Page 21

“I’m always down for a Garlucci family hallway potluck.” Luigi set a big pot of minestrone, his specialty, on the table in the upper hallway, the designated location of the monthly get-togethers.

Cool Bones, another of Carlita’s tenants, arrived a few minutes later, carrying big bowls of barbecue ribs. Tony and Shelby brought baked beans and coleslaw. Autumn Winter wasn’t far behind, bringing dessert, a decadent cheesecake. “Sorry this isn’t homemade, but it is the best chocolate cheesecake in town.”

“Thank you for bringing it.” Carlita wheeled a portable cooking station alongside the table. “I’m trying something new. It’s tableside smoky pasta burrata. Arnie thought it might be fun to add tableside service at Ravello’s. Mercedes and I tried this dish the other day. It was delicious. I offered to give it a trial run and you are gonna be my taste testers.”

Cool Bones rubbed his palms together. “Sign me up, anytime.”

Pete assembled the ingredients, including spiral pasta cooked perfectly al dente, while the stragglers slowly trickled in.

Dernice showed up with loaves of crusty Italian bread she’d picked up at Colby’s Corner Store.

Sam was the last to join them, bringing jugs of sweet and unsweet tea along with cups, plates, plastic ware, and napkins.

“What’s all this?” Vinnie gave his mother a quick hug and motioned to the partially prepped pasta dish.

“It’s our monthly get-together and the pasta…” Carlita patted the top of the station. “Is part of a tableside service experiment. I’m trying something new.”

Pete, who had volunteered to be her sous chef, blended the roasted red peppers, lemon juice, garlic and red pepper flakes before adding chopped walnuts.

While he stood mixing and blending, Carlita cooked the breadcrumbs, lemon zest, smoked paprika and the rest of the red pepper flakes in a saucepan over medium heat. As soon as they were golden brown, she took the pasta, now mixed with the roasted red peppers, and folded in the tomatoes, Parmesan and remaining walnuts.

“I can’t wait to dig in.” Mercedes licked her lips.

“I hope this is as tasty as the batch Arnie made.” Carlita sprinkled the seasoned breadcrumbs over the pasta and topped it with fresh basil.

Tony placed his napkin on his lap. “I feel like we’re back in Ma’s kitchen up in Queens.”

“You know how much I love whipping up an Italian feast.” Carlita circled the table, placing generous portions of pasta on each of their plates alongside the other food.

While they feasted, she gazed around, her heart brimming with love for her family and close friends. She only wished Paulie, Gina, and the kids were there. It would have made the dinner complete.

Pete, who was seated to her left, squeezed her hand. “You’re thinking about how blessed you are, but still missing the ones who aren’t here.”

“Including Kris.” Pete’s only child, his daughter, traveled extensively for her job, which meant visits were few and far between.

Mercedes tapped the table with the end of her fork to get everyone’s attention. “Autumn and I want to take the kids to the park tomorrow. We were thinking around ten.”

Violet’s eyes lit. “The big park with the twisty slides?”

“Yes. The big park.”

“I want to go to the park,” little Vinnie said.

“We’ll swing by Tony and Shelby’s place to pick Violet up and then little Vinnie around ten.”

Carlita nudged her daughter. “I might have an errand for you tomorrow.”

“An errand?”

“The cops stopped by Elvira’s earlier and took a set of fingerprints from her ductwork. We need someone to go over to Sterling Automotive Group and try to get prints from Lindsay and Tracy, Sterling’s daughters, who work at the business to see if there’s a match.”

Mercedes grimaced.

“Is there a problem?” her mother asked.

“Sort of. If you remember, Sterling was the flirty guy from the fundraiser the other night. I’m pretty sure he’ll recognize me if he sees me again.”

“Crud. You’re right. I forgot.” Carlita rubbed her forehead. “I’ve been sitting here trying to figure out how to prove Lindsay and Tracy Sterling are behind the burglaries and vandalism.”

“You can’t just waltz in there and ask them to give you a set,” Vinnie said.

“Sterling made a point of telling me his automotive dealership was a family affair. I wonder what the daughters do there.” Autumn picked up her cell phone sitting next to her.

“I can save you a search,” Dernice said. “Lindsay works in finance. Tracy is kind of the go-to gal. When I was working undercover, she trained me in detailing.”

