CRUMBLED TO PIECES

by BRUNS, CATHERINE

  The woman at the table turned around when she heard the bells and smiled up at me. "Hi, Sally."

  Lena. Crap. Why did I always have the worst luck? How could I look this woman in the face after what I'd discovered about her husband? "Uh, hi, Lena."

  "Lena wants me to make a cake for her husband's birthday," Josie explained. The bakery phone rang from the back room, and she rose to her feet. "Let me grab that. I forgot to charge my cell and think it's my kid calling. Well, one of them," she laughed. "Excuse me for a second?"

  "Of course." Lena stretched her long legs out in front of her under the table and then smiled coyly at me. "Sit down, Sally. Tell me all about your trip to Vegas."

  Talk about your uncomfortable moments. "Sure." Reluctantly, I sat in Josie's vacant seat.

  Lena sipped from the paper cup of coffee in front of her. "Did you get a chance to see Violet while you were there?"

  Well, not quite like your husband did. "Yes, we saw her."

  "Did she offer any useful information?" Lena asked. "Did she know why someone might have wanted Allegra dead?"

  I sidestepped her question. "Lena, the day that Allegra got run down—did Martin happen to be in town?"

  She shot me a puzzled look. "No. I thought I told you he was in New York City. As a matter of fact, he just got back yesterday. Why do you ask?"

  I couldn't bear to show Lena the photo. It would be a huge shock to her system. Perhaps it might be easier for Lena if I just told her instead. When I'd walked in on Colin in bed with my high school nemesis, I'd been frozen with shock. Although I had managed to forgive him since his death, I'd also discovered that it didn't matter how many years had passed—I'd never erase the mental image from my brain. Maybe I hoped to spare her some of the pain I'd experienced. Lena obviously adored Martin, and this was going to turn her entire world upside down.

  "I…think that I know why Allegra was killed. She was blackmailing someone," I said slowly.

  Lena narrowed her eyes. "What are you trying to say? You think my aunt was blackmailing Martin?"

  I didn't respond, and as it turned out, there was no need to. As usual, my face had given me away.

  Her nostrils flared in anger, and she hastily rose to her feet. "Why would you even think that? What proof could you possibly have?"

  What a mess. I didn't want to be the one to tell her that her husband was unfaithful, and with her cousin of all people. Would she confront Martin and secretly be grateful for the news? Doubtful. Or maybe she'd refuse to believe it and live in denial? I was guessing the latter. With a deep breath, I took the plunge. "Lena, I found photographs of Martin with…another woman."

  "Liar," she rasped out and then turned her face away. "Martin loves me. He'd never cheat."

  Yep, denial. "There's no reason for me to lie to you, Lena."

  Her face turned the color of flames. "Where are these so-called pictures? Give them to me right now."

  It probably wasn't a good idea to tell her the police had them. "I don't have them with me at the moment."

  "Right." A small smile played on her lips. "What are you really after? Money from us? A job for your husband in Martin's firm? God, you're despicable." She picked up her handbag and started toward the front door.

  "Lena, wait!" I called urgently. She whirled around, one hand on the door. "Please believe me. I'm not lying and can even tell you who the woman is."

  She glared at me with contempt. "Who?"

  "Violet."

  Lena stood there motionless for several seconds. Her face looked as if it had been carved out of stone. Finally, she spoke. "Where are the pictures so I can see for myself?"

  I couldn't blame her for asking. Heck, if I was in her place, I'd want to know for certain too. "I can't give them to you, Lena, because Martin is a suspect in Allegra's murder."

  She barked out a laugh. "That's insane. Martin wouldn't hurt a fly. It must be someone who looks like him. Now give me those pictures. Don't you dare hand them over to the police."

  Man, she really was in denial. "I can't give them to you, Lena. I'm sorry."

  "Oh, you haven't begun to be sorry," she breathed in a venomous tone. "You're going to be so, so sorry that you ever tangled with us." She pushed on the door so furiously that it whipped around and slammed into the building. The bells on the door clanged loudly in my head as I watched her rush across the street to her BMW.

