Page 62 of Family Ties and Alibis

“What’s it?”

“Ione. It finally clicked. That’s the name I heard the night of my attack. I’m almost positive of it.”

“We need to let the investigators know,” Gina said.

Carlita shook her head. “Eventually, but not yet. I think more parties are involved, and we need to figure out who they are before we start naming names. I have my suspicions about why Ione and her accomplice attacked Vinnie.”

“To make Treasure Cove appear unsafe and drive customers away,” Pete said.

“Maybe. It’s also possible Ione thinks you killed Sal and came after you.”

“You don’t believe she was the one who killed Sal?” Paulie asked. “If it wasn’t Ione, who was it?”

“I wish I knew.” Carlita rubbed her forehead. “Regardless, I think she holds the key. Where’s the recording device?”

“It’s in her backpack.” Mercedes threw her arm around her sister-in-law’s shoulder. “Gina slipped it in there like nobody’s business.”

“You still have the earpiece?”

“Yeah. I listened in for a while, but it was mostly static and muffled voices.”

“She’s probably gonna need to be wearing the backpack for us to hear anything,” Carlita said.

Mercedes started to pace. “Let’s go with the theory Sal and Ione were both involved in some shady activities—wonging, cheating, trying to pass counterfeit money, and causing trouble.”

“At Treasure Cove and Quick Cash Casino,” Gina added.

Carlita picked up. “Sal gets kicked out of Vinnie’s casino. Not only kicked out but in a very public and visible way, banned for life. Sal goes back to Ione or whoever he’s working with; some sort of disagreement or argument ensues and Sal ends up floating face down in the ocean.”

“If Ione wasn’t his killer, she’s ticked, thinking it was Vinnie, so she plans to hurt him,” Tony said. “With help from a second unknown person.”

“It was a guy,” Vinnie said. “Ione and some guy.”

“Ione, aka Ms. X, is feeling pressure from the investigators, so she makes up a story, claiming Sal was afraid of Godmother Garlucci,” Pete said.

“A made-up name if I ever heard one,” Carlita interjected.

“The next step is to apply some pressure to force Ione to make a move,” Vinnie said.

“Not to point out the obvious, but we’re running out of time.” Tony tapped the top of his watch. “We’re heading home soon.”

“I’m not sure the cops are gonna let me leave the state,” Carlita sighed. “The big question is how do we get her to make a move?”

Luigi cracked his knuckles. “I have ways of persuading people to talk.”

“As a last resort,” Vinnie said. “We don’t need any more crimes being committed.”

“What time did you say she gets off work?” Paulie glanced at the clock.

“Nine,” Gina said. “She’s working from noon ‘til nine.”

“If Ione is in any way involved in Sal’s murder, she’s gonna be in a state of panic by the time I’m done with her,” Vinnie said.

“We need a two-pronged approach. Vinnie will be the one to light her fire, to get her to make a move.”

“Close to the time her shift ends,” Pete added. “We don’t want to give her too much time to think about what’s going down.”

“I’ll show up at the casino at quarter ‘til nine, right before her shift ends.”