by Mary Leo
Lisa, Jade and I were determined to solve this murder. Plus, I’d decided that this time wasn’t going to be caught off guard with another killer . . . if Gianna was, in fact, the killer, Jade would be with me when I learned the truth, and Lisa wouldn’t be far behind. Of course, getting a confession out of Gianna was going to be tough to come by. I reminded myself that the last time I tried to confront a killer on my own, I was almost carted away by a garbage truck.
Also, if I somehow got Gianna to spill the dirt on why she did all these ghastly deeds, Jade was ready with her hidden phone to tape it all, and as a general witness to the whole event. Plus, Jade always carried, and apparently knew how to use her weapon, which was a great comfort in these kinds of situations.
Another curious factor in all of this was that Gianna hadn’t attended the Mobsters Anonymous meeting. An event that, short of being on your deathbed, required family members to attend, especially family members recently settled on the orchard. Apparently, Gianna hadn’t gotten the memo. Not only had she been glaringly missing from the meeting, but she’d also missed the baby “meeting” too. I was beginning to wonder if she truly wanted to be part of this family.
We arrived on time for our appointments ready for almost anything, but Jade had convinced me on the way over to take it easy on Gianna. After all, if she was the killer, she could be dangerous. We didn’t want to set her off before we learned her distorted motive. Of course, we still didn’t know for sure that she did anything to Angelina but give her dry hair, and I, for one, didn’t want the same fate . . . dry hair.
Still, knowing I had Angelina’s loaded gun in my purse was a big help, not that I had any intention of using it, but the psychological advantage was huge.
As soon as Jade and I walked into the salon, Gianna greeted us with a great big smile.
“Thanks so much for taking us today,” I said.
“No problem,” she said, closing the door behind us, then locking it. “We’re closed and I don’t want anyone coming in on us, especially now that Angelina’s killer is still out there somewhere.”
For some reason, a shiver ran through me, but I shrugged it off thinking I was just edgy about that killer still being loose.
“That’s her,” Jade whispered, grabbing my hand and pulling me back, as we walked into the salon behind Gianna. “The girl I saw in the crowd . . . the girl with the pink hair. That’s her.”
“What?” I mouthed glancing at her.
We stopped walking. “I wanted to tell you at your mom’s party, but you were always busy and then I forgot . . . but that’s the girl I saw walking on Main Street the morning Giuseppe was shot.”
“It can’t be. She had an appointment that morning.”
Gianna turned back to us. “Everything okay?”
“Fine,” I said. “Jade was just um . . .”
“Admiring your salon. It’s so . . . pink!”
Gianna turned back around. “Yeah, I love pink, just like Audrey Hepburn.”
“That’s her,” Jade whispered.
If what Jade was telling me was true, Gianna had lied about being inside the salon that morning with one of her regular customers.
But why?
“Be careful,” I told Jade right before we took our seats in side-by-side pink salon chairs.
“So, tell me all about little Francesca,” Gianna said once we’d slipped on bright pink salon capes and settled in the chairs.
While she and Jade chatted about little Francesca, I lamented the possibility that I might be losing a great hairdresser.
She was the only stylist who understood how to cut curly long hair. I had to give her credit for that. For my own personal hair reasons, I so hoped she wasn’t Angelina’s killer . . . or the person who shot Giuseppe . . . or the person who broke into my apartment. But I had to admit, the last time I’d spoken to Gianna I’d been disturbed by what she’d said and it hadn’t sat well with me. Combine that with what Jade just told me and I was thinking my good hair days might be a fond memory very soon.
Damn, but it had been so hard to find someone who understood my hair. Was there no end to what my family would do for revenge? I mean, I had to face it. Most mob hits had to do with revenge. Now all I had to do was figure out what revenge motive Gianna had against Angelina, Giuseppe and maybe even me.
But what the hell did I do? I hardly knew her.
“And what did you think about the baby, Mia? Did she steal your heart?”
“Well, I didn’t actually get to see her,” I admitted. “I think I might be coming down with a cold, so I stayed out of her room.”
I coughed and cleared my throat for effect.