  Josie came running up behind me. "What the hell happened?"

  "Brian and I found pictures in Allegra's lockbox of Martin and Violet—in, uh, some compromising positions."

  "Oh, my God." Josie muttered an expletive under her breath. "Are you serious?"

  "Afraid so." I pulled out the business card that Lena had given me when we were in her office last week.

  "Who are you calling?"

  I put a finger to my lips. "Yes, is Senator Ambrose in?"

  "Sal! What are you—"

  Annoyed, I waved my hand furiously at Josie. "Okay, yes. No message. Thanks."

  Josie thrust her lower lip out at me. "Okay. What have you got up your sleeve, partner?"

  I put the Closed sign on the door. "It's after four o'clock, and Tuesday is always slow anyway. How about we close early and go pay a little visit to our favorite senator? His secretary said he's in the office this afternoon."

  The freckles stood out on Josie's face. "He's an important political figure. We can't exactly walk right in."

  I grabbed my purse off the table and headed for the back door. "Come on. Something tells me he'll see us. Especially when I tell him that it involves certain photographs."

  "We can't just leave now," Josie protested. "Mrs. Hershey is coming to pick up her cookie order at five o'clock."

  "Shoot." There was no way I wanted to confront this guy alone, and who knew how much longer he might be there. "I think I have a solution." I whipped out my phone again, pressed a button, and Grandma Rosa answered on the first ring.

  "Cara mia, do you and Mike want to come for dinner?" she asked.

  "Thanks, Grandma, but Mike's working late," I said. "Josie and I are closing up early. We have a little more snooping to do into Allegra's death. Would you be able to come by and wait for a customer to pick up her cookie basket? It's in the back room, and she'll be here at five. It's for Mrs. Hershey."

  "Of course. I was coming over anyway to get the fortune cookies. You need to get to the bottom of this my dear, for Nicoletta at least. I will wait for Mrs. Hershey and leave the tablecloth on the counter."

  "Wonderful—thank you so much, Grandma."

  "All set?" Josie asked as I clicked off.

  We stepped into the alley, and I glanced around. "Yeah. For the record, I don't think we'll be there long." Martin was certain to throw us out. "Where's your van?"

  "In the shop," Josie replied. "I need new brakes. Rob dropped me off this morning."

  I dug into my purse for keys. "Well, when we get done, I'll take you home."

  "Perfect," she said and got into the passenger seat. "I was going to have my mother-in-law pick me up. Danny's got a baseball game tonight. Now I'll be able to ride over with everyone else."

  After I was settled behind the wheel, I took the picture out and showed it to Josie. She blew out a long breath. "Wow. That might ruin his entire career if it leaks out."

  "And Lena's meal ticket," I added. "Maybe she's afraid of losing it. Why else would she deny it?"

  "Some women just can't face the truth," Josie remarked.

  I started the engine. "Well, I guess I can't blame her. It's pretty pathetic when your husband is sleeping with your own cousin. That's even worse than your husband sleeping with your high school nemesis."

  "If my husband ever cheats, I'll stick his head in the oven and bake a batch of cookies around it," Josie declared. "But hey, that's just me." She watched as I struggled to shift the vehicle into gear. "What's wrong?"

  We started to slowly move forward. "I can't believe I'm having problems with this car already. It slipped from par
k into drive, and that's the third time this week. Mike thinks there's a problem with the transmission. I've got to have it looked at tomorrow."

  "This sure isn't our week for vehicles," Josie mused. "Okay, I can pick you up in the morning if you want, and then we'll drop your car at the repair shop. Now, getting back to Lena. If she knew Brian had the photographs, she would have sung another tune. Hey, why are you going that way? I thought Martin's office was in Buffalo?"

  "He's at his law firm today—that's where I called. Even though he doesn't practice, it seems that he likes to hang out there most days."

  Ten minutes later we arrived at the building and rode the glass-paneled elevator up to the 13th floor, which seemed to be devoted entirely to Martin. A blonde woman in a tight, short red dress was sitting at a desk in front of a double set of doors. Martin's name was embossed in block, gold letters on them. The blonde looked young enough to be in high school. She glanced up at us and put away the nail file she'd been using.

