Jake took a gulp of wine and stared straight ahead. “I guess I wouldn’t know about that, because my marriage sure didn’t last that long.”
DeeDee observed Jake in silence. She’d never seen him like this before, and thought maybe her choice of words had been unfortunate. “I…”
“I’m sorry,” Jake blurted out at the same time.
She leaned across and kissed him. “Let’s have dinner.”
“What’s in the stew?” Jake asked, when he was on his second helping. “I love it.”
“Ah, that must be my secret ingredient,” DeeDee smiled, watching him eat. “It’s barley.”
“Barley? Are we on a health kick or something?”
“The barley helps to thicken it,” DeeDee explained. “And since you mentioned several times you’d like to lose a few pounds, I figured you could do without a noodle or rice base for the stew.”
Jake sucked in his belly and sat up straight. “In that case, since I’ve been so healthy I guess I could justify dessert. Do you have any?”
DeeDee smiled and cleared the dishes. “I’m glad you asked, as there’s something I’ve been wanting to try. Promise you won’t laugh.”
“I never laugh when it comes to food,” Jake said solemnly. “Isn’t that right, Balto?”
“How does this sound? Nutella on warm French bread. I read an article about melting chocolate and combining it with butter to put on bread, but I thought Nutella would even be better.”
“I guess we could try it and see what it tastes like, and Balto agrees. Look DeeDee, he’s wagging his tail.”
“It looks like you’re not going to get any complaints from him,” DeeDee said, as she started to prepare the dish.
“No complaints from me, either,” Jake said when he’d finished, pushing his plate away. He reached across the table for DeeDee’s hand. “I’m sorry about earlier,” he said, looking into her eyes. “It’s been a long day, and I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be eventful as well. I don’t want to, but I should probably go soon. I’ll take Balto out for a walk before I leave.”
“It’s okay,” DeeDee said, squeezing his hand. “I know the feeling. I’m almost asleep on my feet. Do you mind if we go for dinner to Roz and Clark’s tomorrow after our meeting at Starbucks? Roz wants us to help convince Clark they need to get a dog.”
“I think that’s a good idea,” Jake said. “Some sort of normality to take all our minds off…well, you know.”
“The fact Clark might be charged with murder?”
Jake nodded gloomily and said, “I think we’d better call it a night.”
CHAPTER 16
Al eyed the suitcase and the few boxes he’d spent the early hours of the night before packing in the cottage he lived in on the grounds of Vinny’s house. He wasn’t exactly sure what was going to happen today, but as soon as it did, he knew he had to be ready. His finely tuned instincts usually warned him of an imminent threat, except when it had let him down the night Vinny died. He knew he’d never forgive himself for that, and had no intention of trying.
He opened the ancient laptop Vinny had given him when he’d upgraded to a shiny notepad electronic device that was about as thick as a sheet of paper. Al never had been able to understand how so much technology could be squeezed into something so small.
“It’s called microchips, Al,” Vinny had tried to explain to him. “They can package computer circuitry into tiny pieces of silicon and make them do amazing things. It’s fascinating. Bill Gates was telling me about it one time.”
“I don’t trust them things,” Al had grunted. “Only chips I use are at the casino.”
Al never sent emails, but his sister emailed him photos of her grandkids and wrote him news about what was happening back home in Chicago. The only other thing he ever used the computer for was to check his offshore bank account in the Caymans. When he booted it up and went to the site, he found he had more than enough money to live a very comfortable life there for the rest of his days. He was actually looking forward to living in his beachside home, drinking some Tortuga rum, reading, and finally losing himself into anonymity.
Al turned off the laptop and placed it in the top of the suitcase that contained everything he could possibly need. He was used to traveling light. In his line of work it was sometimes necessary to disappear on short notice, and as a result, he’d never been one to accumulate many material possessions. Family and friends were the most important things to Al, and Vinny had been his best friend as well as his employer. Al wasn’t sure if Vinny had known he was like a kid brother to Al, but he suspected he did. Al had taken on that role when Fonzie Santora had died, and the dynamic relationship between the two of them had remained for the next forty years.
