CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
They thought Nell lived in the woods. But when Reno drove that rusty bucket of an SUV up the long dirt road that led to Viyla’s house, with no other houses seemingly within miles of her house, they realized rural was actually rural in Mississippi. Not like what they consider rural on the outskirts of Vegas. And when they saw Viyla’s house, they all shook their heads.
“Why did you agree to bringing us here, Father?” asked Carmine. “This house looks as if it might teeter over.”
“I hope it looks better inside,” agreed Dom.
“Even if it doesn’t,” said Jimmy, “we’re here now. So let’s just make the best of this.”
“Why exactly are we having dinner here again?” Sophia asked.
Trina looked at Reno. She was curious how he was going to explain it.
“She invited me,” Reno said.
Trina waited for someone to ask just you , but nobody did. Because sadly, she thought, that was how they were raised. If they didn’t want to know the answer, don’t ask the question. They got it from their mother.
And since Trina started it, Trina was going to end it. “Just you?” she asked Reno. “She invited only you?”
At first Reno just kept on driving up the long dirt driveway. Then he glanced over at Trina. “She invited me, yes, and then she invited everybody.”
Reno and Trina shared a lingering stare, as if Reno knew Trina understood what he meant, and then he turned his attention back to the road. But inwardly, Trina was still happy. Because he could have lied and said she invited all of them period. But he didn’t lie. To her delight she was realizing on this trip that Reno was exactly who he told her he was.
“Alright guys,” Reno said, “don’t be disrespectful. I don’t care if the place has maggots in it. You don’t have to eat anything, but you’d better not be disrespectful.”
They all got out of the car and made their way up to the porch. The surroundings were dark as midnight, but the porch light brightened up the entire front of the house.
Reno knocked, Viyla answered and let them in, and they were pleasantly surprised to see that her house inside was as luxurious as the inside of their house. Which caused Reno and Trina to look at each other. Even the furniture was similar.
“Dad,” Carmine began saying because he noticed it, too.
But Reno cut him off. “That’s alright son,” he said to Carmine, pulling him in front of him and placing his arms over his shoulders.
Carmine, who like the rest of his siblings loved his father’s affection, understood cues better than most and gladly shut up.
“Have a seat everybody,” Viyla said and they all took a seat: Reno, Trina, and Carmine on the sofa, and Jimmy and Dommi in the two chairs that flanked the sofa. Sophia went into the kitchen to help Viyla finish the dinner.
But as soon as Sophia went into the kitchen, she stopped in her tracks and screamed.
Her entire family hopped up from their seats and ran into the kitchen, with Jimmy outrunning all of them. And when they saw the source of her scream, Jimmy and Dom were shocked too. Reno, Trina, and Carmine had already kind of figured it out.
“Uncle Sal,” Jimmy said happily and he and Dom hurried over and hugged him. Sophia was already hugging him.
Trina and Reno were smiling too. “I knew your ass had furnished this house,” Trina said.
Reno looked at Viyla. “Was that why you came onto me with that bullshit this morning?”
Viyla was smiling too. “Yes sur.”
“How do you know this character?” Reno asked her.
“When he first bought the diner, he came and met with me. My car wouldn’t crank that night, so he drove me home. When he saw where I lived, he told me he’d hook me up with some furniture and stuff like that if I would stay on as the manager. That’s when he told me we could keep all the money that comes into the diner and he’ll make sure we stay stocked up with supplies. I never saw him again until before-day this morning. That’s when he told me he needed me to bring you to the house tonight because he needed to talk to you.”
“Did he tell you what he needed to talk to me about?” asked Reno.
“I figured it was about the shooting round Otis way,” said Viyla.
Reno looked at Sal. He didn’t give anything away, but Reno knew Sal well enough to know he knew nothing about that shooting. “I see,” Reno said.
“Dom,” said Trina, “why don’t you take Viyla and your sister out on the porch while we talk with Uncle Sal.”
Dom wanted in on the conversation, too, but he understood Viyla, an outsider, couldn’t be in on it at all. “Mariah and the baby okay, Uncle Sal?” Dom asked him.
“They’re fine, Dommi,” Sal said. And then Dom, satisfied, took Sophia and Viyla went outside.
