Black Butterfly

by Marja McGraw

Judith turned around in her chair. “Dinner? Who can eat with all this tension in the air?”

  Gabe turned a magnificent smile on her. “There’s no reason to be nervous. All he wants to do is offer the invitation to Meredith.”

  Judith grumbled something, but I couldn’t make it out.

  Chris, Sr. had turned his chair toward us and listened intently for any further tidbits of information.

  The Church Ladies sat with their backs ramrod straight and their arms folded in front of them, pinning Tony with their gaze. I saw Lila reach out and take another swig of her wine before refolding her arms and watching the two men in the lounge. They were taking their assignment quite seriously.

  In the midst of all of this, Gloria returned to take our orders.

  When she left the tables, Sammy stood and followed her, grabbing her arm before she got too far away. He spoke to her for a moment.

  She listened, looked at me, and nodded her head. Her face was glowing.

  There was no doubt in my mind that even though there was so much going on, Sammy had just asked her out. I guess sometimes you just have to seize the moment.

  He returned to the table, looking as happy as any man could.

  I smiled at him.

  Jasmine looked over her shoulder at me. “The jig’s up.”

  “Huh?”

  “Company coming,” May said.

  “With a purpose, judging by his expression,” Judith added.

  Lila and Addy took hold of each other’s hands and I saw their lips moving. Of course, I knew what they were doing.

  Tony was approaching us.

  Judith began to rise, but Chris, Sr. put a staying hand on her shoulder.

  “Sit,” he said. He looked at the other tables and said, “That goes for you Church Ladies, too.”

  “I thought he was going to wait until after we ate,” I said.

  Gabe watched the man approach the table. “Guess he changed his mind.”

  Tony passed between the Church Ladies’ tables and stopped in front of Meredith. He stood with his hands in front of him, one covering the other.

  Sammy stood and faced Tony. “Something we can do for you?”

  Chris also stood, rolling the ever-loving upper lip under and tilting back on his heels.

  Tony turned his head and looked at Sammy, not in the least bit intimidated by Sammy’s six foot four height. He didn’t pay any attention to Chris.

  “Yes. I’d like to speak to her.” He turned his gaze on Meredith.

  “Yes?” I saw her jaws clench, but other than that she kept a straight face.

  The two men from the cocktail lounge had walked over and stood in front of the Church Ladies.

  I carried my cell phone in my pocket, and now I reached for it, ready to call for help.

  “My grandmother would like to speak to you. You remember Sophia, don’t you?”

  “I do.” Meredith suddenly smiled. “She’s my friend. Did you know that?”

  Tony nodded. “Is there somewhere here at the restaurant where you could meet with her privately?”

  Meredith turned to me. “Pamela?”

  “I have an office in the rear of the building.” I glanced around the restaurant. “Is she here?”

  “Not yet. I’ll pick her up. By the time you’re through eating, I’ll return with her.”

  “Just a minute,” Meredith said. “I want my friends to join us for this meeting.”

  Tony slowly turned his head and looked at all of the tables. “All of them?”

  “No. Just Pamela and Chris.” She pointed at each of us.

  The man glanced at Gabe, but didn’t say a word.

  Meredith understood. “Just Pamela and Chris. Gabe will wait here, at the table, along with the rest of my friends.”

  Tony nodded before turning to leave.

  The other two men returned to the lounge when Tony left.

  No one spoke until Jasmine said, “He’s a man of few words. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.”

  No one responded, but I saw Lila finish her wine.

  “I’ll be back,” I said, standing. “I want to make sure there are enough chairs for everyone in my office.”

  I hurried through the kitchen to my office. I’d added a couch to the room, so between that and a couple of chairs, I figured it would all work out.

  I was returning to our table when I saw Jimmy, the brother who concerned everyone, fold his fingers into the shape of a gun, point his hand at Meredith, and pantomime shooting her.

  I glanced at the people sitting at the tables, but no one had seen him.

