Mr. and Mrs. Rossi

Bobby Marchette was the epitome of the original gangster. Though her excursion on the beach interrupted his afternoon of parasailing, he seemed to be in a good mood. He told his lady friends he’d return in an hour or so and, dressed in a white terrycloth robe he slid into the backseat of his limousine.

The air inside flowed the perfect temperature, accommodating to Harley’s attire. The butter soft gray seats, softer than her bed, cushioned her behind. The floor absorbed her weight and she’d swear the carpet massaged her heels and all ten toes. He’d even offered a beverage, which she politely refused and then shared a little bit of dialogue with her. The precursor story before a death. She assumed it was going to be hers, still giving her collection of where she was, who she was with, and the orders she did not have.

“Leonardo was always a spoiled boy,” Mr. Marchette said. “My youngest. We weren’t supposed to have any more children, he came as a surprise.”

“My folks had me at a late age,” Harley made herself familia

r with him, just in case he did plan on killing her for getting too close. She’d exposed the Marchette’s dirty secret but given the sadness in Mr. Marchette’s voice, he had a clue. Mr. Marchette’s piercing blue eyes peered into hers. “Not saying you’re old, Mr. Marchette,” she added with a nervous smile.

“We’re so close now, please call me Bobby.”

“Bobby,” Harley nodded. “Well Bobby, I am sure you tried your hardest with Leonardo but sometimes kids just go wayward, you can’t blame yourself.”

Bobby Marchette sighed deeply, “I blame myself for not getting involved sooner. I’ve tried to turn the Marchette name into something good and despite all my hard work, he’s drug it down deeper. Like he wants to hurt me.”

Far be it for her to suggest family therapy, but in this case, they may want to. “I am sorry, Mr. Marchette, I mean Bobby. But I believe if you confront him, he might see the errors in his ways.”

“Talking? Have you ever tried?”

“The last time I was in the room with him he shot me out of a window.”

Bobby made a tsking noise with his teeth and patted Harley’s thigh. She didn’t take the act to be sexual but more a symbol of an apology. “I don’t know what’s gotten into him. He is like a dog with a bone. You know his mother died giving birth. His older brothers and sisters wanted nothing to do with him. I even hired a nanny for him. He really seemed to be smitten with her.”

The chauffeur drove the limo over the causeway to the docks. Through the dark tinted windows of the limousine the Gulf’s typically clear blue water seemed hazy. A barge carrying different colored freights sat out in the water waiting for the bridge to allow passage. Vacationers enjoyed a spin in speedboats and jet-skis. On the other side of the bridge an American flag parasail sailed in the wind, next to a bright yellow smiley face almost mocking her.

They crossed the bridge into the quarry toward the rest of the offices. The road continued into downtown Villa San Juan without a car in sight. In fact, most of the offices looked closed, unusual for this time of day or time of year. The parking lot resembled a ghost town. Harley’s heart raced at the sight of the VSJ PD prison van parked near the metal cargos. She was glad she remembered Hannah’s guidance counselor, Mr. Baez, reaching out to Hannah.

Guidance counselor my ass. Harley put two and two together the minute she overheard TJ on the phone. Judges weren’t up early. Cops could strike deals with inmates to turn state’s evidence or even turn them into CI’s, but Hannah wasn’t a confidential informant, she was bait. Javier bait.

“And when she and I became involved,” Bobby was still saying, “Leonardo would not give us his blessing. In his eyes, I betrayed him and his mother. I wanted to prove to him he came first. And I never should have let things go far. That boy should have never made demands. I was the parent.”

Her heart slammed against her sore ribs. She’d heard this story. “This woman, you loved her?”

“I did,” Bobby gave a short nod. His sadness reminded her of Dante’s. Both men loved Allegra and obviously missed her very much, “But I, at the time, I needed to prove to my son I loved him more than anything, so I let everything else go.”

In a cryptic way, Harley understood. She had to give up Hannah, because she loved her. “Sometimes parents make mistakes, too. No one has a wrong or right way.”

“This is true,” Bobby sighed, “but my son has taken things too far and I’ve been covering for him too long now. Your niece, you say?”

“Hannah,” Harley provided.

“She is with Leonardo.”

Harley bit the corner of her lip, “I can say I am ninety-five percent sure she is.”

“Those aren’t good odds,” Bobby said, his smile so even keel it sent a shiver down her spine. “You know if you’re wrong I’m going to have to kill you.”

Harley folded her hands in her lap and nodded. “I am willing to take that risk as long as you promise to let Hannah go.”

“You love your niece.”

A lump formed in Harley’s throat and spoke from the bottom of her heart, “With my life.”

Bobby patted her kneecap. “Let’s hope we don’t come down to that.”

****

“Houston, we have a problem,” Elliott’s voice crackled over the mic plugged into Dante’s ear.