She picks it up and twirls it between her fingers. Her shoulder sag as if the surprise visit has unleashed the past and now it weighs heavily on her. “I always did hate those feathers,” she mutters.
Turning, she places the feather on top of the dark mafia romance book “Very well.” She stands. “Come inside.”
Dominic glances at the book and looks at me. “I wonder if the leader is a female.”
“It would be nice if there were more books like that,” I mutter as we follow her through the creaky screen door into the house. But Rosa Marconi’s books are not my concern, I would like clarity for once.
The old woman gestures for us to sit at the dining room table.
“Would you like anything to drink or eat? I just made some scones.” She places a platter of golden-brown scones in the center of the table. Each one is plump with blueberries and the buttery scent wafts into our noses.
“I would love one, I’m starved,” Dominic reaches over and takes one.
I give him a look, but he ignores me. Clearly everything he has witnessed about poison being injected into food has gone out the window.
Rosa sits down at the opposite end of the table. She folds her hands. “You’re right, Cipriani, I am Rosa Marconi. When I moved here many years ago, I changed my name to Mary Carmichael. I erased all evidence of Rosa Marconi and swore to never speak of her again. I’m surprised that you found me. I thought I did a great job of eradicating my existence.”
“Why did you do that?” I glance at Dominic who is devouring the scone as if he hasn’t eaten in days.
“After Francesca’s death there had been rumors circling for years that she had been involved with a Capuano. But there was never any proof of it. The day of the wedding massacre I had a strong feeling the Capuanos were behind it. They were more powerful than us and I knew every Marconi would be a target now. I had to flee, so I did. Now I live here with Estella.” She nods to the orange tabby cat sunning itself on the window sill. “But I don’t know what help I can give to a mob family. I’m just a little old lady with no mafia connections at all.”
I take a deep breath, “The reason we’re here is for the past month, someone has been trying to take out our family. They are sending chess pieces and raven feathers just before they attack. As you know the raven feathers are synonymous with your family.”
“You think I had something to do with it?” Rosa raises her eyebrows.
“No. But I’m hoping you can provide us with some answers.”
Rosa pauses for a moment. “Yes the feathers are the Marconi symbol, but my family hasn’t been in power for thirty years. It could be another family using our name to hide behind.”
I lean forward clasping my hands on the table. “I think this is stemming from the incident surrounding Francesca Marconi.” From my pocket I pull out the obituary paper and give it to her.
Tears brim in Rosa’s eyes as she looks at it. “Ah, my beautiful niece, Francesca.”
“The rumors were true. The Capuano that she was involved with was my father, Vincenzo.”
Rosa cocks her head. “The son of the Capuano leader. My brother Tony, Francesca’s father, would have lost his mind. He was head of the Marconi family at the time. He had a horrible stroke and couldn’t carry out his duties so his eldest son Aldo took over.”
“What do you know about Francesca’s death?”
“From what I was told Francesca was out with Aldo. They were ambushed by masked men who shot at them. Francesca got hit. Aldo tried to save her but she died on scene. It was a shame, she was so young. There were rumors that it was men from the Capuano family who did it but they had no proof.”
I glance at Dominic who is wolfing down his second scone. Good thing those scones aren’t poisonous, there would be no saving him.
“Did you go to the wedding of Aldo’s daughter?” I ask.
“No. I had been fighting a cold for weeks. The day of the wedding I was having trouble breathing and went to the hospital. It turns out I had walking pneumonia. I told my husband to go to the wedding without me. It was an important day for Caterina, Aldo’s daughter, and one of us should be there.” She wipes a tear from her eye. “I wish I had told him not to go. But I never thought an attack on our turf would break out. It was supposed to be a small private ceremony in the garden of Aldo’s mansion. Only the family was invited. There were so many guards patrolling and guests had to be on a list in order to enter.”
My fingers drum on the table as I listen. Sounds like the same scenario that happened at my party, only not as extreme.
“Just as the nuptials were finishing,” Rosa continues. “Two giant trucks broke through the gates. There were a bunch of masked men with AK rifles that shot multiple rounds at everyone. There was no way to escape and nowhere to run. The men on those trucks shot close to two hundred rounds. Everyone died. Aldo, his daughter, her husband, everyone were all among the casualties, even my Franco. The only person who escaped was great-uncle Max because he was using the bathroom at the time.” A chuckle escapes her lips. “That old man had a bladder the size of a pea. He was the one who phoned the authorities.”
“So you and great-uncle Max were the only ones who survived the massacre?” I ask.
Rosa nods. “Yes. Great-uncle Max died ten years ago. I’m the only one left.”
“Are you sure? Could someone else have escaped the party and they could be seeking revenge now?”
Rosa pauses. “That massacre happened thirty years ago. It seems like a long time to wait for revenge. Someone must be using our name to hide behind.” She takes a deep breath. “Those days are a blur. After I buried my Franco, I escaped toWisconsin. The other families didn’t do anything. They just let it go. They justified the attacks because there had been rumors that the Marconis had turned soft and were giving information to the feds. My brother Tony would be turning over in his grave at these accusations. That’s why I came here. I knew that if I stayed either the Capuanos or another family would kill me. It was obvious they wanted our bloodline eliminated.”
