This time he smiled. “You know… I do. Remember when we came out of the elevator and into the hotel that first day? An Italian song was playing. I actually learned that same song for my vocal training class. Isn’t that nuts?”
“Uh… yeah.” My eyes widened and my neck tingled. “I remember hearing that song, but I’m not sure how it went. Could you sing some of it for me?”
“Sure. But it’s going to sound a little different from the way I normally sing. You know… more like opera.”
“That’s okay with me.”
“Okay, here goes.” He closed his eyes to lose himself in the song and then began singing the haunting melody, sounding so much like the voice I’d heard the night before that chills ran down my spine. Then he got to the Con te partirò part, and I knew it was the exact same song. At the end of the first chorus, he stopped singing, leaving me a little breathless.
“Wow,” I said, after finding my voice. “Will you promise me that you’ll record that someday soon, so I can listen to it whenever I want?”
He chuckled, then shrugged his shoulders. “Uh… sure.”
“Thanks. I guess we’d better get going… but… are you sure you didn’t sing that last night after you went to bed?”
“Yes. I’m sure.” His brows drew together in confusion. “Why?”
“Oh nothing.” I shook my head. “I must have dreamed it or something.” I moved to the door and picked up that he thought it might have something to do with my premonitions. Maybe I’d had a premonition that he sang that song sometime in the future and it wasn’t a stretch to think he’d actually record it. Wow… wouldn’t that be something?
I held back a smile as we closed the door and got on the elevator. Someday, maybe I’d tell him about his great-grandfather, and how he’d serenaded me last night with that song. I was sure Miguel would be interested to know of the connection, but I’d probably have to keep the serenading part a secret.
The doors whooshed open, and we found Syd standing alone behind the desk in the lobby. As we approached, he greeted us and took our room keys, then glanced between us with a twinkle in his eyes.
“I have something for each of you.” He pulled a five-by-seven photo out of a large envelope and passed it over to us. “There’s two of them in here.”
The photo was from our dinner the night before. Miguel and I sat in the center of the group, with the whole Manetto family surrounding us. Everyone was smiling and happy.
“Wow, this is great!” Miguel said. “Thanks.”
“Don’t thank me. It was all Sylvie’s doing.”
Just then Frank came out of his office. “Are you off?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Miguel answered. “Thanks so much for everything.”
Frank waved his thanks away. “Just tell your dad to come with you next time. I’m sure he’ll want to see your Aunt Maggie. And Shelby…” he glanced at me. “Your family is welcome anytime as well. Be sure to bring them to this hotel. We’re all family now, and we’d love to get to know them.”
“Thanks Frank. I will.” He was serious about the offer, and I had a deep desire to take him up on it. It would be a blast to bring Chris and the kids to New York and stay here in this hotel. And now that Miguel had the part, I knew everyone would want to come.
We said our goodbyes and followed Syd to the elevator and then into the parking garage, getting inside that same awesome car for the trip to the airport. Syd started the car up, and Italian music poured from the speakers. He was thinking about changing it to something else for Miguel’s benefit, but just then Con te partirò began to play, and he hesitated.
“Turn it up!” I yelled, my heart hammering with excitement. I caught Miguel’s surprised gaze and picked up that he could hardly believe the coincidence. Then he wondered if I’d had a premonition that this song would be playing.
I chuckled with delight and encouraged him to sing along. After a little prodding, he joined in and my heart burst with exhilaration. What a perfect way to end our visit! Little shivers ran down my neck. Was this really a coincidence?
I listened closely. Besides the performer’s and Miguel’s voices, there was a moment or two that I thought I could hear one more voice, and my breath caught. As the final notes sounded, goosebumps rose on my arms, and I had to swallow before I could speak. “Whoa! That was amazing.”
Miguel smiled, thinking he’d never sounded so good singing that song. All at once, a strong bond seemed to connect him to that particular piece. He’d never felt that before. Was it because of his Italian heritage? He’d never felt connected so strongly to that side of his family before, so that had to be it.
