The brown depths of Michael's eyes were filled with regret. "Not so much my profession, but sometimes we have to make difficult choices to protect our family."
Once I stopped to think about it, I could see where being counsel for a known crime boss could be hard on your family. "I understand. I'm sure my parents thought they were doing the right thing for me by leaving me with my grandmother. Maybe they were. I have to be honest and tell you that when I got older, I wish someone had at least asked or talked to me about it. Maybe Freddie would've liked that too?" I might have overstepped—not a Grand Canyon size overstep, but enough to worry about falling into a deep ravine.
Tara brought out his food just as Michael abruptly stood. "Can I get that in a to-go container? I think I've enjoyed enough of the hospitality of this establishment for one day. There's much work to be done."
"Sure thing, sir." Tara smiled and grabbed a container from the side bar and transferred his meal. "Here you go. Enjoy."
Michael tossed more than enough bills to cover his tab and finished off his drink. "Thanks for the drink and information. As for your insight into the choices I should've made for my son, I'll thank you to keep your opinions to yourself. And…" He stepped closer, bringing Tan from his post by the door and headed in my direction. The firm set of Michael's jaw and cold stare sent a chill skittering down my spine. "For the sake of your little town, you best pray I find the person responsible for Donald's death. If I don't, rest assured the next people they send in won't be nearly as nice or accommodating as I've been."
His icy stare continued until Tan moved in next to me. Though not as intimidating as Michael, Tanner could hold his own. His deep voice effectively ended the conversation between Michael and me. "Thank you for stopping in. We hope you enjoy your stay in Danger Cove."
Michael must've decided he'd sufficiently put the fear of God…or maybe it was the fear of Giovanni…into us. He grabbed his food and headed to the door. The slam resonated with an echo throughout the room. Like father, like son. Tanner waited a respectable amount of time and then went to the door to look outside. "He's gone."
Mandi finished up with her table of four guests. They must've come in while I was speaking with Michael. She handed me their drink orders. "What was that all about?"
"A not-so-friendly warning for me to stay out of his business mostly."
"Like that ever works." Mandi's teasing tone helped ease my tension down a notch or two. "What about his business were you trying to learn?"
"He mentioned that Liza had gotten into trouble with the Giovanni family when she was younger. You don't happen to know anything about that, do you?" It was a long shot, but I had to take it.
While Mandi looked up at the ceiling—hey, don't knock it. I've learned that's how people get some of their best thinking done here in Danger Cove—I mixed up the drinks and put in the food order for our guests. By the time I returned, the look on her face told me she had something.
"Okay, I obviously don't know anything about Liza and her dealings, though I can probably find out from Freddie. But I do remember reading that Donny's brother, Antonio Jr., engaged in some questionable business ventures that included gambling and personal financing. I'm pretty sure he's serving some serious time in prison."
Her statement made me wonder again about Abe's run-in with Donny. If gambling was at the center of all this, Abe could certainly be involved. He'd at least told me that much about his past. Abe and Lady Luck had danced a number of times, but she'd always left him in the end—leaving him with nothing but trouble. "That's good info. Thanks, Mandi."
"Just one of my many valuable traits. Remember that when it comes time for performance evaluations."
I rolled my eyes and grinned. "You will definitely get an 'exceeds expectations' in that department. If you think of anything else or can get Freddie to share info about Liza, let me know, okay?"
"You got it."
Once Mandi headed back to the kitchen to grab her food order, Tan joined me at the bar. "You okay?" His pure blue gaze reflected still, quiet waters, offering calm in the midst of the stormy weather Mr. Mahoney had stirred up.
I pulled down the glasses for the drinks. "Honestly, I'm not sure. So much has happened in such a short time. It's a lot to process."
"Why don't you come over tonight after work and watch a movie with my mom, sister, and me?"
