21
MARCH 26, 2010
FRIDAY, 10:13 a.m.
FRIDAY, 10:13 a.m.
There was no doubt in Vinnie’s mind that
Laurie knew he was acting out of character. Try as he might, he
couldn’t help it even though he tried. The problem, of course, was
that he took the Vaccarros at their word since he’d heard all sorts
of stories over the years, and Carlo and Brennan had threatened his
daughters. Vinnie could not help but take such threats seriously.
Being involved with such people was a lose-lose situation, and
going to the police, unfortunately, was not an option.
Having begged off helping Laurie, he reflexively
answered his phone when it rang only minutes later, thinking it was
Laurie calling back for some change in the plans. Instead, to
Vinnie’s serious chagrin, it was Carlo, the Barbera hood.
“Good morning, Vinnie, buddy,” Carlo said with a
false sense of camaraderie. “It’s me from yesterday. Do you
remember?”
“I remember,” Vinnie acknowledged, trying to sound
normal but failing miserably. Carlo was the last person he wanted
to talk to. If only he’d looked at the incoming number.
“I had some questions, if you have a minute.”
Vinnie would have loved to say no, that he didn’t
have time, but he didn’t dare. Instead he asked Carlo to hold on a
minute until he could find a quiet spot. Quickly he ducked out of
the mortuary office, where some of the other techs were gathered,
drinking their first cups of coffee.
“Have you seen Dr. Laurie Montgomery yet this
morning?” Carlo asked when Vinnie gave him the okay.
“I have,” Vinnie said. “I’ve already done a case
with her.”
“Terrific,” Carlo said. “And how was she
acting?”
“She was acting quite normal. Not like me.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. I hope your feeling out of
sorts has nothing to do with us.”
“It has everything to do with you,” Vinnie said,
vainly thinking that if he were up-front they might leave him
alone. “Yesterday you said you just wanted to ask me some
questions, and then, before you know it, you have me sending a
threatening letter.”
“What did the letter say again? I know you told me
when you called me back, but I can’t remember.”
“I said what you told me to say, that if she didn’t
sign the case out as a natural death, she and her family would face
serious consequences. I also said that if she went to the police
about the warning, she and her family would suffer the same
consquences.”
“Good, good,” Carlo repeated. “And you know she got
your love letter?”
“As sure as I can be. I made it a point to check
her office and saw it on her computer keyboard. It would have been
hard for her to have missed it.”
“And?”
“And what?”
“Do you know if she’s read it?”
“I assume she has, but I wasn’t hanging around to
watch.”
“Has her behavior changed?”
“Not in the way you want. In fact, like I suggested
yesterday, the letter seems to have made her more intent on
investigating the case. She even mentioned this morning that she’d
learned something particularly interesting last night.”
“Like what?” Carlo demanded, his tone changing from
mockingly humorous to dead serious.
“I don’t know,” Vinnie said. “She said that she
wanted to investigate a bit more. I think she believes she’s made
some progress, and my guess would be that’s not in the direction of
it being a natural death but rather a homicide.”
Vinnie then heard muffled conversation, as if Carlo
was trying to cover the mouthpiece of his phone. Fighting the urge
to hang up, Vinnie waited, but while he waited he came to
acknowledge that he was allowing himself to be drawn progressively
into a situation that would not end well. Next Carlo could and
probably would ask him to do something worse than compose a
threatening letter, which already had been bad enough.
Vinnie hung up the phone, realizing as he did that
he could be putting himself and his family in even greater
jeopardy. So great was his panic that he made the sudden decision
to leave town. It was his only choice. He had plenty of sick leave
and vacation time available. Although he knew admin liked more
warning, Vinnie was confident they’d make an exception, especially
if he pleaded a family emergency.
With sudden resolve, Vinnie quickly put in a call
to his wife, Charlene, who worked for her brother’s moving company
in Garden City, Long Island. He knew she’d be able to get the time
off; their business had been slow. The real problem would be the
girls and school, but such was life. As he waited for the call to
go through, he ran up the rear stairs to head to the first floor,
where the chief of staff had her office.
“Hastings Moving and Storage,” Charlene said when
she answered.
Vinnie didn’t waste words. Charlene was aghast at
first but was understanding when Vinnie explained that the
situation involved Paulie Cerino and the Vaccarro organization.
Having grown up with Vinnie in Rego Park, Charlene knew all about
the Mob and the danger they represented. She also knew Vinnie was
indebted to Paulie Cerino and what that meant.
“We’ve got to do this right away,” Vinnie anxiously
insisted, “like today! Get the girls and we’ll be off. At least
Florida is nice this time of year.”
“I’ve got to pack some things,” Charlene said,
sensing Vinnie’s panic.
“Of course, but don’t make it your life’s work,”
Vinnie urged. “And don’t tell anyone we’re leaving.”
“What about my aunt Hazel. We can’t just drop in on
her in Fort Myers. And I have to tell my brother.”
“Tell your brother, of course,” Vinnie said, “but
tell him not to let anyone else know. As far as your aunt is
concerned, let’s call her en route. We might be better off staying
at one of those cheap motels near the beach.”
“When will you be home?”
“As soon as possible, within the hour,” Vinnie
said. “At the moment I’m just outside the chief of staff’s office.
I have to get Twyla Robinson’s blessing. I don’t think there’ll be
a problem. It was just a week ago that she was reminding me how
much vacation time I’m owed.”
“I’ll try to get some schoolwork to take for the
kids.”
“Good idea.”
“Don’t you think you should warn Dr. Montgomery?”
Charlene questioned.
“I already did,” Vinnie said. “That’s why I have to
leave. I don’t want them asking me to do anything else. I know in
my bones that’s what they were about to do before I hung up on
them.”
“How long do you think we’ll have to be in
Florida?”
“Not long. Maybe a week or two. My sense is that
all hell is going to break out here in the next day or so, and I
want to be south of the Mason-Dixon Line.”