Lacey Luzzi: S'mored: A humorous, cozy mystery! (Lacey Luzzi Mafia Mysteries Book 5)

by Gina LaManna

  “I understand that in here.” Nora tapped on her forehead. Then she moved her hand down to her heart. “But it’s difficult in here.”

  We took a few more steps, and Nora reached for my hand. “The last time someone hid a relationship from me, she ran away, and it was my fault. And I never got the chance to apologize for pushing her too hard.”

  Before she finished speaking, a few of my welled up tears had slipped out and rolled down my cheeks. “My mom?”

  Nora nodded, her own cheeks wet. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done it. I overreacted.”

  “Come here,” I instructed, gesturing for a hug. “I’ll never disappear, I promise you that.”

  “How can you promise?” Nora looked hesitant to believe me.

  “Because I’ve been gone for too long and, believe me, I know exactly how lucky I am to have this family. I’ve spent a lot of time being lonely. I’ve been without family. Finding you and Carlos is the best thing that ever happened to me.”

  Nora squeezed me tight, glancing up at me, her eyes brimming with hope. “Do you mean that?”

  “One hundred percent. I love you guys,” I said, and kissed my grandmother’s cheek.

  After we’d each had our fill, we parted, each wiping our eyes and pretending that we hadn’t cried. We were still mobsteristas, after all, and had a tough facade to maintain.

  “On the same topic as your mother, I have one last thing to tell you, for now at least,” Nora said.

  “Really…we’ve both been through a lot. It can wait, if you’d prefer. We have plenty of time to talk about her. Like I said, I’m not going anywhere.”

  To my surprise, Nora broke into a joyful grin. “That’s where you’re mistaken. This can’t wait.”

  “Nora, you only get that smile when you’re about to break the rules,” I said, my voice heavy on the caution. “Are you about to make Anthony very unhappy and get us in trouble?”

  “Let’s just say breaking rules runs in the family, my dear. And you are not one to argue with that.” She held an accusatory finger up at me. “And for that matter, neither was your mother. Now, follow me.”

  Chapter 40

  “There,” Nora said, making last minute adjustments to the enormous stuffed animal before her. “What do you think? Does that work for now?”

  I grinned. “The legacy continues.”

  Nora slipped her arm around my back, and together we stood atop the water tower, staring at our feet where a life-sized stuffed cow sat proudly. “I picked it up from a gift shop on the drive over here.”

  I glanced suspiciously at my grandmother. “Somehow I’m guessing my mom didn’t make up the idea of pranking this town. Plus, you said trouble runs in the family. Were you somehow involved before?”

  “Of course not.” Nora’s cheeks turned pink. “Anyway, it’s probably time we set off.”

  I caught Nora’s arm as she started to head towards the staircase. Turning my grandmother around, we both paused. For a moment, the only sound was the slight whisper of grass far below us, the rustle through the woods of unseen animals, the flutter of a moth’s wings atop the water tower.

  “Thank you for talking about her,” I said. “My mom. It means a lot to me.”

  Nora stepped forward and clasped my hand in hers. “It means more to me than you know. I can’t promise you I will tell you every detail, every story. I can’t promise you I won’t cry or become emotional while talking about her. But I can promise you that I’ll do my best to try.”

  I smiled, banishing the tears in my eyes for the happiness of the present. I brought my grandmother in for a hug and then, arm in arm, we started down the stairs.

  Suddenly I jerked my arm up and pointed towards the sky. “Look, Nora! Is that a shooting star?”

  Nora shook her head. “The city has ruined you, child. That’s an airplane.”

  “Can’t we pretend?” I grinned back, watching the plane glide out of sight.

  “Of course, dear.”

  “One more question. You don’t have to answer it now, but you’ve never...I’m curious…”

  “Spit it out, Lacey.”

  “Do you know who my father is?” I asked.

  Nora stumbled, nearly missing a step. Thankfully I caught her and led her off the bottom step onto firm, grassy ground. Straightening her shirt, she gave me a ghost of a smile. “Don’t know why I didn’t see that one coming.”