The thought of quality family time with a family that wasn't mine while my parents were in town didn't sit right with me. Though it was very sweet of him to offer. Any other day it would've been the perfect way to finish off a hectic week. "I appreciate the offer, but…"
He put the drinks I'd made on the tray and lifted it from the bar. "But what?"
I lowered my gaze, unsure how he'd take my request. "I was thinking about going to see my parents. Wondered if you might come with me." It was a long shot but one that needed to be taken. Whether it was to keep me from going postal on my parents or keep me from forgiving them for a lifetime of choosing their own dreams over me, I couldn't be sure.
"Let me text Ashley and let her know I'll hang out with her tomorrow. Maybe the three of us can go to Not for Nuttin' or somewhere near Seattle on our day off?"
"Yeah, maybe. Depending on how tonight goes, I may not be very good company."
Ruby arrived shortly before the lunch rush. "Hey, girl, how's it going this morning? Been busy?"
"The morning was slow, but it's been picking up in the last half hour or so. By lunchtime, I figure we'll be slammed. Glad you're here."
She looked around as she put on her apron. "Where's Freddie?"
Not wanting to rehash this morning or give her more bad news to share with Hope, I decided to keep it simple. No lies, but no expansion on the details either. "He came in, but said he wasn't feeling well. Decided to take a personal day. He was out late with Liza last night apparently."
"Liza, the tattooed troublemaker?"
Her assessment sent a bubble of laughter up and out of my tired body. That might have been my first laugh of the day. "You think she's trouble, too?"
Ruby nodded. "And, for the record, it has nothing to do with the tattoos or even the way she was dressed. There's something in her aura that gives me the prickles."
"There are estimated to be at least five basic pickle types: sweet, sour, half sour, dill, and bread and butter. Of course, there are many other variations." Mandi jumped right in. Her comments made Ruby smile while I gave in to my second or third chuckle of the day thanks to my redheaded best friend.
"Prickles, not pickles, darlin'," Ruby corrected.
"Oh…that would be more a tingling sensation than a condiment."
That was it. I lost it. All the emotion from the past twenty-four hours released in a fit of laughter. I put my hands on the bar and lowered my head as the humor rolled through my body, releasing healthy endorphins. Tears slid down my cheeks, and it took several moments before I could compose myself.
When I lifted my head again, Mandi looked at me and said, "What?"
I fought off another fit of laughter and wiped my cheeks. "You have no idea how much I appreciate your sense of humor."
Mandi smiled. "Thanks…I think."
"I'll explain later, I promise. Ruby, can you cover to let me catch my breath and settle down?"
"Sure thing, kiddo. Tara made some hot apple cider. Grab a cup and sit outside for your break. It's cool, but not too bad."
"Sounds great, thanks. Call me in if things get too crazy."
Once outside I sipped the warm beverage and focused on my breathing. Ruby had been trying to teach me some relaxation methods, but it was hard for me to clear my thoughts and just "be." She hadn't given up on me…yet, so I'd keep trying. My mind kept going back to the slip of paper I'd found when I discovered Donny. Reaching into my back pocket, I decided to take another run at deciphering the puzzle. Maybe if I could clear my mind, the answer would be revealed.
"How's my favorite bartender?" Abe emerged from the other side of
the shed with some brushes and paint cans.
"Enjoying a few minutes of quiet. What are you doing?"
"I checked the weather earlier today. I'm betting it's going to warm up enough for me to finish the paint job on the shed tomorrow—at least the first coat."
His use of the word betting sparked some connections inside my brain. Michael had mentioned the gambling ring—well, in so many words anyway—that was run by the Giovanni family. Abe was big into gambling and was originally from Chicago. It made me wonder. "Speaking of betting…"
He set the supplies down and folded his arms. The intensity of his stare made me rethink opening this can of worms. "What? You didn't get into trouble, did you? Come into a little money and decide to dance with Lady Luck?"
"What? Oh no, nothing like that."
His visage relaxed, and he moved to sit next to me. Patting my knee, he leaned back and stretched out his long legs. "What, then?"
