CHAPTER TWENTY

My alarm went off at seven thirty. I rolled out of bed and came face-to-face with the shopping bags. Mental head-slap. What the heck was I thinking?

I showered, toweled off, and stared at myself in the mirror. I had a lot of curly wet hair. And it was short. If I let it dry naturally at this length, I’d look like a Chia Pet. After spending twenty minutes with the hair dryer, my hair somewhat resembled what Philip created. I had to admit, it was pretty, but it was too short for a ponytail. And a ponytail had its place in my life. A ponytail was easy.

I bypassed the bags and got dressed in my usual jeans, stretchy scoop-neck T-shirt, and sneakers. I put my coffee in a to-go mug and grabbed a strawberry Pop-Tart, my hooded sweatshirt, and my messenger bag.

Potts was pacing in front of the office when I drove up and parked.

“Lula is here, ” he said. “She had her tooth replaced. Connie is here, too. She’s been on the phone nonstop. There’s a lot of talk going on about the dead woman. ”

“Carla Skootch. ”

“Yes. She’s going to be in Slumber Room #1. That’s a big deal. ”

Connie got off the phone when Potts and I walked into the office. “This viewing is going to be a monster, ” she said. “Sid Rubenstein is making book on whether Shine or Salgusta will show. ”

“I’m sure they won’t show, ” I said. “They’ll get arrested. ”

“That would be a bad thing for you, ” Potts said. “If the police get them before you do, you won’t have a chance to squeeze them for their clues. ”

He was right. On the other hand, they would be in jail and not able to kidnap, torture, and kill Grandma and me.

“Are you going? ” I asked Connie.

“Yes. I’m taking my mom. ”

“How about you? ” I asked Lula.

“I’m not ordinarily big on this sort of thing, but I might make an exception here. ”

“Did your mom have any more news about the La-Z-Boys? ” I asked Connie.

“Only that Benny is pissed off because Shine got rid of the chairs and remodeled the room. Apparently, he didn’t consult Benny before doing it. ”

This could work in my favor. If Benny is mad enough, he might throw in with Grandma and me. It would mean access to one more clue. And Benny knew Jimmy for a long time. He knew where the bodies were buried, and he probably knew a lot of other things about Jimmy. Like a second home somewhere. Or ownership of a commercial property where a safe could be stashed. Just because he never felt compelled to go after the treasure doesn’t mean he has no idea where it might be located.

I went to the coffee station to refill my mug and Grandma called.

“You have to come over here, ” she said. “We made a casserole for the reception and I need a ride to Benny’s house to drop it off. If you don’t give me a ride your mother will drive me, and that will ruin everything. This is my opportunity to sweet-talk Benny into handing over his clue. I don’t want your mother tagging along. ”

“I’m at the office, ” I said. “I’ll be there in five minutes. ”

I hung up and took a moment to convince myself the visit was a good idea.

“I have to go to my parents’ house, ” I said to Lula, Connie, and Potts. “Grandma needs a ride. ”

“I’ll go with you, ” Potts said.

“No! Wait for me in the office. I won’t be long. ”

“You always say that, and then people try to shoot you. ”

“No one is going to shoot me at my parents’ house. ”

Truth is, I didn’t know that for sure. And there was a decent possibility that someone would try to kidnap Grandma and me anytime, anywhere. Did this make me nervous? Yes. And fearful? Yes. Did I want to run away and hide somewhere? Yes. Was I going to run away and hide somewhere? No.

I was raised to have a strong sense of responsibility to my family, my church, and my country. I wasn’t raised to run away and hide. When the going got tough or scary I was expected to dig in and soldier on, because I came from a long line of survivors. War, famine, pestilence didn’t stop my relatives from moving forward one foot in front of the other. They were good solid plodders without grandiose expectations. And that’s the legacy they left me. The ability to plod forward, no matter the circumstances. I realize plodding isn’t glamorous, but there are times when it serves a purpose.