Jade sat in the salon chair right next to me, wearing the same bright pink cape I wore draped over the front of her with the Roman Holiday logo: Audrey Hepburn’s head after she’d had all her hair chopped off in the movie, emblazoned in the center.
“Like, she’s absolutely perfect,” Jade chimed in. “A little doll with thick black hair like her mama, a tiny little nose, and rosy cheeks. Too bad you weren’t there to see for yourself.”
“Yeah, I didn’t sleep too good last night, and when Gloria called, I’d already turned my phone off. Sorry I missed the big event, though. This family seems to like to celebrate. Can I get you ladies anything to drink? Jade, I have red or white wine if you’d like some. I know it’s early, but in my book, it’s never too early for a good glass of vino. I believe in enjoying life to the fullest.”
I gazed in the mirror directly in front of me and for the first time, I focused on all the pink inside the salon, especially the pink capes we were wearing. The major problem with Audrey’s head in the center of the cape was that her hair was a brighter pink than the cape so no one could recognize Audrey’s face. Gianna had tried to correct the problem, but the company who made the capes refused to make the change citing the original order in which Gianna asked for bright pink hair on Audrey. The reason why I knew all of this was because Gianna had asked for my help, but there was nothing I could do. She had, in fact, asked for bright pink hair on Audrey.
Gianna hadn’t been happy with the outcome, especially since she’d ordered two hundred capes, thinking that her customers would want to buy them. That never happened. She’d kept her disappointment under control . . . or so I thought . . . even though it had cost her thousands of dollars for the custom-made capes. Perhaps she’d been seething ever since and took out her anger on Angelina.
But why?
“Sure,” Jade told her. “I’d love a glass of red. Thanks.”
It was at that moment when my phone vibrated and I pulled it out of my purse. Lisa had sent me a text: Your mother told me Gianna’s real last name is Pisano. Gianna Pisano. Wasn’t that Angelina’s last name?
I slipped my phone back inside my purse, and tried to think of what this meant. Pisano was Angelina’s married name . . . her dead husband’s last name. That meant that Gianna and Angelina’s late husband were somehow related. But how? Were they cousins? What? I needed to remember everything Giuseppe told me about Angelina and her whacked husband. I needed to think or at the very least discuss this with Lisa and Jade, but we were stuck in Gianna’s salon and Lisa was back at the hospital at least thirty minutes away.
Gianna went off to retrieve the wine, which happened to be only a few steps away. I tried to warn Jade to rethink her desire for wine, but Gianna had returned with an open bottle and a glass before I could whisper my concerns to Jade. As soon as she put the bottle down, I noticed the pink Audrey Hepburn label.
“Wow, what a fun label! Where did you find that wine?”
“Oh, it’s just Russo’s wine. He gave me a nice discount. I bought a bunch of labels online and I pasted them on the bottles I serve inside the salon. Aren’t they cute?”
She handed me the bottle after she poured Jade’s wine. The pink label featured Audrey from Breakfast At Tiffany’s, where Audrey is wearing her famous black dress, a long black cigarette holder resting between her fingers,
and a jeweled tiara resting on her head. The label read: Cheers Darling! Roman Holiday Salon, Sonoma, CA.
At least Audrey looked like Audrey.
“I have hot tea, cold sweet tea or sparkling water for you, Mia,” Gianna offered. “What can I get you?”
For some reason, Gianna was as sweet as pie, and I didn’t trust her syrupy personality one bit.
I hesitated answering. From past experience in this kind of situation, I decided to pass on any kind of a beverage.
“Thanks, I’m fine,” I told her, holding up the bottle for her. I noticed the corner of the label was pulling up, so I ran my finger over it and stuck it back down.
An instant shiver pricked my skin when I remembered the tiny pink swatch of paper stuck to the bottle of Leo’s Cab that I’d found in Angelina’s room. “I noticed the label coming up on the bottle. Is that a problem?”
“Normally, it’s just the opposite. Once you stick the label on, if it’s wrong and you want to adjust it, it’s almost impossible to get off. The adhesive is really good,” Gianna said, grabbing hold of the bottle. “If you want something later, don’t hesitate to ask.”
