With just 1 week to go before Mistletoe, Mobsters, & Mozzarella releases into the book reading world, I figured I’d give you one last look between the pages to whet your Holiday reading appetites! hee hee. In this scene, Uncle Sonny proves why he’s such an intimidating – yet lovable – character.
Angelo pulled back his shoulders and gave my uncles what I figured was his I mean business cop glare as he walked back out.
“Ange is actin’ too big for his britches these days,” Uncle Joey said once we were alone.
“What’s going on here?” Uncle Sonny asked, adopting his typical intimidating stance: his knee length wool coat drawn to his sides as his hands shot into the back pockets of his trousers, shoulders tight, chin dropped, and rocking back and forth on his feet. I’d witnessed this power posture often while growing up, usually when one of my brothers or cousins needed to be taken in hand and Sonny was the adult in the room in charge of dishing out discipline.
Tony ignored the question, his attention, instead, focusing back on my father.
“I assume you called them?” he asked.
“I did,” I said, wanting my father to be absolved of all blame and therefore not subjected to scrutiny. Tony said he knew I hadn’t killed Chico, but he never said anything about my father not being a suspect, though, only that he was honest. Honest people commit murder the same as crooks do. Given enough incentive, anyone could.
“After I told her to,” my father said, shunting a steely eye my way.
“Daddy—”
“I don’t hear nobody answerin’ my question,” Sonny said. I had to stifle a giggle at the sixty-something bear of a man sporting a petulant pout like my toddler nephews did when they didn’t get their way.
It was apparent in the way he continued to ignore my uncle Tony wasn’t a man easily intimidated. With his attention still on my father, he asked, “You’re sure Chico never got any visitors here at the store, anyone he had to, say, go take a break with? Something out of the ordinary like that?”
My father shook his head.
“Donna?”
“Nothing. Like I said, he was a good worker, never gave us any trouble, and I didn’t know anything personal about him.” Which, considering the current situation, now felt so sad to me.
“Okay. I’m gonna have to ask you to leave the store after you show me that parking lot footage. The crime techs need to sweep the place and we don’t want anyone trampling on any evidence more than already has.”
Uncle Sonny looked as if he was going to say something, but I cut him off before he could. There was something I wanted to give a voice to.
“When can we open the store? I know it sounds a heartless, but we are running a business here and people are depending on us.”
“That’s not gonna happen today. For now, you two need to know the deli has to stay closed at a minimum three days—”
“We can’t afford to stay closed for three days during the holiday rush,” I cried.
“You’re gonna have to. Your store is an active crime scene and can’t be released until I know what’s what. I’m sorry, but that’s it.”
“You don’t sound sorry at all,” I said, then mimicked my uncle’s pout.
“It is what it is, Donna. Now, do you two want me to have an officer escort you home?”
“We’ll take them,” Uncle Joey said. “They should be with family.”
“Come on, little girl,” Daddy took my arm. “Get that footage for Tony, then we got calls to make and we’d better get started.” To Tony he asked, “You’ll keep us in the loop? Let us know when we can reopen?”
“That’s a promise.”
And I knew that statement for the lie it was.
He’d made me a promise he’d call me after those seven minutes of heaven in his back seat.
My phone had never rung.
Intrigued? you’ve got a few days left to preorder it!!!! Let me make it easy…here ya go: MMM
And did you know I’ve also got A Goodreads Giveaway for 1 of 3 print and autographed copies going on right now? You can enter here: MMMGoodreadsGiveaway
Until next time, peeps ~ Peg
Peggy Jaeger, Author 