Chapter 2
The killers debated if any evidence was left behind at the scene of the crime.
“Dumb fool, that Vincenzo was, jumping in the river like that. Did he think he could get away?” one killer said.
“Ya know that river has a rough current. People drown in it all the time. It’s deceiving. It looks rougher than the ocean, but the current is just as unforgiving,” the other said.
“How’d he think he could swim with a bullet in his chest in freezing cold water?”
“He knew he was dead either way. I personally would have rather us finish the job if I was him, rather than jump in the frozen river and drown, but hey, to each their own.”
The men laughed.
“Next time, we need to be more careful. I can’t get over what Vinny did to Rocco. I can’t believe Rocco is gone. Gino was pretty upset.”
“Everything happens for a reason, my dear man. Now that Rocco is gone, things are looking up for me. It all worked out for the best.”
“You sure they ain’t gonna find no evidence at the scene?”
“Nah. They found Vinny’s body miles north of the warehouse. They ain’t gonna be searchin’ the warehouse area. And we moved Rocco’s body here, an hour away. Set it up to look like a hit from our rivals. There won’t appear to be any connection between the two.”
* * *
I spent the next four days trying to decide what to wear on my date with Kris and being over-the-top excited about it. Then, Saturday came and Kris cancelled on me. He said someone called out sick from work and he had to be there. I was incredibly disappointed, but hopeful, as we rescheduled for the following Saturday. I sulked around the house all weekend long, but when Monday rolled around, I received a phone call that knocked me right out of my funk. Coral Beach wanted me to schedule an appointment for an interview for this week. I was stunned that they moved so fast. Government in general was notoriously slow. It had been less than a week since I had mailed my résumé. And the fact they wanted me to interview right away, too, was amazing to me. I agreed to meet them on Thursday.
After hanging up the phone, I ran to my closet to dig through my storage bins, where my work-type clothing had been placed more than a year ago. It took me a while, but I finally found my black suit and I drove over to the dry cleaners with Mandy in tow. When I got home, I put Mandy down for a nap, then decided to use the quiet time to brush up on interview questions. I took out my laptop and booted it up. I thought it would be wise for me to do some research about Coral Beach prior to the interview, so I checked out their website.
The board of trustees included Marc Coglione, the village president, Winifred Strega, the vice president, and board members John Paparazzo, Jamie Brooks, and Aspen Ravens. I wasn’t sure how I’d remember all these people. I seemed to have a terrible memory ever since I was pregnant…two years ago! People told me it was “pregnancy brain” at the time. I can’t imagine it was still “pregnancy brain” two years after being pregnant, but what did I know? I kept repeating, Marc, Winifred, John, Jamie, Aspen.
I noted that it seemed there were a majority of Italians working there. I hoped they didn’t mind that my genetic makeup didn’t contain a similarity to theirs. I read their bios and memorized their pictures the best I could in an attempt to boost my chances during the interview by not confusing everyone’s names. I decided the easiest way for me to remember them would be by age and hair color. John had salt and pepper gray hair and was probably in his sixties. Winifred was gray and in her sixties as well. Marc had shoe-polish black hair and I placed him around fifty. Jamie had to be in her forties with medium brown hair. Aspen was such a unique name, the youngest of the group, and the only blonde. At around thirty years old, and somewhat attractive, he would be hard to for me to forget.
When the day finally came, I felt that I was very prepared. Marc, Winifred, John, Jamie, Aspen kept running through my head. And, it was a good thing it worked because I was interviewed by all five members of the board of trustees. I thought I had done well. The only question I stumbled on was the one involving budget numbers at my previous job. Quite frankly, I didn’t have the greatest memory when it came to numbers. I told them this and then I joked that there was a reason I became a municipal clerk and not a C.F.O. With the exception of Winifred, they seemed to be amused, so I hoped that didn’t have a negative effect on the interview. I got the funny feeling that Winifred was not thrilled with me for some reason. She seemed to have draped herself over the dais and flung her hair back frequently, as if she was queen of the universe. I estimated her age at sixty-five. She had a thin frame and plenty of wrinkles, likely from too much sun exposure at the Jersey shore. Her shoulder-length gray hair was curly and her hands were freckled with sunspots. Her top was cut a little low for a woman of her age, revealing a portion of her lacy black bra. I hoped this wasn’t purposeful.
