Silent Whisper (19 page)

As I looked at my reflection, I wondered if that was the reason that Sal and Vinnie’s wives never had children. Maybe they secretly took birth control pills, the way that I had for a while, or maybe they had gone away on some secret vacation and had their tubes tied. I could only speculate, but I knew that I had made the only sane decision in leaving Dominic.

Dominic

It had been more than five weeks since Karlie had disappeared. I had phoned Belle daily, and each time I talked to her, she told me that Karlie hadn’t phoned her. The desperation in her voice haunted me, as if she couldn’t fathom why I hadn’t found her yet.

It wasn’t for lack of trying.

I’d hired a private investigator to comb the area around Belle’s, even having him stake it out for several weeks just in case she wasn’t being upfront with me.

Nothing.

I had searched Karlie’s condo, and it looked exactly as she would’ve left it had she planned on returning. Her clothes were still hanging in the closet and folded neatly in the dresser drawers. There was no sign of a struggle inside or out. Her car was gone as would be expected. Neighbors had not seen or heard anything unusual.

I’d checked her phone bill when it arrived. No collect calls, no long-distance or toll calls. It was as if she had disappeared off the face of the planet. I wasn’t even sure what she was living on because I had no clue how Karlie had managed her money. I hadn’t made it my concern because she craved her financial independence, but now I wondered if she had possibly fled the country. I prayed that this is what happened; I couldn’t live with myself if I’d been responsible for her murder.

I couldn’t mention that I knew about the contract. I couldn’t expose Marco that way. Besides, under family rules, it was really a moot point.

My father had contacted me the day I returned to Camden asking where the hell I was. I told him I’d been called back due to a medical emergency with Anna Maria. She was recovering from pneumonia and I was needed at home.

Since there was never any interaction between Anna Maria and the rest of the family, he couldn’t prove otherwise. I had requested that she stay within the confines of our estate for the next couple of weeks, even allowing her to have her lover, Christina, stay with her in our suite. She was unusually compliant, which triggered my suspicions a bit.

My father took the initiative to appoint someone else as consigliere since my absence was going to span a couple of weeks. I mostly stayed at my estate, not taking calls unless they were from Marco or Vinnie.

Vinnie had not spoken a word to me about Karlie. That was the way it was with family. Everyone knew protocol. He probably thought I’d been clueless as to what he and Sherry had been up to with Marco and the rest of the family with respect to the heroin and cocaine sewn safely inside Karlie’s garments going to Italy.

Once exposed, he knew that as a member of the family, my place was to support the project and my loyalty belonged to the families involved in this particular deal, no exceptions. He would naturally presume that as a loyal member of the family, I personally had arranged the hit on Karlie for the reason that she’d uncovered family business and was a potential risk to us. I didn’t let him think any differently through my conversations or interactions with him or anyone else tied to this project.

The thing that Vinnie hadn’t counted on was the fact that he’d deliberately betrayed a major rule of LCN by allowing a non-family member, and non-associate, participate in this business venture to the full extent—Sherry Ritaglio. Sherry was up to her eyeballs in this deal. If things went askew, I had that filed away for future reference.

I was in my study, checking my messages on my private phone when Anna Maria tapped on the door.

“Come in,” I said, not looking up.

“Nick,” she said, almost tentatively. “I know you’ve been distracted lately, and well, with staying here so much and allowing Christina to be here when I…know how
difficult
that is for you…I feel like—”

“Spit it out, Anna,” I snapped, already bored with the conversation.

She closed the door behind her softly, and turned back to me, wringing her hands.

“It’s about Karlie,” she said, getting my attention immediately. “I went to see her several weeks ago. It was right before you came back to Camden…to stay…this last time.”

I cocked a brow, waiting for her to continue.

“If she’s gone, it’s because of me,” she admitted, her voice full of nervous angst.

“Go on,” I instructed.

“Well, it’s just that I’ve been around you long enough to know when things are heating up with the family business and all. So, I don’t know, I knew it was
different
with her. Your feelings, I mean. There were times you called out her name while you slept. You talked about her in your sleep. Part of me was curious, and part of me was even a bit jealous, and I know how crazy that sounds, but it’s the truth, Nick. Anyway, I went there initially out of curiosity and maybe even to intimidate her a little bit. I guess it was a little insecurity on my part even though our marriage—is well, a farce,” she continued. “But once I was there with her, and talking to her, I just—I dunno, I felt
badly
for her. I think I might be the reason you’re looking for her, Nick. I think I may have scared her off, and I’m sorry.”

She lowered her head, looking at her hands, waiting for me to yell or to show anger. I couldn’t. She may have saved my Karlie’s life.

“What was the exact day you visited her? This is important, Anna.”

She looked up at me, studying my face to find something there to explain why I wasn’t angry. “It was the evening of October 11th,” she answered.

“Thank you, Anna,” I replied. “You may go now.”

After she left, I breathed a slight sigh of relief. For the first time in over five weeks, I felt somewhat optimistic that Karlie had in fact left town before Vinnie had discovered that someone had opened the crate and uncovered the hidden cargo. Hell, Karlie might’ve left the same night that Anna had visited. My heart wanted to believe more than anything that Karlie was safe at least for the moment.

I knew as soon as that shipment docked in Palermo, which should be any day now, the contract for the hit would be forgotten. I had seen to that through Marco. He had distracted Fat Tony’s associate for the time being, with some false information along with a nice bribe. Once the cargo reached its final destination, the hit on Karlie would fall by the wayside because more important matters would take top priority.

