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Tai asks me if it’s okay that the clean-up crew will wait for an hour or so, “until Jerry’s journey is complete.” I tell him that’s a good idea. He also asks if I would mind him having the sound system on the roof turned up to mask Jerry’s screams. I agree. We don}t want to bother the police department unnecessarily.
He moves to Alessio and asks if he knows about Jerry’s taste in music.
“Sure. He likes a lot of things. Fairly trad and old-school mainly. He listened to Billy Joel and the Eagles. He loves the old singers like Sinatra, Dean Martin. He kind of like most things, apart from girl singers, and he hates country.”
Tai nods and leaves.
Catlin comes to me with Erin and asks if I need her any more today. Looks to me like she and her new apprentice have some R & R in mind and, after the job they’ve done today, I’m not going to raise any objections. I thank them and shake them both by the hand. I knew my instinct was right about Erin.
Meanwhile, Bruno’s fists clench, and his teeth.
He tells Alessio, “If you were any mafioso, anyone, anywhere, you would be dead. The only question would be if anyone cared about you enough to make it quick. And, spoiler — they pretty much never do.”
Alessio bows his head.
Carlo says, “You betrayed us.”
Bruno nods, solemn and stern. “You betrayed Lucia. And that’s betraying all of us in the worst way.”
“No.” Alessio protests. “Come on. I didn’t.”
The air shakes with Beyonce’s version of Jolene.
Bruno’s face is like granite. “Yeah, you did, Alessio. You went off like a dog after a bone. Jerry promised you what you wanted to hear and you were all over him.”
Alessio turns to me, “Help me, Lucia?
“Oh, now the strongman pleads?” My chest buzzes with anger. “You were all about going your own way, making your own decisions. What was it you said? It was for the good of the family? I would come to see it in the long term? Is that right, or did I dream it all?”
“Okay.” He raises a hand. “Okay. You’re right. I got carried away.”
“I’ll say you did,” Bruno’s voice raises “Carried off without even putting up a fight.”
“Alright,” Alessio holds up his hands. “I did. I got it wrong. I believed his lies. But I came back. Didn’t I? I turned it around.”
Without too much enthusiasm, Carlo says, “You did.”
Bruno leans forward, “You always wanted it, even though you were never the real heir.”
Carlo agrees, “It’s true, Alessio. I remember the first day you moved into the house. You came upstairs. We’d already met. Up until then we got along okay, considering the differences in our ages, but that day you said, ‘I’m here now. All of this going to be mine. So you’d better be sure to stay on my good side.’ I’ll never forget.”
Bruno nods. “Yeah, Alessio. You were always kind of a prick.”
Alessio takes a long breath. “Oh, right. Let’s get it all out now, shall we?”
Bruno’s head tilts. “Well, it’s not like you don’t deserve it.”
Carlo presses his lips together, “You’ve had it coming for a long time.”
Taylor Swift’s Picture to Burn blasts out of the sound system.
“I’m here, right? I saw my mistake.”
“Well,” Bruno looks at Carlo. Both their heads shake.
Carlo says, “Not without some help.”
“Not without some serious nudging,” Bruno’s chin lifts.
