The Lagotti Family Series
Page 91
Alice remained too consumed with the pain of her loss and the reality of seeing her Mama‘s coffin in front of her. Within that wooden box and its oak veneer was the body of her mother. Mama‘s corpse was almost within her grasp, but to acknowledge that meant Alice had to tell herself her mom was dead - and mean it - and that was too much for her to bear. So Alice cried again and waited for the juddering silent ache inside to subside enough to breathe again. And still the priest droned on while Alice curled up in her own thoughts.
AT THE GRAVESIDE, Carmoody issued a series of prayers and the coffin was lowered into the gaping hole awaiting it. Then the men used two shovels to heap the soil on top of the box. Bobby had the honors of throwing the first earth onto the wooden box. The echoing thud as the clay slammed on the veneer sent a shiver down Bobby‘s spine. He focussed on the physical act of pushing the shovel into the mound of clay and dropping the contents into the abyss. He knew if he allowed himself half a second‘s thought about Mary Lou‘s corpse down in that pit then he would break down completely.
When the coffin was no longer visible under the clay soil, Bobby, Alice and Frank walked away and back towards the church. Alice looked round for one last chance of seeing her mother and that was her undoing. The sensation of losing her Mama hit her knees and she collapsed to the ground. The Lagotti men grabbed an arm each and hauled her to her feet, half dragging her through the cemetery.
The wake took place at the house which gave those who couldn‘t make the funeral a chance to show their faces and show their respect. Irma had asked permission to get three waitresses in to help her serve canapes and drinks. An hour in and the food was eaten although there was still enough hard liquor to last four more hours.
BY THE TIME the final guests departed, Bobby was left slumped in the living room with a tumbler of Scotch in his hand. Frank and Alice were seated on sun loungers.
“We‘re orphans, Frank.”
“Because both our parents are dead?”
“Yep.”
Alice knocked back the remains of her whiskey and soda.
“Let‘s sneak into the summerhouse like when we were kids.”
Frank followed Alice inside as she switched on the lights.
“Give me a hug. We‘re all alone, kid.”
Frank stepped toward her and Alice opened her arms and engulfed him in a sisterly embrace. She squeezed that huge torso and leaned her chin on one shoulder. Despite the momentary comfort of her brother’s biceps, Alice snapped awake to remember why her Mama was dead and who was the cause.
“I know what you did, Frank.”
“Huh?”
“At the peace conference. No idea why but you killed my Mama.”
“What‘re you...”
Alice pulled out a knife from her pants pocket and slammed it into Frank‘s stomach, twisting the blade as she plugged him. He gurgled, clutched his belly with one hand and swiped at his twin with the other. His palm caught the side of Alice‘s head and she almost lost her balance, but then she removed the metal and stuck it in his chest...
The sound of glass breaking and the memory of her Mama‘s blood splashing onto her cheek...
Frank fell to his knees, grabbing Alice‘s arms, torso, anything to stop himself hitting the ground. She reached out and scrunched his hair with a hand, yanking back his head. Then she took the blade and pressed its serrated edge over his throat to cut him open from one ear to the other.
Alice slumped on the floor, bouncing off Frank‘s body as she collapsed and sat in the pool of his blood until the red liquid seeped into her undies and felt sticky and uncomfortable. She rolled onto her side, huddled into the smallest ball of humanity she could make and she cried.
Alice sobbed and sobbed until she could cry no more - for her Mama, for Frank and for herself. She picked up the knife and wiped it clean on Frank‘s jacket. Then she stood up, one foot either side of his corpse, just as Bobby entered the room in search of the children. He looked down at Frank then sighed. Alice Lagotti, head of the family, stepped away from her brother‘s body and held out a hand.
Bobby went towards her, bowed and kissed her cygnet ring. The stench of Frank’s gizzards heavy in the air.
“Get this mess tidied up: we‘ve got territory in San Francisco to reclaim and a deal to close with New York.”
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OTHER BOOKS BY THE AUTHOR
The Lagotti Family Series
The Stickup (Free Prequel Novella)
The Heist (Book 1)
The Getaway (Book 2)
Powder (Book 3)
Mama's Gone (Book 4)
The Girl in the Striped Bikini (Book 5, Short story)
The Case
Upcoming Releases
The Death and Life of Penny Pitstop (Due 2019)
Alex Cohen Series
The Bowery Slugger (Book 1 - Due 2019)
East Side Hustler (Book 2 - Due 2020)
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ABOUT LEOPOLD BORSTINSKI
Leopold Borstinski is an independent author whose past careers have included financial journalism, business management of financial software companies, consulting and product sales and marketing, as well as teaching.
There is nothing he likes better so he does as much nothing as he possibly can. He has travelled extensively in Europe and the US and has visited Asia on several occasions. Leopold holds a Philosophy degree and tries not to drop it too often.
He lives near London and is married with one wife, one child and no pets.
Find out more at LeopoldBorstinski.com.