Dead Wrong (21 page)

“What else?”

“Nothing, really. That was it. I made some observations about his life in Nebraska and the cornfields and such. He took offense, that's about all.”

“So this has nothing to do with the break-in of the garage out back?”

“No, nothing.”

“Are you sure?” he asked again with a softness underlined with steel.

“What is this about, Aaron?”

“I find it difficult to believe you were trashed by the remarks your brother made. You've handled far worse and we both know it.”

Flopping into a nearby chair, I stretched my long legs out before me. The story hadn't flown. I knew it wouldn't, but I had tried anyway. The only alternative was to enhance the storyline and see if that worked any better.

“The problem being that I've had so much to deal with. Dead bodies popping up everywhere and all that entails. His remarks were more hurtful than anything. Besides, I took Jill's side in their difference of opinion and that simply didn't set well with him.”

“It bothered me to see you so upset. It was as though someone had broken your heart. The sadness in your face was difficult for me to handle. I feared the worst scenario. It left me helpless to assist you in any way.”

“What scenario would that be?”

“Oh, that maybe you and Marcus had gone your separate ways. That didn't make much sense, though, when taking the words you yelled at your brother into account. I was at a loss to figure out what had happened.”

“Marcus warned me to stay out of Gio's marriage, and he was right.” The twisted truth rolled off my tongue as the fast track to hell loomed on the horizon.

“How did the visit with Lena go?”

In a matter of seconds, I shared the pate sandwich scene with him. He laughed, enjoying the vision as much as I did. That was when it occurred to me that Lena awaited me, and I rose to leave.

With a kiss to his cheek, I thanked Aaron and said I'd see him later. He grinned, a satisfied look on his face, and nodded.

Chapter 26

Warmth from Lena's fireplace filled the room, as did the forced hot air blowing down upon us from the ceiling vents. Ordinarily, I'd be roasting, but it was so cold outside I was grateful for the heat.

The old dragon sat on her usual throne and served steaming tea from the sterling silver pot. Delicate china cups covered with colorful roses lay on the silver tray before her. She passed mine to me and picked up her own. As she sipped, Lena stared at me over the rim of the dainty cup.

Afraid I'd drop it and smash the China, I set the cup back on the table after the first sip.

“So Auntie, what did you find out?” I asked.

She smiled a razor sharp smile, her birdlike eyes gleaming in the firelight.

“After some digging, I came up with the information we needed, Lavinia. I'm glad you didn't bring Giovanni with you today. His attitude is most unsettling. Too much of a sissy nowadays, isn't he?”

“Indeed. He was appalled at the direction of our conversation. You know, Auntie, in the old days he'd at least have followed the conversation. Christ, he's just too honest.”

“It must be the atmosphere he lives in now that has taken away his ability to behave appropriately. It's not his fault, dear. We'll just have to overlook his shortcomings.” Lena bent forward and patted my hand with her own.

“I found out who took the artwork. They have been punished with the threat to have their thumbs broken if anything else like this happens again. They send their apologies for trying to extract money from you for the return of the artwork. I hope you don't want the paintings back, though, because they are no longer available to you. Neither are the works that were removed from the Nebraska location.” Lena gave me a wicked, evil smile, her eyes glittering brightly in the firelight. “My sons had a hand in this nonsense and you can rest assured they will never make that mistake again. By the way, those works never existed, nor did the ones in your loft, understand? And they won't attack you at night outside your home again.”

I nodded my head vehemently as she spoke. I was afraid to ask about the involvement of her three sons, so I swallowed the question before it could jump out of my mouth. Three cookies remained on the plate and I selected one covered with chocolate frosting. I sniffed it first to see if it was chocolate, or melted Exlax before I bit into it. After the cat food sandwich affair, I remained leery of food that might look like one thing and end up being something else entirely.

“It's chocolate, my dear. Honest.” Lena chuckled as though she had picked the thoughts off my head. “I have made arrangements for the art from your garage and also from Jill's storage unit to be shipped back to their respective owners. I heard there were other investigators, besides the notorious FBI, who were searching for those pieces and we would have no rest otherwise. Thankfully, my husband had covered his tracks well or they'd have been here sooner. Honestly, Nate acted irrationally in those last two years of his life. It isn't as though we didn't have enough money to live two lifetimes, you know.”

It could have been that he wanted to provide for his paramour, though. I bit my tongue. With my hands up, I said, “Please don't say anything else. I just want to make sure the art isn't coming back to me.”

“It won't be, so you have nothing to worry about. However, if you need any money, let me know. I appreciate how you've handled these unfortunate events, Lavinia.”