  When I returned my gaze to Jimmy, he sat with his hands harmlessly resting on the table.

  He lifted his hand and waved with a nasty smile on his face.

  Somehow, he knew I’d seen him.

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  I hurried back to our table, noticing that Jimmy never took his eyes off of me. Stubborn woman that I can be sometimes, I stared right back instead of watching where I was going. Yes, I walked into a chair that someone had left pulled out when they’d finished dinner and gone home. I had to do a two-step to keep from falling.

  I shoved it back under the table and regretted that I’d provided a little entertainment for the goon. I guess that’s what happens when one tries to take a stand and act like they’re fearless.

  Dinner was served and I was surprised to see the Church Ladies eat with gusto. The rest of us picked at our food, with one exception. Meredith ate like it was her last meal.

  There was no more than small talk at the tables. That proverbial elephant that you hear about was sitting in the room with us, and it was named Sophia. No one wanted to discuss what she might want.

  I waited for a considerable time before I quietly told Chris what I’d seen when Jimmy figuratively shot Meredith. I didn’t want the gangster to think I’d hurried back and blabbed. It seemed better to play it cool.

  Chris stood, and I pulled on his arm. He was ready to have it out with Jimmy, which wouldn’t be the smartest thing to do.

  “No, Chris. Stay here. I honestly think the only reason he did that was because he knew I was watching. I think he’s playing games.”

  “Yeah? Well… I’m keeping my eye on him. What he did wasn’t funny. It was more like a threat to you than to Meredith.”

  “How so?” I asked.

  “Because he wanted you see what he was doing.”

  “Oh.”

  Gloria cleared the tables and I asked her to bring coffee and tea to us.

  Another fifteen minutes went by before Tony returned with his grandmother. Like Meredith, Sophia was a beautiful woman, regardless of her age. I could see why my neighbor had called her arm candy. She would have been a knockout as a young woman. Of medium height, she was still slender. Her dark hair certainly came out of a bottle, but it suited her. She was well-dressed in white slacks and a yellow blouse, and she appeared self-confident. Her nose was a tad too large, and yet on her it looked regal.

  Before anyone could stop her, Meredith shoved her chair back and left the table, walking forward to meet the woman face to face.

  They stared at each other for a moment.

  Was it my imagination or had the restaurant become very quiet? I looked around. It was my imagination.

  Meredith wasn’t one to mince words. “Sophia Messina, you’re a sight for sore eyes.”

  “As are you,” the other woman replied. A tear slid down her cheek.

  Meredith turned and waved to Chris and me. I saw that she had a few tears running down her face, too.

  And we’d been worried? This was like old home week with friends coming together who’d apparently missed each other.

  Except for Jimmy, who glared at Meredith.

  Chris and I walked forward to meet the grandmother.

  I held out my hand. “You must be Sophia. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” I pointed at Chris. “I’m Pamela and this is my husband, Chris. Welcome to Bogey Nights.”
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  She took my hand and held it for a moment. “Thank you for letting us meet here.” She glanced at the table where we’d been sitting. “Is that where you want us to talk?”

  “No, I have an office in the back. We’ll have to go through the kitchen.”

  I pointed toward the kitchen, and noticed Janet Riley, my friend and a homicide detective, sitting at one of the tables, across from her partner.

  I opened my mouth to say something to Chris, but Janet subtly shook her head. Apparently she was here on business, and I had to assume that business was the Messinas. So the cops knew the Messinas were in town and they were keeping a close eye on them. Interesting.

  Chris had seen her, too, and took hold of my hand, gently squeezing it.

  “Follow us,” he said.

  Tony started to dog our steps, and Meredith placed a hand on his arm.

  “Just us,” she said. “I’d like to meet with your grandmother without her family sitting in on our conversation.”

  “Is there a back door to the office?” Sophia asked.

  “Yes,” Chris replied.

  “Tony will stand outside and keep an eye on things,” she said, sounding firm.

