by Peg Cochran
The whole time she was putting together the sandwiches, Lucille wondered what on earth she was going to do with the parrot. The owners weren’t never coming back. Then again, maybe Taylor had reappeared and she could hand it over to him.
Lucille finished eating, put the dishes in the dishwasher and tidied up the kitchen.
“There’s capicola in the fridge,” she yelled down the stairs to Louis and Millie. Hopefully they could handle making their own lunch, seeing as how it didn’t involve turning on the stove.
Lucille wrestled the birdcage into the Olds and got in. She popped in her tape of “Lucille,” turned up the volume, and shot down the driveway.
“Yeah, baby. Yeah, baby,” the parrot continued to chant from the backseat.
Lucille gritted her teeth and drove on.
She was relieved when she turned onto Pine Way. Mowers hummed up and down the block and a local landscaping company’s truck was parked down the street from the Grabowskis’.
Lucille pulled into their driveway and parked. The house looked the same as it had the day before. There was an air of emptiness about it, but Lucille went down the path to the front door anyway.
She heard the bell ringing inside the house loud and clear so there wasn’t nothing wrong with it. If anyone was home, they couldn’t miss it.
She waited a couple of minutes, running a hand across the back of her neck. Sheesh, it was hot standing there.
Finally, it was obvious. No one was home. Now Lucille began to sweat in earnest. What was she going to tell Frankie, and what on earth was she going to do with the parrot?
Lucille was heading back to her car when a sign on the neighbor’s lawn caught her eye. It was a large For Sale sign. She was pretty sure it hadn’t been there yesterday.
“They’re selling,” a voice said behind her.
Lucille turned around. A woman with bleached blonde hair and a dark tan was standing there. She was wearing those skintight capris people wore to work out in. Lucille didn’t even want to think about how she would look in those.
“They’re selling,” she said again, pointing toward the Bianchis’ house. “It’s a shame.”
“They’re moving?”
The woman shook her head. “Downsizing,” she said with a look that clearly said she would have none of that herself. “Had to. Lost almost all their money.”
“What happened?”
The woman tilted her head toward the Grabowskis’ house. “They put all their money in Alex Grabowski’s hands. He promised them millions.” She snorted. “He promised everyone that. He tried to get everyone to use his company. My husband and I”—she sniffed contemptuously —“turned down his offer to look after our investments. And thank goodness. It was all some sort of Ponzi scheme.”
Lucille didn’t know who this guy Ponzi was, but that wasn’t the first time she’d heard his name. He sure had a lot to answer for.
Lucille had begun to suspect that Alex Grabowski was up to something, and now she knew for sure. She was glad she and Frankie kept their money at the credit union. Not that there was much of anything to invest. Most of the time they lived paycheck to paycheck, and no matter how hard Lucille tried to economize at the grocery store, it didn’t do much good.
“What a shame,” Lucille said.
The woman was doing some weird kind of stretch. “I’ve got to go. Trying to get a run in before my manicure.”
“Sure, sure. Nice meeting you.” Lucille watched as the woman took off at a slow trot.
Maybe she ought to take up running? It might make this diet thing go faster. Meanwhile, she had to figure out what to do with the parrot. It was calling to her from the backseat.
As Lucille was backing down the driveway, she had a thought. Maybe she could take the parrot to the vet’s office? She had a neighbor once who came home with a new kitten. Said she’d gotten it at the vets. And if the vet took in kittens, why not parrots?
The only vet Lucille knew was on Springfield Avenue in Berkley Heights. She headed in that direction, fingers crossed that this was going to work out. She nearly went through the red light at the corner of Springfield Avenue and South Street and had to slam on the brakes.
“Be careful. Be careful,” the parrot admonished from the backseat.
Lucille wished she’d thought to put the cover over the cage. That would shut him up.
The vet’s parking lot was full when Lucille arrived. She carried the birdcage into the waiting room, hoping the bird wasn’t going to say nothing bad. There was a sign on the reception counter offering kittens up for adoption. Lucille could see them in their crates behind the desk. So this vet took in kittens at least.
