Page 71 of Family Ties and Alibis

Carlita ducked down. “Did he see me?”

“I don’t think so.”

She turned her back to him, praying he wouldn’t notice her.

“He’s gone,” Pete reported. “The coast is clear.”

“Whew.” Carlita scooched to the right. “What about Ione?”

“There’s no sign of her.”

“Maybe she slipped out the back door.”

“Or Tommy silenced her for good.”

“I hope not. We need her to talk, not to mention I hate violence,” Carlita said. “We’ve already had one too many deaths.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” Pete shifted to the side. “I think I see her. Ten o’clock.”

Carlita followed his gaze. Sure enough, Ione emerged from the crowd. She looked straight ahead as she hurried toward the exit.

The woman walked right past Luigi. He stared at his cell phone pretending not to notice her.

The moment she exited the building he shoved his phone in his pocket and began following her.

“I hope Vinnie knows what he’s doing,” Carlita grimaced.

“Regardless of the outcome, he has plenty of backup to keep him safe,” Pete said. “If Ione Lee isn’t the killer, I almost feel sorry for her. Almost.”

Chapter 28

Vinnie moved at a steady pace down the Boardwalk toward Royal Flush Casino, determined to pin Ione down now that he had her on the run. Hopefully, she would crack under pressure, and he could clear his name and his mother’s. Godmother Garlucci. He grinned, remembering the look on her face when she heard it.

Pops had a sense of humor—his namesake had to give him that. There were days Vinnie looked in the mirror and saw his father staring back at him. Steely gray eyes. Jet-black hair sprinkled with salt and pepper.

He’d commented to Brittney that maybe it was time to break out the hair dye. She’d been adamantly opposed, insisting she loved the new look.

The single female employees and even a few of the married ones often dropped sly comments, flattering him and hinting at having a “late lunch.” But Vinnie knew which side his bread was buttered on—and he loved his wife. Loved her and his son more than he dreamed he could ever love two people.

The only sticking point in their marriage was Francesca, who had inserted herself into their daily lives. She guilted Brittney into believing she couldn’t live alone.

Brittney and Vinnie had encouraged her to move closer. Not in with them, but close by. She was in the process of purchasing a condo not far from the penthouse. At least she would be moving out of their place. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he wondered if Francesca would come up with a reason not to make the move.

And then there was Tommy, who always found excuses to skate out of any responsibility toward his mother. They’d never sat down and discussed it, other than an occasional offhand remark from Francesca about how “busy” Tommy was and that Brittney had more free time.

He wondered about being Sal’s distant cousin. He vaguely remembered him, but not in a memorable way. People in the family came and went. Only the core group stuck around.

Regardless of how annoying the man had become with his low-level illegal activity, Vinnie would not have taken him out. Yeah, he’d threatened to burn Treasure Cove to the ground, but it was an empty threat. Or maybe he had planned to follow through, considering the fact that a gas can was found not far from his body. Sal was up to no good, but he was far from being a top-tier criminal.

Vinnie replayed his conversation with Ione, Sal’s girlfriend. Based on her reactions, she knew more than she let on.

Another small concern kept popping into his head. The authorities told Vinnie that his number was the last one Sal had called. Very few people had his personal cell phone number. Who had given it to the guy and why?

His pocket vibrated. Vinnie glanced at his phone, noticing a text from Luigi. She’s heading your way.

Vinnie: TY. Waiting.

A flash of movement caught his eye. Ione scurried out of the casino, passing under the mercury light and heading right toward him.