“No money, please. Just take your vacation and enjoy it.” I withdrew the cufflink from my pocket and showed it to her. “You can have this. Make sure it gets back to the person who dropped it on my garage step.”

Leaning forward, Lena grasped the link in her hand and stared at it. She glanced at me before she asked if I knew who owned it.

My head shook and I raised my hands again. “No, and I don't want to know either.”

“All right, my dear. I'll handle it.”

Relief swept through me on a wave. It had been ages since I'd felt this lightweight. The burden of anxiety peeled away like lemon skin. With a swift kiss to her cheek, I left Lena sitting in front of the fireplace holding the cufflink in her withered hand.

After I'd driven out of the cul-de-sac, I turned toward my mother's house. The drive took about five minutes. A string of cars had backed up at the traffic light, bogged down by a vehicle stuck in the middle of the street. Everyone skirted the offending vehicle, moving forward at a snail's pace.

Unsure of the reception I'd get from my brother, I was happy to see his car absent from the yard as I pulled to the curb. The car door locks clicked into place as I strode up the driveway. Strains of music drifted from the house, and I figured it had to be loud inside to be heard from here. Pavarotti sang as the orchestra played the final notes.

Stepping through the door to the kitchen, I watched my mother lick the frosting from her finger as she slipped the spatula into the sink. She turned back to sprinkle some confection on the top of the cake but jumped when she saw me.

“You startled me, Lavinia. What are you doing here, dear?”

“I wanted to come by and let you know that Marcus will be joining us for Thanksgiving. Do you mind?” Since the man stood on a pedestal the size of the Empire State Building, I knew it wouldn't matter if he came to dinner every night, but I wanted to ask anyway.

“Oh dear, that's wonderful. He and Giovanni get along so well, and your father likes him, too. The twins will be here, and Nonni is joining us as well. What about your tenant, Aaron? Where is he eating?”

Leave it to my mother to think she needed to care for everyone in my life. I grinned and said he'd be eating with his own family. It was clear she was disappointed, so I mentioned Lola would stop by for dessert. This placated my mother. She seemed pleased the house would be packed to capacity.

“Is Gio going home soon?” I asked in a nonchalant way.

“Yes, he'll leave over the weekend to return to Nebraska. He and Jill must have worked things out. Your father said you'd shared the information about their problems with him. I'm glad they can come together again. Divorce is so messy these days. Besides, I'd like some grandchildren soon, and I know you aren't ready for that.”

Oops, time to leave. Grandkids, huh? Not me, not now, maybe not ever. As I slid from the chair, my mother motioned for me to sit down again.

“I'm not going to ramble on about your life or disinterest in marriage, Lavinia. I merely meant that Giovanni and Jill want children, and they can't do that if they are divorced. What did Gio really come here for besides the medical convention?”

“Beats me,” I lied. “He said the two of them wanted some space to work things out, and the medical convention was convenient. He got to see everyone, give Jill the space she needed, and attend the lectures he wanted.” That much was true anyway. My mother stared at me until I nearly squirmed in the chair.

The door opened and Giovanni marched into the kitchen, kissed Mom on the top of her head, and nodded at me. I nodded back as he wandered toward the stove to check out the contents of the pans.

“Mom tells me you're leaving this weekend?”

“Yes,” he said, “Jill and I have made amends, and I need to get back to work.”

“Great, I'm glad to hear it. Everything has worked out, and that's what counts, right?” It was my way of telling him that all was well with the artwork. His glance told me he understood the message.

“Right.”

“Marcus is joining us for dinner on Thursday. He'll be glad to see you before you return to Nebraska.” Rising from the chair, I slipped my jacket on and readied to leave.

“I'll walk you to your car. It's getting dark out there,” Gio said as he joined me at the door.

I kissed my mother, saying I'd see her on Thursday. She smiled and reminded me dinner was at one.

When we reached the driveway, I stared at Giovanni in silence. He returned the look, a sheepish grin on his lips.

“I take it that all went well with Lena?” he asked.

“It did. She's taken care of everything with no trail to be found by anyone. The thugs who tried to extort money from me over the paintings have apologized, and been punished and threatened accordingly. Lena said her boys had a hand in the thefts. She assured my they wouldn't be doing anything like that again. They should be ashamed of themselves.” I said. “I haven't any further information than that and don't want any either.” I snickered at the memory of Lena's offer of money.

“What?” Gio asked.

“Aunt Lena offered me money if I needed it. Do I look poor to you?”

“Not by any means.” He chuckled. “Was it a joke or a payoff?”