She just validated my suspicions. The wine in Angelina’s room must have been from Gianna’s stash, and she tried to remove the label before she left, but some of it stuck.
“I changed my mind. I’d love some hot tea,” I told Gianna in order to get her to leave for a moment.
“Sure,” she said as she disappeared into one of the back rooms, just as Jade picked up her glass to take a sip.
I jumped out of my chair and slapped it out of her hand. Red wine went everywhere, even on Jade’s cape, as the glass shattered against the floor. “What the . . .” Jade said.
“Believe me, you don’t want to drink that wine,” I told her in a hushed voice.
“Oh my God!” Jade said as she stared down at the spilled wine.
“What’s wrong?” Gianna asked, as she appeared behind us, one hand in her pants pocket, the other clenched into a fist, like she was ready to either shoot us with the gun she was probably clutching in her covered hand, or punch one of us in the face.
My mind turned off for a moment and I couldn’t respond.
“Um, it just slipped right out of my hand,” Jade said as cool as ever. “I’m so sorry.”
Gianna backed down, pulling her hand out of her pocket. “No worries. I’ll get a broom.”
I immediately pulled out my phone and texted Lisa: Roman Holiday Salon . . . bring Nick. NOW!
TWENTY-FIVE
Family Values
I let out the breath I’d been holding. Both Jade and I had to play the game and stall Gianna until Lisa arrived with the troops. I knew we were getting closer to the truth and because of that, we were in danger. It was vital that both Jade and I played it cool.
“I can clean this up,” Jade told Gianna, standing, when Gianna returned with a broom and a dustpan.
“It really doesn’t matter. I’ll get it once you guys leave. The salon is essentially closed for the day, so no one will have to step in it. Relax. I’ll get you another glass of wine,” Gianna said, leaning the push broom up against a wall, along with the dustpan.
The wine had splashed up on Jade’s cape so Gianna gave her another one from her endless supply, sat Jade in the adjacent station, then left again.
“What the hell?” Jade whispered once Gianna was gone.
“I can’t explain now, but whatever you do, don’t drink the wine. I think it’s drugged.”
“What?” she said, just as Gianna returned carrying a tray that contained my hot tea and Jade’s replacement glass of wine.
“Here we are,” Gianna exclaimed, placing the tray down on top of some kind of mobile drawer thing where she kept many of her supplies. She handed Jade another glass of wine, and handed me a white mug filled with hot water and a tea bag. “I brought milk, honey and sugar. So please, help yourself.”
I busied myself with the milk and honey knowing darn well I wasn’t about to even taste the stuff. It took me a long time to fix my tea, and once I did, Gianna waited for me to take a sip.
I held the cup up to take a sip, but instead said, “It’s still too hot. I’m not a fan of really hot liquids. Let’s let that cool while we’re over at the basin.”
Then I stood and headed for the row of sinks on the other side of the half wall of mirrored stations directly in front of me.
Jade held her glass, but it never quite made it to her mouth. If our drinks were drugged, we could avoid having to actually drink anything for a little longer while we played the avoidance game. I was hoping to get a confession out of her before we had to either confront her or Nick burst in with his team to save us.
Gianna and I casually walked over to the washbasins while Jade sat and pretended to enjoy her wine. I had wanted to record our conversation on my phone, but hadn’t gotten the chance to set it up. I could only hope that Jade was thinking the same thing on the other side of the half-wall and her phone recorder would pick up everything.
I asked my first question while we were still on our way to the washbasins, speaking louder than usual. “So, why couldn’t you sleep? Did what happened to Angelina keep you awake?”
“Why are you shouting?” Gianna asked.
“Oh, sorry… but … my ears are weird this morning. I think it’s my cold. Sounds like I’m under water.”
“Okay,” Gianna said, raising her voice to match mine. “I have to admit, it was pretty gruesome seeing her hanging like that. Scared the crap out of me.”
I lowered myself into the chair in front of the washbasin. When I carefully rested my neck on a towel on the basin’s wide lip, I suddenly felt vulnerable.
