Page 45 of Family Ties and Alibis

“Nah. I get lots of spam calls. I probably dismissed it and marked it as spam,” Vinnie said.

A smile spread across Mercedes’ face. “Ma is the godmother.”

“It’s ridiculous,” she huffed. “Your father never called me that in his entire life.”

Luigi chuckled. “Instead of calling you Mrs. T, I should start calling you Godmother T.”

Carlita mustered a stern scowl and wagged her finger at him. “Don’t you dare.”

“I gotta admit, it has a catchy ring to it,” Paulie said.

“Pops liked to crack jokes,” Tony said. “Maybe he was joking about it one day and Sal overheard it.”

“Your father was a practical joker.” Carlita cleared her throat. “The bottom line is the cops are applying a little heat to Vinnie and now me. Whoever this Ms. X is, she’s thrown a boatload of suspicion about Sal’s death on us.”

Despite having her own doubts about Tommy Castellini, Carlita never brought up his name because of Brittney’s presence. If she suspected even a whisper of his involvement, it would be met with fierce opposition. And if there was even a sliver of truth, Tommy would find out. In other words, she had to keep her hunches on the down-low, at least for now.

“We need to focus on Quick Cash and figure out who Ms. X is.” Mercedes shifted her feet. “Any ideas about how we can get an inside scoop on Sal’s activities over there? I mean, at least a few of the casino’s employees must know who this Ms. X is.”

“We could make it our new hangout,” Luigi suggested. “I’m sure people are still talking about Sal’s death.”

“It hits close to home,” Tony said. “The fact that the police haven’t made any arrests probably has locals and casino employees on edge.”

“I’ve heard it from a few of my people,” Vinnie reminded them. “Believe me, local business owners are talking.”

“I have an idea, although implementing it will have its challenges,” Carlita said.

“Which is?” Tony prompted.

“I’ve noticed help wanted signs everywhere, including at Quick Cash Casino.”

“It’s tough finding good employees,” her son said.

“Mercedes has server experience.”

Paulie arched his eyebrow. “I think I know where you’re going with this. Figuring out a way to get Mercedes a job over at Quick Cash will be tricky.”

Mercedes cracked her knuckles. “This could be fun.”

“Hold up.” Tony did a timeout with his hands. “There’s a problem, and it’s a biggie.”

“Garlucci as a last name,” Carlita said.

“I know a business outside Atlantic City who can get you a legit ID for the right price,” Vinnie said.

“Perfect. Problem solved.”

“They don’t offer expedited service. It would take some time connecting with the right people to make it happen.”

Carlita cast her son with a concerned stare. “Please tell me you haven’t branched out into the fake ID business.”

“No way. The feds have been cracking down, which is why you have to jump through hoops to get one. According to what I’ve heard on the street, the people who run it have gone underground until the heat is off.”

Her heart plummeted. “Where’s Elvira when you need her?”

“Home wrecking walls,” Pete said. “You could call her to see if she has a contact near here.”

“She would charge me an arm and a leg.”