Lacey Luzzi: Spiced: a humorous, cozy mystery! (Lacey Luzzi Mafia Mysteries Book 8)

by Gina LaManna

  “How do you figure?”

  “You and me, when we ran away, it was spur of the moment. You were mad about ice cream, and I was…well, I was mad at my mom.” Meg shrugged. “But neither of us actually intended to run away, looking back. We just wanted our way and were willing to throw a snit to get it. The girls are doing the same thing, they’re just more stubborn.”

  I gave a slow nod. “I suppose if we’d planned to run away together, we’d have done the same thing.”

  “Now you’re thinking. See? This is why you keep me around. Our brains work in opposite directions, which makes us the perfect team.”

  “Hold on.” Reconsidering, I raised a hand. “If the girls were planning to leave in advance, then it’s likely they had a bigger reason for running away than a bit of frustration over ice cream.”

  “I didn’t say it would be easy to find them. Us running away, that was easy to solve because we made a heated decision and didn’t think things through. When I was a cop, it was the crimes of passion that were easier to solve. The criminals made more mistakes. It was the cold-blooded bastards who calculated every detail that were difficult.”

  I looked at my feet. “That’s an intense comparison.”

  “Those girls are smart.” Meg shrugged. “Evil maybe, but smart.”

  “We need to talk to Nicky and figure out what was going on at home and see if that helps find a motive for their disappearance. Maybe they were trying to get somewhere. Or find something. We just need to figure out what, and then where.”

  CHAPTER 15

  After thirty minutes of Meg whacking every trash can she passed with her newfound stick, and Anthony doing his own thing on the opposite side of the park, we were no closer to finding a paper bag, a clue, or anything related to the girls than we’d been half an hour earlier. My toes were frozen, my tailbone was sore, and I had lost all sensation in my fingers.

  “Can we go now?” Meg moaned. “I can’t feel the majority of my body. My nose hairs are breaking off one by one.”

  I shivered. “Y-yes. Let’s go to Nicky’s after we get something to eat. We’ve got to check for updates from the gang, anyway, and we can come back tomorrow if we need. At this point, I don’t think there’s anything here.”

  Anthony was a speck in the distance, having rattled ten times more trash cans than Meg and me combined. Judging by his downturned shoulders, he hadn’t found anything of substance.

  Riding out a gut feeling, I took a detour on the way back to the car, and spotted a cluster of bushes slightly off the main pathway, flanked by evergreen trees. I swooped by. This was exactly the sort of place I might’ve hidden when I’d run away, twenty-odd years ago. Shielded somewhat from the elements, a little bit private, and very Boxcar Children-esque, I’d have felt like the real John Denver making camp here.

  As chance would have it, a trash can had been placed a few feet behind the bushes. Peeking inside, it took most of my willpower to hold in a squeal. “It’s our lucky day!”

  “I’d argue with that,” Meg said, hurrying to my side. “You practically broke your tailbone, you’re hungry, and you can’t find your cousins. If that’s your lucky day, girlfriend, then you have a tough life.”

  “Look, I found something!” I extended two fingers into the trash can like pincers. Right on top of a snow dusting lay a brown paper bag. There was no name on the outside, no hearts like my mom used to draw when she sent Meg and me to school, but it was fresh. The bag wasn’t dirty or weathered, it wasn’t ripped and trash-covered. It had been tossed out today – sometime within the last few hours, I’d bet.

  “Did you find the sandwich?” Meg rubbed a hand over her stomach as she sized up my find. “Open it up. It looks heavy.”

  “There’s something inside.” The brown bag sagged under my fingers. Glancing inside, I announced to Meg, “Well, it’s not a sandwich.”

  “Bummer.”

  By now, Anthony had joined us, so I extended the bag in his direction. “Look.”

  He grabbed the bag and looked inside. “Oh, no. That’s not good.”

  “I wanna see.” Meg shouldered up next to Anthony. “Oh, snap! Maybe I was wrong; today is your lucky day. I’ll take a new phone over a sandwich anytime.” Meg waited for a response. When she didn’t get one, understanding dawned on her face. “Never mind. This is bad. They threw their phones away.”