“Are the police any closer to finding her killer?” Gianna asked, her voice still booming.
“I don’t know. They haven’t said a word to us, but it’s still early in the investigation. Angelina said she’d been in your salon getting her hair done the morning after Giuseppe was shot. Did she mention anything to you about who might have done this horrible thing? She said she loved how silky smooth her hair felt and that you’d done her hair in Italy. She was so happy when she learned you were here, on the orchard.”
I lied hoping that Gianna would bite and open up to me, because so far, from the harsh way she was washing my hair, I had a feeling something was bugging her, big time..
“Yeah, well, she didn’t say that while she was in my chair. Kept telling me that I’d made her hair dry. Said I’d done the same thing back in Italy. Bitch. No offense against the dead, but she wasn’t a very nice person. I have no idea what Carmen saw in her. She looked nothing like Audrey Hepburn, but she wanted me to fix her hair just like Audrey’s from Breakfast At Tiffany’s.”
“You knew Carmen?” I yelled.
She didn’t answer. Instead, her fingers pressed into my scull so hard, I kept squirming to get away from her touch.
“Carmen? Who’s Carmen?” she asked.
“Angelina’s first husband.”
“Never met the guy,” she said.
“Then why did you say that you didn’t see what Carmen saw in her?”
“I did? I meant Giuseppe . . . I don’t know what Giuseppe saw in her.”
“Oh. Okay. Because if you had said Carmen, that would mean that you met Carmen when you were in Italy. Did you?”
More silence and more deep massaging of my poor head. “You’re hurting me!”
“Sorry. Just trying to give you a good head massage.”
She eased up.
“Thanks, but I’m fine. Let’s get back to Carmen. Did you know him?”
“Oh yeah. Now that you mention it, I guess I met him a couple times, but I didn’t like him very much. He lied a lot.”
“Apparently, he lied to Angelina as well, and he cheated on her.”
“Lying scum. Lied to me, too. Told me he liked Audrey Hepburn movies, but when I pressed him to tell me which one, he couldn’t name one movie. Not one. Lying sack of shit.”
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I knew I was getting close now.
“Men, you never know when they’re telling the truth, especially gangsters.”
It no longer felt as if she wanted to squeeze my head like a ripe melon.
“But that’s just it. I thought he was different, that we really shared a bond. I could forgive him if he’d been honest with me. But he wasn’t. He lied.”
I thought I’d go in for the kill. “You mean about him being related to you?”
I took my voice up a notch, hoping that Jade was getting this.
Her fingers once again dug into my skull.
“Where’d you get that idea?”
“Well, you both have the same last name.”
“Yeah, so what. That doesn’t mean we were related, and even if we were, my dad didn’t mean to get his mother pregnant. She was a whore, a dirty rotten whore who lured my dad to have sex with her.”
Holy shit! I couldn’t believe what she’d just said. She and Audrey’s husband were siblings. Wow! What a reveal.
She began to really push on my head again. I thought I should change the subject.
“Angelina loved how you styled her hair so much that she posted several pictures of herself on Instagram. She has over a million followers. She’s some kind of fashion star in Italy. Did you know that about her? Her death will cause quite a stir.”
“No, I didn’t know.”
Her hands became even rougher against my scalp as she rinsed the shampoo out of my hair. When water came flying up over my face, I figured my distraction idea wasn’t working.
“Sorry,” she said, as if she cared.
“Can I have a towel please?”
My face was drenched, and water seeped down my neck. She tossed a towel on my lap and I wiped off my face.
Thinking I better take this slowly while she had control of my head and held a nozzle in her hands, I decided not to push her.
She poured on at least a quarter bottle of shampoo on my head and I wondered if she intended to drown me in the stuff.
Could happen.
“She used to come into the salon where I worked with her entourage of fans who fawned over her. She was a mean girl, mean to me and everyone who came in contact with her . . . especially to Carmen. I was just getting him to open up. To trust me. After all, we were siblings, and siblings shared secrets, secrets about their parents. About their fathers.”