Dirty Trouble (5 page)

In an effort to retrieve the gems that she’d stowed away - and I found – the two dummies called and threatened my mother and me. My cousins were arrested and they now reside as guests of the state prison system.

“So you think Antonio is in the mob? How did you come to that conclusion?” Aaron’s voice pulled me away from my thoughts.

My eyes narrowed a tad. I said, “It’s the trend Aunt Muffy follows. The last man she dated is now a guest of the Department of Corrections and she has moved on. Why are you so curious?”

“Like I said, I’m trying to get a picture. If I can help you out with the arraignment, then I will.”

“That’s good of you. I appreciate it.” I stood, stretched, and yawned. Full of food and beer, exhaustion set in. I wandered toward the door and turned to thank Aaron.

Before I could utter a sound, he asked, “What was the incident in front of the barbershop about today?”

“Um, n-nothing,” I stammered in surprise. “A guy I know stopped to say hello.”

“Are you sure that’s all it was?”

“Why so inquisitive? What’s going on?” I returned to the counter and waited.

“Really, there’s nothing to it. Like I said, I want to get a picture of the family and Mafalda’s relationship with Antonio. The thing in front of the barbershop was only a question. I have another one for you, too. Where’s your car?”

“How did you find out about the barbershop thing?”

“I’d just pulled into the driveway when I saw you. Your body language piqued my curiosity. When the trooper stepped into the scene, I knew you’d be fine. That’s all.”

“Oh, well, it was nothing. But thanks for asking.” I explained the accident. His face registered a look of concern while I wondered if he already knew the answer to the question about my car, before he asked it.

“I’m glad you’re all right. If you need me, just give a yell.” He hesitated as though he there was something else on his mind.

“What else?” I asked.

“My boss has notified me of a training course in Washington, DC. The course is a few weeks long, so I’ll be away for a while.” He tossed the sandwich wrappers in the trash.

This was interesting. What kind of training?
Would he eventually leave me tenantless?
Well, shit.
This news capped off a real crummy day.

“When do you leave? And what kind of training is it?” I asked on a sigh.

“After I wrap up the ongoing investigation, I’ll be leaving town. I can’t talk about the program, sorry.” He stared at me. “You won’t evict me, will you?”

Wide eyed, I stared back.

“Not a chance, Aaron. You’re a great friend, and I care about you a lot. You won’t have to move to Washington, will you?”

“Not that I know of. I’m pretty well entrenched in Rhode Island. As long as I don’t piss anybody off, the likelihood of my staying here is good,” he said in soft voice.

Rounding the counter he stepped close to me and laid a hand on my arm.

“Besides, I wouldn’t want to leave you here.”

“Oh.” I said for lack of any other response. I figured he realized where my heart truly lay, but he was obviously hoping that he could win me over somehow.

He cleared his throat and said, “I value your friendship, Vinnie.”

I nodded and turned toward the door to scramble down the stairs before things became complicated, family wise, mob wise, and otherwise. Aaron’s career was headed in another direction, but thank God he didn’t plan to move away. I was fond of him and enjoyed his presence in the house.

I considered his inquisitiveness. It was a sure bet that his investigation included Muffy’s boyfriend. Jeez. As long as it wouldn’t dredge up old crap like Tony, I was happy.

The lock on the doorknob of my apartment clicked and I slid the bolt home. I’d taken up this habit when the apartment was ransacked over the summer. After a run-in with an intruder I became more cautious. I even took a Rape Aggression Defense class as a common-sense mode of protection.

Tossing my purse on the counter, I kicked the sneakers off my feet. In the living room, I flopped on the sofa. My head was full of questions with no answers – a situation that happened often, I might add.

The possibility of Muffy’s involvement in some illicit business would send my mother off the deep end. When that happened it wasn’t a pretty sight and meant complications in my life. Mom would insist I look into the situation unbeknownst to my father. Yikes. The only thing worse than that, would be if my twin brother, Gio, decided to move home from Nebraska. I’d taken the fall for him once too often when we were kids. He would come up with some scheme or other that I would get blamed for. As twins, we never told on one another, either.

The phone jingled a lighthearted tune. I snatched it off the hook.

“Vinnie here.”

A charming, smooth voice echoed in my ear. It brought a smile to my face and a rush of heat to other parts.