Syd was so moved he could hardly speak. He nodded his agreement, and we all settled back in our seats for the drive, each of us lost in our thoughts. Miguel was right about one thing. He was definitely a Manetto.
Before I knew it, Syd was pulling into the airport parking lot. He jumped out of the car to get our bags out of the trunk. I got out and stretched. Then, with everything in hand, we walked to our gate. Syd made sure all was taken care of before sending us off.
“It’s been real nice meeting you both. I expect I’ll be seeing more of you in the future. I’ll let Joe know you got off okay. He’ll have a car waiting for you when you land.” Syd was thinking that Uncle Joey would probably be in the car, but he didn’t want to spoil the surprise.
“Thanks for everything Syd,” I said. “It’s been great.”
We said our goodbyes and hurried out to Uncle Joey’s plane. After getting settled and all buckled in, the plane taxied to the runway for take-off. Once we were in the air, I relaxed into my seat, glad to have some down time to process everything.
So much had happened on this little trip that it kind of took my breath away. Miguel’s life was changed forever. He was now playing the part of Aladdin… on Broadway. That huge change was sure to put a crimp in Uncle Joey’s plans.
Then we’d met the New York Manettos, including Maggie, and had been welcomed as long-lost relatives. Frank had even invited my whole family back for a visit. But how would that work? Everyone there thought we were part of the family, and I’d have to tell my kids some story so they’d think it was true.
Of course, hadn’t I already done that? But how would I explain Maggie? Everyone would be calling her their Grandmother. Yikes! What would happen if Frank and Sylvie, along with my kids, ever found out the truth? As much as I wanted to, I wasn’t sure I could bring my family back, and that kind of broke my heart.
To top it all off, there was the singing ghost. What was up with that? I’d have to check into it. Then it hit me. This had to be the same grandfather Maggie had told me about, and he’d been murdered. She never said where it had happened, but I had a sneaking suspicion it was at the hotel. She’d said they tracked the hit to another mob family, but what if they got it wrong? Was that why he was still hanging around?
I vowed to find out what Uncle Joey remembered of him. Maybe on my next trip to New York… if I managed to come… I’d find out more. But now, it was time to concentrate on my real life.
First, I needed to find out what was going on with Ramos. The Jodie McAllister concert was tonight. If Ramos wanted to know if Jodie’s daughter was also his daughter, I needed to be with him when he talked to her.
I also needed to find out what Dusty was up to. It had to involve those pills he’d planted in the envelope with the tickets. Had Ramos figured it out? It didn’t sound good from Uncle Joey’s point of view, and my stomach clenched with dread. Nothing good ever came from drug dealers.
That reminded me of the school kids who had died. Dimples needed my help today in questioning that drug dealer, and I sincerely hoped we could get some answers and maybe find out if it was somehow connected to Dusty.
I also needed to talk to Kyle and his nephew, Keola. Hopefully, Kyle could arrange another time for me to meet with Keola, so I could get to the bottom of what was going on with him. He hadn’t thought about drugs, but I couldn
’t shake the feeling that maybe they were related to Dimples’ case.
Closing my eyes, I let out a breath. Sheesh! Just thinking about all of that gave me a headache, so I headed to the back of the plane for a diet soda. As I popped the can open, I couldn’t help the tinge of regret to leave New York behind. Things had been so awesome there the last couple of days that now I wasn’t sure I wanted to go home.
Chapter 9
T he plane coasted to a stop at the airport, and Miguel and I gathered our things. Coming down the mobile stairway, the warm spring air blew my hair back, and sunshine rested on my face. I covered my eyes with my hand and spotted Uncle Joey’s limo waiting a short distance away. As we stepped off the stairs, the car door opened and Uncle Joey stepped out.
Miguel smiled and hurried to his side, bursting with excitement. As they embraced, I grinned, happy that Uncle Joey had taken Miguel’s success so well. Then Uncle Joey turned to me and enfolded me in a tight hug, taking me off-guard.
