s the last thing I want to do, Jenny.”

  “Why don’t you come to Seaview for dinner tonight?” Jenny wheedled. “I’m making enchiladas. Bring Tank with you.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” Adam smiled. “We’ll get dessert.”

  “Are the twins coming here for fall break?”

  “Probably,” Adam said. “I plan to make it worth their while.”

  “Planning something special?” Jenny asked.

  Adam hid a smile but said nothing.

  Jenny set a brisk pace back to the café, enjoying the pleasant weather. She decided it was a good time to call her son.

  “When are you coming home, Nicky?”

  “Looks tough, Mom,” her son said, breaking into a coughing fit. “I have too many classes this time.”

  Jenny knew her son always started coughing when he was lying. She wondered what he was hiding this time.

  “Are you and the twins stirring up trouble?” she asked suspiciously.

  Her son and Adam’s twins went to different colleges but they talked to each other regularly.

  “Of course not, Mother,” Nick said, starting to cough again.

  Jenny smiled all the way back to the café. She could be patient when needed. She guessed Adam had a surprise for her. Maybe there was still some hope for them.

  Chapter 15

  A crisp breeze blew over the ocean the next morning, signaling the arrival of fall. On the deck of the Boardwalk Café, the Magnolias stared with amazement at Molly, their coffee forgotten.

  “What do you mean, you were mistaken?” Heather cried. “How is that possible?”

  Molly blushed.

  “You know …”

  “How did you find out?” Jenny asked gently, placing a hand on Heather to calm her down.

  “At the doctor’s,” Molly said. “It was so embarrassing.”

  “Was Chris with you?” Heather asked.

  Molly nodded.

  Betty Sue leaned forward in her chair, her knitting needles clacking in a fast rhythm.

  “You do know how these things are supposed to happen?” she asked Molly.

  Molly looked like she was about to burst into tears.

  “Begin at the beginning,” Star ordered. “I think I am missing something here.”

  “It’s all pretty straightforward,” Molly shrugged. “Chris and I went to our doctor’s appointment. It was my first appointment for the baby. Turns out I am not pregnant. I never was.”

  All the women at the table looked sorry.

  “I was knitting this for the baby,” Betty Sue said, holding up something fluffy in a peach color.

  “How did Chris take it?” Jenny asked.

  “He was disappointed. So was I.”

  “What now?” Star wanted to know.

  “This whole misunderstanding forced us to consider parenthood,” Molly admitted. “I was very impressed by how Chris reacted to it.”

  “Chris Williams is a good man,” Betty Sue sighed.

  For the past twenty years or so, she had believed he would marry her granddaughter Heather.

  Jenny knew Molly hadn’t been very sure about how committed Chris was to her.

  “Do you trust him now?” she asked Molly.

  “I trust him more,” Molly said diplomatically. “I know he is going to be a good father.”

  “So when are you planning a family?” Star laughed. “For real, this time.”

  Molly blushed prettily.

  “Soon.”

  “Let them get married first,” Jenny nudged her aunt. “Have you thought about setting a date?”

  Earlier that year, Chris and Molly had started wearing promise rings.

  “Don’t you want a proper engagement first?” Star asked.

  “We are talking about it,” Molly told them.

  “I think you should just elope,” Heather winked.

  “No, thanks!” Molly said firmly. “This might be my second wedding, but I want to do it right.”

  Jenny secretly looked forward to planning Molly’s wedding. She had come to love Molly like a sister, and she hoped to be in the wedding party.

  Jenny spotted Vinny walking on the beach, accompanied by his posse. Molly followed her gaze.

  “How’s your search going, Jenny?” she asked.

  “I have a lot of theories,” Jenny admitted reluctantly. “But there is no proof to support any of them.”

  “You just haven’t found it yet,” Star said encouragingly. “Keep looking, sweetie.”

  “I almost forgot,” Jenny exclaim
ed. “Jason and I are meeting Adam in a few minutes.”

  Jason stepped out on the patio just then. He greeted the Magnolias and looked inquiringly at Jenny.

  “Ready to go?”

  Jenny pulled off her apron and nodded. They went down the steps to the beach on their way to the police station.

  “Do you think Adam will agree?”

  Jenny was feeling doubtful about their mission.

  “What does he have to lose?” Jason quipped.

  Adam wasn’t too happy to see them.

  “I have a long day ahead of me, Jenny. What are you two doing here?”

  “We have a request,” Jason said. “We want access to the traffic cameras.”

  “Why?” Adam asked, tapping his pencil on the desk.

  Jenny reminded Adam about the car in the parking lot.

  “I am almost sure the killer escaped in that car. We need to find out where it went.”

  “The cameras might have caught the tag plates,” Jason said hopefully. “Who knows? We may even get a glimpse of the driver.”

  “Okay,” Adam said grudgingly. “I am only doing this because I need a break in the case. But you will have to watch the tapes here.”

  Jason and Jenny agreed readily.

  “How are we going to do this?” Jenny asked.

  One of the techs at the police station helped them. They decided to focus on the road around the parking lot. They chose a time slot of 5 to 8 AM, the approximate time of Petunia’s death.

  “We should watch for a dark sedan with a dent around the trunk.”

  It was slow work. Nora, the desk clerk, came around to chat with Jenny. Jenny made some polite conversation. They drank the sour coffee Nora offered. Jenny took one sip and set it aside.

  “I don’t see any cars matching the description,” Jason said after some time.

  He was beginning to look frustrated.

  “Let’s widen the search,” Jenny suggested.

  Jason was staring at one camera which showed a gas station.

  “You think that guy might have gone in here?” he wondered.

  They decided to look at all the cars going into the gas station. None of the cars stopping at the station matched the description of the car they were looking for.

  “What’s that kid doing there?” Jason asked, pointing at a figure. “He seems to be in and out of that door a lot.”

  “That must be Skinner,” Jenny said. “He works at the gas station. He does a lot of odd jobs in addition to managing the cash register.”