by J R Pearson
The twins.
"I could call Russell and Reese," she suggested.
Tony arched a brow. "Do you think that’s wise?"
"It’s part of their job."
Russell and Reese Rizzo, twenty-three-year old twin geniuses, worked in West Emily's cyber-crime agency and were currently establishing a cyber-security company. In their teen years, they’d been busted on multiple accounts of illegal hacking. At eighteen, Russell and Reese were approached with a job offer. Josie thought the offer came to prevent any further serious hacks.
She reluctantly agreed to meet later that night at Tony’s place, to contact her younger brothers. Tony handed Josie a note with his address on it and told her to bring Petey so he could meet Jade. Tony planned on cooking dinner for them.
"I hope you like pasta."
CHAPTER THREE
"It’s normal, right?” Josie asked Petey, modeling yet another outfit in the mirror. Petey wasn’t going to provide any advice. In the mirror, Josie could see her dog, currently pulling at a loose thread on her comforter. He wasn’t even facing her.
"Are you listening to me?" She put her hands on her hips. Petey stopped pulling at the thread and glanced around.
"Behind you," she giggled. He cocked his head and began to wag his chubby tail, excited, as if she had just entered the room. She blew him a kiss, then turned back to the mirror.
"Yeah. It’s completely normal. Two adults having dinner together. Discussing murder. People do it all the time." Josie sighed and gave up on the dark green sundress. When did she ever care what she looked like to others, anyways? She decided on jeans and a stretchy pink shirt. She left her hair down and slipped on a pair of sparkly red studs. Grabbing her purse, she made a mental note to write a blog post when she returned. She was eager to share her day at In The Box. Josie snapped on Petey’s collar and leash, but halfway to the door she screeched to a halt.
"Hold it!"
Petey looked up at her expectantly.
"Am I really about to eat dinner with a man I haven't seen in ten years—who is now my boss, by the way—and somehow stop him from getting arrested for Amanda Nelson's murder, and figure out who really did kill her?"
Petey barked once.
"Did I also mention he has more baggage then a plane carrying a bunch of peanut fanatics on their way to a goober convention?"
Petey barked again.
"That’s what I thought. Let’s go."
***
Tony lived in a white two-story house with red shutters in Greenville's largest neighborhood.
Scents of marinara and chicken simmering met Josie at the door. She tightened her hold on Petey's leash in case he didn’t like, or was frightened by, Jade. If that happened, Josie would leave.
"Hey," Tony said, opening the door. His feet were bare, and he wore jeans and a white tank top. His dark hair was damp from a recent shower. A big black dog stood alongside him. "This is Jade." The Great Dane leaned down to sniff Petey. As Josie watched (again wondering if her dog had been replaced with an alien), her anti-social dog let the big dog sniff his face before trotting away. Jade looked back, waiting for her new friend to follow. Petey pulled at his leash in her direction.
"I guess they like each other," Tony said. Josie unhooked Petey. He wobbled after the black beauty.
"Come in. Dinner’s almost ready."
"It smells heavenly." She trailed behind Tony into the small kitchen. The dogs were relaxing on a large dog bed in front of an unlit fireplace. Tony handed Josie a glass of red wine. Their fingers touched, sending a spark through her arm. She knocked back the wine, choking a bit, and took a seat at the table, avoiding Tony's gaze.
Josie thanked him when he set the source of the heavenly smell in front of her. Penne pasta, grilled chicken breast dosed in marinara, asparagus (Josie detected a hint of lemon), and basil garnish. After several bites, she stopped to come up for air. Tony smiled, appreciating a woman with a hefty appetite.
"The sauce is amazing, Tony." The warm feeling that swelled within him as he watched her enjoying her meal started to deflate.
"My mother used to make it all the time," he said quietly. Josie reached over and laid her hand on his.
"I remember she made sloppy joes at the school picnic one year," she said softly. “It was no chicken and pasta but it was still really good." Josie gave him a small smile. Tony returned it, and then went to the sliding back doors.
"I’m going to let Jade and Petey out for a bit. Do you mind?" he asked. Both dogs rushed to the door.