  “You really don’t have to answer tonight,” I said softly. “We’ve been through a lot. But maybe, if you wouldn’t mind thinking about it. Maybe if he’s still alive…”

  “You deserve an answer, dear.” Nora glanced up at me, and I held my breath.

  Watching her clear eyes, reminiscent of my own mother’s, I wondered if, for the first time in my life, I’d be able to put a face and a name to my dad. My mother refused to talk about him, but for some reason, I’d always gotten the sense that it was because she was hiding from him, and not the other way around. She never once spoke ill of the man. She just...never spoke of it. Of him. Of their relationship.

  Nora blinked and gave a quick shake of her head. “But I don’t have an answer for you. I’m sorry.”

  “But...how?” I didn’t mean to pry, but now that the seed had been planted, I was desperate to know if my father was still alive. If so, I had questions for him, many questions.

  “Your mother disappeared one day, Lacey. I suspected she was having a relationship that she wasn’t telling me or your grandfather about. I tried to have it looked into, but she found out about my nosiness.” Nora’s face was a mask of shame. “I felt terrible about it. I thought I was looking into it for her safety. I wanted to know where she was coming from when she’d creep into the house just before curfew, that love-struck grin on her face.”

  “She didn’t like it, and she pushed you away.”

  “Yes,” Nora said. “When I confronted her about it, said I wanted to meet this man, she got angry. It was the last fight we had. She ran away a week later, and only when you showed up, did I put two and two together that she’d probably been pregnant.”

  “Did you ever look for her?” I asked.

  “With every resource available to mankind,” Nora said. “But the problem is that, when you grow up in our family, you know how to disappear from the family.”

  I sighed. “I suppose there are no leads on him, then. And if there were, they’re probably cold by now.”

  “I’ll tell you what. Let’s sit down when we get home. I’ll show you all the information that I discovered, and then, if you want, you can look for him. But that’s a decision only you can make.”

  I swallowed. “Thank you.”

  “I thought I learned my lesson with her, and then when you came up here and we argued on the phone…” Nora shook her head. “It was terrible.”

  “It was,” I agreed. “But now it’s out in the open. Does Carlos know about Anthony and me?”

  “Lacey, everybody has suspected for a long time.”

  “We’ve only been together a few days,” I said, as we walked towards the man in question, our voices low.

  “Yes, but we could all see it coming.” Nora patted my hand. “I hope you two are very happy.”

  “We are. Or, I am.” I smiled.

  “Happy enough to give me a great-grandbaby?” Nora peered up at me.

  “Whoa, whoa.” I raised a hand. “Don’t push it.”

  “I’m just kidding,” Nora said with a tinkling laugh. “Sort of.”

  “What are you two laughing about?” Anthony asked, as we reached his guard post at the edge of the park.

  “Don’t worry about it,” I said. “Seriously, don’t ask.”

  Anthony raised his hands in surrender. “Don’t tell me twice. Nice cow, by the way.”

  The three of us looked up to where the stuffed animal majestically posed, watching over Tonka.

  “One more stop before home,” I said, breaking the silence. “We have to catch Meg’s last song.”


  Chapter 41

  “Meg, what are you doing outside?” Anthony had called Leanne, who sent over the cruiser on duty to shuttle Anthony, Nora, and me from the water tower back to the bar.

  Meg glanced at us as we exited the cop car. “Miss Lacey freakin’ Luzzi, if you tell me you got arrested without me, I’m not sure I’ll be able to forgive you!”

  “No arrests, we just needed a ride. Nora here plays the old card very well when it suits her.” I gestured towards my spry grandmother, who immediately bent over and pretended to walk with a cane.

  “That’s a pretty good old person representation,” Meg said. “Especially cause you’re so young, Nora.”

  Nora straightened up, beaming at Meg. “Have I ever told you what lovely friends you have, Lacey? You girls should use the cabin more often.”

  “No thanks,” I said. “I’m good.”

  “Who is singing that foul song?” Nora asked as a particularly explicit rap song cascaded from the bar into the parking lot.