"I had an interesting conversation with Michael Mahoney, the…"
Abe's spine straightened as he uncrossed his legs. He twisted his body so he could look directly at me. The alarm in his eyes was easy to see. "He was here?"
"Yes, earlier. Why? Do you know him?"
He shrugged, leaned back into the bench, and stared straight ahead. "I've read about him."
It didn't take a rocket scientist or a mind reader to connect a few more dots. "I'm going to go out on a limb here. He mentioned to me about some run-ins Liza had with the Giovanni family several years ago. I think it's possible she owed them a gambling debt. I recall you sharing a little bit about your gambling woes from when you lived in Chicago. Any chance you had a run-in with the same family?"
Before Abe could answer, the cough that had started Friday evening decided to make an appearance again. Once I'd quieted down, he asked, "Do you think Liza killed Donny Z?" Dodging my question with one of his own. I was familiar with the technique.
The limb I was out on could break with my next statement. "I think she had as much motive as you did."
"Damn straight, he did."
A very angry Liza appeared from the direction of the beer garden, a smoldering cigarette dangling between her index and middle finger. She looked like she'd rather use the middle all by itself to share with me exactly how she felt about my placing her in the suspect column.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Abe was on his feet moving toward her.
"Abe, Liza, let's all calm down and discuss this like adults." Big-girl panties and responsible, take-charge adult in one day. Needed to mark this on my calendar.
"I have nothing to say on this matter. If you will excuse me?" Abe started to walk away.
Again, phrased as a question but more of a statement. Lot of that going on today. Though I'd been acting all grown up, which technically I was, Liza had several inches on me. The ruby red scowl left Abe's retreating form and focused fully on me. He and I would need to talk about how it wasn't very gentlemanly of him to leave me on my own in this case.
She took menacing steps closer to me. "You've got it all wrong. I didn't kill Donny Z. He was looking after me, protecting me from the family."
Given Donny had been trying to distance himself from the family, her statement was plausible, believable even, but was it the truth? "So, if you didn't have a problem with Donny, who did?"
She took a long drag on the cigarette, blowing the smoke directly at me, irritating my throat and making me cough again. She may not have killed Donny, but she was trying to kill me with secondhand smoke. Terrific. The corners of her mouth transformed from scowl to wicked smile. "You mean besides your mommy dearest?"
I might not like her, but the point was well made. No sense in arguing just yet. "Yes, besides her."
This time she blew the smoke up toward the sky. "My money is on her. Brock and I were about ready to split. He was leaving Harmony. The band has been playing at making it big, but that's never gonna happen. Brock and I, though, we've got the chemistry to take it to the next level. He knows it. I know it. And…" She looked directly at me. "Your mother knows it too. You saw it that first night in the bar. She hated Donny."
I crossed my arms. "Being angry at someone, even hating them, doesn't mean you killed them."
She dropped the cigarette at my feet. A few of the still-lit ashes landed on my white Converse tennis shoes before the toe of her boot snuffed out the remaining embers. Her smile worried rather than comforted me. She picked up the extinguished stub. "Don't want to be accused of littering."
Liza started to walk away, but she stopped and turned her head to look back at me. "You better look deeper than the obvious, Nancy Drew. You're taking the easy way out by fixating only on me. Just because you hate me doesn't mean I killed him. Think about that. Keep in mind as you're snooping that a killer is still on the loose. He or she might not like that you are sticking your nose where it doesn't belong."
CHAPTER TEN
Liza rounded the corner and disappeared. Her words sent the centipedes scurrying up and down my spine. I'd had enough close encounters with people who meant me harm to last a lifetime. Maybe I should let it go and let the police handle things. She was wrong about one thing: I didn't hate her. I didn't love her, didn't even like her. But hate? No.
