“This is where it gets interesting. After he left your office, he drove out to the cemetery and visited three grave sites. He spent a lot of time at the first site. I found out later it was Carrie Ann’s. He also dropped by Mrs. Godfrey’s and Anna May’s sites. Didn’t stay there too long.”
Was he feeling guilty? Confessing his crimes? And then I remembered about Natalia. “Did he visit Natalia Gorsky’s site?”
“Nope. He just visited those three, and then he went back to the studio. He’s still there with Jean. Sofia left about thirty minutes ago.” He added, “I thought you might be interested in some other information I’ve dug up about Taylor. There have been two cases of harassment, both handled by Ongaro.”
I felt a knot of fear form in my belly. “When did this happen?”
“Nineteen ninety-two. Both cases within the same year. Two sets of parents filed charges after their teenage daughters complained about inappropriate touching. While taking pictures for their modeling portfolios, he got carried away.”
“What happened?”
“After Ongaro got involved, the parents dropped the charges. I don’t know, but I have a sneaking suspicion large sums of money were involved.”
That would have been about the time that Carrie Ann left him. I wondered who had put up the money. Outside of Jean and Mrs. Godfrey, it didn’t sound like too many people were there for him. And I couldn’t imagine either woman having enough money to bail him out. Could Roberto have helped him?
Jim sighed. “I don’t trust this guy. Give Fantin a call, and tell him about your suspicions. You could be in danger.”
“Whoever the murderer is, he’s after Godfreys and blondes. I’m more worried about Jenny Marie.” I paused. I wasn’t ready to break Grace’s confidences.
“Believe me, murderers are not that discriminating. They will kill whoever gets in their way.”
“Once I have solid proof, I will give Carlo a call. Not before.”
“It’s your call, Gilda. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He hung up.
Michael and Jean were somehow involved in the murder. I could feel it. What was starting to trouble me was Sofia’s connection to the couple. Why was she spending so much time with these people? I longed to call her, but didn’t want to argue or create more of a rift. She had made it very clear she wanted Roberto in her life and, from what Jim had just revealed, was also willing to entertain the members of his posse.
Chapter 24
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
I didn’t have a minute to myself until close to noon. When I stepped out of my office, I found Sofia sitting in the foyer.
She came over and hugged me. “Hello, stranger.”
She had glammed up since the Autumn Tea. She was wearing more eye makeup than usual. Her hair was several shades lighter and had been straightened into a pageboy style. She bore an uncanny resemblance to a younger, thinner Anna May.
“It’s great to see you. I’ve been meaning to call, but it’s been busy around here. How have you been?”
“Simply wonderful.” She gestured toward Belinda. “I took a peek at your appointment book. Business is taking off. You must be pleased.”
“Yes, yes, I am.” That is, happy enough while investigating four murders and dealing with Michael Taylor.
“I’m planning a dinner party for this Friday night. My divorce has come through. Roberto and I are officially coming out as a couple.” She spoke breathlessly. “We’re hoping you can come.”
While I didn’t like Roberto, I had to admit I was curious about their relationship. And I was certain he would behave with Sofia’s parents and my mother around. “Sure. What time do you want me to come over?”
“We’ll have hors d’oeuvres around seven and eat later, around eight o’clock.”
“Isn’t that kind of late?” It would be past midnight before we finished eating. Knowing our parents, they would complain of indigestion the next day and blame Sofia for their ailments.
Sofia smiled. “It’s not just about our parents.”
“Who else is coming?”
“There’ll be twenty-six of us.”
“I thought this would be a family affair.” I wasn’t in the mood for one of her grand parties overflowing with too much food and liquor. One positive emerged: I wouldn’t be subjected to Andrew’s mean drunk antics.
“Oh, Gilda, please!” Sofia hugged me. “This is my coming out party and Roberto does not do small, intimate gatherings. He likes big parties—the bigger the better.”
“It’s a good thing you like entertaining. Who else is coming?”
Sofia started counting on her fingers. “My parents, your mother, you, Carlo—”
“You’re inviting Carlo?”
“I have invited Carlo, and he has accepted.” Sofia continued, “Elsa and Martino will be there—”
My eyes popped. “You invited Andrew’s sister? I’m surprised you didn’t invite his parents.”
“I did invite them, but they couldn’t make it.” She started counting on her fingers again. “Jean and Michael Taylor—”
“I thought you didn’t care for Jean?”
“I don’t.” Sofia made a face. “But Roberto and Michael go back a long way. They were roommates at Western, and Michael was best man at Roberto’s first wedding.” Her features tightened, and I sensed that she did not enjoy spending time with the Taylors.
She continued with her list. “Claire and Paul Nardi, Susan and Mike Grant, Dina and Jamie Douglas, Ray Centis, Jenny Marie and Grace—”
“You invited all those bad boys and their wives. When was the last time you saw these people socially?”
“At Anna May’s memorial service.”
“You went to the service?”
“I have nothing to hide, and neither do you. The sooner we get back to normal the better. Anna May and I didn’t always see eye-to-eye, but I felt the need to have some kind of closure. And I bear no ill will toward Jenny Marie.” Her lips curved into a smile. “She didn’t say too much at the funeral home, but when I ran into her at the mall she couldn’t stop talking about your condo. I gather that Grace took notes.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if Grace incorporates some of your ideas into one of her future designs.” My voice softened as I thought of Grace.