  “And why are they taking your spot, Meg? You haven’t gone on yet, have you?” I asked, feeling horror creep along my spine. If, after everything, I’d disappointed Meg, I would have some serious making up to do.

  “Nah, I’m just warming my vocal cords up,” Meg trilled. “I’m up next. Save the best for last, you know.”

  I watched as one person after another filed out of the bar. It was just before two a.m. and people would probably be leaving anyway, but I wondered if the person rapping the inappropriate song didn’t have something to do with the mass exodus from Laurelei’s-slash-Gabe’s bar.

  “Dang, where are all these people going?” Meg asked, her expression crestfallen. “Best is last, not second to last, what don’t they understand?”

  “Don’t worry. We brought our own party. And we’re going to make sure nobody else leaves,” I said. “Nora, Anthony...I’m gonna need your help.”

  The three of us began herding patrons back into the bar.

  “Sir, there’s one song left—”

  “Ma’am, it’s rude to leave before the grand finale—”

  “Did you hear there’s free drinks inside?”

  “Turn your tushy around and get back inside. You’re listening to my granddaughter’s friend.”

  “Nora, you don’t have to be so harsh,” I said with a smile as my grandmother steered a particularly greasy Elvis impersonator back into the bar.

  “It’s poor manners to leave before the show’s over,” Nora said with a wink at Meg.

  “I can’t shake the feeling…that voice sounds familiar,” I said, as the lyrics from the rap ballad escalated to an ear-shattering decibel.

  “But who in tarnation would be out in the middle of the boonies singing—” Meg’s eyes widened. “You’re so right. How did I not notice?”

  After holding each other’s shocked gazes for a moment, both Meg and I burst into laughter before racing into the bar, leaving Nora and Anthony to finish the herding process. As we crashed past the bouncer, ignoring his request for identification, we were not disappointed.

  Up on the small, dinky stage stood Clay, belting out the lyrics to an incredibly un-Clay-like rap song. His eyes were closed, his body moving to the beat, completely oblivious to our entrance. Laurelei stood at the front of the bar, and I believe she was either attempting to break dance or failing catastrophically at yoga.

  “I’ve never looked at Clay like that before,” Meg said. “I didn’t know he could be so...real. Dang, what a man.”

  Clay continued to rap about activities that could put him in jail, body parts of women that I’d never realized he knew existed, and weeds that may or may not be legal. He did this all in perfect harmony with the track. To say Clay’s hidden talent surprised the heck out of me would be a drastic understatement.

  Meg let out a long, loud whistle using her pinky fingers. Clay opened his eyes, the lyrics screaming to an abrupt halt. The track continued playing, and the few stragglers left in the room cast confused glances at one another.

  “Song’s over.” Clay stepped down from the stage and marched towards us, anger burning in his eyes. “I didn’t think you were here. Why didn’t you say something?”

  “We were too busy being kidnapped,” I said. “Sorry about that.”

  “I checked that you were safe before I put my name down on the list,” Clay grumbled. “I just figured you guys were being all huggy and kissy now that you were rescued. I’m not that type.”

  “Apparently not,” I said, “considering the lyrics coming out of your mouth.”

  Clay flushed a burning shade of red. “I didn’t, it’s just—”

  “Is that what you listen to while you’re putzing on the computer?” I asked.

  “I don’t putz. I tinker.” Clay crossed his arms. “And it has a nice beat.”

  Meg, with stars in her eyes, reached out and grasped Clay in a huge bear hug. “That was beautiful. That was...that was something else.”

  Clay looked like an uncomfortable teddy bear being squeezed by an overzealous two-year-old.

  “Really?” he squeaked. “You liked it?”

  When Meg finally pulled away, I did a double take. There were tears in her eyes.

  “I mean it,” she said. “You really nailed it. There’s nothing like a beautiful karaoke song done just right.”

  Puffing his chest up ever-so-slightly, Clay tried to look nonchalant. “It’s nothing.”