  "Hi, we were wondering if we could see Senator Ambrose for a minute," I said.

  She batted long fake eyelashes at us and spoke in a high-pitched, squeaky voice. "Do you have an appointment?"

  I shook my head. "Please tell him that we're friends of Allegra and Violet Fiato."

  "Sal," Josie whispered nervously in my ear as the blonde trotted into Martin's office. "I'm feeling a little weird about this. It's kind of like playing in deep water when you can't swim. What if this backfires on us? He's a freaking senator, for crying out loud."

  "I don't care." Even though Mike and I had made up and Grandma Rosa was no longer upset with me, I was still angry at the cruel hand fate had dealt me yesterday. I wasn't thinking straight and personally didn't give a damn about the photographs. But I'd promised my grandmother I'd help, and there was no way I was going to let her down again.

  The blonde reappeared and held the door open for us. "Senator Ambrose has a few minutes between meetings and said that he'll see you now."

  "Thank you." We walked inside, and she closed the doors behind us.

  Martin's impressive quarters made Lena's suave office pale in comparison. His office had a layout similar to a high-rise apartment's. The open floor plan held a wet bar, living and dining area, and a small kitchen that looked to be stocked with all the amenities. There was even a treadmill and exercise bicycle stationed in front of a 70-inch, high-definition television. Abstract paintings covered the paneled walls above the built-in mahogany bookcases.

  I knew from newspaper articles I'd read that Martin was close to fifty in age. He had a solid, toned build to his body and was extremely good-looking. His short black hair was sprinkled with silver throughout, his face tanned and lean. His piercing gray eyes were cold as he observed us.

  He nodded at the two plush chairs in front of his desk. "Please sit down," he said curtly.

  Uneasiness settled into my bones as Martin continued to watch our every move. Josie stood very still, waiting to see what I was going to do first.

  I shook my head at the man. "Thanks, but we're fine standing."

  "All right, let's cut to the chase. Where are the pictures?" Martin snapped.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  My mouth fell open in amazement. Lena had told him already? Why would she protect a man who was cheating on her? "Ah, I don't have them with me."

  Martin swiftly rose to his feet and came around the desk. He shot Josie a distasteful look, and then his gaze shifted to me. His eyes narrowed in contempt. "What do you really want? Money?"

  There was no reason to beat around the bush, and I had hoped to gauge his reaction with my next words anyway. "You killed Allegra. You ran her over so that she'd stay quiet about the photos."

  He threw his head back and laughed. "I wasn't even in town the day the woman died. Besides, it was an accident, right? Still, I'll admit I was delighted to hear the news. God, how I hated that old hag."

  "It wasn't an accident," I said evenly. "There's proof to attest to that as well."

  A muscle ticked in Martin's jaw. "As I already stated, I don't know anything about that. Now it's probably best that you and your friend leave, unless you prefer to have security escort you out."

  "Why did Lena tell you about the pictures?" Josie asked.

  Veins bulged in his thick neck. "Don't mention my wife again," he hissed and took a step toward her. I wasted no time inserting my body between theirs.

  Josie clutched at my arm. "Come on Sal—let's go."

  "Yeah, Sal," he mocked. "Get out while you still have a chance."

  This man was a powerful force and not one to be taken lightly, but I didn't care anymore. What was happening to me? I wasn't sure where my bravery—or perhaps stupidity—had come from, but I was tired of people pushing my loved ones and me around. Martin thought that because of his political position, he had the right to intimidate whomever he pleased. After everything that had happened in the last couple of days, something inside me had changed. I was determined to fight for justice and see Allegra's killer pay. It was time to take a stand.

  "Did you hear what I said?" Martin asked. Without waiting for an answer, he sauntered behind his desk, picked up the phone, and gave us one last defiant look.

  "Sal," Josie pleaded as she tried to pull me toward the door. "He means it."

  It wouldn't help for Josie and me to wind up behind bars. The most logical thing was to call Brian—who would be furious that I'd come here—and let the police take over. "Fine. We're leaving."