“What about Maddie and the rest of the family on the cruise, Uncle Sal?” Jimmy asked. “They’re okay too?”
“They’re Gabrinis,” Sal said. “Of course they’re fine. Everybody’s fine. Your parents too, Tree. They’re enjoying themselves. They don’t like that they can’t get off the ship and sightsee, but they understand. Just as long as they know you guys are safe, they’re good. Oprah’s okay too, Jimmy,” Sal added. “I keep tabs on her too.”
“Good, good, good,” said a relieved Jimmy.
But Sophia came back inside. “Uncle Sal?”
“Didn’t your mother tell you to wait outside?”
“What about Jovie?” asked a worried Sophia. “You heard from Jovie?”
“Have I heard from him? I can’t stop hearing from him. That husband of yours keeps calling me day in and day out asking about you, worrying about you, wanting to come and protect you himself. The least we can do is tell him where you are, he keeps saying. He even wanted to fly back to Vegas, as if that was gonna help, but I told him to keep his ass right where he was. Stay in Australia, I had to keep telling him. If your cover is blown, we’re in trouble. I told him he could put you at risk,” he said to Sophia. “When I put it that way, he finally got the message.”
Sophia smiled. “He loves me,” she said, and they all laughed.
“Now get your ass back on the porch,” Sal said, and she gladly hurried back out of the house.
“Sit down, Sal,” Reno said as he began sitting at the kitchen table.
“See what I mean?” Sal said to Trina. “He’s here two minutes and already he’s trying to boss me around.”
“Just sit your ass down,” Reno said.
“I got my ass right here,” Sal said, grabbing his balls.
“Your ass in your balls?” Reno asked. “Since it’s you I believe it.”
Trina laughed. Sal realized his error, unbuttoned his double-breasted suitcoat, and sat his ass down. Trina and Jimmy sat at the table too.
“I take it we aren’t liberated yet,” Jimmy said, “or you would have told us by now.”
“There’s no liberty yet,” said Sal. “But we did get some intel. That’s why I risked it and came here.”
“What is it?” Reno asked.
“Ken Partanna.”
Reno frowned. “Frank’s grandson?”
“ Frank’s grandson ?” asked a shocked Trina. “Frank Partanna’s grandson? The man that killed your father’s grandson?”
When Trina said those words, Jimmy was just as shocked as his stepmother was. He looked at his father too.
Reno nodded his head. “Unfortunately, that’s the one,” he said. “What that bastard got to do with anything?” he asked Sal.
“You remember Billy Axelrod, don’t you?”
“Sure I know Ax. He’s one of B.B.’s guys.”
“We ran him down, well, Uncle Mick did anyway. Before he died, he claimed he wasn’t in on the PaLargio hit, but he said he knew who drove the getaway car.”
Reno couldn’t believe it. “Are you telling me Kenny Partanna drove the getaway car?”
“That’s what Ax said.”
“But Kenny don’t work for B.B.”
“Apparently he does now. I thought you were keeping tabs on that motherfucker.”
“I was,” Reno insisted. “For years. But his ass a college professor. All he did was go to work, go to the store or maybe to a restaurant, and go home. Every single day for years that was his routine. I couldn’t justify tailing his ass anymore. And I’m talking for something like five years I had different tails on him. There was no way they blew their cover. But his routine never altered.”
“So you dropped the tail?”
“I dropped it, yeah I did. But that was like two-three years ago.”
“Well during those two or three years, Kenny apparently hooked up with Brocco Bernardi. That is, if we believe Ax.”
“You believed him, Uncle Sal, or you wouldn’t be here,” said Jimmy.
Sal nodded. “I believed him.”
“Damn.” Reno leaned back, his face a mask of frustration. “Why would Kenny hook up with a killer like B.B. if he was this meek and mild college professor like he presented himself to be for all those years?”
“Did you find out anything, Sal Luca?” asked Trina.
“He’s still at that college, we know that. We got eyeballs on him again. But we wanted to see what you thought might be going on, Reno, before we approached him. Cause he’s all we got so far. We can’t afford to blow it.”