  I so wanted to roll my eyes but, in its own way, the moment was too sweet and it wasn’t for me to spoil. I was still rooting for Meg and Clay deep down, and this seemed like a giant step in the right direction.

  Meg, no doubt, was hot and bothered, all thanks to Clay’s little rap number.

  “Meg, isn’t your name up there?” I asked. “I think more people are leaving, and that bouncer just fell asleep. We should shut this place down right.”

  Meg fanned herself. “Yes, but what I didn’t tell you is that I need some assistance.”

  Before I could stop her, Meg yanked my wrist so hard I sling-shotted across the bar and landed on the stage right next to her.

  “No, no. You don’t understand – I don’t sing.” I waved my hands, flapped my arms, tried my hardest to climb down from the stage, but Meg had cinched her arm firmly around my waist.

  “Stop moving, chickadee. You’re making this difficult.” Meg tsked under her tongue. “Don’t worry, I picked a song you’ll know.”

  I stopped struggling, hoping Meg would let me go so I could make a mad dash out of the bar. Unfortunately, she wasn’t fooled. She didn’t let up in the slightest. My heart started to beat faster and faster as I watched Anthony, Nora, and Leanne all file back into the bar.

  “I can’t do this—” I started.

  “Leanne, can I borrow you?” Meg called. “I need some assistance for this song.”

  Leanne looked surprised for a moment, and then her startled expression faded into a beaming grin. “It’d be my pleasure.”

  “You know, I didn’t like you at first,” Meg said, as Leanne joined us on stage. “Mostly because you’re rocking those boots almost as good as me, and I don’t like competition of the legs. But I suppose we wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you, so we can be friends.”

  “That’s really nice,” Leanne said. “It means a lot to me. Girlfriends are hard to find.” She turned to me. “And any Luzzi is a friend of mine. Especially after everything Carlos did for us regarding the diamonds.”

  I froze. “What?”

  Leanne paused. “You didn’t know? I thought…” Realization dawned on her face. “I see now why you were so confused about everything.”

  “Please, do explain. Meg, let me go.” I stepped closer to Leanne. Meg must have believed I wouldn’t run away, since she let me go and began recruiting Nora to join us on stage.

  “I’m the one who asked Carlos for help. Additional resources,” Leanne said. “Our force out here is so small that it’s difficult to have enough manpower for certain j
obs. When I discovered the diamond guys using our highway intersections to do their business, I asked Carlos if he’d look into it.”

  “Why would he do that?” I asked. “No offense, but...Carlos usually only acts in the interests of his Family.”

  “I think you’d be surprised.” Leanne’s face softened. “He cares a lot about our small town. He used to host summer picnics, knew everyone around here. He hasn’t been to the cabin in years – I think it holds bad memories for him of—” she cut off abruptly.

  “Of my mother,” I supplied.

  She nodded. “I remember when I was a kid, Carlos came up and hosted these huge parties. He let us run all over his boats, the docks, his lawn. He had the best driveway for kickball.”

  “So you’re saying Carlos cares enough about Tonka to lend a helping hand out of the kindness of his heart?” I asked, a hint of skepticism in my voice.

  “That’s exactly what I’m saying,” Leanne said. “Carlos has his, er, reputation. But that’s the exterior shell. The man inside is quite different.” She leaned in. “But you’ll never catch me saying that aloud to anyone else. I’d fear for my life.” She laughed. “And I’m only halfway kidding.”

  “Hunh.” I shook my head, still processing. “No wonder he didn’t explain himself more. But jeesh, if he’d just given me a little more information, we could’ve worked together.”

  Leanne reached out and laid her hand on my shoulder. “I mean it. Any Luzzi is a friend of mine. You’re welcome and protected in Tonka anytime.”

  “Same to you,” I said. “Come to the Cities with your fiancé sometime. We can double date; it’ll be fun.”

  “I’d like that.” She smiled, and the two of us turned back to face Meg.

  I’d almost forgotten that Meg had been busy wrangling backup singers for her final karaoke performance of the trip. Nora was already on stage, stretching her hamstrings.