“What are you doing? Are you lounging around in the nude?” Marcus Richmond’s voice oozed across the miles.

“Why do you want to know, Trooper Richmond?”

“If I can’t be there to see it, then I need to imagine it. This detail with the gov is big time boring, and I’d like to be there with you. You’re on the sofa, aren’t you?”

“How did you know?”

“A wild guess.” He chuckled. “What have you been up to while I’m stuck here in Newport? Did you rest, like I asked?”

“Not quite.”

 With a deep breath, I launched into the PPD episode and Aunt Muffy’s arrest. Since he’d met her this past summer, he had a grip on my dilemma.

“Uh huh, does she know that Antonio was sprung from the PPD before she was?”

 “Not that I know of.  But she will. And then, if there’s a homicide concerning Antonio, it’s a safe bet she got to him before anyone else could. The man took his life in his hands when he failed to spring her at the same time as he got out.”

“So what else is new? Have you seen Romeo?”

Marcus and Aaron Grant are constants in my life. Don’t ask me why, but they are. In his attempt to tolerate the fact that Aaron is my tenant and friend, Marcus calls him Romeo. It’s the only indication that there may be a spot of jealousy that niggles at him.

With a grin, I said, “As a matter of fact, I had supper with him tonight. I think it was a working supper, though. All he did was ask questions about my family and Muffy’s connections.”

“Got to watch those FBI guys, you know. They’re sneaky.”

“Yeah, as if the state police aren’t. Who are you trying to kid?” Soft laughter accompanied the remark.

“I didn’t say we weren’t capable of clandestine activities.” He laughed. “So what else is going on?”

He asked the question a few times too many and I realized he knew about the barbershop incident too. I guessed that Jonah Franklin had been on the phone with Marcus the minute he left me on the sidewalk.

“An old acquaintance popped up today. He stopped me outside the barbershop and Jonah Franklin was there. Is that what you want to know?”

“Jonah did mention it when I called headquarters. This guy, is he a creep or what?”

“What makes you think he’s a creep?”

“Don’t be cute, Vin,” he said with a resigned tone. “I know he’s a creep and wonder why he was so quick to approach you.”

“It was a chance meeting – that’s it.”

“Uh huh, if you say so. How do you know him, anyway?”

“I met him a few years ago.”

“You don’t want to share any information with me, do you?” Marcus made a
tsk
sound. “I’ll find out for myself, then.”

“Be my guest. You know Marcus, it would be nice to have you here with me right now,” I said, in what I hoped was a sultry voice, wanting a change of subject.

“Mm, it would be nice to be there, but unfortunately, I won’t be back until late tonight sometime. I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

I agreed and disconnected the call. It would only be a matter of time before he figured out my association with Tony. With a deep sigh, I leaned back on the sofa and tuned to a murder mystery on the television.

Chapter 5

The heavy front door closed with a
thunk
, and knuckles rapped against my apartment door. Reluctantly, I slid off the sofa and realized I’d dozed off with the television on. It was morning and time to get up anyway.

Stumbling across the room, I rubbed my eyes and flipped my hair back from my face.

“Who is it?” I asked while I flexed my sore shoulder.

“Lola. Open up, Vin.”

I slid the lock back and opened the door to admit my petite, gregarious friend with the Julia Roberts’ smile. She waved a bag under my nose and scooted past me into the kitchen. It smelled delicious. Curious, I followed her into the sunlit room and started to brew coffee.

Plates from the cupboard clattered across the counter as soon as Lola opened the bag. Flaky pastries slipped onto the dishes. Lola was at it again, baking the most delectable foods imaginable – with me as her guinea pig. If I liked them, it was a safe bet they’d sell like crazy.

I poured two cups of strong brewed coffee and grinned from ear to ear. “You’re in experiment mode again, aren’t you?”

“It’s true, I made these with you in mind. I figured you’d try them out for me. How do you feel today? She gazed at my wrinkled clothes, and grinned. Her gorgeous set of pearly whites glistened in her infectious smile.

“Not too bad. My shoulder is sore and my muscles are, too. I just feel fortunate I wasn’t seriously injured. Thanks for asking.”

“Been sleeping in your clothes, huh? Marcus must be away.”