“If Kenny Partanna is hooked up with B.B.,” said Reno, “then it’s a certainty that he was the mastermind behind that hit on the PaLargio, and maybe even that distraction-style hit they tried to put on Jimmy. He’s just that smart. B.B., not so much.”
“Okay,” said Sal. “We’ll run him down. Find out what he knows. I’m hoping he can lead us to B.B. and we can bring you guys back in.”
“And you’re certain my parents and our grandbabies are okay?” Trina asked.
“Everybody’s fine, Tree,” said Sal. “Gemma told me to make sure I tell you that. Tell all of you that. They’re fine.”
Trina nodded. “Thanks, Sal. How’s Gem anyway?”
“Worried. Like all of us. Nobody wants a war. Nobody wants another strike. That’s why we’re working overtime.”
Jimmy exhaled. “I’m just sorry it had to happen.”
“It wasn’t your fault,” said Sal. “Everybody knows that. So stop worrying.”
“I told him,” Reno said.
“What’s this Viyla was talking about when she said something about a shooting?”
“Some Cajun named Arthur Koshay was claiming to be the owner of the factory.”
“Who?”
“You don’t know him?”
“No, I don’t know him. But I know he’s not the owner of that factory because I’m the owner.”
Reno and Trina looked at him. “You’re the owner?”
“Yes.So what?”
“We were at a crab boil and Koshay’s guys came up with guns and took out their boss. Then Dom and I took them out.”
“Damn, in this little town?”
“Yup. Did you know there was a shakedown racket going on in this little town involving both of your businesses?”
“A shakedown racket?”
“They were making these poor people give up half their wages to them,” said Trina.
“I’ll be damn.”
“And Koshay was the ringleader. He was pretending to be the absent owner.”
“Why didn’t Viyla tell you?” asked Trina.
But Sal was shaking his head. “She had no way of getting in touch with me. As far as she probably knew, Koshay was working for me. I didn’t let her into my business like that.”
“I see,” Trina said.
“Think I need to stick around to clear that up?” asked Sal.
“Hell no,” said Reno. “I’ll clear that up. You find B.B.”
“Oh we will,” Sal said. “I’ll hang out here until after midnight when everybody’s asleep in this town or either working at the factory, and then I’ll head back out.”
“Where’s your car?”
“In the woods behind this house. The plane is a few hours outside of Washwater.”
“What did you do all day waiting for us to get here?” asked Jimmy.
“I slept. My ass tired,” said Sal. “Looking for Bernardi has exhausted the hell out of all of us.”
“He could be anywhere,” said Jimmy. “He could be in Timbuktu for all we know.”
“His ass right there in Vegas,” said Sal.
“I know that’s right,” Reno agreed. “We’ve known him for decades. One thing about B.B. is that he’s consistent and he consistently never leaves town. Don’t go on vacations. Don’t take plane flights. He’s afraid to fly and he hates trains. But that don’t mean he won’t travel to kill my ass, because he will. But we know who we’re dealing with.”
“Vegas is a big place,” Sal added. “He could be anywhere, you’re right about that, Jimmy. But it’s gonna be in Vegas. It ain’t gonna be Timbuktu.”
Jimmy leaned back. He just wanted it all to end.
Trina stood up. “Let’s get Viyla in here and eat. I’m starved,” she said, and when she said that last word, they all nodded. Because for all of them, in different ways, it was a loaded word.
But when Trina and Jimmy went to get Viyla and the others, Reno pulled Sal aside. “You’re staying here until midnight, hun?”
“That’s the plan.”
“She’s a gorgeous girl.”
Sal stared at Reno. “I know that.”
“You’re a married man.”
Sal frowned. “What are you telling me that for? I know what I am.”
“I’m just reminding you.”
“You’re reminding me? I know your pot ass ain’t standing up here talking about this kettle?”
“You’re a married man.”
“So are you!”
The two men stared at each other with a hard stare. They knew each other’s secrets to a point that it was becoming uncomfortable for both of them. Each of them had a past. And both of them loved their wives. That was why Sal eventually nodded. “I know,” he said. “I know.”
And then Trina and Viyla came back into the kitchen to prepare dinner, and that was that.