For Love of Livvy

by J. M. Griffin

  He hustled me into the office and rummaged through the paperwork on the desk. Bright eyes accompanied a sweet smile as the envelope with the name Esposito came to light. Handing them over, Avery said if I needed anything else to just call.

  With thanks, I left before he could ask me out. It was a close call. I started out the door when he called my name. I pretended not to hear him and scuttled to the car as quickly as I could without breaking into a dead run.

  Relieved, I drove to my mother's house and strode into the kitchen, thankful that I'd been spared the effort of another excuse not to date Avery. Mom glanced up from the sofa as I entered the family room.

  "You look like you've seen a ghost. Are you all right, Lavinia?"

  "Yeah, everything's fine. I picked up the death certificates for you and ran into Avery. Honestly, I almost ran from the building. He asks me out every time I go there.” I knew I whined, but didn't care. After all, this was my mother.

  "He is a very nice young man and well to do, too.” Her eyebrows arched as I shuddered. “You know, that young man who came by the other night is also very nice, Lavinia.” Her eyes were hopeful.

  "Mom, forget the matchmaking thing, eh? I'm not interested in marriage. I can't abide the thought of life or even a date with Avery. He's really nice, but I can't get past the hearse driving and casket thing. So far as Richmond goes, well I'd like to just use him for sex, but he's all business. That means my chances are slight."

  My mother, used to my blunt language, didn't take it seriously for a moment, thank God. The last thing I'd want my mother to do is to think her daughter is a wanton woman, even if it was true.

  The envelope sat idle in my hands. I smoothed the surface, unable to bring myself to open the damned thing. I glanced up when my mother held her hand out. She waited patiently for me to give her the packet. Staring into her calm, sad eyes, I laid it in her palm.

  Her gaze rested on it for a moment before she tore the end off the business sized envelope. Tipping it to the side, she slid the copies of the certificates from within and unfolded the sheets of paper. Her dark eyes flew over the words and she paled.

  If I hadn't known better, I'd have thought my mother was about to faint, however, she's stout of heart. Instead, she just leaned back against the sofa and handed me the papers. The color returned to her face and relieved, I grasped the certificates.

  My gaze drifted down the page. The information under the Cause of Death heading said Aunt Lavinia had died of unknown causes. I read further and under the heading of autopsy, the word yes had been inscribed. So, there had been an autopsy, but no determining cause was found.

  Slumped in the chair, I rubbed my brow while the papers fluttered onto the coffee table and my mind raced forward. The cops already had this answer to the cause of death, they'd have received the certificate before we would. I knew this for a fact and did that rankle me to no end? Why yes, it did.

  Springing off the chair, I moved onto the sofa with Mom. She sat in silence and I knew she was mystified by the fact that the death was of unknown causes. My hand covered hers. I whispered that I'd find out what had happened so she wasn't to worry.

  Brown eyes turned toward mine and she said, “Don't tell your father that you'll be involved in this or he'll shit a brick. Just don't tell him anything, all right?"

  I nodded and continued to hold her hand until she managed to get some sense of normalcy back in place. When she'd spoken, her voice had sounded hollow and sad. It got to me, and I knew I had to ask the hard questions, but that she could take it.

  "When you and auntie grew up, she started her own business. Where did she get the money?"

  "Your uncle Al gave her a nest egg to start with, why?"

  "I've found out some things about her that don't make sense and need you to fill in the blanks. I won't tell Dad if you don't tell Giovanni that I'm interfering in the investigation, okay?"

  "Right, as long as you find out what happened to her and why she died. Your father is unbearable when he thinks you're out of control and Gio takes right after him."

  My eyes widened at her admission over Gio's behavior. A soft smile lifted the corners of her mouth and she chuckled.

  "Don't think I don't know that they give you difficulties every time you get into something they consider a man's job. I think you're courageous to do so, my dear, and so did Livvy.” Mom's eyes glinted with tears and she blinked to hold them back.

  "When you decided secretarial school was out of the question, Livvy took your father on. They went head to head. She won of course, and you got what you desired. She could always overcome his obstacles and did it with logic. It was an interesting sight to behold. They always ended up laughing before she was finished. He would concede to her with graciousness most of the time, and he misses her terribly, just as I do."

  This was news to me. I'd just thought my father had capitulated when I'd refused to do the secretary thing. My mouth hung open for a fraction of a second and then the questions poured forth.

  "So, Uncle Al gave her the money to start the Providence shop. Did she ever pay him back?"

  "Not to my knowledge. She was a favorite with him and they spent a lot of time together while she got the shop rolling. She was younger than we were, you know. Livvy had such spirit and laughed easily."

  "It wasn't her investments on the stock exchange that gave her the start in Providence?"

  "No dear, she played the stock market after that. Her business took off and within a couple years she had opened the other two shops. I was surprised and even asked to manage one of them, but she didn't want family involved in the business, she said. So I managed your father's pizza restaurant for him instead."

  "When she was in New York, who did she hang with, do you know?"

  "No, but she did bring home a lot of exciting stories and said she'd met some important people in the business world. I didn't pay much attention to it because I had two children to keep up with and a business to manage. Al was at the house a lot in those days. His jewelry manufacturing business flourished. Livvy even featured some of the jewelry he made in her shops. It was semi precious stuff."