President Coglione told me they would be making a decision within a week. He seemed pleased when I said that I could start working immediately. I shook all of their hands and thanked them for meeting me. I left the interview and headed directly to the post office. I had pre-prepared thank you notes to send out to my interviewers and I wanted to get them in the mail promptly.
When I got home, my phone rang. It was Kris.
“How was the interview?” he asked.
“It went pretty well,” I told him. “Except that I don’t think the vice president liked me very much. I don’t know how much pull she has, being vice and all, but if she does, I don’t think I’ll get the job.”
We talked about the interview for a while longer, then he confirmed our date plans for this weekend. I was dying to see this guy again. I was starting to forget what he looked like. I could not forget, however, that he was a great kisser. I longed to feel those soft, warm lips again. For the first time in a long time, I felt like my life was starting over. New prospects for a job and for love were providing me with feelings of elation. I was nervous and excited at the same time. I walked around on Cloud Nine for the rest of the week, but then, Saturday came and he cancelled again. This time, without rescheduling. I felt heartbroken. I very badly wanted to go out with this guy. So, I did what any woman with a little respect for herself would do—I chalked it up to him being a jerk and decided to hang back and let him make the next move. That is, after a pint of Ben and Jerry’s Cherry Garcia and a good hour of feeling rejected.
So, I waited anxiously by the phone. Day in and day out. I checked my cell over a thousand times to make sure it was working. I wasn’t sure if I was more anxiously awaiting a call from Kris or from Coral Beach, but either way, I knew that if anything was going to happen, my phone would be ringing this week. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday brought me no news and left me in total darkness. I was feeling crushed. I should have heard about the job or from Kris by Friday. Yet, Friday was here, and the phone was still not ringing. I was trying to hold out hope, as my job and love prospects were slipping away from my grasp.
An unexpected ring at the door at noon brought a beautiful bouquet of two dozen bright red roses. I quickly ripped open the envelope and pulled out a small white card that said, “Let’s try again. Happy Valentine’s Day. Kris.” I could not stop the large smile that came across my face. I had totally forgotten it was the fourteenth. I wanted to be mad at Kris for not making more of an effort to see me, but I couldn’t be mad. My hopes of getting to know Kris were suddenly renewed. I had a good feeling about him.
I called him on the phone to thank him for the roses. He said he hadn’t called me all week because he wanted to surprise me for Valentine’s Day. I told him it was quite the surprise and that I had almost given up on him. He said he had reservations for dinner tomorrow night and he made me promise to go out with him. I was once again floating around on a cloud for the rest of the day. I completely forgot that Coral Beach never called me.
* * *
The next day, I spent two hours getting ready to go out on my first date with Kris. My hand
s were shaking so much that it was difficult to put on my makeup. I pulled the sides of my shoulder-length blonde hair back into a clip, leaving the rest to hang straight. I changed my outfit at least fifteen times and finally settled on a pair of black pants and a royal blue sweater. I would have worn a dress, but it was only twenty-three degrees outside. I threw on the tallest heels I had. Standing at a mere five feet, I was extremely short compared to Kris, who had to be at least six feet tall. I thought the heels would bring me up a little higher, so he wouldn’t have to bend down so far if I was lucky enough to get another nice kiss from him. I was trying to think of things to talk about with him when my phone rang. It was Kris.
“Hey! Sorry to do this to you, but my babysitter just cancelled,” he informed me.
