Page 7 of Family Ties and Alibis

“She and Francesca are running behind. They should be here shortly.”

“Mercedes told me you had a problem with a customer and had to kick him out,” Luigi said.

“The guy’s been hanging around for a while now. I heard he’s making his rounds causing trouble at some of the other casinos as well, pulling the same shenanigans.”

Luigi leaned back in his chair. “Like what?”

“Trying to pass counterfeit bills, wonging, stuff like that.”

“Are you going to ban him?”

“Already done, starting today. He’s not allowed to enter Treasure Cove ever again.”

“What is wonging?” Mercedes asked.

“A person who bounces from table to table, monitoring play and counting cards,” Luigi said.

Vinnie picked up. “When they see an advantage, they’ll try to jump in. Salvatore has tried several times even though he admitted he knows it’s against casino policy.”

“Salvatore?” Luigi echoed. “We had a Salvatore causing trouble here, when Vito was still alive. What’s the guy’s last name?”

“Tomaria. Pops knew him. I vaguely remember him,” Vinnie said.

Carlita snapped her fingers. “I remember now. Your father had a distant cousin. His name was Sal Tomaria.”

“No kidding. A hundred bucks says it’s the same person. I guess Salvatore is still up to his old tricks.”

“He sounds like a bad penny who won’t go away,” Tony said.

“He’s going away for good if I have anything to say about it.” Vinnie told the others what Salvatore had said, how he threatened to burn the casino down.

“I honestly wouldn’t put it past him. He was nuttier than a fruitcake. The only thing he understands is a knuckle sandwich. I’m gonna go check something out for a minute.” Luigi excused himself, returning a short time later. “Just what I thought. It is the old Salvatore who goes by the name Sal.”

Vinnie made a choking sound. “We’re related to the clown I kicked out of here?”

“If I remember correctly, Salvatore ‘Sal’ Tomaria and Vito were tight.” Luigi twined his fingers. “Like this, back before Sal started acting like an idiot and causing trouble.”

“I guess it’s a good thing I didn’t punch the guy,” Vinnie said. “Believe me, I was tempted. Sal was getting in my face, and I had to convince him to back down. The situation was getting kinda ugly. The security guards had to step in. He finally left.”

“Why wouldn’t he tell you who he was?” Carlita asked.

“Who knows? If I had to guess, Sal is probably involved with some questionable characters, which is why you've gotta be firm, show them you mean business,” her son said.

“Or they’ll try walking all over you,” Luigi added.

“We’ve had a few ‘rough around the edges’ customers come into the pawn shop I’ve had to ban,” Tony said.

Carlita pressed her hand to her chest. “Recently?”

“It sounds worse than it is.” Tony patted her hand. “Pawnshops tend to attract a certain type of clientele.”

“He’s right, Mrs. T. You gotta be on your toes, keeping an eye out for trouble and squashing it ASAP,” Luigi chimed in. “On the flip side, I wouldn’t wanna mess with any of the Garlucci brothers.”

Vinnie pointedly changed the subject, offering suggestions on what his family could do for entertainment, other than feed money to the one-armed bandits or donate their hard-earned cash to the table games.

“We promised Violet we would explore the Boardwalk.”

“A few of the bigger carnival rides, like the Ferris wheel and maybe the kiddie coaster, will still be running. Little Vin loves the wheel.” Vinnie shot Luigi a sly side-eye. “So when are you and Dernice getting hitched?”