  "Where did the jewels come from?"

  "I guess from an importer that Al was connected with at the time. You'd have to ask your cousins, since Al's dead now."

  "Are you sure that Aunt Livvy wasn't ill?"

  "She never said so. I think she'd have told me if she was. Why?"

  "I'm just trying to figure out her cause of death. If the Coroner doesn't know, nobody does."

  There wasn't much else I could say except to reassure my mother that I'd look into things and she needn't worry. I didn't tell her it included the three shops and my two slimy cousins, Frankie and Kenny.

  The two bums were Al's only children and had grown up not far from our family. Giovanni and I never liked them much since they were rotten and underhanded while we were blatant about our extracurricular misbehavior.

  My parents had dealt with our misguided efforts by the suspension of television privileges, no dates, no car and such. Al, on the other hand, had not only rewarded his boys, but had been offended when the cops saw fit to haul them into the station. More than once Uncle Al had staged major scenes at the Cranston police station, earning a free stay on one occasion.

  My uncle had died not long after he'd been incarcerated at the Rhode Island State Prison for tax fraud. It wasn't a high moment for the family, but the boys had picked up where he'd left off in the jewelry business. Reluctant to question them about their father, or anything else, I'd have to figure out a better way to find out.

  With a wave to my mother, I left and headed toward Scituate and Lola. It had taken me a bit longer than I'd expected with my mother, but Lola would understand. My car flew over the country roads until I slowed at the intersection next to the deli and took a left at the light.

  When I arrived at the house, Lola was in the midst of instructing the carpet guys on how to bring the rugs into the apartment. Handling
the rugs, the two men crammed themselves up the back staircase. Why, I didn't know. The front door would have been easier, but I said nothing. Lola was in drill sergeant mode so I stood aside to watch.

  A grin crossed my face while she scrambled up the steps after the two men. Her hand outstretched when they entered the kitchen, she indicated where to place the carpets and marched them back down the stairs. When they left, we stood inside the apartment and unfurled the rugs on top of thick soft pads.

  The living room rug was bordered in mottled gold colors. The soft hue from the walls set the tones off perfectly. Yeah, I had good taste. The bedroom carpet was a jacquard print and masculine now that I really looked at it within the confines of the space and colored walls. Yes, I thought, The Hunk will like these additions to his new home.

  A long runner angled through the hallway between the two rooms while the final rug was spread over the dining room floor. Squares of color overlapped and the shades were muted tones of green, blue and yellow. Another good choice. I looked at the walls and the new light fixture.

  "What was that all about?” I chuckled at Lola.

  "Those fools tried to get into your apartment. When I got here I told them the rugs were for upstairs and they handed me a ration of crap big enough for a dump truck. Well, I fixed ‘em. Made them take the rugs up the back way, didn't I?” She cackled in a witchy voice.

  I laughed at her and shook my head. We headed downstairs and into my apartment. With a glance around the place, I realized nobody had broken in or was lurking about. Sure, it was daylight, but that hadn't stopped anyone before. This break in thing had become a habit and even the dead bolts didn't keep anyone out.

  Collecting a lightweight jersey jacket and my shoulder bag, we left for the historic town of Wickford.

  Located on the bay which flows into the Atlantic Ocean, Wickford is a tourist village. Tiny shops featured unique gifts with stunning price tags. The jewelry and gift shop owned by my aunt sat on the outskirts of the village. It's popular since the array of items is so distinctive.

  The Volvo skimmed up to the curb about two blocks from Fleur De Le and we hustled through the crowded sidewalks with the other tourists. Nobody would guess the two of us were more than that. We'd dressed the part and acted it as we gawked at window displays and pointed out our favorite wares.

  We entered the shop and wandered amongst the racks and shelves of goods. Picking up objects that caught our eye, we tried on hats and held up an occasional shirt for perusal. An employee with the Fleur logo on the pocket of her shirt approached us. Lola glanced at me and then nodded in the sales person's direction as she smiled full on at the attendant.

  "Is there something special I can help you with, Miss?” The attendant stared as Lola's pearly whites sparkled with the Julia Roberts smile. Gosh, how did she manage that response from people, I wondered.

  "Well, now that you mention it, do you have any semi precious or precious stones that can be set in bracelets or necklaces? I need a special gift for a friend and was told you might carry them?"

  Eyebrows swept upward as the sales woman glanced over Lola's attire before she looked around the shop. She didn't miss the designer handbag or the Nicole shoes, as well as the DKNY clothing. Satisfied that Lola could afford the prices, she led the way toward a separate room off to one side of the shop.

  I peered after them, moved in slow motion around the store and sidled up to the doorway. It was impossible to look inconspicuous in the small shop, especially at my height, so I gave up and waited near the register. Lola left the back room with a look in her eyes that said it was a waste of time. The sales attendant stared at me a moment before she turned back to Lola.

  "The stones are just in from the orient and have been polished to a fine sheen. They are the best quality you'll find anywhere in Rhode Island and we can place them in any setting you see in the selection offered.” Unwilling to let a sale slip from her grasp, the clerk followed Lola through the shop.