The smile departed from my face. I was so disappointed and since we had already tried three times to get together, I wasn’t going to let this little snafu ruin my first date with him. I quickly said, “We can bring him along; it will be fun.”
He hesitated. “Are you sure?” he asked.
“Of course I’m sure; it’s no problem at all.”
“The place I was planning on taking you tonight isn’t exactly kid-friendly.”
“Well, let’s go to Federici’s instead,” I suggested.
Federici’s was a high-end pizza place. They had great Italian food in addition to pizza and I had seen many children eating there. I figured it would have been a good place.
“Did you want to bring Mandy too?”
“No!” I swiftly answered. “I mean, she’s in her terrible twos and she throws temper tantrums often. She probably wouldn’t sit through dinner without causing a scene.”
We agreed to meet at the restaurant in thirty minutes. I didn’t want him to have to unload a three-year-old from the car seat in order to come to my front door, then have to reload him in again a few minutes later, and besides, my parents were on their way over to watch Mandy for me. I really didn’t want him to be greeted by my parents on our first date. Awkward!
My parents arrived, and again, Mandy was in a full-blown temper tantrum with my dog Snickers matching the tone of her wails with his howling.
“What happened?” my mother asked.
“I took the crayons off of her; she was playing artist on the kitchen walls.”
My mother looked over to discover shades of burnt-orange and magenta smeared in an abstract pattern on the wall.
“My word, how are you going to get that out?”
“Magic Eraser works pretty well,” I said.
“So, this isn’t the first time she’s used the walls as her canvas?”
“No, and I didn’t have time to clean it up tonight. I was trying to control her and get ready at the same time.”
“Well, have a great time on your date.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
I stepped out into the bitter cold and jumped into the frozen car. I started up the engine, scraped the ice off the windshield, and set out on my way to Federici’s. I parked close to the door and nervously checked my makeup in the car mirror one last time. I stepped out into the cold and hustled through the main doors. I was greeted by a hostess who told me my “dates” were seated in the back room.
I walked through the first dining room and I spotted a couple of my interviewers: Marc Coglione, the village president with his shoe-polish hair, and John Paparazzo, a member of the board. They waved me over to their table. I cringed at the thought of my potential new bosses seeing me on a first date with a guy I barely knew. I was happy that my table was in a different room. I pleasantly said hello and told them it was nice to see them again. They introduced me to their dining partners, Gino Righetti and Cal Zamboni of Righetti Brothers’ Development Corporation. At first glance, Gino and Cal looked like they stepped right out of an old-school mob movie with Cal being the heavy hand and Gino being the Mafia Don.
Cal was younger, probably in his early thirties, but had quite the receding hairline. He was large, had no neck, and was unusually hairy. His bushy eyebrows and enormous size made him appear fairly scary-looking.
Gino was strikingly handsome and in good physical shape. He had slicked back his dark hair and doused his body in a nice-smelling cologne. He was very polished-looking, sporting an expensive Italian suit. There was a darkness behind his deep brown eyes, which seemed to examine me from head to toe, trying to figure out if I was someone that could be trusted. I noticed they both wore gargantuan-sized pinky rings. They were cordial enough, though.
Mr. Coglione introduced me as the new municipal clerk. I was speechless. I hadn’t been notified that I gotten the job. I wasn’t sure what to say. I smiled widely at him and said, “Thank you for this wonderful opportunity.” Marc told me they had to make it official next week with a vote at the board meeting, and that they would call me on Monday to discuss salary. I shook his and Mr. Paparazzo’s hands, saying I looked forward to working with them. I told Gino and Cal that it was nice to meet them, then left to meet Kris in the other dining room.
I found Kris and Kris, Jr. seated at a table in the back of the second dining area. Kris was even dreamier than I had remembered. His dark brown hair and mesmerizing hazel eyes. That boyish grin and perfect body. I had to tell myself to calm down and act normal. I noticed Kris had brought a bottle of wine with him. Federici’s was a B.Y.O.B. restaurant and I thought it was thoughtful of him, since he knew I was becoming sort of a wine aficionado in recent years. I felt like a giddy little girl from the moment I saw him.