I returned to the bench and my paper. If I was going to keep sticking my nose where it didn't belong, I needed proof before I could call in my favorite dispenser of justice from the DC police force. They'd hang me out to dry for not only sending them on a wild goose chase but also for getting involved in something they didn't think was any of my business.
I'd no sooner started studying the odd code on the paper when Abe returned and claimed his seat next to me. "You okay?"
"Little late to be checking on me, isn't it? If she is a killer, leaving me to deal with her on my own wasn't very chivalrous of you."
He had the audacity to look hurt by my statement. "I didn't go far. Just behind the shed. I was watching and listening to every word. If she'd become violent, I would have been there in an instant to play the role of gallant knight."
How could he be so infuriating and charming all at the same time? "Next time maybe clue me in? You can't be all overprotective one minute and make me think I've been abandoned the next." I'd had enough abandonment to last a lifetime.
"I'm sorry. Just know that I always protect those I care about, no matter the cost. You're like a daughter to me. I'd never let anyone harm you."
The sadness in his voice reminded me of his child he never got to see. "You should go visit your daughter. You never know. She might appreciate you reaching out."
He shook his head. "Too much time has gone by. I haven't seen her in what feels like a lifetime. Her mother did a great job of raising her. She's happy." He offered a slight smile. "I'll be fine, just waxing sentimental in my old age."
I thought of the roller coaster of emotions I'd gone through since my parents were back in town. I thought of Freddie and how he reacted to seeing his dad. Maybe Abe was right, but there existed a possibility that he may be wrong as well. "I understand why you might think that. With my parents in town and wanting forgiveness for the past, I'm equal parts excited, nervous, and angry. But, under all those emotions, I'm thankful. Now at least I have the opportunity to sort through those feelings."
Abe's intense blue gaze softened as worry lines creased his forehead. "Do you think you'll be able to forgive them?"
"Despite feeling abandoned by them, I want to find a way to forgive them, especially now that I know a relationship could be possible. Call your daughter. Tell her you were thinking about her."
Abe shrugged noncommittally. "Perhaps I will, but we were talking about you, my dear. You're feeling a lot of things right now. That's normal. You didn't mention hate. I think that means there's a chance for reconciliation, right?"
I tried to narrow all the things I felt about my parents and their abandonment into one emotion. "I'm not sure entirely what I feel, but it's not hate. I may hate that the
y left me, but I don't hate them. Does that make sense? Maybe after we get a chance to talk more, I'll understand their motivations and be able to forgive them. Maybe even reconciliation, who knows."
His smile, though sad, held a glimpse of hope. He patted my leg. "It does make sense. This is the season for being thankful—that includes family, even if they aren't perfect. Maybe I will give my daughter a call. Thank you for sharing."
His consideration of calling or going to see his daughter warmed my heart. I held up the paper. "In appreciation, you could share with me how to solve this puzzle or," I hedged, "share about your past."
Abe took the paper from me. "Some things are better left unshared." He studied the letters and numbers before handing it back to me. "I don't know what it means, but that reminds me of my driver's license number when I lived in Illinois. I remember reading somewhere they could learn a lot about you from the string of twelve numbers and letters."
That got my attention. "Do you think they use some kind of official code?"
He shrugged. "Maybe."
At least I had something to put into the search engine of my laptop tonight after work. It might be nothing. It might be everything. "Do you think you'll ever trust me enough to tell me about your past?" Yeah, I couldn't let it go.
Abe's bald head flushed while he rhythmically clenched and unclenched his fists. He stood and shook his head. "Do you think you'll ever trust me enough to believe me when I say that nothing is to be gained from dredging up my past? Let it go, Lilly. Focus on fixing your own past. Your parents are less than a mile from you. Maybe you should look at your own life instead of poking around in everyone else's. Hmm?"
With those words of wisdom, he returned to the shed and his painting supplies. I considered sharing with him my plans to go see my parents tonight but figured it best to wait until I actually did see them before I bragged about trying to bridge the gap between me and my only remaining family. Just as well. It was time to get back to work.
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