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“I did no such thing!”
“No? So, your notebook just happened to be at my house for Vinni to find when he arrived? Come on, Noemi.” I laughed. “You failed at killing me, you failed at setting me up, and now you failed at keeping this a secret too.” I waited a beat, knowing she was squirmy inside. “I know.” I let those words marinate in the air. “I know everything.” I was impressed at my own lie. I knew I had to sell it to her. The truth was I knew nothing about her secrets, but I was determined to figure them out before she could inflict more damage on anyone in the family. To me, that was what a great Donna would do for her people.
“And what is it that you think you know?” Her voice was unemotional and detached, robot-like. When I didn’t answer, she closed her eyes and swallowed hard. “You have no idea what door you just opened.”
“I do.” Another lie.
“You want to hurt me?” Her eyes flickered open, and I saw I’d woken something inside of her. “Let me return the favor.”Yes, this was what I wanted, more truths, more answers!“Rosa Coppola took your mother and me to New York one weekend. The trip seemed last-minute, and there was a cold weight that seemed to hover over the whole thing.” Her voice went almost sing-song as she related the story. “I couldn’t understand it until Elenora came back to the hotel one night, looking upset.” She smiled, but it was almost as though she was talking to herself, her voice was so odd. “Rosa had found out why Elenora was so sick. She found out her secret.” I felt my stomach tighten. Oh no.“She had that baby plucked from your mother so it wouldn’t be in the way when she and Theo tried to have kids. Yes, Francesco’s child would certainly have been a major inconvenience.”
I felt sick.
“Your mother got in the way of everything.” She sniffed, while I tried to mask my own reaction to what she was saying. “I’ve always hated her. Our lives clashed so many times, but New York was one of the worst. You claim you know the truth about this, but I call your bluff, because if you did, Francesco wouldn’t just be standing outside waiting for you. He’d be right here, front and center.”
I literally felt like the air was sucked from my lungs when I remembered something Mama told me a while ago about how she hated New York.
“I know you spent time at the Coppola house, Noemi, and I know you were there while you were pregnant with Niccola, yet you lied to everyone around you. How do I know you’re not lying now?”
Her head quickly turned to look at me, and I saw I’d hit a nerve.
“Like I said,” I shrugged and pushed aside the sadness from what I’d just learned, “I know all.”
“If you don’t believe me, just call Dr. Finley in New York and give him Rosa’s name. The rest will fall into place.”
“Your days are numbered, Noemi, and I’m sure Bosco would be very interested in your time spent at the Coppola house.” I looked straight into her eyes to show I wasn’t afraid of her. “The truth will come crashing down here very soon.”
I didn’t wait for a response. I headed outside to where Francesco was waiting, and he followed me to the car.
“Are you all right?” He put the car in reverse and spun around to leave. “Did she say something to upset you?”
I slowly exhaled and tried to choose my words. I waited until we were on the open road and a good distance away from the beach villa before I said anything.
“Your silence is making me uneasy, Sienna,”
“I know,” I admitted. “I’m just processing.”
“Did your plan work?”
“Yes.”
“I knew you’d be able to pull it off. I’m very proud of you. It takes strength to go face to face with someone who tried to kill you.” He looked at my face and continued to talk, which told me how nervous he was. He rarely said more than a few words at a time these days. “Lord knows, I’ve never been a fan of Noemi.” He glanced at me again. “I mean, when Elenora told me who she really was and about her connection to the Coppola family and to her brother, I couldn’t believe it. She’s been living under our roof all these years. Sometimes I wonder if Piero knew something was up with her, and that’s why Mrs. Greta moved in.Dio santo!” He chuckled. “I bet Greta knew who she was all this time.”
I’d never heard Francesco talk this much in my life. I sat back and listened to him until we got to the Hill House. I saw Elio’s car in the driveaway, and a few others. I wondered who else would be joining us on the tour.
“Did Mama ever mention a trip to New York?” came flying out of my mouth, and Francesco’s hand fell away from the door handle.
“Why are you asking about New York?”
“Did she?” I struggled with my words as he looked forward and frowned. “What did she say about it?”
“Just that she’d had to go there and would never return. I just assumed Rosa had made her witness a hit or something.”
“Something bigger happened.”
“Oh?”
“Apparently, she was pregnant with your baby when they first got together.” I hesitated. “Rosa found out, and took her to New York to…”
“I see.” He licked his lips. “Your mother was never very forthcoming with information. So, I shouldn’t be shocked she didn’t share this either.”