  “Looks like it.” I slid my hand into the bag and pulled out two almost identical phones. The only difference was in the cheap, plastic cover around the device. One of them was purple, the other pink. “I don’t think this is a good sign.”

  “No, but we can’t rule out the theory that the girls planned this,” Meg said. “They planned their lunches in advance, so there’s no reason they wouldn’t have thought to throw the phones away. I mean, that’s what every person on every CSI show does when they’re trying to hide.”

  Anthony glanced towards the phones. “Are they locked?”

  “I’m checking. They’re powering up now.” I stomped my feet impatiently against the ground, trying for even the slightest tingle in my toes, as the screen loaded. “What do you say we head back to the car while we’re waiting and get over to Nicky’s? We found what we needed.”

  “Well, technically you didn’t find what you needed,” Meg said, as Anthony and I swiveled our gazes to face her. She shrugged. “What? You didn’t. Technically you’re looking for the girls. You only found their phones.”

  “We found as much as we’ll find for the moment.” I double checked the garbage, but there was nothing else on top of the snow. “This stuff isn’t theirs. Most likely they came here, hung out for a bit, and then moved on.”

  “This is like a scavenger hunt,” Meg said. “Except the prize is less fun than a gift card.”

  “Okay team, the phones are powered up, but my fingers can’t navigate the touch-screen since my prints have frozen off. Let’s crank some heat in the car and get a move on.” Without waiting for approval, I took the phones back to the car and climbed in the passenger’s seat.

  “Come on,” I murmured to the phones as they blinked and beeped to life. “Give me something to work with.”

  Soon enough, Anthony and Meg joined me in the car, just as a whole new set of worries fluttered into my brain. “You guys, I don’t understand one thing about this whole situation.”

  “That’s pretty good.” Meg gave a succinct nod. “I don’t understand a lot of things.”

  “That’s a good start, Meg,” Anthony said. “The first step is admitting you have a problem.”

  Meg made a face. “Hi, my name is Meg, and I don’t understand a lot of things. But at least I’m funny.”

  “I’m funny.” Anthony’s tone was stern, his face murderous. “I’m hilarious.”

  “Right-o, buddy. Right-o. You’re the next Jimmy Fallon.” Meg patted his shoulder. “Don’t quit your day job.”

  “Can we get back to what I don’t understand?” I cut in. “We’re missing the why. Why would these girls run away? The more we find out, the weirder this gets. They started packing lunches, they threw their phones away…something is off.”

  “I’d agree it’s strange,” Meg said. “But what could the alternative be?”

  “I don’t know,” I admitted. “However, the way I see it, there are two options. We’ve talked about the first, which is that the girls planned this whole thing. That would mean they’re either running away from something, or towards something.”

  “And the second option?” Anthony asked.

  “The second option is that we’re supposed to think the girls ran away.” I paused. “When that’s not the case. It’s a good cover, actually. Because look what we’ve done – we’ve held off calling the police, we’ve poked around on our own – heck, we’ve even rationalized the girls’ thinking to the point where we’ve convinced ourselves they’ll waltz home in a few minutes. What if we’re playing right into their hands? Someone who has the girls?”

  “Calm down.” An
thony reached over and squeezed my shoulder. “You can’t fall apart now; the girls need you to focus.”

  “What if I made things worse?”

  “Guesses and assumptions don’t get you anywhere. Until we find more evidence for either scenario, you’re just guessing, which is a waste of time and energy. You have to focus on the things you can change, and not the things you can’t control.”

  “What can I change?”

  “You can look through the phones. Talk to your family. Go to the girls’ school.” Anthony blinked, his gaze humorless. “Keep your head on straight. You’re capable, and you’ve come so far from that day I talked to you at the gym. Try not to let your emotions get in the way.”

  “What about me?” Meg chimed in. “I’m capable and smart, too.”

  Anthony didn’t break eye contact with me. “Carlos trusts you, which in itself is significant; he doesn’t let just anyone into his inner circle, not even family.”

