The Master Plan (2009)

by Carol Costa

  "You have to take her to Sunflower or wherever she wants to go to buy the ingredients."

  "Where is she going to cook?"

  "My kitchen now meets her high standards so we'll have dinner at my place"

  Dana breathed a sigh of relief. Having Angelina in her kitchen, passing judgment on it would be unnerving.

  "Hi, Mrs. Bruno," Dana said as she slipped into the car.

  "Oh, no," Angelina told her. "It's Angie. I told you that last time. After the wedding, then you call me mama"

  Bruno closed the door and walked around to the driver's side of the car. Through the windshield, Dana could see him smiling.

  "Okay, Angie. How was your shopping trip?"

  "I found a nice dress. I hope you like it. Bruno said it makes me look thin. That's why I bought it, but I think he was lying just to get me out of the store"

  "It was the twenty-fifth store we'd been in, Mama," Bruno said defensively.

  "Well, we'll see what Dana thinks of the dress. If she doesn't like it, you will take me back tomorrow to buy a different dress."

  "I have to work tomorrow," Bruno told her. "And Dana is taking you shopping for groceries."

  "Oh, yes, Dana," Angie said. "My son had to be bribed to take his mama shopping. All the years I had to take him shopping for clothes in the chubby departments"

  "It wasn't chubby, it was husky," Bruno protested.

  "He got the idea for the bribe from my father," Dana said.

  The three of them bantered back and forth all the way to the Ventana. No matter what Bruno said, his mother had an answer for him and Dana was enjoying it.

  "Such a beautiful place," Angie said when they pulled up in front of the hotel. "I hope my dress is suitable."

  The valet helped Dana out while Bruno got his mother out of the backseat. Then, walking between Dana and his mother, Bruno escorted them into the hotel.

  The lobby of the new hotel was all crystal and gold with a fountain in the middle of it. There was sign on a easel that directed them to the ballroom where the charity dinner was being held.

  Just outside the door of the ballroom they checked their coats. Bruno was wearing his devastating brown suit again and his mother, who was a little on the plump side, did look thinner in a two-piece silk dress. It was a lovely purple sheath with a short orchard jacket with purple piping around the collar and sleeves. Her black hair was streaked with silver and cut short in a style that was very becoming. She had used makeup to emphasize her dark eyes and bring color to her cheeks.

  "You look amazing," Dana told her as they hugged. "I love your new hairstyle."

  "I had a makeover. My daughters thought I looked dowdy so they chipped in and took me to a spa. I liked it, so now I go every month"

  Dana laughed. "That's wonderful."

  With their coats all checked, Bruno escorted them into the ballroom. Marianne and Greg were already seated at a table for six and waved them over.

  Bruno introduced his mother to Greg and Marianne. Greg stood politely until Bruno had helped his mother and Dana into their chairs.

  Marianne looked stunning in an emerald green silk pantsuit that matched her eyes. Greg was tall and broad-shouldered. He wasn't what would be called handsome, but he had a nice face and an easygoing manner. Tonight he looked very good in a black pinstriped suit with a white shirt and a black tie.

  Once everyone was seated, a waiter came around and poured champagne into their glasses.

  "I like the bubbles," Angie announced. "It's a happy drink."

  Everyone laughed and they toasted one another. For a charity event the dinner was surprisingly good. After dinner there were speakers interspersed with music from an excellent trio.

  In between that Angelina kept them all entertained with stories of her grandchildren, her work as volunteer at a shelter, and gossip from the Bingo hall.

  Toward the end of the evening, Lucille came by with her husband in tow and greeted all the people who had purchased tickets from her and thanked them for coming.

  "This is a wonderful thing you have done here tonight," Angie told Lou. "Bringing all these people together to help the children. God Bless."

  1've just been told that we have reached our goal and they'll start expanding the children's wing as soon as the ground thaws. They'll be announcing the details soon," Lou told them softly. "Act surprised."

  "Do they have many weddings in this ballroom?" Angie asked suddenly.

