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grabbed for Vince’s sunglasses in retaliation, but I quickly gave up when Vince’s attempt to fight me off resulted in the Lexus swerving toward the guardrail of the highway. I now realize I never retrieved my glasses from the backseat. The house is quiet as I leave my room and make my way toward the garage. Ronnie is having a girls night out, and Vince and Julia are probably in their rooms, although almost certainly not in bed yet—it’s only nine p.m. Gino is nowhere to be found, and I guess that he is out, possibly working. Ronnie explained that Gino is a computer networking specialist who works mostly during the night on company computers so as not to disrupt the company’s normal daily business. I do not think Gino fits the stereotype of a computer technician, but then, I don’t know many computer technicians. At any rate, he must be very good, judging by the way this family spends money.
    I switch on the light in the garage and open the back door of the Lexus. I start searching the seat and floor for my sunglasses and eventually shut the door when the vehicle starts beeping. Thankfully, the interior lights remain on as I continue my search. Several minutes later, I am sweaty and frustrated. I climb over the backseat and into the large rear area of the SUV. Some junk is back here (Ronnie has a complete winter roadside emergency kit—even in the middle of August), and the interior lights click off as I strike my knee on a snow shovel and grit my teeth in pain. I decide to stop searching just as my hand feels the smooth lens of my sunglasses. I rub them on my T-shirt and lay on my side for a moment, enjoying the pitch-black quiet inside the vehicle. However, the heat is too much for me, and I am just about to climb back over the seat when the front doors of the Lexus suddenly open.
    â€œLet’s go, Frank,” I hear Gino say. “We’ve gotta get to Iggy before he kills Capriotti.”

Chapter 5

    I frantically squeeze myself up against the back of the rear seat, barely daring to breathe. I wish I had sat up the minute the Lexus doors opened and warned the men that I was in here, but as soon as Gino spoke those chilling words, I had followed my instinct to crouch down and hide. Now I can’t show myself; I only hope that I have misunderstood what Gino said about killing and that I can get out of this car undiscovered. Can Gino and this Frank guy see me from their seats in the front of the Lexus? The vehicle is large; if they aren’t looking for me, they might not notice me. But maybe they will need something from the back seat. What will they do if they find me? Did Gino actually say someone was going to get killed?
    I know so little about Gino, even though I have spent over a week at the Vigliotti house. I had guessed that Gino was gone much of the time because he is busy with work; the Vigliotti lifestyle is certainly an expensive one, and Gino probably works long hours to make the big bucks. But what is Gino planning now? Is this part of his work? Maybe I misunderstood Gino—maybe he was speaking in computer terms that I don’t understand.
    â€œAre you sure the Lexus is clean?” Frank asks Gino.
    I strain to hear Gino’s answer. “Yeah, I have my guy sweep it for bugs every week. But I’ll tell you more later. We’ll switch vehicles at the diner.”
    I feel a brief moment of relief. Gino and Frank are not planning to stay in the Lexus. Once they leave, maybe I can make a run for it and take a taxi home. After a week at the Vigliotti’s, I always have some cash in my pocket and hopefully it will be enough to get me back to the house.
    â€œJust one thing,” I hear Frank say. “What did Capriotti do to get Iggy so upset? Iggy’s a captain. Doesn’t make sense for him to go off on his own and take Capriotti out. What could have made him so angry that he would kill a district attorney?”
    Gino swears. “I