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“The good news is you have options. Looking back, I would do it all over again in a heartbeat,” Luigi said. “I got a family down here. Your family.”
“Ma considers you one of her own.”
“She’s got some chutzpah,” Luigi joked.
“Yes, she does. I’m proud of all Ma has accomplished.” Vinnie’s phone chimed. A call was coming in. “It’s Phil Duce.” He pressed the answer button. “Hey, Phil. What’s up?”
“He’s here. He just walked in.”
“We’re on our way.” Vinnie ended the call and waved his phone in the air. “Costanza just showed up.”
Following Luigi’s directions, they took a shortcut through the center of town, arriving at the club moments later.
Vinnie sprang from the car and led the way inside.
Phil, who was behind the bar, caught his eye and motioned toward the pool tables on the opposite wall.
Vinnie zeroed in on the man his mother had described. Luigi circled around, heading at him from the opposite direction in case he tried to make a run for it.
Vinnie strode across the room. “Costanza?”
Costanza’s head shot up. His eyes narrowed. “Who’s asking?”
“Vinnie Garlucci.”
Costanza spun around, ready to bolt.
Luigi was right behind him and blocked his exit.
“What’s going on?”
Vinnie placed a light hand on his arm. “We want to step outside for a chat.”
“I don’t…”
Luigi cut him off. “And I don’t think it’s in your best interest not to go.”
Costanza reluctantly let Vinnie and Luigi escort him out of the club.
Turning left, they walked several steps away from the entrance, far enough to have a private conversation.
Costanza jerked his arm free. “What do you want?” he growled.
“We want to know what happened to Enzo.”
“What does it matter to you?”
“Because the police are breathing down my mother’s neck,” Vinnie said. “We both know she didn’t kill your associate.”
“We want to make sure the person responsible is caught,” Luigi added.
“Lombardo is about to bring the hammer down on him,” Costanza said.
“And then what? We know you’re talking about Barnie Ziffra, the owner of EZ Check Cashing. You take him out and my mother becomes a suspect in Enzo’s and Barnie Ziffra’s deaths,” Vinnie said. “What happened?”
“He confronted me and Enzo at the property, talking smack and threatening us. We told him he would be sorry and figured we had scared him off. Right after he left, I went to the store to grab some supplies.”
“Supplies?” Luigi interrupted.