Page 39 of A Week Away

The boy shrugged. I suspected it was still what she thought.

“What can you tell me about Joanne’s relationship with your brother Luca.”

Then Rose was back. She carried a tray that had a pot of coffee, cups, a bottle of powdered coffee creamer and a small plate of store-bought lemon cookies. As she set the tray down, she said to Cass, “If I’d known you and your friend were coming I’d have baked cookies. These aren’t terrible, but I love to do extra when we have company. Don’t I, Carla?”

“They’re asking about Joanne and Luca.”

Rose stopped for just a moment, took a short breath, then set the cups around. “I brought out creamer. We didn’t know you were coming or I would have bought real cream. It’s an indulgence but worth it. Not that we mind people stopping by. It’s always nice when people stop by. They don’t very often, but still...”

The cups were placed and she began to pour the coffee.

“It’s Eight O’Clock. The coffee, not the time. I get it at Farmer Jack. The one that used to be an A&P. They have the best prices, I think. Help yourself to the coffee creamer. It’s sweet so you don’t need sugar.”

“I take my coffee black,” I said.

Cass reached for the creamer.

“Help yourself to a cookie then,” Rose said. “They’re store brand but really not too bad. I like to bake when people?—”

“You told us, Rose.”

“Oh. Of course, I did.”

She’d poured everyone’s coffee so she sat down. Then she took a cookie. Staring at her coffee she said, “We don’t like talking about Luca.”

“Can you tell me why?”

“That would be talking about Luca,” Carla pointed out.

I knew I was going to have to nibble around the edges before they’d say anything about him. “What about the rest of your family? Tell us about them.”

Carla studied me for a moment. I figured she knew exactly what I was up to, so it was a question of what she really wanted to tell me. After a long moment, she said, “My father always told us family is everything, but it was really just a way to get us to do what he wanted.”

“Luca’s the boy. He gets everything,” Rose said.

“So you’re not on good terms with your mom and dad?”

“We’re not.” The way Carla said it made it sound like it was a point of pride It also sounded final, like she wanted to close the subject.

“We take care of ourselves,” Rose said. “Carla works as an accountant for a company that makes mufflers. I do temporary secretarial work. Now and then.”

I took a sip of coffee, it wasn’t bad, and reached for a cookie. I was hoping that if I remained quiet one of them, Rose in particular, would keep talking.

“Luca was in prison,” Rose said.

Carla added, “Assault.”

“How long was he in prison?”

“Two years.”

There was more to it than that. In most states a first-time simple assault was a misdemeanor that would likely get you a fine, restitution and probation. Two years in prison meant multiple offenses or he caused serious injury to someone. Or both.

“When was that?” I asked.

“Eighty-seven, eighty-eight.”

That meant he’d have been around to get rid of Dom in 1982. I asked, “Joanne and Luca were always close?”