  "I'm sure, but they're just not what I'm in search of at the moment. Thank you for your time,” she said. With a quick glance at me, Lola left the shop.

  After I wandered about for a minute or so, I hustled out the door and met Lola down the street near the car.

  With a smirk, Lola turned to me and got into the Volvo. “The stones were trash and not what we're looking for. I think we should move on and check out Newport."

  "How do you know they were trash?"

  "Because they had impurities when I held them up to the light and then looked at them with the eyepiece. I know jewelry, Vinnie.” She chuckled.

  Disappointed, I climbed behind the steering wheel. We headed across the highway onto the Verranzanno Bridge from Jamestown and scooted into Newport. Traffic was at a chaotic level with a back up at the end of the bridge that led onto the narrow streets by the bay. Sunshine danced off the water and people milled around everywhere.

  We watched a cop direct cars and pedestrians alike. When the opportunity came to park at the first space available, we took it. So we had to walk a half mile into the shopping district, we were young and healthy. Okay, so I didn't want to walk, but there wasn't much choice in the matter.

  It was hot and muggy on the waterfront and the air conditioning of the shop felt good as we entered Bella Clava. We moved into the store to repeat the act we'd performed inFleur, only this time I was the stone shopper. Our luck ran about the same and we were given a similar pitch by a youngish woman with a sharp eye and no panache whatsoever.

  The youthful clerk stared at me as though I was familiar to her, at least it seemed that way. I knew it wouldn't be long before she made the association between me and Aunt Livvy. We looked alike and stood nearly the same height. Without the unibrow and upper lip hair, I thought I might get away with the deception. Wrong again.

  "You look so familiar,” she said to me.

  I raised my brows and acted innocent. “I do have that kind of face I'm told."

  "Are you related to the late owner of this business?"

  "I don't think so. Who would that be, anyway?"

  "Her name was Lavinia Ciano and she looked just like you, only older.” Her suspicions were aroused. I shuffled a bit, but bluffed my way through the whole affair.

  "Never heard of her, sorry.” I turned back to the gemstones and peered at the various hues, holding them up to the light. They looked cheap and probably were. I'm no gemologist so there wasn't much I could glean from these little babes, except to say they were junk. I stepped back and thanked the girl for her assistance. Lola and I beat feet out of there.

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  Chapter 9

  We walked down the street and veered off onto the boardwalk toward the pier. A couple restaurants perched on the waterfront and we couldn't resist a seafood lunch. I gave our name to the hostess and we stood waiting for our table. A deep voice rumbled behind me and a tingle crept along my spine.

  I turned to find the warm, Hershey bar brown eyes of Aaron. His smile was friendly and his glance rested on my lips, the same lips he'd kissed on Federal Hill the night before. The smile widened and laughter rumbled from him as though he knew my thoughts.

  With a gasp, I greeted him and watched Lola fall under his spell once again. The hostess waited for us to follow her and the three of us sat together at Aaron's insistence.

  Lola kept up a neutral chatter until she ran out of things to say. With a nudge from her under the table, I picked up the conversation and asked why he was in Newport.

  "I'm here for the gaming commission. I get to travel around the state a lot and that keeps me sane. I'd go nuts if I had to be desk bound all the time. What are you two doing here?"

  "We're shopping."

  He glanced around under the table and looked at us for a second. “Where are the bags?"

  "We just arrived and haven't shopped yet. But that's what we're here for.” Nervous about the lie, Lola muddled her way through the sentence and became quiet.

  Lola wa
sn't a good liar like me. I'm good at outright lies and lies by omission. Especially the lying by omission part, I've got that down to a science and I'm proud of it, too. You never know when it'll save your skin.

  He chuckled at Lola's mumbling and stared at my face. “Is that a bruise you have there?” His eyes filled with concern and his face turned serious.

  "Uh huh, I had an encounter with a burglar last night."

  "Where was this?” Dark brows lifted and his face tightened.

  "At my house, after I left you."

  "Really? Did anything get stolen?"

  "No, whatever he came for, he didn't find. Maybe it was just money or the like, but there wasn't any to be had.” I did that lie by omission thing again, unsure of what else to say.

  "It's a good thing I'm moving in then. You'll be safer with me there, I suppose. Were you injured in any other way?"

  I knew what he wanted to know and with relief I said no.

  "I think he was surprised when I rounded on him, he hadn't expected that."

  "You actually fought with this person?"

  "Well, yes. I took a self defense class at the university, and when he went to hit me, I took a stand.” I explained that the state police had come and how Lola agreed to stay overnight with me. He looked satisfied when I finished the story.

  While we ate lunch, Aaron said he'd move in right away. When we had finished eating, he smiled and waved as Lola and I left him at the door. We scooted toward the shops without a backward glance. Lola bought whatever held appeal, though I did quite well myself.

  Once back at the car, we stowed the bulging bags into the back seat. It seemed unheard of to not take advantage of the major sales offered throughout the stores so we'd stopped often and bought much. My credit card screamed from the charges, but I'm only going around this life once, right?