by Box Set
“But Constanzie…” Her voice trailed at the end of her mother’s name.
He did not look up. “Safe and loved. Marconi safe.”
“Where?” Was he even responding to her, or was he reliving the memory of a conversation from long ago?
He shook his head and squeezed her knee. “Let her be. You only bring her danger. It’s not safe, child. Go, now. Never return. They watch me, they will know you were here.”
“Please, try to remember. You’re the only one who can help me.”
“Carmela, do not return. I can tell you nothing more.” His head tilted up, and he looked around. His hands shook, holding them fast to the cane. “Do I know you?” Fear danced across his face. “No,” he said, his eyes suddenly seemed sharp with intellect. “I do not know you.”
Kate’s head jerked up. “No. You have to remember. Please. Anything you can tell me would mean so much. Do you remember them? My parents’ names.” She rubbed the cross at her neck. He stared at it. The old priest’s eyes were bright.
“Go. Quickly now.” But she wanted, no needed, more.
He had nothing. His eyes once again dulled and he started rocking. “Forgive me, Lord.” Then he whispered, “A Marconi comes. Danger. Go.” Then he went on to recite something, but he was mumbling, and she couldn’t make anything out.
She pressed on his hand. “Father Cremashci. No. Please. Come back. You knew them. You did.” The tears fell freely and she knew, no matter what she did, she would not get more out of this man. His mind was broken. She sobbed, not caring who might see or hear. Her head fell into her open palms and tears leaked around and through her fingers. She was so close. She thought of the picture in the locket and grabbed at it. She’d show her his mother’s picture. That would spark his memory.
A hand lit on her shoulder. The lady from the front desk. She looked at her name tag. Lenora Marconi. “I’m sorry,” she said. “It can be hard to see someone like this when you were accustomed to seeing him differently. How did you know him, again?”
Kate was about to spill the beans in her weakened state, but a chill rose slowly up her spine as she looked into the woman’s face. What had Ellie said? Divert when needed. “Yea. It’s terrible. He just keeps asking the same questions over and over. I can’t even have a conversation with him.”
“I’m sorry, honey. It can be very jarring if you’re not used to it. Alzheimers can really mess up a person’s mind—so many of their memories are just gone, and the memories they do have can even be false. I’m so sorry.” While her words said one thing, her eyes said another. She was glad Kate hadn’t gotten anything out of him and was trying to tell her anything she did get was not reliable.
Kate blinked several times and brushed the heels of her hands over her eyes, wiping away any remaining dampness. She had to be careful what she revealed. She had to lie to this lady. She channeled Ellie as much as she could, visualizing herself “working her magic.”
“I think hearing anything from him, even if it was a lie would be better than this.” Cremashci hummed a tune now. “Is he ever lucid?”
“No,” the receptionist blurted, much too quickly. “I’m sorry.”
Kate looked at Father Cremashci and put her hand on his once again. “It was nice visiting with you, Father. Enjoy your time in this lovely place.” Kate patted his hand and then stood, looking about, wondering where Ellie had gone.
“Where did your friend go?” Something about the way the receptionist looked at her told her she knew exactly where Ellie was and that’s why she was there.
“I’m not sure. She doesn’t tell me anything.”
The receptionist made a slight puff out of her mouth. “She’s a wild one, huh?”
“Can be. Well, I think I’ll look around for her.”
The receptionist gave a small nod, and Kate rushed away. As she walked past a large hedge, she noticed the woman on a cell phone, staring after her. A twitch started in her right eyebrow as she wove her way out of the hedge garden and into the expanse beyond. She turned off the recorder. Ellie was headed her way with a very irritated looking worker. “Oh, there she is,” Ellie said, pointing in my direction. “Kate! Where have you been? This nice lady and I have been looking all over for you.” They were now only a few feet from Kate.
“From the way you talked, I thought she was a small child. This girl’s a teenager.”
Ellie leaned in and whispered loudly, “She is a teen, but she is mentally challenged.”
The worker raised her head slightly and then said, “Oh, I understand,” as her head came back down and her eyes lit on Kate.