“I’m flattered by Grace’s interest, and I’d love to chat with her about interior design, but I doubt we’ll have much time to do that on Friday night.”
I did a quick mental count. “That’s seventeen. Who are the other nine?”
“Maria, Rosa and some of my neighbors are coming as well. I don’t think you know these people, but they like a good time, and they’ll liven up the place. And one couple has a visiting nephew from Australia, about Grace’s age.”
Planning a dinner party for twenty-six would overwhelm me. At this stage of my life, I would hire a caterer or go to a nearby restaurant. But Sofia would be energized by the whole affair.
Sofia winked. “Don’t worry. I won’t ask you to bring anything. I’ve got it all under control.”
“I have no doubt it will be a success.” I paused. “How was the service?”
“Hardly anyone was there. Father Cleary refused to speak on Anna May’s behalf so Henry Keenan took his place and talked about Anna May’s early years. You would think she had died at age twenty. Later, I saw him deep in conversation with Carlo.”
“Wonder what that was all about?”
“Both men had grim expressions on their faces.”
“Interesting. Anything else happen?”
Sofia frowned. “I hope you’re not poking around on your own.”
“No, I haven’t the time.”
“Good! It’s time we all put this unpleasantness behind us. It’s over.”
“Not really. There’s a murderer out there who had some hand in killing four women. What’s to stop this person from striking again?”
“It’s been over two weeks, and no one else has died.” Sofia used her
discussion-ending voice, the one she had perfected with the CWL members.
“Let’s hope it stays that way.” I decided to change the subject. No point alerting her suspicions. “I guess you must have been impressed by the bad boys.”
Sofia frowned. “Those men are so tame and domesticated. Their wives seem to have all of them on a tight leash.”
“I can’t imagine that.”
“It seemed all of them were trying to placate their wives in some way. Is it possible they all had major arguments before arriving?”
I started to explain and then thought better of it. Jenny Marie did not want the details of Anna May’s unsavory past out there. If Sofia hadn’t heard about the men’s involvement with Anna May, I had no intention of enlightening her. “Well, you never know about middle-aged men.” I glanced critically at Sofia’s face. “Still going to Curves?”
“Roberto and I are sharing his personal trainer. Adrian comes every morning and we work out for ninety minutes.”
“You must be up at the crack of dawn.”
“Five o’clock.” Sofia grimaced. “Roberto gets up at that hour every day, even on the weekends.”
“Oh, Sofia, how can you stand that?”
“I must say I do get more done each day.”
While burning the candle at both ends and getting less than six hours of sleep each night. What some women will do to maintain a relationship!
Sofia had already shifted gears and changed the topic. She described her new black, cocktail dress at length and then asked me pointedly, “What are you planning to wear? I’m tired of seeing you in black pant suits.”
“Worked well for Hillary Clinton.”
She rolled her eyes. “Everyone is dressing up, so I thought I would give you the heads up on that. Why don’t you wear that red cocktail dress you picked up in Hawaii? I’m willing to bet you’ve never worn it.”
“I haven’t had the occasion, and I find it a bit showy.”
“Wear it with a pair of strappy stilettos.” Sofia winked at me. “There will be a couple of eligible men there, so you never know.”
“Two single men? I know Carlo is one of them.”
“And Ray Centis, Anna May’s ex.”
I groaned. “You expect me to put the moves on Ray Centis?”
“Give the man a chance. Who knows, you might even make a certain detective jealous.”
“I don’t think I can expect much from that quarter. He hasn’t called or spoken to me since that Sunday.”
“That will change on Friday, trust me.” Sofia glanced at her watch. “I promised Roberto I would meet him for lunch at his mother’s.”
“You are making progress.”
“His mother entertains all his friends.” I could sense her weariness and frustration. “He crashes there between his relationships and marriages. She keeps the upstairs apartment free for him.”
I couldn’t believe a man pushing sixty still lived with Mama. She probably waited on him hand and foot. I shook my head. “Are you sure that’s what you want?”
“As I said before, he’s Mr. Right Now. Que sera, sera. I won’t be too bent out of shape if and when he moves on.”
Or was she planning to move on? I had always thought of Sofia as a one-man woman, Andrew’s woman, but she had already broken out of that mold. “It sounds like you already have a Plan B in place.”
“Why do you think I am inviting Ray Centis on Friday?”
“And here I thought you were serious about him connecting with me. I’m curious. What’s Ray up to these days?”
“After he divorced Anna May, he got into plumbing and opened up his own business. He had a few long-term relationships, but he never married again.”
“Anna May must have done quite the number on him.”
“She didn’t have time to do too much damage. They were married for less than a year. Remember that disaster of a marriage.” She gasped. “I’m sorry, Gilda. I forgot about your—”
“My disaster.” I finished the sentence for her. Since the conversation with my mother, I found myself reacting less and less to that one-year wrinkle. “I wonder what happened with Anna May and Ray.”