He sniffed, and rubbed his eyes, looking around for his sunglasses. It wouldn’t be good for anyone to see him with red eyes, as if he’d been crying. Al’s tough guy persona was something he’d perfected over the years, and it had become like an armor to him. If anyone knew how much he loved watching The Sopranos in his pajamas with a tub of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, they might not be so scared if they met him in a dark alley.
He remembered the time he and Vinny had lived in Mexico for a year after an investigation by the Feds for tax evasion. Vinny had learned to speak fluent Spanish and Juanita, their housekeeper, had taught Al to cook. Al’s salsa dancing had improved a lot too. That was the last time he’d had anything approaching a real vacation, and he wondered if the Caymans would be quite as much fun.
Only it won’t be the same without Vinny, he thought.
He’d replayed the events of Saturday night over and over in his mind, trying to think how Vinny’s murder could have been prevented. Al would happily have given his own life to go back to Saturday night and save Vinny’s.
Checking the time on his Ballon Blue de Cartier watch that had been a gift from Vinny, he decided it was time to make the call. It was after 9:30 a.m., and he was sure Dom Langello’s law office would be open for business by now. Dom was Vinny’s attorney, but he didn’t take regular clients. There were only a few select individuals and businesses that he worked for exclusively and only on a retainer basis. His executive assistant put Al’s call through to him immediately.
“Hey, Dom. Ya’ heard about Vinny?”
“Yes, Al,” the Italian accented voice said. “Please accept my condolences. Vinny was a true gentleman. I, for one, owe him a great debt of gratitude, and I’m sure I’m not the only one.”
Dom had all the requirements necessary to be an admired attorney in Seattle, including the Yale law degree, the house in Medina, and memberships in the Sand Point Country Club and Seattle Health Club. No one knew that Vinny had taken a kid out of Chicago, paid for him to go to Yale, and persuaded him to practice law in Seattle rather than in his hometown when Vinny had moved there.
“Yeah, the feelin’s mutual,” Al said. He heard Dom shuffling papers.
“I was getting ready to call you. All I know is what the news says. Give me your thoughts. Think it’s a business deal?”
“My hunch is, it ain’t business,” Al said. “But I’m still workin’ on it. My concern is what’s gonna happen to the business. I thought Vinny was gettin’ ready to wrap it up before all this happened. He told me he’d had enough. Did he say anythin’ to you ‘bout that?”
“Yes,” Dom said. “But first let’s talk about Clark. I heard a rumor his neck’s on the block. There were some unverified reports on the news that Vinny mentioned in his wedding toast that Clark was the beneficiary of his entire estate, and that Clark could get charged with the murder. That’s certainly true about Vinny’s last will and testament, but it’s not that straightforward.”
“What’s the issue? I heard Vinny say with my own ears that Clark was gettin’ the lot.”
It sounded like Dom was tapping a pen on his desk. “I’m not sure if anyone knows this, but there’s a contingency in Vinny’s will that if Clark is convicted of any wrongdoing, Vinny’s estate go
es to his cousin, Cecil Larkin. I’m afraid you have me to blame for that,” he said.
“Jeez,” Al said, scratching his head. “The way things are lookin’, ol’ Cecil could be winnin’ the jackpot. I’m sure his wife, Theresa, will be happy about that.”
“You know how it is,” Dom said. “In circles like ours it’s pretty easy for a person to be persuaded or influenced to run afoul of the law. Vinny was adamant Clark should never follow that path. That’s why I suggested putting the contingency in, just in case.”
“It makes sense,” Al said. “Let’s just hope we can get Clark off the hook.”
“Al, Vinny said you were taken care of. You going to be okay?”
“You betcha,” Al confirmed. “Vinny paid me plenty over the years, an’ I always tol’ him, don’t ya leave me nothin’, Boss.” Al twisted the large diamond ring he wore on the pinkie finger of his right hand, another gift from Vinny.