I now realized that this thing between Karlie and me—it was over. I wouldn’t have changed a thing about it, but now I could live with the fact that she was most likely safe, and outside of the LCN’s reach. And as long as she stayed wherever she was, she would have a future, even if it wasn’t going to be with me. I would never have wanted to deny her that. She was the love of my life. No one would or
could
ever replace her in my heart. I knew this to be the truth. For now, I continued to hope and pray that time was on her side and on mine.

It had been four months ago that I’d come to Lana’s. I was seven months pregnant, and my unborn child was kicking up a storm and already had a place in my heart.

The time here had gone very slowly at first. I was emotionally in pieces, and I knew that it was going to take time. Dominic had stopped with his daily checks to Belle three months ago. She told Lana he stopped one day and had never called her since. Now Belle and I could converse without worry that someone was tapping her phone. She even had made a trip to Roanoke Rapids for visit a couple of times, hugging me and telling me how beautiful I looked and what a good momma I was going to make.

Lana and Walter had been wonderful to me. I was seeing an obstetric doctor in Richmond, Virginia, and Walter had suggested that I go in under Lana’s name just in case the long arm of the mafia was still searching for me. He was convinced that there was more to it than just Dominic trying to make sure that I was safe. Since he’d been a judge and knew much more about those kinds of criminals and their activities, I felt like he was probably right so I took his advice. I knew that both he and Lana had the best interest of the baby and me at heart.

Lana and I had shopped for baby furniture and a full layette. I wasn’t sure if the baby was going to be a boy or a girl, so we bought a lot of things in yellow and green. We had decorated another bedroom into a nursery.

I had been frugal with my money and still had over fourteen thousand dollars left. I’d paid off the obstetrician’s bill, so the only other big expense I had would be the hospital bill when I delivered. Walter and Lana had refused to take any money for rent or groceries. Lana had even bought the crib, changing table and dresser for the baby’s room.

She said once the baby was born, if I wanted to find a part-time job or something, she’d be glad to babysit. As much as I loved her for offering, I knew that I couldn’t stay here forever. At some point, I had to make a life for the baby and myself independent of their generous nature. I didn’t mention it to her at the time; she was so excited at the prospect of helping me care for the baby. I figured by the time the baby was six or eight months old, I would be ready to venture out on my own, though I really did want to stay in the area. North Carolina was beautiful. And if I remained close enough, Lana could certainly babysit, but I would insist on paying her.

Lana and I had just finished washing and folding all of the new baby clothes we’d bought and getting ready to start dinner when the phone rang.

“I’ve got it,” Lana said, as I was washing the potatoes to peel. “I hope Walter’s not going to be late again. This golfing streak he’s on is getting out of hand,” she laughed.

“Oh hi, Belle,” I heard her say from the other room. “What?”

Immediately my ears perked up. “No we don’t. Okay, okay. Let me get off the phone and I’ll turn it on.”

What the hell?

“Karlie,” she called, “Get in here. Belle said something big is going down in New York and to put the national news on.”

I hurried out into the living room where Lana switched the television set on, clicking the remote until she found a cable station showing the news.

“Today in New York City a federal grand jury handed down eight secret indictments for charges ranging from racketeering, money laundering, international drug trafficking, extortion, tax evasion amongst several other RICO charges after an eighteen month investigation conducted in conjunction with several federal factions of both U.S. and Italian officials that has halted the establishment of a major trade route of heroin and cocaine from the U.S. to Europe. The warrants have been issued and the indictments have been served either directly or to legal counsel representing the following members of the notorious Giometti and Castellano families operating a drug cartel within New York and New Jersey that spanned international boundaries. Indicted were Anthony Giometti, a capo with the Giometti family of Brooklyn, New York; Joseph, a.k.a. ‘Mama’s Boy’ Giometti, the underboss of the same family, Nicholas Giometti, the consigliere of the Giometti family, Marco Trevani, an associate with the Giometti family, Salvador Leon Castellano, the mob boss of the Castellano family from Chicago; Salvador Michael Castellano, a.k.a. ‘Little Sal’ the underboss of the Castellano family, Vincente Joseph Castellano, a.k.a. ‘Vinnie’ a soldier within the Castellano family, and Dominico Matteo Castellano, former consigliere of the Castellano family. Federal prosecutors in New York will be working with federal prosecutors from New Jersey and Illinois to sort out and establish which federal court shall be granted jurisdiction on the multiple charges for the multiple defendants. Sources say this is one of the biggest federal busts in the history of mafia operations, or as mob families prefer to call it, La Cosa Nostra, meaning ‘Our Cause.’ It is expected to spawn more charges including murder, kidnapping, fraud, illegal wire-tapping, and federal arms violations. Legal experts predict it will take months to unravel the intricate activities within the LCN, but an unconfirmed source has revealed these indictments did not come without having assistance from the inside. More of this story will be forthcoming in the weeks and months ahead.”

I went numb; totally statuesque numb. I’m not sure how long before I was actually able to hear what Lana was saying. I just caught bits and pieces of things like ‘good riddance to them all’ and ‘aren’t you glad you got away from the fucking scum’ and ‘I hope they all rot in prison before they fucking burn in hell.’

“Stop!” I shrieked. “Stop, stop, stop!”

And then silence enveloped the room that we were in, and I turned to Lana, and quietly spoke. “Never,
ever
speak of Dominic like that,” I warned. “You can have those thoughts if you want; you can voice them to anyone you choose, but not to me, and not in front of me, do you understand?”

Her mouth had dropped open, and she stared at me, not recognizing the hardness and coldness in my voice because she had never heard me speak of something in that manner, and in that tone. I was still waiting for her confirmation.

She nodded her head several times, remaining quiet.

“Thank you,” I whispered, and then I got up, and went upstairs to my room, where I crawled beneath the covers of my bed and stayed there for the next ten days.