Chapter 26

The occasion was Anna Tomaro’s seventh birthday, and her second birthday without her grandmother, so the entire family was compensating with a gathering around the pool on a warm Saturday afternoon. “I love it here,” grinned Steve as he handed Fabbi and Natalia a tall, ice cold lemonade as they lounged on the patio. “In the U.P. in March I’d be shoveling the driveway, here I’m watching my garden bloom.” He noticed the sideways glare he got from Natalia and amended that statement, “our garden.”

“And how is work?” asked Fabbi. She was seated in Maria’s favorite chair, a vintage wicker rattan chair with a peacock fan high back that was in the patio’s shade. The high back of the chair and the crimson pattern sarong she wore made her look like a regal queen, and she was well aware of that.

The waterfront really suited Steve. It’s less uptight than the hospital, and hanging out with dockworkers was like being back in Special Ops. “It’s getting better, every day Natalia meets me at noon, and we have lunch. The boys treat her like a queen. We can’t wait to get back.”

“Get back?” asked Fabbi. “Where would you be going?”

Steve knew that Fabbi never asked a question that she didn’t know the answer to. “Italy. We were thinking of skiing at Piancavallo and seeing the sights in Pordenone and Venice. Y’know, see the sights, meet the people.” Steve stepped into the pool and eased into his floating lounger.

“Nothing else?” Fabbi asked.

“Oh, I might run into an old friend and have a talk with him. Aviano is a military town, there’s lots of Americans there.”

“What do you want?”

“What do I want?” asked Steve. “I want Alfeo Gronchi’s head on a silver platter, and I want Natalia to be the happiest woman on earth.” Natalia came over to the pool, leaned over, and kissed her man.

“Hand me that platter and I will be the happiest woman on earth, and I’ll do anything you want.” With a happy growl, Steve pulled Natalia into his lap, upsetting the floating lounge, and they both ended up in the water. They came to the surface kissing.

Tiny Anna and Emma came out of the house after changing into their swimsuits as Jeannie followed, holding four month old Annamaria Giacinta Bellini-Tamaro, and the proud daddy, Derick, took up position at the bar. Anna and Emma squealed as they saw Uncle Steve in the pool, and they dashed in to play with him and Aunt Natalia.

As the sun sank below the horizon, the tiki torches were lit. Steve got out of the pool and started the grill. A hot Saturday Evening in Florida with family and friends, hamburgers, hotdogs and cold beer. The only one missing was Bruce McLaren. He had to work, but Lisa was there. She sat near Fabbi, and they talked, but at the moment she was on the phone. Steve looked at the chrome serving platter next to the grill and was about to say something when a voice cried out, “EVERYBODY!” Lisa squealed.

Lisa jumped up and screamed, “TURN ON CNN!” Lisa was holding her phone to her ear and pleaded for everyone to hush.

Derick turned the TV to CNN just in time to see... “This is Ashley McKenzie live at JFK International Airport where this amazing arrest just took place.”

The scene changed to show people coming out of customs at JFK and many being shuffled to the side by TSA agents. That’s when Alfeo Gronchi could be seen exiting customs and walking toward the camera. Suddenly, Bruce and two NYPD officers stepped up to Alfeo. The sound was muffled but they could hear Bruce say, “Alfeo Gronchi, I’m Detective Leonard McLaren with the Vero Beach PD and I have an arrest warrant for you in the murder of Father Ewen MacCailein and two counts of Solicitation of Murder and two counts of facilitating murder in the deaths of Darlene Colella and Annamaria Anderson, furthermore the City of New York has opened up an inquiry into the death of Giuseppe D’Amato. You have the right to remain silent...”

As Bruce walked past the camera, everyone was stunned, staring at the tv in silence. Then the scene went live, and Ashley breathlessly announced “New York City developer Alfeo Gronchi has been arrested and is being charged with the murder of a beloved priest in Vero Beach Florida, and is also charged in connection with a shootout just blocks away from the church that left ten people dead and nearly half a dozen injured...”

Cheering went up as everybody was overwhelmed with relief. It’s over! The fear of Alfeo Gronchi returning to finish the job was gone! “NATALIA! DIDJA HEAR THE NEWS?”

Natalia turned in Steve’s arms and saw Mrs. Weberman leaning out of her window. “Yes we did Mrs. Weberman! Come on over!” Several neighbors came over and it became a very lively bash. It eventually attracted the attention of the Vero Beach PD, who walked around the garage to see if this party was getting out of control.

Natalia did something that she never thought she would ever do. She threw her arms around the nearest cop and cried, “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

“I’m just here to check out the noise, ma’am.”

“Didn’t you hear? The shoot out that was here last year, they just caught the guy!”

Steve continued to grill every burger and dog they had, but he called out, “Lisa! Your friends want you!”

A fairly tipsy Detective Lisa McLaren explained the party to the officers as a celebration of her husband’s starring role on CNN live. While she did that, Steve and Natalia took a cheeseburger over to Fabbi, who remained in her chair with a wise smile on her face. Steve proffered the burger and said, “Thank you.”

“I didn’t do anything,” she said as she took the burger and tried a dainty bite.

“You spoke to someone in the Gronchi family, didn’t you,” said Natalia.

“I had a lovely cup of tea with an old friend and invited him to come down and I would make him fresh Shrimp Fra Diavolo and Risotto.” She smiled as she nibbled the burger. “I may have asked him to place a phone call. So do you two feel safe?”

“How long is Gronchi going to be in prison?”

“It shouldn’t be too terribly long,” said Fabbi as she lifted the bun and inspected the burger. “Word will get out that Mister Gronchi will name many Black Ridge names at his deposition. We assume that there will be some unrest in the Black Ridge members of the prison community.” She looked up at a joyful Steve and Natalia with an innocent smile.

Steve put his arm around Natalia’s narrow waist and said, “Thank you again Aunt Fabbi.”

“It’s Aunt Fabbi now? Not sis?” the matriarch asked.

“No, your niece and I are free to make plans for our future now. I think our familial relationship will change in the near future.”

“We will talk more lovebirds, but for now, enjoy your victory.”

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