  “Totally,” Meg agreed. “Me and Carlos are best friends. Basically. We have a complicated relationship.”

  “But remember, Lacey. Even in highly emotional cases, you have to be careful. You can’t let the work consume you.” Anthony paused. “You’ve come so far, and you’ve worked so hard. Now, the difficult part will be not letting it get away from you.”

  I swallowed. “How do you do it? How do you set boundaries for yourself?”

  Anthony, and even Meg, fell silent. The halt in conversation lasted a long time, longer than a comfortable pause. Eventually, I shifted in my seat, only partially due to my aching tailbone.

  Anthony brought his fingers to the side of my face, caressing my skin all the way from my forehead down over my cheek, before finally brushing across my chin. “I’ve learned to remember what’s important. Otherwise, there is no balance.”

  “That is deep, brotha,” Meg piped up. “Good advice.”

  “I’m not your brother.” Anthony started the car, his face twitching in annoyance as he faced forward. “Where to, boss?”

  I put a hand on Anthony’s leg, giving his thigh a squeeze. Leaning over, I kissed his cheek, letting my lips linger so I could whisper into his ear. “Thank you.” I sat back in my seat, announcing to the car as a whole, “To Nicky’s.”

  CHAPTER 16

  Since Nicky didn’t live far from the lake, we arrived in front of the small duplex he called home in no time at all. Anthony parked on the street, and we all tumbled from the car. Nicky and the girls lived in a decent neighborhood, in a decent building, on a decent block. There was nothing particularly impressive about the neighborhood, and nothing particularly scary. Like I said before, Nicky was doing his best, which was pretty decent. Most of the time.

  The door to the left side of the duplex opened before I could knock. Nicky stood hunched over, his face sunken though the girls had only been gone for a few hours. His eyes darted wildly between the three of us, never settling on one spot for more than a second. “Help me,” he said. He turned around, leaving the door hanging wide open. When he spoke again, his voice was softer. “Help me.”

  Following him inside, I glanced over my shoulder to make sure Anthony and Meg were close behind, then marched up to Nicky and gave him a long, tight bear hug. Time to put on my brave face. I forced a small smile. “They’ll be okay, I promise you.”

  “You think?” Nicky spoke to the coffee table. The inside of the duplex was also decent, just like the neighborhood. A used couch sat along one wall, a mid-sized TV on the other. I caught a glimpse of three doors shooting off the main hallway, two for the bedrooms, one for the bathroom.

  “Any word?” I asked, taking a seat on the arm of the sofa.

  Nicky shook his head. He kept on shaking it, muttering under his breath. “I did it, though. I did it.”

  “Did what?” My heart rate sped up. “Nicky, what did you do?”

  The alarm in my voice must have resonated with him, because he looked up with hollow eyes. “I called the police.”

  I let out a breath. “Holy moly, that’s not what I was expecting you to say. You almost gave me a heart attack.”

  “Luzzis don’t call the police.” Nicky rocked slightly back and forth. “But I called the police. I called the police, Lacey!”

  “That’s okay,” I said, sneaking a look at Anthony. The exact protocol for getting the cops involved was lost on me, but in my heart I had no doubt he’d done the right thing. A situation like this required all hands on deck, badges or no badges. “Nobody blames you for calling the police.”

  “I didn’t have much to tell them,” Nicky said, speaking to the floor. “I just said that I dropped the girls off at school this morning. Then, I drove to the laundromat. When I came back here for lunch, I found a message that neither of them showed up to their first classes. That’s impossible. I dropped them off.”

  As Nicky should know, ditching class was possible in so many ways. However, I didn’t feel like explaining my expertise at the moment, so I settled on a sympathetic smile. “We’ll find them,” I said again. “Anthony, can you hang out with him while I make a quick phone call?”

  “That depends on who you’re calling.”

  Moving across the room, I faced away from Nicky and lowered my voice. “I’m going to call my dad. With his history as an agent, maybe he can…I don’t know, put in a good word for us with the police. I want to make sure we’re getting the best in the business.”