“Why not let the cops handle it?” Tony asked. “I doubt they’re gonna come back and try breaking in again.”

“Because I’m almost certain they’re the ones who called the anonymous tip hotline and accused us of filing a false claim for insurance purposes,” Carlita said.

“Seriously?” Sam frowned. “Why?”

“Because Pete and I stopped by to ask Russell Sterling about his break-in. I think he knows his daughters are responsible, and he’s covering for them.” Carlita laid out her theory about how Russell discovered someone was stealing money from his business and hired EC Investigative Services to figure out who it was. “Dernice went in undercover and tracked down the employee numbers of the individuals associated with the theft.”

“Who turned out to be Lindsay and Tracy Sterling,” Dernice said. “They somehow found out about the investigation and broke into Elvira’s office to get the records before Russell, their father, found out.”

“Not knowing it was too late. Elvira had already given him the report with the employee numbers linking them to the theft,” Carlita added.

“Ah.” Vinnie drummed his fingers on the table. “And now he’s trying to cover for them.”

“In a nutshell. Whether he knows they’re attempting to make us look like insurance fraudsters or not is another story. If we can match the prints found on the ductwork to one of them.” Dernice slapped her hands. “Bam! We have our burglars.”

“I might have an idea,” Autumn said. “Before Russell Sterling began hitting on me the other night, he mentioned my feature programs and seemed interested in having me do a spotlight about him and his family business. In fact, he was practically begging me.”

Carlita’s scalp tingled. “Autumn, you might be our in.”

“There is something else…” Her voice trailed off.

“What is it?”

“I don’t mind setting something up, but I might need to bring Luigi along as my bodyguard to keep him in line.”

“I wouldn’t trust him,” Mercedes said.

“I never got that impression, although Pete was with me when we met with him, not to mention you’re both younger and prettier than an old woman like me.”

“I think you’re a gorgeous woman,” her husband said.

Carlita squeezed his arm. “I love you, Pete Taylor, but you know what I mean.”

“Do you think you can arrange something fairly quickly?” Dernice asked. “The sooner the better, before his two conniving daughters dream up some other way to throw us under the bus.”

Autumn shoved her chair back. “Let me make a couple of quick phone calls. I’ll be right back.”

“If you don’t mind, I would like to listen in.”

“Not at all.” Autumn waited for Carlita to step inside her apartment and closed the door behind them. She tracked down her boss at the station first, asking if she could squeeze in a local business interview the following day.

“The only possible time would be around noon tomorrow. It would be tight.”

“Tight but not impossible.”

“I dunno.” For a minute, Carlita was certain he was going to say no, but Autumn was very persuasive at convincing him that viewers would be interested in the family-run business.

Finally, he relented. “But only if you can get Wes, your camera guy, to agree.”

“Would you mind transferring me over to him?”

“I suppose. If you weren’t one of our most requested reporters, I would’ve said no,” her boss grumbled.

“I have the highest viewership in the area.”

“Which is why I’m reluctantly saying yes.”

“Thanks, boss.”

“You’re welcome.”

With a few transfers, Autumn reached Wes, who didn’t seem to mind. “Did you run it by the department’s head honcho?”

“He told me as long as you were okay with it, we could go.”

“You said Sterling Automotive Group? What location?”

“The location?”

Carlita whispered the address and Autumn repeated it out loud. “If Sterling can’t do it, I guess we’ll have to try for another day.”

As soon as Autumn ended the call, she dialed Sterling Automotive Group’s main number and put the call on speaker, allowing Carlita to listen in. Using her professional reporter voice, she asked to speak with Russell Sterling. “He and I chatted at a fundraiser the other night. I have a time slot for an upcoming airing on our station and wondered if he might be interested.”

“What did you say your name was?”

“Autumn Winter. I’m a reporter with Channel Eleven News.”

“Please hold.”

Elevator music ensued.

It abruptly ended. “Russell Sterling speaking.”

“Hello, Mr. Sterling. This is Autumn Winter. I’m not sure if you remember me. We met at a fundraiser a couple of nights ago. It was for my brother who owns the Shades of Ink tattoo shop.”

“I remember you. You’re the petite lady who was rocking a red dress.”

“I was wearing a red dress.”