Kate had no words after that, she simply stared at Ellie, waiting for her next clue as to what she should do.
“You had us worried, Kate. We’re going to have to go home and not see Grandpa after all.” Ellie turned slightly and winked.
“But, I—”
Ellie interrupted Kate. “No buts. You know the rules and when you don’t obey them there are consequences.”
The worker nodded in approval.
Ellie took Kate by the arm and said, “Come on, let’s go.” Ellie turned to the worker and said, “Thank you for helping me look.”
“No problem. Mr. Cremashci is one of the easiest patients here during the day. It’s night that’s the problem, and I’m gone by then.”
“Oh. Is he a wanderer?”
“Sometimes. But the real issue is his nightmares. He screams out about saving the children all the time, and it wakes the other residents. They’ve had to move him to a pretty secluded spot to keep the quiet.”
“Save the children, huh?” Ellie raised one eyebrow.
“Yeah. It’s surprising because he’s very happy all day every day even though no one ever visits him.”
“I guess being a priest really put a lot of weight on his shoulders, but if he saved so many children shouldn’t he feel good about that?”
“That’s the thing, right? Perhaps he is tortured by the idea of the ones he couldn’t save.” The worker tilted her head to the side. “It’s so sad, because by all accounts, he did such wonderful work and helped so many. It’s so tragic that he can’t remember.” She looked back at him sadly for a moment, then turned to the girls with a sigh. “Do you know the way then? I really should get back.”
“We’ll be fine, thanks.”
Kate and Ellie watched her walk away and the second Ellie thought the worker was out of earshot, she said, “Did you get it?”
Kate shook her head. “No, he’s too far gone. I got nothing.”
“Come on Kate. I gave you plenty of time.”
“Hey, you listen to this and tell me if I didn’t try my best.” She pushed the recording and as Kate listened it was as if she was hearing something completely different than before. At least the meaning was different. Kate thought about the way the man looked at her, and now she got the feeling that he was more lucid than she’d realized. They stopped walking, both totally engrossed in the recording.
“I’m Constanzie.” Kate met Ellie’s eyes. “He answered my question, but I didn’t understand because I thought he was talking about my mom—but when I asked about Constanzie, he said ‘safe and loved.’ He was talking about the baby. Me.”
“Yeah, and he thought you were your birth mom.”
“He thought my birth mom was dead.”
“You’re in serious danger.” Ellie grabbed at Kate’s phone. “Turn that off. Let’s get out of here.”
11
11
The new cab pulled up shortly after they got to the front of the estate. The cabbie’s face was covered with a black beard and a mustache that curled at the ends. His eyes were covered with large mirrored glasses. “Welcome to my cab,” he said as they climbed in. The W on Welcome sounded like a V sound. Velcome.
Kate pulled out her phone as soon as they were in the cab and looked up Marconi.
“Are you a Marconi, then, or are they the bad guys?”
“I don’t know.” Kate pu
lled out her search journal from her messenger bag and turned to the page with the green note. She ran her fingers over the signature at the bottom. Whoever had signed it was probably the one who’d given her to Father Cremashci—and Father Cremashci had placed her with Tom and Abrie Hamilton. She couldn’t help thinking that signature belonged to her father. She stared at it and then held it up for Ellie to see. “Does the last name look like Marconi to you?”
“Could be.” She rambled off information from the search. “Nobel Prize for physics, inventor. Died in 1937. Nope. Mafia boss. Uh, no.” She kept scrolling. “Hopefully you’re related to this noble prize Marconi. Info on him goes on for pages. All kinds of things, including parts of universities, wireless stations, clubs, and even a holiday were named after him.” Ellie brushed some loose hair behind her ear and checked her makeup.
“We should narrow the search. Put in Marconi plus New Jersey. That poor man. They put him there. And he’s faking Alzheimers. These people are that evil that he’d rather be considered out of his mind rather than be out in the open?”
“A good man trapped in a bad place—lovely to look at, but truly a jail for this man—but by whom? There’s more in here about the same Marconis and a bagel shop owned by some Marconis.”