Grandma was at the front door when I pulled into the driveway. She had her purse in the crook of her arm and a casserole dish in her hands. I jumped out and helped her into the SUV.

“This is good, ” Grandma said. “We can tag-team Benny. Do I look okay? I decided on this navy dress because it’s solemn but not sad. I usually dress it up with a pink scarf, but the scarf seemed to convey too much happiness for delivering a bereavement casserole. ”

“The dress is perfect, ” I said. “What’s in the casserole? ”

“Baked ziti. ”

“The recipe with the gooey cheese sauce? ”

“Yep. It’s the best. And it has Italian sausage from the butcher at Giovichinni’s. ”

“It smells fantastic. ”

“It just came out of the oven. ”

Two cars were parked in front of Benny’s house.

“Drive around the block, ” Grandma said. “The one car belongs to Dori Klausen. She won’t be in there long. She’s only dropping off. The other car belongs to the woman Benny hired to help Carla. She’s probably going to help with the reception after the burial. ”

I did a lap around the block and parked in the space just vacated by Dori. We walked to the front door and rang the bell and the caretaker answered.

“We’re here to give our condolences to Benny, ” Grandma said.

“Much appreciated, ” the caregiver said, reaching for the casserole.

Grandma tightened her grip on the dish. “I gotta give this to him personally, ” she said, pushing her way in, past the caregiver. “You understand. ”

“He might not be up to visitors right now, ” the woman said.

“I’m not just anyone, ” Grandma said. “I was married to Jimmy Rosolli. I even got his La-Z-Boy. Benny gave it to me. ”

“Who’s there? ” Benny yelled from a distance.

“It’s Edna Rosolli, ” Grandma said. “I brought you a casserole. Baked ziti with special sausage and cheese sauce. It’s for tomorrow. ”

“Screw tomorrow, ” Benny said, “bring me the casserole and a fork. I’m starving back here. All I ever get is a protein shake. ”

“He’s supposed to lose weight, ” the caregiver said.

“You’re killing me, ” Benny yelled at the caregiver. “You’re fucking killing me. Excuse my language. ”

“He’s in the den in the back, ” she said. “I’ll bring him a fork. ”

I led Grandma through the house to the tacked-on den. Benny was in the big comfy chair this time and the cat was in a donut-type bed by his feet.

“How’s it going? ” I asked him.

“My wife died, ” Benny said. “It’s not going so good. ”

“I’m sorry, ” I said.

“God’s will, ” Grandma said.

Benny blew a raspberry at God’s will.

Grandma made the sign of the cross and looked up at the ceiling where I suppose God was lurking. “I had nothing to do with that, ” she said to the ceiling.

“No offense, ” Benny said. “You know I’m as good a Catholic as anyone else, but I’m not getting a lot of comfort from God. ”

“That’s why we brought you this casserole, ” Grandma said. “If God don’t come through, you can count on sausage from Giovichinni’s butcher. ”

“You’re a smart woman, Edna, ” Benny said. “I can see why Jimmy married you, should he rest in peace. ”

Grandma put the casserole on a tray table by Benny and took the cover off the dish.

“Oh, man, ” Benny said. “This is a work of art. It smells amazing. And the cheese! ”

“It’s all hand grated, ” Grandma said.

“Fork! ” Benny yelled. “Where’s my fork? ”

The caregiver appeared with the fork. She rolled her eyes at Grandma and me, handed the fork over to Benny, and left.

Benny dug in and made a lot of appreciative sounds while he ate.

“You want a beer with that? ” Grandma asked him.

He stopped eating and looked at Grandma. “You got a beer? ”

Grandma pulled a cold bottle of beer out of her purse. “I usually carry my gun in this purse, but I thought a bottle of beer would be better today. ”

“After I observe the appropriate period of mourning, I’m going to marry you, ” Benny said.

“It might be worth it just to get your clue, ” Grandma said.

“Maybe we can make a deal, ” Benny said. “I’m pissed off at Shine, and Salgusta is nuts. Maybe I’ll show you mine if you show me yours. ”

“And what happens when we find the treasure? ” I asked.