Most people were holding cats or dogs, but one couple had something in a box. Was it already dead? Lucille wondered.
She sat down next to them and put the birdcage on the floor. The receptionist was busy so Lucille figured she’d wait until she was finished.
“Looks like you got a box there,” she said to the couple next to her. “What’s in there?” she asked, hoping it wasn’t a snake. She didn’t like snakes.
“It’s our bird,” the woman replied. “It’s come in to have its nails and beak trimmed.”
“That’s great,” Lucille said. “Great.” Looks like the vet did take care of birds. She’d come to the right place. She just needed a chance to talk to the receptionist.
Lucille picked up a magazine from the end table and flipped through the pages, glancing frequently in the direction of the reception area. Finally the receptionist had dealt with everyone waiting. Lucille threw down her magazine, picked up the parrot cage and bolted toward the desk.
The receptionist was a middle-aged woman with mousy brown hair and a kindly face. Lucille hoped that was a good omen.
“I’ve got this here parrot,” Lucille said, holding up the cage so the woman could see it.
“Do you have an appointment? Has your parrot been here before?” Her hands hovered over the keys of her computer.
“Not exactly.”
The woman looked up with a smile on her face. “Do you want to make an appointment then? The doctor is quite busy today, but . . .” She checked the computer screen. “I could fit you in next Tuesday. Would you prefer morning or afternoon?”
“I don’t exactly want an appointment.”
The woman looked puzzled. “What exactly do you want then?”
“It’s like this.” Lucille leaned on the counter and got comfortable. She had the feeling this was going to take some explaining. “The parrot’s owners are dead.”
“I’m very sorry to hear that, but I don’t see how we can—”
“I was kind of watching the bird for them while they were away, but they never came back.” Lucille crossed her fingers behind her back.
“Oh, my, was it an accident?”
“Not exactly. They was both murdered.”
The woman gasped and put a hand to her chest. “No!”
Lucille nodded. “Yes, very unfortunate. Maybe you read about it in the papers? The Grabowskis? Donna and Alex Grabowski? She used to be Donna DeLucca but then she got married and changed her name.”
“No!” the woman said again. “Not Donna DeLucca? Her sister was in my class in high school. I haven’t seen her in a while. As a matter of fact, I’ve been meaning to call her.” She shook her head. “I just can’t believe it. Maria must be devastated. Not that they were all that close. Especially not after what happened.”
Lucille’s ears perked up. She put down the birdcage and leaned further over the counter. “What happened?”
“It happened a long time ago, but I think it still bothered Maria. She was working in this Grabowski’s office, and they were sort of dating. Nothing serious—the occasional drink after work—but Maria was convinced that it was going to go somewhere. Not that the guy gave her much encouragement, mind you.”
She sounded as delusional as Flo, Lucille thought.
“Then Donna graduated secretarial school and was loo
king for a job. There was an opening where Maria was working, and she told her sister about it. It would give her some experience, Maria thought. Donna got the job.”
The phone rang, and the woman put up a hand, telling Lucille to wait.
This was getting interesting, Lucille thought. She hoped the lady wasn’t going to take too long on the phone.
Finally she hung up and turned her attention back to Lucille.
“Where was I?”
“Donna got the job at Alex’s company.”
“That’s right. Donna got the job, but she also got Alex. He dropped Maria like a hot potato and started asking Donna out. Next thing you know they’re engaged, and she has this giant diamond on her finger.”
“And Maria never married?”
“No. I think she still carried a torch for Alex, if you know what I mean.”
“Sure, sure. I don’t know why women do that.”
“Neither do I. If it’s time to move on, then move on.”
“Did Maria blame Donna?”
“No. I think she just accepted the fact that things didn’t turn out the way she’d hoped. Besides, she was the maid of honor in Donna’s wedding. She even threw her this big shower at the Murray Hill Inn.”