“Add in Catholic.”
“All results are Catholic now. Nothing useful.” Ellie tapped her fingers on her knee.
“Hmm.” While stopped at a light, Kate noticed a large bagel painted on the side of a truck. The name Marconi was painted through the center of it. “Look Ellie!”
Ellie leaned over Kate and looked out her side window. The bagel truck moved forward through the intersection. They watched it and then Ellie blurted, “Follow that bagel truck.”
“Ellie, he can’t. We’re not in the turn lane. We can drive to the shop.”
The light turned green and lo and behold, their cabbie didn’t move. Cars honked behind them and the two girls lowered in their seat, heads below the rear window. The driver suddenly jerked the car to the side as he began to drive and they turned the corner. Kate and Ellie inched back up. “You like?” the cabbie said, aiming to please.
Ellie grinned and said, “Heck, yeah!” She bounced a couple times in the seat, and the cabbie smiled. He was obviously gunning for a big tip. He wove through the cars until they had the truck in their sights. Next thing they knew, it pulled off the road and stopped.
“I stop?” The driver asked, flipping his glasses up over his eyebrows to look at them in the rearview mirror.
“Yes.” Kate leaned forward. “Definitely.”
Kate couldn’t believe how much money they already owed.
“Wait here,” Ellie said, like this was a normal thing for her to do. Kate wanted to tell him to go, her pockets only went so deep.
“I wait,” he said.
Of course he would wait. If he didn’t, he’d be out a ton of money. By the time they walked the short distance to the truck, the driver had put blocks behind the wheels and was now putting up an awning out front, getting ready to sell bagels.
Ellie continued to walk with complete confidence right up to him as he anchored the last of four posts holding the awning up.
“Hey there,” Ellie said. “Your bagels any good?” She let her Texas drawl come out more than usual and flashed him a flirtatious smile.
The guy looked up and grinned. “The best.” He stood straight and pushed his trendy sunglasses up over his moderately long, shaggy hair. He looked nothing like the guys on the Jersey Shore show—what was it the girls on the show called them? Guidos? Most of them had short, spiked hair and overly tanned skin. This guy looked mostly like the guys back home, except for his beefy arms, perhaps. With a jolt, Kate realized he looked familiar. His hair was pinned back from his forehead now, under the glasses. His big brown eyes peered over at Ellie. Kate realized how she knew him. He’d been at the church.
“Great. How long until we can get some?” Ellie said, leaning on a post nearby.
Had Ellie not recognized him?
“Give me ten minutes, and I’ll have you some nice hot ones.”
“Perfect.” Ellie nudged Kate, but realizing he’d been at the church freaked her out too much to react.
He pulled a rope into a loop on the side of the truck and tied it off. It was impossible not to stare at the toned, deep muscles of his arms. He wasn’t the sort of boy Kate was usually attracted to, but he did look fine setting the truck up. “Where are you two lovely ladies from?”
“Texas.” Ellie flashed a grin. “Can’t you tell?”
He grinned back. “I thought I heard something of an accent. I never met a real Southern girl before.” He kept working, but he seemed to be enjoying the attention.
“Where’s your accent?” Ellie teased, and Kate had to fight not to roll her eyes. “I thought you Jersey boys were all ‘Hey yo, yous guys,’” She lowered her voice and made a ridiculous duck face as she spoke, and the guy snorted with laughter.
“Oh, you watch too much TV,” he chuckled. “We talk normal around here. Those guys you see on Jersey Shore and that crap aren’t even from around here. They’re from New York.”
Ellie sidled up to him and touched his muscled arms. “Well, you may not have the accent, but you do have the body. Look at those babies. You are so strong.”
He grinned, and a dimple appeared on his tanned cheek. “Thanks. I try to stay fit.” “So, Texas, huh? That’s a long way from here.” He glanced at Kate, who quickly looked away.
“This your truck?”
“Naw. It’s my cousin’s. He’s sick. I’m helping him out today.” He smiled at Ellie.
“This is a family business then?” She smiled right back.
