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"Teddy," he says in a chastising tone.
"Yes," I finally respond, crumbs falling out of my mouth.
"Care to tell me a little bit more about this new addition?"
Before I can respond, Carmine walks into the kitchen.
"Hey!" I say to him with my mouth open. "I didn't know you were stopping by!"
"I came to visit my father," he says somberly.
Carmine and I have been friends since we were kids. He was Charlie's kid and my age, and since Charlie and I were so close, it made sense that me and him developed a friendship. He looks a lot like a thinned-down version of his dad, too.
I always sort of wondered why Carmine and I got along so well when I didn't have the best of relationships with my brothers. He and I are pretty opposite in terms of personalities. He's pretty uptight, even more so since his dad died, but I get that.
It really sucks that Constantino murdered Charlie. I would have really loved to talk to him right now. When Charlie died, I also felt like I lost a father.
Charlie loved the gardens on this property. When he died, Primo made sure to bury him there out of respect. We all had a special place in our hearts for Charlie.
My relationship with Carmine hasn't been quite the same since that day, either. I'm hoping that once he has enough time to grieve, he'll be back to his old self.
"Her name is Raven Kirkland, but she currently goes by the name Sister Neriah," he says, ignoring my question. "She disappeared during her junior year of high school under auspicious circumstances. Her parents also went missing, and there was speculation that the entire family was murdered.
"She popped up first in Vegas, Nevada, then California, and various other locations along the West Coast about three years later and started getting in trouble with the law. She has a rap sheet that's about as long as your hair, Teddy."
I grumble and look at him.
"My hair's not that long."
Carmine doesn't acknowledge my comment. He just keeps going with his dossier on the girl.
"Following a somewhat longer jail sentence for a breaking and entering, Ms. Kirkland seems to have renounced her criminal ways and joined a church out West. Thereafter, she traveled back to the East Coast, where she joined the Carmelite Nuns of Boston. She has been a Sister within the convent ever since."
I finish my hamburger just in time to lean back and start clapping my hands.
Primo glares at me.
"What?" I asked. "It was impressive. I couldn't even memorize the first five Presidents, and our Carmine here has managed to memorize and recite the entire life story of a woman he doesn't even know!"
Carmine gives me a look and shakes his head. "When in charge, one should always know as much as possible about the people around them. Overlooking a single detail could, at times, be a fatal mistake."
I reach forward for the slice of cake I'd found next to the burger and start eating. I give Carmine a wide grin. "Sorry I failed the quiz, Professor. Surely there's something I can do to make it up to you?" I waggle my eyebrows at him, and Carmine sighs.
"This isn't a game, Teddy," he says. "You need to step up to your current position."
I give him a salute, and he exits the kitchen without saying anything else.
"When did he become such a-"
"A twat?" I finish for Primo.
He looks up, and the smallest of smiles forms on his lips.
"Yeah, that."
I shrug. "I mean, he's always been a little cunty, but I think Charlie's death hit him really hard."
"I don't think you should let him talk to you that way," Primo says. "You are supposed to be the head of the family. If anyone else sees . . . "