“Blood is thicker than water,” Lucille said, although she’d never been exactly sure what that meant.
“I know. Your sister is your sister, right?” The woman looked over her shoulder, where the door had opened to one of the examination rooms, and a white-coated man was standing there holding a clipboard.
“Now, what can I help you with?” the woman said quickly.
“See, I’ve got this here parrot. I was watching it for the Grabowskis. But, as I said, they’re both dead. I can’t take care of it on account of my husband doesn’t like it, so I was wondering if you could put it up for adoption like. Same as those kittens.” Lucille pointed to the crate where the kittens were sleeping in a pile.
“I don’t know. We’ve never had a bird before. Let me ask the doctor.”
“Sure, sure. I’ll just go sit down.”
Lucille picked up the magazine, but the receptionist came back almost immediately. She was shaking her head.
“I’m sorry, but we just can’t handle a bird. The kittens are one thing—they’ll be gone in less than a week—but not as many people are interested in birds. I’m really sorry. I hope you understand.”
“Sure, sure.” Lucille picked up the cage. “Thanks anyway,” she called over her shoulder as she pushed open the front door.
Well, looked like she and Frankie had a parrot now. He would have to get used to it. She thought about what the receptionist had told her about Donna and Maria. That wasn’t very nice of Donna to steal her sister’s beau, but then the way the woman told it, Maria wasn’t exactly Alex’s girlfriend. Just someone he took out from time to time. Maria couldn’t have possibly held a grudge this long.
Chapter 18
Sheesh, she was tired, Lucille thought when she got home. She unloaded the parrot from the backseat and took it into the house. She’d put the cover over it and the bird was blessedly quiet.
Bernadette was sitting at the kitchen table eating a hard-boiled egg topped with mustard and sliced green olives.
“You still getting those cravings?” Lucille asked when she saw her.
“Yes,” Bernadette mumbled around a bite of egg.
“Where’s your father?”
Bernadette pointed to the ceiling. She swallowed. “Taking a nap.”
Lucille opened the refrigerator and looked inside. What could she put together for dinner that didn’t involve a trip to the A&P? She had a package of chicken breasts. She could slice them real thin and make chicken francese. She had a couple of lemons in the produce drawer.
She was closing the door when Bernadette made a funny noise. Lucille looked over and Bernadette was still, one hand on her belly, her eyes shut tight.
“What’s the matter? You getting one of them cramps again?”
Bernadette didn’t say anything—just nodded.
Lucille held her breath until Bernadette looked up.
“Better now?”
“Yes.”
“You been getting those regularly?”
“No. Just the one. I don’t think it’s anything.” Bernadette went back to eating her egg.
Nothing, Lucille thought. Next thing they knew Bernadette’s water would be breaking and they’d be rushing to the hospital. No point in even thinking about Taylor anymore. She was pining all her hopes on Tony. If only he would get home soon.
Lucille was getting the chicken out of the refrigerator when the bell rang. She wiped her hands on her apron. Now who could that be?
Frankie was coming down the stairs as Lucille pulled open the front door.
“Flo!”
“I hope you haven’t eaten,” Flo said, brandishing two pizza boxes. “I stopped by Sal’s to say hello to my cousin Joey, and he gave me a couple of pies.”
“That’s great,” Lucille said, relieved that she didn’t have to make no dinner. “Come on in.” She pointed toward the dining room. “Millie, Louis,” she called down the stairs. “Dinner.”
Lucille set out place mats and plates while Flo put the pizza boxes in the middle of the table. She followed Lucille out to the kitchen.
“I ran into Richie, by the way. He was picking up a pizza.”
“Oh.” Lucille tried not to act too interested.
“Yeah. We got to talking and next thing I knew I was agreeing to go out to dinner with him tomorrow night.”
“That’s great, Flo. I don’t think you’ll regret it.”
“We’ll see. It’s just that Dr. Hacker is kind of . . . dull.”
“Yeah, Richie’s got a lot more zip to him than that guy.”