"No, go ahead. I’m trying to get Petey to be more active."
Tony followed the dogs out the door, closing it behind him, and leaving her to reflect. Clearly the death of his mother still affected him. Understandably. Josie couldn’t imagine life without her mother.
Rose Santino had been a wonderful mother and amazing person to Josie, growing up. Though she knew she couldn't bring her back, she vowed to help Rose’s son. Ready to get the ball rolling, she grabbed her purse and called Reese. When he didn’t pick up, she left him a message to call her back immediately.
In her hand, her phone vibrated.
Mother.
Oh, great. (To clear up any future confusion: Josie loved her mother very much and yes, couldn’t go on living without her.) But Gina Rizzo was a tough pill to swallow.
And after twenty-five years, Josie still ended up choking.
"Hi, Mom, I was just about to call you—"
"No, you weren't. Don’t lie to me. What is this I hear about a murder? Your aunt called and told me a young woman was found in a back alley. Killed, Josie! And you were there!"
"Technically, I was inside—"
"Why didn’t you tell me? I knew it was a bad idea for you to leave. I'm having your father go get you."
Josie massaged her temples and counted to ten. "I'm fine. Leave Dad alone. The police are handling it."
"ROB! GET OVER HERE AND TALK SOME SENSE INTO YOUR SISTER!" After some fumbling, Josie's older brother came online.
"Sorry, squirt. I have to agree with Mom on this. It’s too dangerous for you to be out on your own."
"Rob, I’m not a child!" She cursed herself for whining.
"I know, but Richie and I agree that our little sister shouldn’t be living in a place where a killer is on the loose. So pack up your stuff, grab Fat Petey—"
"Stop calling him that. He's not fat. He's just poofy! And tell Mom I'm not going anywhere." Josie heard more fumbling, the phone being passed around, voices growing louder. Her brothers, mom, and dad were all talking over each other, shouting out the dangers of a young woman living alone, arguing who was going pick her up.
Would it be rude to just hang up? Kinda.
Instead Josie grabbed a napkin and crinkled the paper in the mic.
“I—I can't h-hear you, my-my battery is-is dying- kuuurrrrrr—" She pressed the End button.
Behind her, Tony chuckled. She hadn't notice him come in.
"I didn't know people still did that," he said pointing to the crumbled napkin. Josie felt her cheeks warm.
"They can be a bit much sometimes." Her phone vibrated again. She inwardly cringed, thinking it was her parents again, but saw it was Reese. She put the phone on speaker for Tony to listen. After catching up a little with Reese, she asked him to pull up Amanda Nelson’s bio.
"Nelson? Where have I heard that name before?" he asked. Russell, in the background, yelled "THE NEWS!"
"Right. The strangled lady. Why do you want her information?" Reese asked. "Did you know her?"
“No, I'm—" Josie glanced at Tony. He stood by the sink. She couldn’t read his expression. "I'm helping a friend with the investigation."
"Helping with the investigation? I thought you blogged food."
Josie felt her patience fading. "Can you just look it up, please?" she asked.
"Fine, fine." He grumbled. "You're lucky I haven't left the office yet." Josie heard him tap on a keyboard. "Okay, I’ve got her general profile.
Birth date, parents’ names. Bank account. Medical history. You want it all?"
"Yeah." Josie didn’t stop to ponder whether or not what she was doing was legal.
"All right. Do you want me to email it to you?" he asked. Her laptop was on her desk in apartment. She looked to Tony, who walked out the room and then returned holding a black laptop.
"Yes, but send it to me at—" She read Tony's email address aloud. In seconds his computer pinged. He clicked on the file Reese sent.
"Thanks, Reese."
"No problem."
Josie and Tony skimmed through Amanda’s bio. Twenty-seven, worked retail. Married to a Thomas Nelson. No kids. She lived in a townhouse in downtown West Emily. Tony pointed out that her townhome was just a few blocks from where she flagged him.
Amanda’s medical record proved to be shocking. She'd been in and out of the hospital for the past five months.