“Welcome home,” he said, releasing me.
“Thanks. That was some trip.”
He chuckled. “I’m sure. You’ll have to tell me all about it on the way home.”
Just then the driver’s door opened and I glanced up, hoping to see Ramos. Instead, it was Ricky who greeted me, and I smiled to hide my disappointment. Soon, he had our bags in the trunk, and we were all loaded up and ready to go.
Miguel and I took turns telling Uncle Joey everything that had happened and all the things we’d seen and done. He took it all in with a jolt of pleasure. He was marveling that this amazing kid was his son and thinking how lucky he was. He didn’t regret for a minute that Miguel was going his own way. This business wasn’t for him anyway.
Whoa! I never thought I’d hear him thinking that.
He glanced at me, thinking that it was too bad it wasn’t for me either. I could make a lot of money, and give my children all the opportunities they needed to succeed in this life… just like he had with Miguel. My eyes widened, and he chuckled.
I huffed out a breath and shook my head. “So what’s the plan?” I asked. “Where are we going?”
“I promised Miguel’s mother that we’d let him off at her house.” He glanced at Miguel. “Is that all right with you?”
“Sure,” Miguel answered.
“Good. I expect that she’ll want to have some kind of a celebration. Maybe we can arrange a get-together at our house tomorrow night.” He caught Miguel’s gaze. “If it’s what you want. Talk it over with your mom and let me know.”
“Okay.” Miguel thought that might be fun, but not with his mom and dad in the same room. He was pretty sure they’d both be happier celebrating his success separately. But he’d figure it out. At least he could invite his friends over to the house. Then he could invite my family as well, and just thinking of that brightened his mood.
We pulled up in front of a beautiful, hacienda-style home which I knew Uncle Joey had paid for. The front door opened and Carlotta stepped onto the porch, waiting for Miguel.
“I won’t be long,” Miguel said. As much as he loved his mother, she could be a bit overbearing, and he could only handle so much.
Uncle Joey nodded. “There’s no rush. Ricky can come back when you’re ready.”
“Okay. I’ll call.” He jumped out of the car and hurried into the house.
We watched as he waved and disappeared inside. “He loves her,” I said. “But he’s really glad he has you.”
Uncle Joey caught his breath. “Thanks Shelby.”
“Sure.”
“Do you need to go home first, or can you come to the office?”
“The office is fine. I’ve actually arranged to meet Chris at work for lunch today.” On the plane ride home, I’d called both Dimples and Chris to work out a schedule. Since Chris wasn’t available until one or one-thirty, that gave me plenty of time to question the drug dealer with Dimples. Of course, I wasn’t about to tell Uncle Joey that part.
“Good,” he said, letting out a relieved breath. He told Ricky our destination, and we pulled away from the curb. “So how was New York, for real?”
I chuckled. “It was great. I don’t think you have anything to worry about with Frank and Sylvie. They even invited their sons and wives with all the grandkids to a celebration dinner to meet Miguel and me. Maggie came too, and it was one big happy family. Oh… I even have a picture.”
I pulled the envelope out of my bag and pointed out who everyone was. “Have you ever met them all?”
“No. The last time I was there was when I bought the hotel six or seven years ago.” He studied Maggie’s face and tried to remember the last time he’d seen her, probably when he was a teenager. “Did you ever find out what happened to her?”
“Yeah,” I said, sighing. “It’s a sad story, and it all happened about the same time as when your grandparents died. Do you remember much about that?”
He shook his head and pursed his lips. “Only that it devastated our family… but mostly my father. He wouldn’t let us go to their funerals, and he didn’t tell me much about what happened. To be honest, I’ve tried to forget that time, but I picked up enough to know that it was a hit by another family. Frank could probably tell you more.
“My father flew to New York for their funerals and was supposed to bring Maggie back, but she never came home. Next thing I know, she’s a nun, and it’s like she never existed. But I always knew that she didn’t want to be part of the family anymore. So what happened?”
