He nodded. “Exactly. Somewhere nobody’s ever heard of the O’Sheas or Albertinis.” He tucked his papers into his briefcase, gave us both a polite smile, and walked out like he’d just won a prize.
Nana exhaled hard. “Is there a chance he’ll get this?”
“Probably,” I muttered.
Nana hooked her arm through mine as we walked outside and down the sidewalk to the sheriff’s office with Franco and McCracken following behind. “That man needs help, but all right, sweetie, let’s go home.” Her mood hadn’t dimmed one bit, and I didn’t have the heart to ruin it. But this was bad.
I opened the car door for her, the metal warm under my hand. As an attorney, I technically had to follow my client’s instructions, but I was definitely meeting with Zippy O’Bellini that afternoon.
One way or another, I was getting her out of at least one of these cases.
Chapter 19
After hanging out at Nana’s for a while, I drove back into town, parking at the curb in front of Silver Sadie’s. The rain had started falling again, steady, cold, and loud enough to ping against the hood of my Fiat.
The entire street glowed under green and gold decorations strung between lampposts, the windows full of clovers, shamrocks, and badly drawn leprechauns.
I stepped out of the car and the rain hit like a thousand tiny needles. My heels clicked on the slick sidewalk as I pushed open the door to the diner, and the familiar warmth and smell of butter, coffee, and grilled onions wrapped around me.
Inside, the place was calm, that slow lull between the lunch and dinner rushes. The hum of a ceiling fan blended with soft Irish music from the jukebox. Only a few tables were occupied by locals lingering over late sandwiches.
I stopped short when I spotted Tessa behind the bar, wiping down the counter. “Hey, I didn’t know you were here today.”
She looked up and smiled, her eyes a light emerald today. “Yeah, I came over to help. We’ve been slammed all week with the St. Patrick’s stuff. Mert’s got Smiley’s Diner covered.”
“You’re working too hard.” I shrugged off my coat and hung it over a stool. “You look like you could use a nap.”
“Don’t remind me.” Tessa poured herself a soda and took a sip.
A familiar voice came from behind me. “Hey, Anna. How’s it going?”
I turned as Violet Albertini bounded up, all bright energy and dark hair curling at her shoulders. She threw her arms around me in a quick hug that smelled faintly of vanilla lotion.
“Hi, Violet,” I said, hugging her back.
Violet had been recently adopted by my Aunt Yara and Uncle Buddy, and she worked for Tessa at the diner after school. She was pretty with dark hair, pink lips, and blue eyes so deep they appeared violet. Her name truly fit her.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
She sighed. “Way too much.”
My eyebrows rose. “What’s wrong?” I guided her toward a corner table. The chair squeaked as I sat, and she dropped into the one across from me, wringing her hands. “There’s a St. Patrick’s Day dance Saturday night.”
“Oh no,” I said. “Did you not get a date?”
Her cheeks flushed. “Oh, I have a date. It’s Hunter McWilloughby.”
I blinked. “McWilloughby? I’m trying to remember. There are a lot of McWilloughby kids.”
“He’s the pitcher on the baseball team,” she said quickly. “He’s smart, too.”
“Cool,” I said slowly. “So, what’s the problem?”
Her eyes widened dramatically. “The problem is that Buddy wants to meet him, which is tough enough. But last I heard, Bosco, Knox, and Vince are all coming over for dinner when Hunter picks me up.”
I winced. “Oof.”
Violet looked horrified. “Oof? That’s all you’ve got?”