"Tony, look at this. Broken cheekbone, collarbone, and nose. Bruised ribs. Broken fingers. Mild concussions."
"Abuse," Tony said.
***
Later that night, Josie submitted her latest blog post, recapping her first day at In The Box bistro. She posted a picture of a basket of oven-baked fries. Then she described how delicious the apple, cheddar, and turkey panini tasted when she managed to sneak a bite when no was looking.
That done, Josie carried Poofy Petey to her bed.
"You and Jade have a good time?" she asked, rubbing his belly. He licked her cheek before yawning big.
She took that as a yes. Her little buddy was pooped from all the running he’d done. He’d had to put in a bit more energy to keep up with Jade's long legs.
Seeing their dogs become the best of friends made her heart swell. And Tony sharing a meal that was special to him stirred emotions she'd never felt before.
Emotions that left her confused and uneasy.
Putting them aside, she mulled the information she and Tony had discovered. If it were true that Amanda was being abused, did she tell anyone? Surely her doctor had to be suspicious of all the frequent ER visits.
And who was her attacker? Her husband, maybe? Was this another domestic violence case that ended fatally?
Amanda skipping town led Josie to believe Amanda finally had enough and left her abuser. Maybe, like Josie, Amanda thought Greenville would be the beginning of something new.
Sadly, she never got the chance to start.
Vzzt. Her phone vibrated.
A text from Reese.
The stuff about Amanda Nelson I sent—the email address you gave belongs to Tony Santino????
We'll talk about it later. She typed back.
CHAPTER FOUR
By noon, Tony didn’t show up to work. Where was he? Josie’s heart began beating faster. Had he been arrested? Had the police found something? No. That was impossible. Tony was innocent. There was a reasonably good explanation for him not being there, and it shouldn’t matter to her. Tony was a grown man. He could go wherever he pleased.
She handed Janice, owner of the Book Nook, and her grandmother their order of pulled pork, green onion, and red cabbage sliders. As she walked away, her ears tuned in to a conversation from customers at a neighboring table.
"Did you hear that Santino fella is now the owner of this restaurant?"
"Yeah. That shouldn’t be allowed. Is that even legal?"
"Beats me. It makes me wonder if this is just a front for organized crime or something. "
"It does seem a bit screwy."
Josie rolled her eyes and made her way back behind the counter. Talk of Tony being guilty buzzed throughout the small bistro. Annoyed and fed up, Josie grabbed her purse and told Brad she was taking a break.
“Need me to come with you?"
"No, thanks." She walked down a path leading to the large field surrounding Greenville Lake. It was another nice day. People were out taking advantage of the beautiful weather. Josie stopped to breathe in the cool air and smell the lake water, letting the wind whip her hair across her face. She took out her camera and snapped a few photos of the lake and the ducks.
A young couple sat nearby on a blanket, feasting on foot-long subs. The scene was perfect. Josie wanted to ask what they were munching on, without coming across too weird. She introduced herself and explained her blog. They were more than happy to let her take their photo, telling her that their salami and turkey sandwiches had come from Danny's Deli, across the street.
"Josie! Honey! Oh! How are you?" Aunt Kendra, Jennie's mother, greeted Josie with a hug and kiss. Behind her stood several women holding notepads and binoculars.
"This is my duck-watching group. We just came out to see what species are out this gorgeous day." After a brief discussion of bird migration, the topic of the recent murder made its ugly appearance.
"News has surfaced that the young woman was pregnant," her aunt said.
"Where'd you hear that?" Josie asked.
"From the medical examiner's assistant, Billy. He stopped by my antiques store this morning."
"How tragic," commented a small woman wearing a blouse with a goose pattern. "Two lives lost. I hope they hurry up and find whoever is responsible." Josie noticed the group was staring at her funny.
Her aunt pulled her aside. “I also heard that you were seen with Tony at his uncle’s house last night," Kendra whispered, arching a brow.
"So?" Josie didn’t like where this was heading.
"So maybe you should consider who you keep company with, dear.” Josie snatched her arm away, appalled by her aunt's statement.