He stood up and pulled out my chair and I took a seat at the table. What a gentleman, I thought. “Hello, little man,” I said to Kris, Jr.
“I’m not a man; I’m a boy,” Kris said, correcting me.
“But you look so grown up; are you sure?” I asked.
He looked at his dad and said, “I all growed up now.”
“You certainly are growed up now,” Kris said with a smile.
I announced my good news about the job almost immediately.
“A toast is in order!” Kris exclaimed. He uncorked the wine bottle and poured two glasses. We made small talk and munched on the Italian bread while we waited for the waitress to take our order. During the meal, we became engrossed in conversation. I gazed deep into Kris’s eyes, then nervously glanced away. It was then that I realized that Kris, Jr. was gone from the table.
“Where did he go?’ I asked.
Kris looked around, then lifted the tablecloth to get a view of what was hidden underneath.
“Kristof, get out from under the table,” Kris scolded.
Instead of listening to his father, Kris, Jr. grabbed the edge of the tablecloth and yanked as hard as he could. The wine and food went flying. I was covered in zinfandel, Kris was covered in marinara, and the floor was covered in glass shards.
“Kristof!” Kris yelled through his clenched teeth.
Kris, Jr. ran out from under the table and down the aisle of booths. He grabbed a random tablecloth from a booth seated with an elderly couple. Faster than Kris could grab him, he yanked it. The old lady was suddenly covered in putenesca and the dishes and glassware shattered on the floor. Kris chased his son, but the little boy was way too fast. He went to a third table, and crash! It happened again. Kris was mortified.
Gee, I thought Mandy was bad, I thought as I looked down at my wet clothes. When Kris finally caught up to him, Kris, Jr. took off running again. This time, he slammed into a waitress who was carrying a tray of drinks. She dropped the glasses and various colorful liquids spilled all over Kris, Jr. He started to wail. Kris grabbed hold of his arm and dragged him back toward our table, but before he could get there, the owner came out of the kitchen, and screamed at Kris and Kris, Jr. in his thick Italian accent, “Get out of my restaurant, get out, get out!”
Big Kris dragged little Kris out of the restaurant. I threw some cash on the table and joined them in the parking lot, having exited through the side door. I was beyond thankful we hadn’t been seated in the same room as my futu
re bosses. I would have been mortified.
“I don’t even know where to begin to apologize. Your clothes are ruined—I’ll buy you a new shirt,” Kris said.
“It’s okay, Kris. That was probably one of the most interesting dates I’ve had.”
Kris, Jr. started screaming and tried to wriggle away from him. “I’ve gotta go,” Kris said with a longing look in his eyes. “I hope you’ll let me make this up to you.”
“I’m looking forward to it,” I said as I headed to the other end of the building where my car was parked. I sulked back to my car, disappointed in how the date went. I must not have been watching where I was walking, because my heel slipped out from underneath me on a patch of black ice and bam! Down on the asphalt I fell, cracking the back of my head. I sat up and looked around. I blew out a sigh of relief when I realized Kris was nowhere in sight and didn’t witness me falling on my rump. I was also happy my new bosses weren’t in the parking lot either. I scrambled to my feet. I had ripped my pants. I placed my hand on the back of my head and found I was bleeding a little. I imagined I would have a nice headache in the morning. I jumped in the car and drove home with a severe injury…to my ego.
My parents were confused when I showed up back at home less than an hour from when I left, with a gash on my head, my clothes tattered, and my body smelling like a winery.
“What happened?” my mother asked, alarmed.
“You don’t even want to know,” I said.
“So, I’m taking it your date didn’t go well?” my dad asked.
“It was an epic failure,” I said. Then I went to my room to change.
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