  "The hotel just opened a few months ago," Dana told her. "But I'm sure there will be many weddings held here, especially in the summertime when the garden is in bloom"

  Angie turned to Bruno. "Maybe you should reserve your date now."

  "For what?" he asked, feigning ignorance.

  "For your wedding, of course."

  "She hasn't said yes yet," Bruno reminded her.

  "She will. Won't you, Dana?"

  Dana felt the color rise in her cheeks. "That's a possibility," she said, then quickly picked up her champagne glass and took a long sip.

  Angie just smiled knowingly and turned her attention to Marianne and Greg. "And what about you two? I can see the promise of bambinos in those lovely green eyes. When will you marry?"

  Marianne looked at Dana for help, but Dana was studying the crystal chandelier, still sipping her champagne.

  "As soon as I'm more settled in my career," Greg answered. "I'm not in a position to support a wife as yet."

  Angie shook her head. "You young people, always want everything perfect before you marry these days. Life does not work that way. If you wait until everything is perfect, you will be so old, you will need assistance to walk down the aisle."

  "I've already got my walker reserved," Bruno said. "Come on, mama. There are some people I want you to meet."

  Bruno pulled out her chair and took her off to meet some of the city councilmen who were seated a few tables away.

  "You were right, Dana," Marianne said when they were out of earshot. "She's quite a character. Now I know who Bruno takes after."

  "She scares me," Greg said. "Maybe we'd better get engaged before she comes back"

  The next morning, Dana woke up with an idea that must have surfaced while she was sleeping. It was a sudden melding of information. A man wearing an Arizona Cardinals hat had been seen in the pool hall the night Lucas Porter died and someone with a similar hat had been seen going up to John Hunter's apartment. The bank manager that had been engaged to Sarah Turner had moved to Arizona after the trial. It was the kind of idea that would keep nagging at her all day if she didn't check into it immediately.

  Bruno had to work and she was in charge of entertaining his mother. They were having an early lunch at Rose Marie's Tea Room and then going shopping for groceries so Angie could make her famous spaghetti sauce.

  Before they parted the night before, Angie had invited Greg and Marianne to have dinner with them and since Bruno's apartment was too small to accommodate six people for dinner, they were now going to have dinner at Dana's apartment.

  Dana called the office and Marianne answered. "I've got an off-the-wall idea," she said. "Can you look on your computer and see what the requirements are to sell real estate in Arizona? I know that some states require agents to be fingerprinted and I need to know if Arizona is one of them."

  "Sure. Hold on," Marianne said.

  Within a few minutes, she came back on the line. "Arizona does require all agents to be fingerprinted before issuing licenses to them."

  "Good. Now I'll have to beg Bruno for a favor."

  "And I thought you would just enjoy your day off," Marianne said.

  "I will if I can talk Bruno into cooperating"

  Marianne laughed. "If he doesn't do it, threaten to tell his mother."

  "Good idea."

  "I'll see you for dinner tonight. Are you sure I can't bring something?"

  "Just Greg."

  "Okay."

  Dana poured herself a cup of coffee and dialed Bruno's direct number at the station
. "Homicide, Detective O'Brien"

  Dana hung up on him and dialed Bruno's cell phone. "Did you ditch my mama already?" he said when he answered.

  "We're going to lunch at eleven and then I'll take her grocery shopping. They're predicting snow for this afternoon so I want to get the running around done early. Where are you?"

  "I'm on my way to talk to Tony Hunter's ex-girlfriend. One of his golfing buddies gave me her name but she's been out of town until yesterday."

  "I need you to do me a favor," Dana said.

  "Here we go again."

  Ignoring his sarcasm, Dana continued. "Can your lab guys access any fingerprint databases in Arizona?"

  "It depends"

  "I did some checking and found out that real estate agents in Arizona have to be fingerprinted. That's the database I want the lab to run that fingerprint on the anonymous letter through"

  "Why?"

  "Just an idea I woke up with this morning. Will you ask them to do that, please?"