"Why? Because having dinner with a man who is falsely accused of murder is giving people a bad impression?" she snapped. Josie raked her fingers through her hair, realizing how disrespectful she was being, and quickly apologized.
"It's okay. You and Jennie get your temper from Grandma Loretta." Her aunt's smile turned grim. "I know I'm not your mother, but since we're family, I am advising you to be careful."
***
Back at the bistro, Tony arrived on his motorcycle. He looked dangerous and handsome walking into the restaurant. His tattoos peeked from beneath the sleeves of his black t-shirt.
"Watch it, girlie," Greta said, beside Josie. "If he's anything like his uncle, then be prepared to wake up in a playground holding an empty bag of cheese doodles, wearing nothing more than a pair of heels and a goofy grin on your face." She sighed. "Good times." Josie felt her cheeks burn.
"I wonder what that would be like," Brad joined in. Josie shot him a look. "What? I know what I said earlier and I stand by it but I gotta admit—Tony Santino is hot." Just then, Tony walked up to them.
"Thanks," he said to Brad. "I try my best.” Tony was relieved to find out the blond man he thought was somehow involved with Josie batted for the other team.
"Jo? Can I talk to you for a minute?" He cocked his head to the direction of his office. Door closed after them, Tony explained he had been at the police station all morning, going another round with Detective Evans.
“Just routine stuff, he claims,” he said.
“Well, I have an update,” Josie let him in on the conversation she had with her aunt—Amanda Nelson's pregnancy. Josie hesitated before telling him the gossip of them being seen together at his place last night. Tony rocked back in his chair, amused.
"Interesting."
"It is." She smiled crookedly.
“I can understand if you don't want to be a part of this," he said.
Josie wrinkled her nose. "Why? You think I'm embarrassed to be seen with you?"
Tony remained quiet.
"I can hang out with whomever I want—"
“I’m not just anybody." he interrupted, clenching his jaw. Good grief. She forgot how stubborn he used to be.
“Don’t give me that. I don't care what others think or say about you, and if you fight me on this," she said, pointing a finger at him, “I will take you down like I did when we were kids playing football in Buck Tooth Sammy’s backyard." Tony smiled broadly
. He very much remembered that day.
“You cheated and you know it."
"Still has yet to be proven," she smirked. They sat gazing and smiling at each other until she broke away.
“I’m going to go refill some drinks." She stood.
“Okay," he nodded, having a hard time pulling his attention away.
***
Another wave of people came storming in. Tony manned the grill while Josie refreshed customers’ with lemonade and iced tea, making small talk. She enjoyed watching faces light up when they took a bite of a loaded hot dog or messy panini. Josie had a great time conversing with a family whose kids were eating butternut-squash mac and cheese and arugula sliders. They bounced in their seats, laughing and getting cheese sauce smeared on their cheeks.
Josie went out to the cobblestone patio to continue refilling glasses. She saw her cousin, Jennie, and Kal eating chili cheese dogs. That's where she stopped to discuss the latest. Jennie confirmed Amanda Nelson's pregnancy and also revealed that Caleb planned on going to West Emily to track down Amanda's husband. Caleb's new lead had been triggered when Amanda's autopsy showed bruising on her arms and face, prior to her death.
“Did the husband put ‘em there?” Kal asked around a mouthful of chili and meat.
“Caleb thinks so,” Jennie replied.
"Is he still investigating Tony as his prime suspect?" Josie asked.
Jennie shrugged. “I don’t know. He didn’t say.”
Back inside, Josie told Tony about Detective Evans’s new lead. "It’s looking like Thomas Nelson used to knock Amanda around.” Josie winced at her own words. “Found out she left him and then killed her." Tony just shrugged. Did he even hear her?
"Uh, hello? Maybe this will get the attention off of you." She nudged his arm.
"No, it won’t." Tony's intense eyes bored into hers. What his father did would stick with him for the rest of his life, wherever he went. He had accepted his mother's passing a long time ago.
But he could never shake off the nightmare his father had created.
***
Josie sent Reese a text asking him to find anything on Thomas Nelson. She was worried Tony was slowly losing hope.