“Okay, good to hear that. Now then, the topless bars. Clark knows nothing about them. Since Vinny was getting ready to retire, he recently transferred them into a company owned indirectly by me. According to Vinny’s instructions, the company will sell the bars and donate all proceeds to a charity of my choosing. He said he’d gotten tired of all the dirty business over the years.”
“That’s why I was his front man,” Al said. “He was easin’ himself out even then. With the prostitution rings disbanded and the bar proceeds goin’ to charity, maybe that was his way of atonement.”
“You could be right, Al. Vinny was a generous man. He told me Clark was going to be getting more than enough from his will and that he wanted me to take care of the other money. Also, he decided it would probably be just as well if Clark didn’t know about it, so he can’t be tainted by the bars in any way. Shame he’s tainted by this murder business, though.”
“My lips are sealed,” Al said. “And will ya’ quit goin’ on ‘bout Clark and the murder? Ima take care of that. Clark didn’t kill his Uncle Vinny no more than I did. The real culprit’s gonna be found soon. I got a feelin’ in my bones about that.”
“I know your intuition is probably what’s kept you alive this long, Al, so I’ll tell you what. I’m going to hold off probating the will until the murderer is caught, because I don’t want to have to do it twice.”
“Good idea. If I have my way, you won’t have to wait too long, Dom. I’ll be in touch when I’ve got somethin’ to tell ya. And Ima call Joey and tell him the bars are to be sold, and he don’t need to send Baby Face out here.”
“Fine, Al. And good luck. I hope to hear from you soon,” Dom said, ending the call.
As soon as the call ended, Al sprang into action. After loading his suitcase and personal boxes into the trunk of his car, he made his way to Vinny’s office on the ground floor of the main house. He needed to make sure if the police searched Vinny’s personal and financial records they’d find nothing to link him to the Mafia, topless bars, prostitution rings, or anything else Vinny had been involved in over the years. Locking himself inside the office, he shredded documents, files and even photos of Vinny playing golf with the Colonnas and Gambinos.
Several hours later when he was finished, he’d made sure that whoever searched Vinny’s home would find nothing but the papers and personal effects of a man who liked to play the stock market, watch his investments and his bank account, listen to Spanish for Beginners CDs, and read Lee Child novels.
CHAPTER 17
DeeDee checked her phone messages and returned some of her calls. With just over a week to go until Christmas, her catering business, Deelish, was already booked solid, and she was surprised that so many people had left it to the last minute to organize their catering arrangements. It was unfortunate she had to let people know she was not available, however there was one message that made her pause.
The female voice on the answering machine was instantly recognizable, before the woman even said her name.
“Hello, Deelish! My husband has been very naughty and invited some people over for New Year’s Eve without telling me. It’s just going to be a teensy weensy little party. Maybe fifty people. I know it’s the very last minute, but you simply MUST cater for us. I’ve heard so many great things about Deelish, and no one else will do. I’ll simply die if you can’t do it. Please, please, pleeeeeease call me back as soon as you get this message. Money is no object. Bye. Oops, it’s Dana Donnelly, by the way. Call me. Bye! Bye, bye, bye.” DeeDee smiled. She thought she heard a ‘mwah’ at the end of the message, like someone kissing down the phone.
“Dana D!! Oh Balto, do you know what this means?” DeeDee squealed with excitement.
Balto looked up for a second, before continuing to chew on his toy rabbit.
Dana Donnelly, showbiz and entertainment correspondent for the New Day NW morning television show, was as famous for her exploits off-camera as on. She was as well-known as most of the people she interviewed on the show, and had been photographed in compromising clinches with various A-listers on more than one occasion. No one had any idea how her husband felt about those indiscretions, since for all intents and purposes she was also happily married. Regardless of the details of Dana’s private life, it was her self-deprecating humor and ability to bring out the vulnerable side of celebrities live on the air that made her such a hit with viewers and New Day NW guests alike. The year Dana stumbled and was caught by George Clooney on the red carpet at the Oscars, she got more column inches than Jennifer Lawrence, who won the Best Actress award.
