Page 31 of A Week Away

“That doesn’t mean?—”

“Was it always just the two of you?” I asked.

“Oh, no. Joanne knew how to make friends. We knew people everywhere we went. Boys mainly. Men, I guess I’d consider them now.”

“Do you remember any names?”

“Oh gosh. Well, Joanne’s cousin Luca Amato was around a lot. Hector Verde, of course. Allen something. He was sweet. He would always dance with me while Joanne danced with other guys. And Dom… of course.”

“So she met Dom and they became boyfriend and girlfriend?” I filled in.

She hesitated before saying, “Basically. It never seemed that serious between them, but then they got married.”

“And you stayed friends after the marriage? You gave her a baby shower?”

“At first it was all very exciting. Joanne had an apartment and a husband and a baby. It was very grown up. But then, well, apartments need to be cleaned, husbands fed, and babies… well, they need everything. I know her sisters helped a lot, and Dom’s sister, Suzie. Their parents, too. I even babysat a few times so they could go out dancing. But then I went to college and I didn’t have much time… and we grew apart.”

“You weren’t around much when Dom disappeared?”

“That was a strange time. Everyone knew about it and… well, it was like he died except there was no wake, no funeral, nothing. I went see Joanne once and she wasn’t very friendly. She criticized me for not being around, even though I was in college and did return her calls whenever… Anyway. I knew it was a bad time so I just let her say whatever. I tried calling a few weeks later. She just let her answering machine pick up. And then she never called back.”

“So you don’t know much about what was going on right before Dom disappeared,” I said.

“Not firsthand no. But…” She glanced at Cass before she went on. “I heard things. Everyone heard things.”

“What things?” I asked.

“I’m not sure I want to say.”

“You need to.”

“It can’t get back to Joanne. I don’t think she’d like our talking about this.”

I looked at Cass. Eventually, he said, “I won’t say anything. Promise.”

Joanne took a moment. And why wouldn’t she? Seventeen year-olds were hardly the most trustworthy people in the world.

“I don’t know anything. Not for certain. There’s always been a rumor that Joanne had Luca kill Dom. You could have heard that anywhere.”

“Her cousin, Luca?”

She looked at Cass again. The boy didn’t look happy.

“It’s a rumor,” she said.

“Is Luca in The Partnership?”

“That’s another rumor. Rumors aren’t always true. I mean, you just have to be Italian and people say you’re in the mob.”

That was true, not to mention Italians didn’t have a monopoly on organized crime.

“Do you know Luca well?” I asked Cass.

He nods. “My mom loves him.”

Heather was silent. Uncomfortably so. I asked her, “Do you believe Luca killed Dom?”

“I think he would have done anything Joanne asked. And, yes, I think she might have asked.”