  "Who are you hoping it will belong to?"

  "Stuart Hollingsworth."

  "Who's he?"

  "Bruno, can you please just ask the lab to do it as soon as possible. If it turns out to be Hollingsworth, I'll give you all the information I've gathered on him."

  "Why can't you tell me now?"

  "Because I'm picking your mother up for lunch at eleven and I have to shower and get dressed."

  "It's only eight thirty."

  "Should I call Troy Kimball and ask him to get it done?"

  "I think you've communicated with Kimball quite enough, sweetheart. Louis says his case has weakened thanks to you"

  "I'm only trying to get at the truth," Dana said impatiently. "Are you going to call in a favor at the lab for me or not?"

  "I'll do it, but if your hunch is wrong, you'll have to make it up to me"

  "I will. Thanks. I've got to go. Love you," Dana said all in one breath and then clicked off the phone.

  Lunch at Rose Marie's Tea Room was lovely. Angie was full of questions about Dana's parents and seemed excited by the prospect of going to the farm to meet them.

  "I just hope the weather cooperates," Dana said. "Although if the roads get iced over, we may still be able to go down on the train. I do that sometimes."

  "Is your mother expecting us at a certain time?"

  "No. I just said I'd give her a few hours' notice. My mother always has an abundance of food in the freezer and can whip up a dinner in the blink of an eye"

  "Al said she is a very good cook. Does she make much pasta?"

  "Very seldom and it can't compare to yours. Bruno says your recipe is so secret it's locked in a vault."

  Angie laughed. "Today you will help me prepare the sauce and you will learn the secrets"

  "Really?" Dana was both surprised and flattered. "I'd love that "

  "Good. My daughters never wanted to learn and someone in the family has to know how to do it "

  Dana smiled at her. Every chance she got, Angie put in a plug for Dana and Bruno to marry. Dana was getting used to it, and had to admit the way she took their eventual union for granted was like she was giving Dana her stamp of approval as a future daughter-in-law.

  They finished lunch and Angie went to the ladies' room while Dana took care of the bill. As she collected her change, her cell phone rang.

  "Hi, sweets," Bruno said. "How was lunch?"

  "Very nice. How did your interview go?"

  "I didn't learn much. The girlfriend claims she only dated Hunter a few times and thought he was too weird and secretive, so she stopped seeing him."

  "If only Casey had done the same," Dana said.

  "I agree, but the reason I'm calling is to tell you that your hunch was right on. The fingerprint matched up with an Arizona real estate agent name Stuart G. Hollingsworth. Now who is he and which one of my cases is he involved in?"

  "He was engaged to Sarah Turner and was the assistant manager of the bank the Hunter brothers robbed. His name turned up in the trial transcripts" Angie returned to Dana's side. "Your mom and I are leaving now to do the grocery shopping. I'll tell you everything I know later, but see if you can trace this guy's whereabouts now. I think he may be important."

  Angie realized that Dana was talking to her son and wanted to say hello. She told him that she was going to teach Dana how to make her spaghetti sauce. "She will watch and write down what I do," Angie said. "The recipe is in my head" Angie said good-bye to Bruno and turned to Dana. "My son is speechless."

  Dana laughed and they hurried out the door to the car. It was starting to snow and the flakes were big and wet.

  The streets were starting to get coated with the new fallen snow, so Dana had to drive with extra caution. She decided to shop at the Sunflower Market because it was on the way to her apartment.

  The parking lot was crowded so Dana had to park down at the end in front of a vacant store. The empty store had been a pet shop that had moved to a bigger location a few months earlier. Dana had once fallen in love with a darling puppy in their window, but had decided against buying him because she wasn't home enough to take proper care of a dog.

  Since Angie was not familiar with the layout of the market and Dana usually only came in there to pick up things from the deli, their shopping took longer than expected.

  As they made their way down the aisles, they encountered the store manager. Ron Morgan remembered Dana and greeted her. She introduced him to Angie and then they continued on their way.

  "We must get fresh garlic and onions from the produce section," Angie said absently. "What about ensalada?"

