Off the Record (With Me in Seattle Mafia 3)

“What happened to her parents again? I know someone killed them, but I don’t know the story.”

“My sister, Claudia, was married to Vinnie Watkins, who was the boss at the time. Vinnie was a piece of shit, but he was still the boss,” Pop says, telling the story. “When Elena was about twenty, I guess, Vinnie went to prison. He got too cocky with some money laundering and got caught. It was disgraceful. He was too prideful. While in prison, someone killed him.”

“Claudia was killed in a car accident,” Mom says, picking up the story, “on the same day.”

“It wasn’t an accident,” Pop insists, slamming his fist on the table. “She was murdered.”

“Well, we weren’t able to prove that, were we?” Mom asks. “Carlo’s mother, the woman who owned this house, spent many years trying to find those responsible for her daughter’s death. Also, within hours of Claudia and Vinnie being killed, she hid Elena away. From all of us. For over a decade, we all thought Elena was also dead, her body not likely to be found.”

“They didn’t tell you that they were hiding Elena away?” Annika asks, shocked.

“No,” Pop says. “However, I knew. I was the only one who did. Because the men my mother hired to help Elena disappear worked for me. Not her. I didn’t tell anyone else because they didn’t need to know. The fewer who knew, the safer Elena was.”

“Still not happy that you didn’t tell us,” Carmine says, but Pop just shrugs.

“I run my house the way I see fit, and you know that. I don’t apologize for it. Elena was safer because she was gone.”

“I’m calling her now,” Carmine says, tapping his phone. After three rings, Elena answers.

“Hey, favorite cousin,” she says.

“I heard that,” I call out.

“You’re all my favorite, Rocco,” she reminds me and makes me smile. “What’s up with you guys?”

“Are you and Archer still in Oregon?” Carmine asks.

“Yeah, we’re at the beach house. It’s been a nice break, but I think we’re heading back to the city in a couple of days.”

“I want you to stay where you are,” Pop says sternly. “Some things are happening here that I don’t want you around for. Stay there with your husband. I’ll have some men come to keep an eye on things, as well.”

“Something big is going down,” Elena says, her voice sober. “Don’t worry, we’ll cooperate. I’m happy to spend more time at the beach.”

“Good girl,” Pop says. “We’ll be in touch.”

“I’ll call you soon,” Carmine adds and clicks off.

“So, the people who killed Elena’s parents are killing the other bosses?” Annika says.

We all look her way and frown.

“Not necessarily,” Pop says. “What happened to Claudia and Vinnie was more than a decade ago. This isn’t related.”

“I don’t think you’re seeing the big picture,” Annika disagrees. “And I don’t mean that to sound disrespectful. Let’s outline this. Bosses and their entire immediate families are coming up dead—all murdered in different ways. Your sister and brother-in-law were murdered. And your mother feared for Elena’s life so much that she sent her away. She thought it was even a secret, so she could keep her safe. Why would she think that Elena would be killed? Most of the time, when a boss is murdered, the rest of their family isn’t executed, as well.”

“But why would they wait so long to continue?” Shane asks.

“Everyone is always saying that the mafia has a long memory,” Nadia points out. “And they’re not wrong. This started all those years ago with Elena’s parents. And now, someone is systematically making their way through all of the prominent families in the country.”

“We’re going to find them,” I promise. “And we’re going to end them.”

“Oh, we certainly are,” Nadia agrees. “But we need to know where to start.”

“Gram has boxes and boxes full of research,” Shane says, thinking it over. “When we discovered that Elena was alive and were trying to find her, we found the boxes. She must have hired dozens of investigators to find the killer or killers and filed everything away methodically. There has to be something in there that she missed.”

“Well, we have a whole room full of fresh eyes,” Ivie says. “And I don’t mean to sound heartless, but some of us aren’t personally connected. Maybe we’ll see something that your grandmother didn’t.”

“You’re forgetting something,” Igor says, speaking for the first time as he turns to Pop. “We’re in your home, my friend. Anything here, including the investigative reports, are proprietary to your family. If you don’t want my family digging into that business, I understand.”

All eyes turn to Pop, who’s rubbing his chin again.

“If I didn’t trust you and the rest of your family, Igor, you wouldn’t be in my family’s home. You know that. This doesn’t just impact my family now. It affects yours, as well as all of the other organizations in the country. Perhaps the world. If something here can help solve this mystery, it’s open to all of you. Your firefly is right. Fresh eyes are helpful. Our young people are intelligent. And we’re stronger together.”