  Nodding, Anthony’s gaze flicked towards Nicky. “I’ll get the rest of the story while you call.”

  Unfortunately, Anthony’s words spurred one last thought, and it wasn’t a positive one. Whirling around, I narrowed my eyes at Nicky. “I need to ask you something, and I need you to be honest.”

  Hollowed-out Nicky stared at the couch as if he hadn’t heard me.

  “Before I make this phone call, I need to know the whole truth,” I said. “So don’t lie to me. Understood?”

  Nicky pulled his head up, twisting towards me with a dull, disheartened look. Eventually, he gave a head-bob that I took to mean he agreed.

  Folding my hands in front of my body, I forced myself to maintain eye contact. I didn’t like having to ask the question any more than Nicky liked having to answer, but it was important. “Is there anything I should know about before we talk to the police? Any of your ‘friends,’ any of your ‘business ventures,’ any of your ‘personal hobbies’ that might have given someone a reason to go after the girls? Any debts, any…well, you know what I mean.”

  “I’ve never done anything to endanger them, and I never will.” Nicky’s voice took on a fierce quality. “I’d never, Lacey. How can you ask that?”

  “Maybe not on purpose, but mistakes happen,” I said, pressing my luck. “Listen, I trust you and I believe you, and I wouldn’t be asking if I didn’t absolutely have to. But I’m about to make a phone call that puts my neck on the line, and someone else’s, so I need your word there aren’t any skeletons we’ll find hiding in your closet.”

  “You have my word.” Standing, Nicky crossed his arms, his eyes blazing. “Now, is there anything else? Or should we focus on getting my daughters back instead of picking my life apart?”

  Before I could blink, Anthony had his arm around Nicky’s shoulder, the gesture both friendly and intimidating all at once.

  “Let’s get something straight. She’s here to help you,” Anthony said. “So there’s no need for that tone. Got it? How about we sit down, and you tell me every single detail that might be relevant. I’m going to ask you questions, and you are not going to get upset. We’re not here to judge you; we’re here to help you. We all have a history, and neither Lacey nor I are in a place to judge anyone else’s.”

  Nicky took a few deep breaths, the reddish tinge in his face fading slowly. “Sorry, I’m just…I’m wound a little tight right now.”

  “I understand,” Anthony said. “It’s normal, and frankly I’d be worried if you weren’t. Now, think back to this past month. Have the girls said or done
anything out of character?”

  Taking this as my cue to leave, I slipped into the kitchen and pulled up the contact list on my phone.

  “Hi…uh, Dad?” I said into the phone. “It’s me. Is this an okay time to talk?”

  My dad’s voice filtered through clearly. “I always have time for you. What’s up?”

  “We have a bit of a situation here, and the cops are involved. I don’t know if I should be asking for your help with this, but I didn’t know who else to go to.”

  He waited a beat. “You know I’m always here to help you. However, if it’s urgent, you should call 911. I’m out of town and can’t get back until tomorrow.”

  Jackson Cole and I first met just before Christmas, and in the month and a half since the infamous Hollywood fiasco, we’d been getting used to our new father/daughter relationship. It would take time, lots of time probably, for me to get used to having a dad, but already it was nice. There were perks to having a dad that I’d never before experienced. Perks such as calling him for help in a sticky situation.

  “That’s the thing. We’ve already gotten the cops involved, I was just wondering if you’d be able to…I don’t know, give them a phone call and a little nudge.” I frowned at Nicky’s sink, which contained a few cereal bowls that hadn’t been washed since at least yesterday morning. “I thought a word from you might go a long way in getting the best guys on our case.”

  “I don’t work with the local cops all that much.”

  “But surely you know some of them.” Opening Nicky’s fridge, I wrinkled my nose at a head of iceberg lettuce browning near the back. A few beers, a gallon of milk, and a package of Kraft cheese were about the only things not expired. “I’m not asking for you to work on the case or anything, I was just hoping for an introduction. To ease into things; my family is not exactly on the best terms with the police, if you can imagine that.”