“We spoke about your job at the station and how you were able to get some publicity for the fundraiser, which is how I found out about it.”

“Correct. You mentioned being interested in a feature story as well.”

“Yes. Absolutely.”

“As luck would have it, I have an opening tomorrow at noon. It’s a half an hour time slot. Would you be available to do a brief segment?”

“Of course,” Sterling said. “I’ll make time. You mentioned noon?”

“Correct,” Autumn confirmed.

“Come to the front desk and ask for me.” He gave her the address.

“We will.”

Sterling thanked her and started to end the call.

Carlita mouthed the words, “daughters.”

“Wait. Before you go, you mentioned it being a family business. The station managers are interested in this angle.”

“I have a few family members working for Sterling Automotive Group, including my two daughters.”

“Do you think it would be possible for them to be on hand for a brief cameo?”

“Definitely. Their names are Lindsay and Tracy Sterling.”

“Perfect. I’ll see you tomorrow at noon.” Autumn ended the call and lifted her hand.

Carlita slapped it, giving her a high five. “Thank you, Autumn. This is nothing short of a miracle.”

The women returned to the table.

“Well?” Mercedes asked. “Any luck?”

“We’re on for a noon interview tomorrow with Sterling and his daughters,” Autumn said. “My only problem now is figuring out how to get Lindsay’s and Tracy’s fingerprints.”

“It could be tricky,” Carlita said. “Sterling is already suspicious.”

While they mulled over how they could pull off keeping Sterling distracted while obtaining a set of prints from his daughters, Carlita noticed Brittney nudge her husband and whisper in his ear.

“Hey, Ma. Brittney has an idea.”

“I’m open to any and all suggestions,” Carlita said.

“I could be a distraction.”

Brittney, a beautiful woman, a willowy blonde with a Marilyn Monroe air about her. She turned heads wherever she went. In fact, more than once, Vinnie had joked about having to keep an eye on the men who ogled her.

“You could definitely distract Sterling. Maybe a little too much,” Carlita said.

“Brittney is as tough as nails. Sterling will draw back a nub if he tries to get too friendly,” Vinnie said.

It was true. Although drop-dead gorgeous, Brittney also possessed a hard edge, courtesy of being raised by Vito Castellini, who had been the head of the mob family for decades. She had even witnessed her attacking a woman after being provoked. Something told Carlita she wouldn’t hesitate to defend herself again, if necessary.

“Are you sure you wanna do it?”

“I want to help,” Brittney said.

Luigi dropped his napkin on the table and lifted his hand. “Speaking from experience and being around the Castellini family for many years, I can assure you Brittney Castellini Garlucci will hold her own.”

“Okay, but just know this whole thing could blow up in our faces,” Carlita warned.

“We won’t know until we try,” Autumn said.

“What time did you plan to go over there?” Pete asked.

“Noon.”

“Perfect. I have a special family and friends event planned for tomorrow afternoon. Everyone needs to meet out in front of Ravello’s at three on the dot.” Pete did a quick count of heads. “I know it’s short notice, but I’m hoping everyone here can make it. I will need a head count.”

“I got a gig over at the convention center,” Luigi said. “Will we be done by eight?”

“Yes,” Pete said. “I have our special…event planned from three until seven. Jeans, shorts, any sort of casual attire will be fine. Make sure you wear sturdy walking shoes. We will be doing some walking and taking stairs.”

“What about the kids?” Shelby patted Violet’s arm.

“Kids, adults. Young and old.”

“Bummer. Unfortunately, I have to work,” Autumn said. “But…I get out at five. Maybe I can make it for the second half of the festivities.”

“I know you can.” Pete, with a mischievous twinkle in his eye, pulled Autumn aside and began whispering in her ear. She nodded a few times. “Where’s the schedule?”

“I’ll send you a copy so you’ll know where to catch up with us.”

“Thanks, Pete.”

Carlita waited for her husband to return to his seat and kissed his cheek. “You’re so thoughtful. I’m sure we’ll have a blast.”

“Either a bomb or a blast,” he joked. “Something tells me with this crowd, it will be the latter.”

While the others began passing around the dessert, an uneasiness settled over Carlita. Sterling. His conniving daughters. Autumn and now Brittney. What could possibly go wrong?

Everything. Everything could go wrong. Hopefully, it wouldn’t.