Page 14 of Family Ties and Alibis

“They didn’t come right out and say it, but reading between the lines, they have several persons of interest. Sal made his rounds. I’m sure he had more than his share of enemies.” Vinnie turned to leave. “By the way, little Vin has been asking for his Nonna.”

Although Carlita had spent time with her young grandson after dinner the night before, the busy-ness of unpacking and getting settled in hadn’t given her nearly enough “snuggle time.”

“I have a telehealth doctor’s appointment to see if I can swap this scooter out for a knee scooter. As soon as my appointment is over, Pete and I plan to take little Vin and Violet to the Boardwalk.”

“He’ll be ready.”

The group parted ways with Luigi claiming he had plans to hang out with some former co-workers. Vinnie went back to work while Carlita and Pete returned to their room. Showers were the first order of business. She finished with only minutes to spare before her telemedicine call began.

Easy breezy and with a thorough evaluation of Carlita’s range of motion, the doctor gave her the green light to swap out her scooter for the more compact knee scooter.

Pete sat quietly, waiting until the video conference ended. “I already reserved your replacement at the local rental center. Whenever you’re ready, we’ll Uber over and pick it up.”

“You don’t have to ask me twice.” Carlita shifted from the sofa to the scooter and grabbed her purse.

“I take it you want to go now?” Pete joshed.

“The sooner I turn this contraption in, the better.”

Because of the casino’s proximity to the rental store, the Uber driver had them idling out front within a matter of minutes. He waited at the curb for Pete and Carlita to make the exchange and then dropped the couple off in the same spot he’d picked them up.

“Do you need to stop by our room to freshen up?”

“Violet has already texted me twice, asking how much longer we’ll be. Brittney has also checked in. I say we grab the grands and hit the Boardwalk.”

They picked little Vin up first. Thankfully, Francesca was nowhere in sight, and Carlita couldn’t help but wonder how the conversation went after the woman left the dinner table.

They arrived at Tony and Shelby’s door and gave it a quick knock.

Violet must’ve been standing on the other side, because it opened seconds later. “We’ve been waiting for you, Nana.”

Shelby eased in next to her, balancing the baby on her hip. “I was going to ask how your doctor’s appointment went, but I see you have a new toy to tool around on.”

“It’s so much easier to navigate.” Carlita spun around in a wide circle. “I haven’t crashed into anyone yet.”

Violet tugged on her grandmother’s arm. “Can I try it, Nana?”

“Sure.” Using Pete as a crutch, Carlita hopped off to let her granddaughter give the scooter a test drive.

Around and around she went, zooming up and down the hall until her mother told her it was time to stop. “It’s not a toy. Nana needs this for her ankle.”

Violet reluctantly climbed off. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay, sweetheart. It is fun to drive.” Carlita eased her knee onto the padded seat. “Pete and I figured we would take the kids for a long walk to get some fresh air and check out a ride or two.”

“Can we have ice cream?”

“Of course. What’s a stroll down the Boardwalk without a stop at the ice cream shop?” Carlita hopped closer, giving Melody a smooch and a gentle hug. “Maybe next time we visit, Melody can go with us.”

The baby started to fuss.

“I’m sure she would love to. For now, it’s nap time.”

“I can push the button for the elevator.” Violet scampered off while Pete and young Vinnie kept pace with Carlita.

During the trip to the main floor, through the lobby and even out onto the sidewalk, Violet chattered, bouncing from one subject to the next. She had done her homework—or at least had some help—and knew which rides she wanted to go on.

“Can we go on the roundy ride?”