I tap my cheek with my finger. “Cyanide is a fast acting poison and it takes about thirty minutes for a victim to die once symptoms appear.”
“You know this how?” Nonna raises her eyebrows.
“Research, Nonna, research.” I flash her a fake smile. “I would never use something like that. I’ve watched a lot of crime documentaries. Dad must have eaten something else within that thirty minute timeframe. Maybe he ordered food.”
Nonna sniffs and folds her arms. “He would never. My cooking is the best. Your mother comes in second after me.”
“Of course, Nonna.” I pause. “What can you tell me about the Marconi Family?”
Nonna’s mouth thins into a line. “The best way to sum up the Marconi Family is a young love gone horribly wrong.”
I lean forward. “You knew about Francesca, didn’t you?”
“Of course, I knew.” Nonna sigh. “A mother always knows. You could see it all over your father’s face. He tried to hide it but I knew my son.”
“Did Nonno know?”
“Are you crazy?” She gives me a look. “He would have disowned your father if he found out. I caught them together in the gardens one night during a party. I figure it was no harm. They were teenagers. I never told him. Your father did come to me one night and asked me how I felt about becoming a Nonna. I told him he was crazy. Then Francesca died. Poor thing.” She takes a shaky breath.
I move my chair closer to her. “It’s okay, Nonna. You don’t have to tell me anything else if you’re going to get upset.”
She shakes her head. “No. It’s about time I talked about it. It was then I knew she was pregnant and had gotten killed for it. After that my Vincenzo wasn’t the same person. A part of him died too. He became very withdrawn and quiet. I didn’t see the spark return to his eyes until years later when he met your mother. But Francesca was always in the back of his mind. When that hit on the Marconi Family happened, I knew he was getting revenge for what had transpired years ago. He wipedthem all out in one ambush. He made those excuses about how the Marconis had turned on the families and had sold out to the feds but I knew it was all a lie.” She reaches into the drawer beside her and pulls out an old wooden rosary. She grips it tight between her fingers.
I get out of my chair and come around the side of the table and rest my hand on her shoulder.
Nonna dabs her eye with the towel. “I knew your father killed them all to avenge Francesca. But I never said anything. I didn’t want any harm to come to my Vincenzo. Thank God we have a civil relationship with the other families so they supported his decision and no turf wars broke out over it.”
“Are you sure the whole family was killed? Did anyone escape?”
Nonna shrugs and clutches the rosary tighter. “I don’t know Tesoro. I don’t know.”
“I know someone must have survived that massacre and now they’re coming after us. But I don’t understand, why now? It’s been close to twenty years.”
“This is around the time it happened. Francesca’s death and Marconi Massacre, same month, just years in between." She reaches over and squeezes my hand. “You must be careful, not only with your surroundings, but your heart too.”
I pause and stare at her, unsure of what she means.
“Young love can either bring a second chance or danger,” Nonna continues. “Personally, I feel a second chance is in your favor.”
Realization sweeps over me. “You know about Dominic?”
“Honey, the fact you thought you could keep this from the family is funny. You know we find out everything. Of course I know. I'm old, not blind. Both your mother and I know. That’s why we haven’t been coming over to your house as much. Wesaw you two together through our binoculars. You need to learn to close those blind tighter and not leave the crack open.”
“Nonna!”
“Plus Bruno and Salvatore told us. Lucia too, and Gigi, that girl could never keep her mouth shut.”
Traitors.
“My only question is why you didn’t tell us. I like Dominic.”
I hang my head. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want you all to make a big deal out of it. After all Dominic did betray us and went to work with the feds.”
Nonna shakes her head. “He didn’t betray us. All those years that Dominic worked for them, we were never investigated, no charges were ever pinned on us. He had to do what he had to do, just like you had to do what you had to do.”
I sigh. “I guess, but after all this is over he’s going to go back to his job, and I am too.”
“But his job isn’t working for the feds right?”