  “Uh, I have two large dogs out back,” I said. “They’re friendly, but they’re pushy, too. Tony’s black suit will turn white from all the dog hair.”

  “Not a problem,” Tony said. “Dogs and I get along real good.”

  Phyllis was walking by and I asked her if she’d bring a large pot of coffee to my office. She glanced at Tony, nodded, and hurried away.

  I have to admit that as our little entourage moved through the restaurant, Sophia turned heads. She had a certain bearing and presence that seemed to set her above the norm.

  She took hold of Meredith’s hand, and for some reason they reminded me of little girls on a playground who were best friends.

  After entering the office, I took Tony outside to, uh, meet the dogs. They came running and in his baritone voice, the man told them to sit, holding up his hand in a “stay there” gesture.

  My mouth dropped open when Sherlock skidded to a halt and sat down with his tail sweeping the ground. Watson dropped on the ground and rolled onto her back in a gesture of submissiveness.

  “I guess I don’t need to worry about you and the dogs,” I said.

  The straight-faced goon actually broke into a smile before scratching Watson’s chest and patting Sherlock’s head.

  The smile disappeared quickly and he planted himself in front of the door. He looked quite intimidating.

  “Excuse me,” I said. “I need to go back inside.”

  He turned and opened the door for me before standing to the side with his hands clasped in front of him again.

  I found Sophia sitting behind my desk. I guessed she was used to being the one in control and I quietly sat on the couch.

  “What’s this all about?” Meredith asked. “Why have you gone to the trouble of searching me out?”

  Sophia tipped her head back, just a little. “I want to thank you.”

  “For what?”

  She glanced at me and Chris. “Can I speak freely in front of your friends?”

  “Of course,” Meredith replied.

  “Let me begin at the point when you disappeared. Tony was furious, and he took it out on me. I ended up in the hospital with some serious injuries. When I returned home, he drove me out to see some desert land because he wanted to build another casino, or so he said. After that he simply disappeared. Things were in an upheaval with Tony gone. I knew a lot more about his business dealings than anyone realized, so I took over the casino. And a few other things that don’t need to be discussed.”

  She glanced at Chris and me.

  “It was unheard of for a woman to handle the business, so I explained that it would be temporary; just until my husband returned. There were people who were more than willing to do my bidding. They weren’t afraid of me like they were of Tony.

  “We waited for him to reappear, but it didn’t take long to realize he was either on the run for some reason or gone for good.”

  She stopped talking and studied Meredith’s face for a reaction. None was forthcoming.

  “My entire life changed with my husband out of the picture. There were no more beatings and I earned respect quickly, although I’ve had to be tough. I think – no, I know – people were glad they didn’t have to deal with him anymore.”

  She stopped talking and sat quietly.

  “What is it you’re thanking me for?” Meredith asked. “None of what you’ve told us has anything to do with me.”

  “It has everything to do with you. When Tony’s body was finally found, I didn’t grieve. I rejoiced. I didn’t have to look over my shoulder anymore.

  “I want to thank you for killing him. It’s that simple.”

  I couldn’t put a name to the look on Meredith’s face. Shock? Incredulity? Anger? They all fit.

  She stood and her hands turned into fists. “Simple? Sophia, I did not murder your husband, nor did I kill anyone else! I’m the victim of rumors, of one great big frame-up. People tried to pin suspicious deaths, or out and out murders, on me because I wasn’t around to defend myself.” Her voice gave her away. It trembled with anger. “You thought so little of me? I thought we were friends and that you knew me better.”

  Sophia sat quietly with her hands resting on my desk, once again studying Meredith. It was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop.

  My neighbor narrowed her eyes at the other woman. “You’ve changed drastically. What do they call you? The Godmother?”

  Sophia’s face softened and she started to laugh like she’d just heard the funniest joke ever. “I knew in my heart of hearts it wasn’t you, but I needed to hear it from your lips. Now who do I thank?”

