“Dad’s chess set. I had forgotten about that. I remember when the whole family used to play together. You should ask Mom. I’m sure she moved it somewhere. She gets sad thinking about Dad.” She turns to Elio. “Elio loves chess. You would have loved Dad’s chess set. It was handmade out of golden rosewood.”
“You play chess?” I look at him.
“Yes.” Gigi answers for him. “He used to play in all kinds of tournaments. Maybe he can teach you when you find it. He’s a real chess champion.”
Discomfort crosses Elio’s face, but his lips twist into a polite smile. “It’s true, I do love chess. I’m not a professional, but Ienjoy playing.” He leans against the wall, his gaze drifting to the window. “I don’t mean to nerd out. But there’s something about a game of chess that thrills me. Every piece has a role. A purpose. A strength. A weakness. The board looks orderly, but one wrong move and the whole structure collapses.” He glances at me. “It’s like a family. Everyone has a part to play, but sometimes there is dishonesty and not everyone survives the endgame. You never know who’s pulling the strings and what the next move will be.”
Goosebumps rise on my skin.
Dominic catches my eye and gives me a look that sayswe should go.
“Do you know Bruno De Luca?” I turn to Elio.
He gives me a blank stare. “Bruno? No, I don’t. Who is he?”
“A very good chess player.” I give Gigi a hug and whisper that she needs to be careful. She ignores me like always. I nod to Elio and we head out.
“Are you sure that was a good idea telling him about the chess set?” Dominic whispers to me as we cross the street and head back to my house.
“Yes, because now we know he loves playing chess.”
“But he couldn’t have stolen the chess set. The first piece was delivered the day of your party and that’s when Gigi first met him.”
“True but he could be working with someone.” My brain replays Elio’s words over and over again as I step onto the porch and unlock the door.
Like a family. One wrong move and the whole structure collapses. Not everyone survives the endgame.
The pieces click and a sickening feeling churns in the pit of my stomach. I grab Dominic’s arm.
“Cipi, are you okay?” He opens the door and guides me through it to the living room.
I’m not okay.
I feel stupid.
The signs were there.
How could I have not seen it?
“Dominic,” I sink into the couch. “The chess pieces are not random.”
“What are you talking about?” He folds his arms.
I look up at him. “Like Elio said, the chess pieces are like a family. One wrong move and the structure collapses and you never know who controls the strings.”
Dominic looks confused.
“Don’t you see, Dominic. The chess pieces that we keep getting. They’re not just chess pieces. They’re us!”
Chapter twenty
Dominic looks at me like I have three heads.
“The chess pieces are us, Dominic! The Capuano Family.” I grab his hand to emphasize the seriousness of the situation.
“What are you talking about, Cipi?”
“Each piece that has been sent to us symbolizes someone who is part of our family and foreshadows them being the next one to die.” I jump to my feet. “Follow me.”