  Martin folded his arms over his chest and stared down his nose at us. "A wise decision, ladies. And don't come back—unless you actually have something to back up your claim."

  I didn't respond as Josie pushed me out the door. When she turned to shut it, I was treated to one last view of Martin, standing behind his desk and glaring back at me in return. Those cold, calculating eyes continued to follow me in my mind as we rode downstairs in the elevator.

  "Holy crap." Josie wiped her hand across her forehead. "That guy gave me the willies. He's always sweet as sugar when you see him on TV."

  "Politicians are trained to be that way," I murmured.

  "So what now? We call Brian, and hopefully this guy is arrested for murder?" Josie asked as I beeped my car door open and we got inside. "Hey, what's wrong with you?"

  "I'm not sure," I confessed. "Something here doesn't add up. Why would Allegra blackmail him when her own daughter was involved? Why didn't she just destroy the pictures instead?"

  Josie shrugged her slim shoulders. "That is kind of weird. But the old woman didn't care about anyone, her kids included. You are going to call Brian, right?"

  "Yes, as soon as I drop you off. Then I'm going to let this go for a while. I want to see if Gianna's available for dinner, then spend a quiet evening alone with my husband."

  She reached over to squeeze my hand. "Sal, I'm so sorry about the test."

  I refused to look at her as I pulled into her driveway. "Thanks. I appreciate that."

  Josie unfastened her seat belt and reached over to envelope me in a tight hug. "You need to keep the faith, honey. One of these days it will be positive. Probably when you least expect it." She smiled wryly. "It happens like that for a lot of us."

  She meant well, but her words brought all the pain back from last night. I took a moment to steady my voice. "I got really upset. Mike and I had an argument, and even Gianna and I had words. It's a good thing you didn't call me back, or I probably would have bitten your head off too."

  Josie gave me a sympathetic smile. "It's okay. God knows I've snapped at you enough times. Hey, that's what friends are for. Remember, you don't have to keep this all bottled up inside of you."

  That got a laugh out of me. "Oh, I didn't, believe me."

  "Think good thoughts, honey," she said and opened the car door. "I'm always available if you need to talk, any time of day or night. Got it?"

  How lucky I was to have her for a friend. "Same here."

  The front door of Josie's house
opened, and a menagerie of boys in various sizes tumbled out, accompanied by Rob. They were all loaded down with snacks, water bottles, and baseball equipment.

  "I'd better let you go so that you can get to Danny's game. Good luck."

  "Thanks. Call me later and let me know what Brian says?"

  "Will do. Have fun with the gang."

  I watched Josie rush toward them and start organizing everything and everyone into Rob's car. The kids turned to wave at me. I smiled and waved back but was aware of a dull ache spreading across my chest.

  Damn it. Now I was jealous of my best friend too? But this was nothing new. I'd always envied her those beautiful kids. Sadness started to overwhelm me again. Would that ever be Mike and me someday? In desperation, I shook it off. This solved nothing. I drove down the street and tried to collect my thoughts. No sense in crying over spilled chocolate chips again. I had to think positive—someday I would have a child to love.

  My phone buzzed as I waited at a traffic light. I glanced down to where it rested in the console and saw Brian's name pop up on the screen. The light turned green, and I quickly pulled over to the side of the road to pick up. "Hey."

  "Sally." Brian's voice was grim. "We found the Camaro that hit Mrs. Fiato."

  I clutched the phone tightly between my hands. "Is it licensed to the senator?"

  "No," he said, "but it is licensed to a colleague of his by the name of Richard Gallagher. He's an attorney who works at Martin's firm, and he collects classic cars. The interesting part is that Richard only got back into town today. He's been in Aruba on his honeymoon for the past two weeks."

  My eyebrows drew together at his words. "I don't understand. Did someone else use Richard's car, or is he lying?"

  "He's not lying," Brian said. "His plane records check out. When questioned, he claimed he left the car in the parking garage of Ambrose's law firm while he was gone. Employees park there for free. He left a spare set of keys with Martin's secretary in case the vehicle needed to be moved during his absence."