  Something about her expression made me think she had some good ideas, and her laugh somehow didn’t seem natural. I had a feeling she didn’t laugh often.

  The back door opened and Tony glanced around the room, a look of surprise registering on his face.

  Sophia waved him away. “I’ll call you if I need you.”

  He closed the door and resumed his position outside.

  “He’s a good grandson. He watches out for me. Someday he’ll take over, but in my business you don’t retire. He’ll have to wait until I die.”

  Meredith walked to the desk and searched Sophia’s face. “You’re not – “

  “No, I’m not dying. Nature will have to take me in her own good time. In the meantime, it’s good to have my friend back. You might be surprised to learn that you’re the only person who has ever been able to make me laugh.”

  The dogs started barking and we heard loud voices in the yard.

  Now what?

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Chris leaped out of his chair and turned toward the door.

  Sophia leaned forward. “Sit down, young man. Whatever the disturbance is, Tony will take care of it.”

  “Not on my watch,” Chris said. He continued to the back door and threw it open.

  I followed him.

  Jimmy stood outside the back of the fence with the dogs leaping around and barking at him while he yelled at them. “Get away from the fence you mangy dogs. I’ve got business inside.”

  Tony was crossing the yard toward his brother, with purpose in his step.

  I saw Jimmy reach inside his jacket but Tony held up his hand, just as he’d done with the dogs. The younger brother slowly pulled his hand out of his jacket.

  He was a scary guy, but if he’d pulled out a gun and shot my dogs, I would have been even scarier.

  “I don’t trust that guy as far as I can throw him,” Chris said.

  I nodded. “We need to get these people out of here. This was just supposed to be Gabe and Meredith talking tonight. I’m going in to speak to Sophia.”

  Chris crossed the yard and stood by Tony. Surprisingly, they made a formidable pair. Tony said something to Chris and my husband turned
in my direction.

  “Jimmy is leaving,” Chris called.

  Jimmy’s eyes shot daggers at the Bogey Man.

  Tony spread his feet apart and crossed his arms. “Now!” I heard him say.

  The younger brother narrowed his eyes at his brother before stomping away from the yard.

  How childish. Oh! I guess if you’re a thug it doesn’t matter if you stomp your feet when you walk away.

  I returned to the office. “I’ll be back in a minute,” I said. I wanted to make sure Jimmy didn’t reenter the restaurant.

  Opening the door from the office to the restaurant, I found Judith, Chris, Sr. and Jasmine standing nearby.

  “We’re watching your back,” my father-in-law said. He didn’t sound in the least apologetic.

  “Thank you. Would you make sure that Jimmy didn’t come back inside? If he did, please let me know.”

  All three nodded and walked through the kitchen toward the restaurant. Jasmine looked so determined and almost knocked Greg over when she shoved open the swinging door. Greg is our most popular waiter and looks a lot like Burt Lancaster. The women love him. Thankfully he’s athletic, and he sidestepped Jasmine and the door.

  I returned to Meredith and Sophia, and took a seat on the couch. “Did I miss anything important?” I asked.

  Meredith smiled. “Sophia wants me to return to Las Vegas with her, but I don’t think I’d be safe there. She reluctantly agrees.”

  She turned back to The Godmother, as I was beginning to think of her.

  I thought I should let her know what was going on. “Uh, Tony asked Jimmy to leave. Honestly, I thought your son was going to shoot my dogs.” Oops! I hadn’t meant to say that last part.

  Sophia frowned. “That doesn’t surprise me. He’s a lot like his grandfather.” It seemed like she was going to say more, but she stopped herself.

  I had a feeling she thought she’d already said too much, and she really hadn’t said anything of consequence. I guessed she was used to playing things close to the vest. If I were her, believe me, I wouldn’t be a blabbermouth. She had a lot to lose.

  I truly didn’t want to be pushy, but I said, “Meredith, would you like to go back to the table and talk to Gabe a little more? You never really had a chance to visit with him.”