“I'm not sure – it didn't get that far. I refused.”

The car sat to my right and Gio took the keys from my hand to unlock the door. When he turned back to me, his hand lay upon my arm.

“I'm really sorry that I hurt you last night. I realize the situations you find yourself in are not of your doing. Dad gives you more credit than you think. He's really proud of your accomplishments, you know. He told me so. It's just ingrained in him to give you a hard time the way he does.” His smile peeked out and I smiled back.

“You're forgiven,” I said and hugged my brother tightly.

As I drove away, I decided a trip to Detective Bellini's office was next on the agenda. I snatched my phone from my handbag and dialed his private number.

“Bellini,” he barked.

“It's Vinnie, Detective. Are you going to be in the office for a while?”

“Why? You plannin' to come by?” he asked.

“I am.”

“See you shortly, then,” he said and the line went dead.

Traffic was nil as I rolled through Providence's Federal Hill district onto a back street that led to the police department. Rolling up to a stop sign, I glanced in both directions. I hadn't noticed the approach of the car behind me.

A crunch and sudden jolt sent my car through the stop sign toward the opposite sidewalk and the pedestrian waiting to cross the street. The frail old man stood rooted to the spot while I slammed the brakes hard and skidded to a stop. Fighting off the airbag and disconnecting the seat belt, I swung the car door open.

Someone stepped close before I could leave the seat and suddenly I was face to face with the woman the police and I were trying to locate. Caught by surprise, I gasped.

Rage contorted her face, twisting it into a grimacing sneer. She grabbed my jacket lapel and dragged me from the car. I tried to gain my footing as my heel caught on the car door's edge, sending me to my knees on the ground.

Swift pain swept through my cheekbone as her fist connected with my face.

Swearing, I shoved her backward. On my feet in an instant, my temper soared. We headed toward one another like bulls ready to butt heads.

Shorter in stature than me, the woman's strength matched my own as we grappled in the middle of the street. Losing our footing, we landed hard on the ground, kicking and punching one another amid our cussing and yelling. I worked hard to block her punches. When she grabbed a handful of my hair and yanked, my head bent sideways, causing my fist to miss her face and strike her neck instead.

Sirens blared as cars screeched to a stop. Dragged off each other by police officers, my assailant and I struggled to reach out to land one more solid blow.

Lieutenant Donatelli roared my name as he stepped between us. “Stop it, both of you.”

“Arrest this bitch – she just assaulted me.” The woman had switched from savage animal to weeping and fearful in a heartbeat.

Donatelli glanced at her before he turned to me.

“Did you assault this woman?” he asked. A tiny sparkle glinted in his eyes. Guys enjoy a good cat fight for some reason.

The officer holding me loosened his grip when the lieutenant gave a slight nod.

My jacket askew, I shrugged it into place and shook my head.

“She slammed into the back of my car, dragged me from the seat, and started punching the crap out of me,” I said in a huff.

Donatelli turned to her and waited.

A glimmer of anger in her eyes, the woman said, “She slammed on her brakes and caused the accident. She's a lying bitch.”

The officer held her arms so tightly she couldn't move. She struggled to reach me, but couldn't. I edged forward.

With his arms outstretched referee-style, Donatelli ordered we should both be hauled to the station and booked for disorderly conduct. I stood still, waiting as my assailant was dragged away kicking and screaming. She went on and on about revenge.

The officer who had restrained me stepped closer, his hand circling my arm. “Come on, Vinnie, I have to take you in.” So much for no jail time.

In disbelief I stood my ground staring at Donatelli.

“Don't tell me that you believe her?” I burst out.

With a smirk, Donatelli muttered to the officer that he would escort me to the station, and that I wasn't under arrest. The officer nodded, offering me a smile before entering his cruiser and driving away.

“The witness will give a statement as to what happened. I bet he had quite a fright when you headed straight for him.” Donatelli motioned for the elderly man to step forward.

The old fellow gingerly stepped off the sidewalk and scurried toward us.

“She didn't do nothing wrong, officer.” The gentleman said to Donatelli. “It was that other one, the screamer. She was right nasty.”

I snickered at his descriptive term. She had screamed and screamed, so I guess it was apt. My anger receded as I remembered why I'd been headed to the station to begin with.

“I was on my way to see Bellini when she struck my car.” Within minutes I explained the situation.

Staring at me, Donatelli started to laugh. “Only you could have such luck. You believe this is the woman who murdered those three people associated with the clinic? Damn, Vinnie, how convenient for you to have her run into you.” The irony wasn't lost on either of us and we both chuckled.