“The scuttlebutt was that Anna May was an insufferable bitch and impossible to live with. She mysteriously disappeared for a year afterward.”
“Where did she go?”
“Probably spent time with Melly Grace or some other unfortunate relative.” Sofia smiled triumphantly. “And she’s permanently out of our hair now.”
“Out of everyone’s hair. I can’t say I liked her, but I never wished this kind of death on her.”
“She brought in on herself,” Sofia said. “No one will ever know what happened, but I don’t think she will be missed by anyone. Jenny Marie’s looking a lot happier, and I think she’s lost a bit of weight.”
“I’m glad to hear Jenny Marie is doing well. Let’s hope that we can all have some peace and tranquility in our lives.”
Sofia barely heard me as she waved goodbye and ran out to her car.
Chapter 25
Friday, November 11, 2011
Three uneventful days followed. No more encounters with Michael or telephone calls from Jim. I decided not to call Carlo. While I trusted Jim’s judgment when it came to criminal behaviour, he might have overreacted to Michael. Jim wouldn’t be too thrilled with any older man who put the moves on his daughter.
I found myself looking forward to Friday evening’s dinner party and hoped to touch base with Grace afterward. I wondered how much progress she had made with Anna May’s diary.
I left work early on Friday and took extra care with my appearance. I put on the red lace dress and was pleased with the final effect. It felt looser than before. I must have lost five or six pounds since the spring. I drove over to Sofia’s and arrived to find most of the guests already there.
A challenging mix of guests, but Sofia pulled it off. She had attended to every detail, and the final result was a spectacular one. She had accommodated all the guests at two dinner tables in the large eat-in kitchen and adjoining dining room and two card tables in the family room. She produced dish after dish of delicious food. Although, she could cook almost anything, Sofia had stuck to Italian basics and pleased everyone. There had been much behind-the-scenes preparation, and I am certain our mothers had helped, but it was Sofia’s master plan.
A well-sated and proud Roberto praised the gnocchi, the osso buco, and the tiramisu. Sofia received appreciative glances from all the men at the table, and the ladies nodded in approval. I caught a few wary glances and raised eyebrows among the wives of the bad boys. I had to stop thinking about them like that. Sofia and Jenny Marie were right. These men had matured, and their childish pranks needed to be both forgiven and forgotten. I was favorably impressed by many of them, especially Ray Centis. He was a good listener and offered me sound advice about growing my business.
Carlo nodded politely in my direction but steered clear of any prolonged conversation. He spent most of the evening talking with Uncle Paolo and the other men, with the exception of Roberto. It was almost impossible to have a conversation with Sofia or Roberto. They moved about as a unit, and Roberto would often touch her hair or squeeze her arm.
Grace surprised me the most. She did spend most of dinner talking with Scott, the Australian nephew, but afterward she weaved in and out of all the groups. I recognized and appreciated a master networker in action. I thought of all the books and articles I had read on the topic. I had even conducted several of those workshops. And here was a young woman, not yet thirty, who could give me lessons in that department.
I found myself on the periphery of the room and stood alone contentedly watching everyone else in action.
“Mingle!” Sofia said. “You can’t just stand around and not talk to anyone.”
“Not that you’ve noticed, but I have mingled. You’ve been busy with Roberto.”
“Is it that obvious?”
“The two of you are attached at
the hip. I don’t think he will stray too far from you.”
Her face brightened. “You think there is hope for us as a couple?”
“Yes, I honestly do.” I waved my hand up and down. “After all, you’re the complete package: the best of mama’s cooking, a great social hostess, and beautiful to boot.” Sofia’s black cocktail dress fit snugly over her toned and slender body, and her eyes shone with excitement. The old Sofia had returned. All those years she had been married to Andrew, she had been on guard and with good reason. Andrew was a critical, demanding husband, and his obnoxious behavior was exacerbated by his excessive drinking.
“Thank you, Gilda. That’s one of the nicest compliments you have ever paid me.”
“You look so relaxed. Like a large burden has been lifted from your shoulders and your life.”
“Andrew is out of my life forever.” Sofia flashed a radiant smile, one I couldn’t recall ever seeing before.
“I had my doubts about Roberto, but he is behaving very well this evening.”
“He likes to party, but he knows his limits. He doesn’t get drunk, and he has never, ever criticized me in any way.” Sofia was about to add something and then changed her mind.
“But—”
“What do you mean?” Sofia gave me her full attention.
“There is a but. I feel one coming.”
She narrowed her eyes in doubt. “He has started to talk about one of the women he is representing.”
“Maybe he’s just sharing with you.”
“That’s what I thought at first. But this lady is different. She is younger than his usual clientele, blonde and beautiful.”
“So that explains the lighter hair.”
“I had to go back again to get the color right.” Sofia laughed as she touched her hair.
“I didn’t care for it the other day, but it looks great now.” I added, “You shouldn’t worry so much. After all, you have a Plan B, and I am certain that Ray would be more than interested.”
“If I didn’t know you any better, Gilda Greco, I would say you were interested in Ray yourself.” She squeezed my hand. “Or maybe you’re trying to make a certain detective jealous.”
A Season for Killing Blondes Page 17