“She was in love with her high school sweetheart,” I began. “She went back that summer to be with him. Then he got involved with the family and was killed, along with one of your cousins, over some money. It broke her heart.
“Your grandfather and uncle took it upon themselves to avenge their deaths, and I guess it started a war. She was at the cemetery when your grandparents were killed, or she would have died with them. It was the catalyst that drove her to choose a vastly different way of life.”
Uncle Joey nodded, finally understanding why she had rejected him and their parents. He never knew she’d lost so much, and a wave of sympathy washed over him.
“Anyway… now she wants to keep pretending she’s my mother. How crazy is that? I told her it was okay, but… it’s making things really complicated. I mean… I’d love to take my family back to New York to see Miguel in the play, but how would I explain all of this to them?”
Uncle Joey smiled. “Oh, I’m sure we could figure something out. We’ll worry about it when the time comes.” He glanced at the picture, inordinately pleased that Maggie was going along with the charade. It meant she was getting something out of the arrangement. He handed the picture back and glanced my way, thinking it was me. Wasn’t that something? Maybe knowing his extended family wasn’t such a bad idea.
“Hey… she’s getting Miguel too,” I said.
He chuckled. “Yes, that’s true. She told me she was excited to get to know him. So I guess that means she’ll watch out for him in New York, and that’s even better. Anything else I should know?”
“Uh… well, Frank knows that Syd reports to you, and Syd knows that he knows, but they all seem okay with it.”
“Did you figure out who told Frank that Miguel was my son?”
Should I tell him the truth? “Uh… yes, I did, but he had his reasons, and I think it all turned out for the best.”
Uncle Joey’s eyes narrowed. “It was Syd, wasn’t it?”
I smiled, knowing it was a lost cause to keep anything from Uncle Joey. “Yes. But to be honest, I think he’s loyal to both of your families, and he just wants things to work out between you. None of that power struggle going on like before, you know?”
Uncle Joey was thinking that he knew very well, but he wasn’t sure Syd had done him any favors.
“Uh… the thing is,” I continued, knowing I had to explain it better. “Frank doesn’t know that Syd knows he knows. So in a way, Syd is still in the driver’s seat. Syd told me that it’s a g
reat way to keep the checks and balances between the two of you. But, now that you know Frank knows, I guess it might not work as well. On the other hand Frank doesn’t know that you know, so it might be okay.”
Uncle Joey shook his head at all the double-speak. “It’s fine. I’m not changing a thing. Forget about it.”
“Okay.” I snorted just a little, mostly because of the license plate in my bag with that exact same phrase on it.
“Is something funny?”
“Uh… no… not a thing. So where’s Ramos? I thought he’d be driving.”
“He hasn’t come into the office yet.”
“Why not?” Alarm tightened my chest. “Did something happen?”
“No. He was out late last night, but he should be there by now.” He was thinking that Ramos better be there. This whole thing from Ramos’ past was taking up too much of his time. It needed to be solved so Ramos could get back to business.
Yikes. That sounded a little harsh, but I also caught an undercurrent of worry along with Uncle Joey’s irritation, so it didn’t bother me too much. “Uh… I hope I can help.”
“I’m sure you can.” He glanced at me, glad that I was back. And glad that I cared about Ramos enough to help out.
We pulled into the parking garage of Thrasher Development and parked in Uncle Joey’s reserved spot. I got out, taking my purse with me, and followed Uncle Joey to the elevators. On the way, I managed a quick peek around the support column where Ramos parked his motorcycle. All that shiny goodness sent a little thrill through me, and my shoulders sagged with relief to know he was here.
As we walked into the office, Jackie smiled with pleasure. “Hey Shelby! How was New York?”
“Awesome. Isn’t that something about Miguel?”
“Yes. I can hardly believe it.”
We spoke for a few seconds before Uncle Joey interrupted us. “Is Ramos here?”
“Yes,” Jackie said. “He came in just a few minutes before you and went into the apartment to change his clothes.”