“Yup.”
He moved near Kate, his arm brushing hers and his eyes fixing on hers as he grabbed a stack of chairs and started to set them around. She drew in a quick breath before stepping back. “You the quiet one?”
“No,” Ellie said. “She usually talks your ear off!” She gave Kate a death glare.
“Sorry,” Kate blurted, wringing her hands out in front of her. “But—I think I saw you earlier today, at that Catholic Church.”
“No!” Ellie said, running over to the two of them and staring at his face. “It’s the guy that undressed you with his eyes.”
Kate slugged Ellie in the arm, her face burning furiously. “Ouch.” Ellie rubbed at her arm.
The boy raised an eyebrow. “Is that whatcha thought I was doing?” He gave them a devilish smile.
“Don’t deny it, big boy. Here,” she moved closer to him, “have a napkin for that drool.” She tapped at the corner of her mouth.
One corner of his mouth went up into a smile. “I appreciate beauty when I see it.” He gave Kate a meaningful look and disappeared around the truck before reappearing inside the truck.
Kate shot daggers at Ellie, but Ellie just waggled her eyebrows. His back was to them and he washed his hands and put an apron over his T-shirt and jeans, tying it in the back. “Ya know, there are much better places for tourists to go around here.”
“Really? Where?” Ellie asked as if she hadn’t thoroughly research everything about Seaside.
“I could show you some places later if you wanted.” He turned and smiled at Ellie before glancing at Kate.
Ellie put her arm through Kate’s and said, “We’d love that.”
“Which flavor would you like?”
“Blueberry with strawberry schmear, please.” Ellie bit her lip.
Shameless. Ellie was shameless with her lip biting. “And you?” he asked, his deep voice echoing off the truck walls. He smiled and it made him look even better.
“She’s Kate. I’m Ellie.” Ellie twisted side to side.
“Well, Kate, what will it be?”
Her pulse was galloping. She gulped. “The best you’ve got.”
“Coming up.” He set to work.
Ellie turned to Kate and giggled. Kate rolled her eyes. She didn’t get the thrill Ellie did
from flirting with hot guys. Kate felt stupid and awkward. Nine times out of ten she never saw the boy again, anyway. It seemed like a bunch of trouble for nothing. Ellie leaned in and whispered, “Oh, my goodness, he is hot and he totally wants you.”
“He is. He definitely is. But he doesn’t want me.” Kate couldn’t deny the obvious. She wanted to ask Ellie what she thought would happen with this guy. Did she want Kate to join him in the truck and make out on the dirty floor, right then? Blech.
Kate had to get it together. There would be no making out. He was a means to an end. She had to get answers. “Marconi Bagels? Like Marconi, the scientist and Nobel Prize winner?”
He chuckled. “I guess these bagels should win my uncle the Nobel Prize. They truly are that good.”
“Your cousin’s lucky to have you talking up the goods.”
“Tito. My cousin’s name.” The signature at the bottom of the green notepaper popped into Kate’s mind. Tito Marconi. Not the Marconi that signed the notepaper. That name started with an A.
“So you’re a Marconi?” Kate asked, determined to get more answers.
“No.” He laughed.
“If you’re not a Marconi, then who are you?” She bit her lip. His laugh was too sexy.
“I’m Duran Bellini.”
“Do all your relatives’ names end with an I?” Ellie giggled.
“Italian names, you know.”
“Is that why you have such fantastic skin or do you have to work at that tan?” Ellie giggled again. Kate tugged on her arm. She was going too far.
“You’re full of questions.”
“Yeah. I like to know stuff. Do you mind?”
“I guess not.” His eyes flicked to Kate and back to Ellie. The timer rang on the toaster and he turned.
“So if this isn’t your real job, what is?” Ellie was like a freight train without a conductor with her questions.
He handed them their schmeared bagels and when Ellie held out money to pay, he waved it off. “Those are on me.”
Kate examined the bagel and took a bite. Crunchy and chewy with all kinds of flavors running through her mouth. An everything bagel with a caramel schmear.