“Are you listening, Balto? This is big. No, this is huge!!” DeeDee had kept New Year’s Eve free, since Jake had talked about the two of them doing something together. They still hadn’t finalized any plans for the night, because Roz’s wedding had been the high priority for the holiday season. “I’m sure Jake would understand if I take this catering job on New Year’s Eve, isn’t that right, Balto? I mean, who wouldn’t?” She watched Balto wrestle with his toy and sighed. “I don’t know why I bother telling you anything.”
She thought about calling Jake to discuss it, but there wasn’t much time before she had to leave for Seattle, and anyway, she’d see him later. If she pulled off a successful party at Dana D’s, it could open other doors for bookings in a much higher range price bracket. Then maybe she could cut down on the amount of work she was taking on. Surely, Jake would be happy about that.
DeeDee wrote down Dana’s number. There was no time to call her before her appointment with Francesca, but if Dana really did want to hire her, she supposed that calling her later wouldn’t be a problem.
She lifted Balto’s leash off the hook in the hallway, and he looked up expectantly. “It’s time to go get the ferry, Balto,” she said, looking around for her purse. Balto spit out his toy rabbit and came bounding across the room. He leaped up on DeeDee, who was unable to clasp his leash to his collar until she’d calmed him down. “How come you ignore me until I say something you think’s fun, huh?”
DeeDee had read somewhere that a dog can understand one hundred and sixty-five words, but she knew that for Balto, the word ‘ferry’ was probably numero uno.
The high winds on the ferry crossing from Bainbridge Island to Seattle didn’t curb Balto’s excitement. If anything, he was more thrilled than usual. If DeeDee had a dollar for every time he tried to jump up on the side of the passenger deck, it would have paid for lunch. As it was, by the time they arrived at the Girl and The Fig restaurant, both DeeDee and Balto were exhausted, Balto from his doggy Olympics, and DeeDee from her efforts at trying to prevent him from ending up in the Sound.
The restaurant had a dog friendly patio which is one reason DeeDee had specifically asked to meet Francesca there. Francesca looked up and waved to them. DeeDee and Balto made their way across to where she was sitting.
“Nice to see you again, Francesca,” DeeDee said warmly, extending her hand. She noticed Francesca’s greeting was friendlier than the first time they’d met, although not by much. At least this time, Francesca made
eye contact with DeeDee.
“What are you having?” she asked Francesca, as they looked at the menu. “I’m tempted by the spiced lamb meatballs with couscous, dates, and spicy yogurt sauce. Have you eaten here before?”
Francesca shook her head. “I think I’ll order fish. I’m watching my figure for my wedding.”
The waiter arrived with water for them, and DeeDee ordered the meatballs. As an afterthought she added, “And the semifreddo with chocolate sauce and toasted pine nuts for dessert, please.” DeeDee justified the dessert as research.
“I’ll have the grilled halibut with fruit for dessert.” Francesca snapped the menu shut and shoved it at the waiter. She opened a notebook and gave DeeDee a forced smile.
“So, DeeDeem what does Tink have in mind for her wedding? Didn’t she think it important to come today? I’m not a mind reader, you know.”
“Um, Tink had to work,” DeeDee said. “Of course she’ll be very involved with everything, but she wanted me to try and secure your services as soon as possible. The wedding is coming up and it’s all rather sudden.”
“I see,” Francesca said, raising an eyebrow. “It’s like that, is it?”
DeeDee didn’t bother correcting her. She was disliking Francesca more with each passing minute.
“It’s planned for Easter time,” DeeDee said. “Apart from the dress and the reception, I have no idea what else needs to be done before then. Roz said that there were so many things you just took care of that she hadn’t even thought about. We decided it would be best to get you involved from the very beginning.”
“Indeed,” Francesca said. “That’s usually the best approach. Let’s start with the venue. Does she want a church wedding, a civil ceremony, or does she have somewhere else in mind? You have no idea of the weird locations some people want for their wedding. One couple recently wanted to take their vows on the Pacific Northwest Bridge and then bungee jump off of it.”
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