  "We need that too," Dana replied.

  When they got to the produce department, Dana went to the lettuce bin to search for a firm head, leaving Angie to choose a proper onion.

  Dana turned around when she heard Angie shout. "George! I don't believe it. What are you doing here?"

  Bruno's mom had George trapped in one of her enthusiastic hugs. Dana hurried over to them.

  "I assume you two know each other?"

  "Of course. We used to live next door to each other in the old neighborhood," Angie said, letting go of George who looked very confused. "George, meet my future daughter-inlaw, Dana Sloan. Dana, this is George Hollingsworth."

  Dana was stunned, but tried to hide it. "George and I know each other, Angie. He's the most helpful person in the store"

  "George," Angie said. "I haven't seen you since your father's funeral. You were living in Arizona then"

  "That was a long time ago. I'm surprised you recognized me."

  "You look just like your father, God rest his soul. That's how I knew it was you."

  George nodded. "Right. So, how have you been?"

  "Very good. Listen, I'm cooking dinner tonight and you should come" She turned to Dana. "We can fit one more?"

  "Of course," Dana said, wondering if George was related to Stuart Hollingsworth.

  "Oh, thank you, but I can't. I have other plans."

  "Well, I'll be in town for a week. We must get together. Give me your number and I'll call you"

  "I don't have a phone, Mrs. Bruno, but you can call me here at the store. I'm sure Miss Sloan has the number."

  "Yes, I do."

  "Good. I'll call you and we'll have lunch or dinner and catch up," Angie said. "What a wonderful thing to run into you like this. Wait until I tell my son. He's a homicide detective here in Crescent Hills, you know."

  "No, I didn't know that," George replied. Although Angie didn't seem to notice, his discomfort was obvious.

  "We'd better get going, Angie," Dana said. "The snow is getting worse."

  Within a few minutes, Angie and Dana were in the checkout line. "George Hollingsworth is from Chicago?" Dana said trying to sound casual. "Do you know if he's related to a man named Stuart Hollingsworth?"

  "He is Stuart Hollingsworth, but his father was also Stuart so we always called the son by his middle name, George."

  "I see," Dana said slowly as she reme
mbered the bank manager's name in the court transcripts was Stuart G. Hollingsworth. She would have pulled out her cell phone and called Bruno immediately, but she didn't want to upset Angie by letting her know that her long-lost friend was a suspect in a homicide.

  With their groceries bagged and stacked in the grocery cart, Angie and Dana left the store. Dana pushed the cart down the sidewalk toward the far end of the parking lot where her blue Mustang was parked.

  "You'd better hold on to the cart, Angie," Dana said. "This walkway is getting slippery."

  "It is snowing harder, soon the streets may be a mess"

  "It's okay, we're heading home now to start cooking," Dana said.

  Dana had her cell phone in her hand. She was trying to decide if she should call Bruno as soon as she got into the car, or wait until she got home so she could find a way to speak to him privately about Hollingsworth.

  While he could be perfectly innocent, the fact that he had lived in the state of Arizona where the Cardinals played, had sent an anonymous letter to the paper claiming to have killed Lucas Porter, and had a motive to kill both Tony and John Hunter was too much to ignore. The man had to be picked up and questioned.

  Dana opened the trunk of her car and she and Angie started loading the groceries inside. They had the bags all stacked neatly inside when George Hollingsworth came out of the empty store and approached them.

  "Close the trunk and move away from it," he said softly. "Don't make me shoot you"

  Bruno stomped up the stairs to Dana's apartment expecting to discover the wonderful aroma of his mother's spaghetti sauce permeating the hallway. He had finished up at the station a little early and had come over to see if he could help his two favorite women with dinner.

  He rang the doorbell insistently like he always did, but the apartment was quiet and no one came to the door. He rang the bell a few more times and knocked as well, still no answer.

  Thinking maybe they were in the kitchen at the back of the apartment and couldn't hear him at the door, Bruno trudged down the stairs again.