“Yeah, he went to Newport with the governor.” I munched the buttery pastry and sipped coffee. “These are wonderful. My waistline will never stay the same if you keep this up.”

“Uh huh,” she said. Then she asked, “What’s the thing with Tony DeGreico, Vin?”

“Jeez, am I the talk of the town, or what?”

“I heard that you ran into him yesterday. What was that all about?”

After I explained the chance meeting, I started a second pastry. Lola eyed me, and I could see the wheels turning.

“I thought he was still in the looney bin. When did he get out?” she asked, studiously twiddling the spoon in her cup.

“He didn’t say when he got out, but he said he couldn’t thank me enough for screwing up his life.”

“Do you feel threatened by him?”

“No, and don’t let your imagination run wild either.”

“He could have hurt you badly two years ago, you know that. His actions were those of a deranged person.”

“Yes, but his act in court was that of an Oscar nominee. Tony pled insanity because he hoped he’d get a lighter sentence. He just didn’t realize what the looney bin would be like, is all.” Anger simmered just beneath the surface, and I struggled to control it. I believed that part of the nightmare was over with, but I was mistaken.

“He had a wonderful future with Maria until he blew it with his drug dealing. Then he blamed you for their break up. The worst of it was that nobody could get through to him. Stalking you and setting fire to your apartment was way past any sane limits, Vin. There was a time when I’d have found it hard to believe he’d hurt you.” Lola shook her head. “He proved that he was a loser when he refused to stand up and take the punishment like a man. Instead, he claimed he’d been under duress which caused him to act irrationally.” Lola watched my reaction.

“What makes you bring this up now?” I asked.

Elbows resting on the counter, she gazed out the window for a moment. Then Lola turned that dark, liquid gaze toward me, and said, “He’s back in the real world again, and I’m not sure you’re as safe as you think. Besides, his drug supplier was never found, you know.”

“Did your brother tell you that?” I asked.

Lola’s brother is a cop, and a good one at that. She often got the inside scoop on stuff that nobody was supposed to know.

She shrugged a shoulder, saying nothing.

“Well, Tony now shovels manure on a horse farm in Foster, and that’s where he’ll probably stay. You know, with the animals.”

My appetite fled. I leaned back from the counter and sipped the coffee. The silence in the apartment lengthened. I noticed Lola’s eyes held concern for me. It wasn’t necessary but it was nice to know she cared.

“Please don’t worry about me. I’m certain that Tony won’t bother me. After all, I wasn’t the rat who gave him up to the cops, even though he thinks so.” I toyed with the crumbs on my plate, pushing them around with my fingertip. “I was nervous when he stalked me because the cops were crawling up his butt with a microscope. Where he got the idea that I was behind his arrest, still hasn’t surfaced.”

“It was a nightmare for you, and it won’t hurt to be aware of any unusual occurrences. That’s all I’m saying.” A worried frown wrinkled Lola’s freckled face, a face that was surrounded by a huge halo of deep auburn hair. Italian by birth, an Irishman had gotten into the mix somehow.

“I know. Thanks for caring.”

As Lola slid off the chair and away from the counter, she pushed the plate toward me with a smile.

“Maybe you should share these with the hunk upstairs.”

“Why don’t you run up there with them and see what response you get?” I chuckled, knowing she had a serious crush on Aaron.

“Good idea.” She grabbed the plate and dashed out the door.

High-heeled shoes clattered up the rear staircase and I heard her rap on Aaron’s door. Muffled words were exchanged as Aaron greeted her, and the upstairs door closed. With a grin, I headed toward the shower.

After I cleaned up and smelled human once again, I dressed and headed into my office. An enclosed central staircase that led to the upstairs apartment separated the two front rooms in the house. One of the two rooms was my living room. The other, I used as an office where I planned programs for my Criminal Justice classes.

Teaching was a real kick. The cops who lined up to take my classes were some of the smartest streetwise people I’d ever seen.

The fare I offered included fingerprinting, crime scene investigation, and the psychology of crime. I enjoy my job and the stories shared by the students. Some tales they share seem too surreal to be true, though I know they are. We often had some laughs, and occasionally I had the opportunity to ride along with a few of the cops. They’re funny and willing to talk until the shit hits the ground, then everything’s strictly business.