Lucille grabbed a pile of napkins, and she and Flo went back out to the dining room.
“Sit,” she encouraged Millie and Louis, who had come up from downstairs. They reminded Lucille of a couple of moles emerging from a hole in the ground.
Flo helped herself to a slice. “You must be almost as excited as I am,” she said to Bernadette. “Tony’s coming home soon.”
Bernadette shrugged.
“I take it you guys are getting back together. Least that’s what it sounded like in his last email.”
Another shrug from Bernadette.
“Don’t you think the two of them should get married?” Lucille bit the end off her piece of pizza.
“I don’t know what the big deal about getting married is. Lots of people have a family, and none of them’s got a ring on their finger.”
“Yeah, Flo, I know that. But this here’s different. We’re not in Hollywood, you know. People will talk.”
“You have to ignore them, Lucille.” She shuddered. “There was plenty of talk when I came back to Jersey with Tony Jr. and no husband.”
“But that was different. You told everyone you was a widow. Everyone felt sorry for you.”
Frankie munched on his pizza, his head going back and forth between Lucille and Flo like he was at a tennis match. Millie and Louis were silent. Millie picked at her pizza like a bird while Louis was helping himself to a third slice.
“Why don’t you let Tony and I decide what we’re going to do, okay?” Bernadette shoved her chair back and stalked away from the table.
“Well, I’m sorry, I’m sure,” Flo said.
“Don’t pay no attention to her. It’s them hormones. They’re driving her crazy. They’re driving all of us crazy.”
Flo looked slightly mollified.
They were silent when Yeah, baby came from the living room.
“What the hell was that?” Flo spun around.
“I thought you were taking that bird back, Lucille.” Frankie flung down his napkin.
“Yeah, baby,” the parrot said again.
“I tried. But the owners, they’re not back yet.”
“I want that thing gone, Lucille. Gone.” Frankie picked up his pla
te and walked out to the kitchen.
“He’s awfully touchy,” Flo said.
Lucille shrugged. “Yeah. I think we’re all a bit jumpy on account of waiting for the baby.”
“Tomorrow is the funeral for the Grabowskis.” Flo finished the last bite of her pizza.
“Yeah, I heard. So it’s a double funeral.”
Flo nodded. “I wonder if Ippolito’s is giving them a two-for-one?”
“I think maybe I should go,” Lucille said. “After all, we was almost family.”
“I’ll go with you.”
“Ma will probably want to go, too. At her age, she don’t get out much so even a funeral is something to look forward to. Besides, she knows old Mrs. DeLucca from church.” Lucille wiped her lips with her napkin. “This whole thing is awful strange, you know? The both of them being murdered like that. It don’t make no sense.”
“I think it was the mob,” Flo said. “Remember those guys at Bernadette’s reception? And the ones who came here looking for Alex?”
“But why kill Donna?”
“As a warning. Then when Alex didn’t pay up . . .” Flo drew a finger across her throat.
“I guess a lot of people lost money on account of him. His neighbors had to sell their house.” Lucille picked up her napkin and began to shred it. “He promised that maid, Natalie, that they were going to go away together, but then he went broke and never even gave her her back pay.”
“That would make me mad enough to kill.” Flo closed up the empty pizza boxes.
“Taylor had no real reason to kill his parents, do you think?”
Flo paused. “Nah, not unless he wanted to speed up his inheritance. Looks like there’s nothing to inherit now.”
“You know, I talked to this lady today, and she told me a little bit about Donna and her sister. How Donna stole Alex from Maria back when they was in their twenties. Said Maria was actually a good sport about it.”
“Not me. I would have ripped her eyes out.” Flo brushed some crumbs off the table into her hand. “But eventually you do get over stuff like that and move on.”
Lucille thought about some of the things she’d had to move past—like the fact that her best friend had run off to Florida and gotten married to a man Lucille never even met. Even after she learned the truth, it still bugged her. But now she’d put it in the past. Obviously Maria had done the same.