“We split it, ” Benny said. “Trust me. There’s enough for both of us to be happy. ”

“What have you got besides the one clue? ” I asked him.

“I know two more clues, ” he said. “And by the way, I like your hair. It’s real cute. I liked the ponytail, too, but this short cut is real cute. ”

“Thanks, ” I said. “I’m getting used to it. Are you talking about the clues in the Mole Hole safe? ”

“Yeah. ”

“We already have those clues, ” I told him.

“Boy, ” he said, “you’re sneaky. How’d you get into the safe? ”

“We know people with skills, ” I said.

Benny chugged half the bottle of beer. “I bet. ”

“So, what else do you have? ” I asked him.

“I know the treasure, and I’ve been thinking about a way to fence it that might be safe, but I’m not giving that up right away. What have you got besides the clues? You got the keys, right? ”

“Maybe, but we’re not giving that up right away, ” I said.

“Ha! ” Benny said. “Wiseass. ” He looked over at Grandma. “Did you teach her that? ”

“She’s way ahead of me, ” Grandma said.

“The two clues in the safe aren’t helping us, ” I said. “Is your clue worth anything? ”

“Not to me, ” Benny said. “I’m not good at this sort of stuff. Every day I try to do the Jumble and I never get it. ”

“What’s your clue? ” Grandma asked. “Maybe we can figure it out. ”

“It’s pink, ” Benny said. “It’s the number four clue and it’s pink. ”

“Ace it, Philadelphia, and pink, ” I said.

“The six of us were real close when we thought this scheme up about the clues and the keys, ” Benny said. “We weren’t all sick and crazy and dead. ”

“Let’s start with Philadelphia, ” I said to Benny. “You knew Jimmy for a long time. Did he have any Philadelphia ties? A second home there? Business property? ”

Benny shook his head. “Not that I know. Jimmy didn’t go across the river a lot. He was more a south Jersey guy. He liked the shore. Wildwood, Cape May, Atlantic City. He liked the slots. Sometimes he played the poker table. ”

“Did he have any properties there? ”

“He used to have a house in Cape May, but that was years ago. Back in the day when the mob was big and there were lots of occasions for us to use our special talents, we all had real estate. We were living high back then, spending money like water. When the contracts started to dry up, to use a fancy term, we liquidated our holdings. It’s not like any of us got poor, it’s more we got careful with our lifestyles. Except for Shine. He always has a couple girls on the side. Still likes a new pinky ring once in a while. ”

“What about Ace It? ” Grandma asked Benny. “If Jimmy liked to play poker maybe that’s the tie-in. Did he have a special casino? ”

“He would go to the Hard Rock sometimes. Sometimes Tropicana. ”

“I went to the Hard Rock with him once, ” Grandma said. “We only played the slots. We didn’t go to the tables. ”

“Did Jimmy have any aliases? ” I asked Benny.

“Sure. We all did. His favorite was Mickey Gooley. Sometimes he used Mickey Fast. He probably had others, too. I can’t remember them all. I can’t even remember all of my own aliases. ” Benny shoveled more ziti into his mouth. “I don’t suppose you have more beer in your purse? ” he asked Grandma.

“I could only fit the one bottle, ” Grandma said. “You don’t want to drink too much anyway. You got a viewing tonight. ”

“I want to do what’s right for Carla, ” Benny said. “And I know she deserves a nice viewing, but I’m not looking forward to this. Everybody and their brother’s going to come out tonight. Half of the people would put a knife in my back if I didn’t sit against the wall. ”

“That’s not true, ” Grandma said. “You’re well-liked. ”

“Not by everyone. I made a lot of enemies in my time. ”

“Most of them are dead, ” Grandma said.

Benny nodded. “Good point. ”

“I guess we should be moving along, ” Grandma said. “We’ll see you tonight. ”

“Are you coming to the viewing? ”

“Of course, ” Grandma said. “I wouldn’t miss Carla’s viewing. ”

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