more ice, and she blurted out exactly what was on her mind.
“I think something’s wrong, “she told her husband. “I haven’t been able to get in touch with Juicy for almost two days and I have a funny feeling in my stomach.” Renata sighed and ran her fingers through her lush, perfectly layered hair. “I mean, she’s not answering her home phone, and her cell phone must be turned off because my calls roll straight to voicemail. I just don’t understand, Frankie. Where in the world could she be?”
Frank shrugged as he held the ice bucket under the freezer’s high-tech dispenser. “She’s probably just relaxing. Maybe she took a little vacation. Things have been rough for her. You can’t blame a young girl for wanting to get away for a little while.”
Renata shook her head. She placed a fresh jar of olives on the tray, and reached into the pantry for a stack of bar napkins.
“So you think she would take a vacation without telling me? Where? And with who? Other than us she doesn’t have one good friend in the whole damn state. Besides, Juicy wouldn’t go anywhere without telling somebody,” she said with certainty.
Frank sighed. He had no idea where Juicy was. If it was up to him he would have forgotten all about her, but his wife’s protectiveness of the girl, and the promise Frank had made to his old east coast associate, hung like a weight around his neck.
“I just get so afraid for her sometimes,” Renata confided, her voice dropping. “It’s like she just disappeared or something.” She thought for a moment, then asked, “What about the security guy who’s watch her condo? Has he seen her?”
Frank sighed and raked his fingers through his hair. “I asked him this morning like you told me to. He said Juicy went out early yesterday.” Frank left out the part the old guy had said about seeing someone near Juicy’s condo later that morning because when he went to check it out nobody was there.
Frank passed his wife the ice bucket and took the heavy tray from her hands. “We did everything we could do for Juicy. She’s an adult and she chose to leave our house and live on her own. She can do that you know.”
“I know, I know,” Renata nodded. “I just have a bad feeling about this, that’s all.”
She led the way to the poolside patio and set out the ice, olives, and napkins. Settled once more in her lounge chair, she lit a cigarette and inhaled on it deeply before releasing the smoke through her nose.
“You know,” she turned to Frank and continued. “That girl is all alone in the world. We’re the only ones who would notice if she disappeared off the face of the Earth. I think we should take a ride over to her condo and see if everything is okay.”
Frank sighed again and tossed back a Martini. He had no desire to get off his ass on a warm lazy Sunday, but as the head of his family it was his job to run around and put out other people’s fires.
“All right.” He glanced around at his clan as they ate, drank, and splashed around in his swimming pool. “Richie’s got the grill and Sallie and Paulie can handle the kids in the pool. Let me get the keys to the condo, and I’ll take you over there.”
$$$$$
By the time they arrived at the condo it was getting dark outside. Gino’s car was sitting in the driveway but Juicy’s car was gone. A couple of envelopes stuck out of the curbside mailbox. Renata got the mail and put it in her purse, and Frank unlocked the door with the extra key he had held back after he sold Gino the condo.
He opened the door and was shocked by what he saw. The place had been tossed. Furniture had been thrown everywhere, sofa cushions were sliced and gutted, closets had been ransacked, and every cabinet in the kitchen had been flung open and had its contents spilling out.
“Oh my God!” Renata covered her mouth.
“Stay here!” Frank ordered and pulled out his piece. He swept through the apartment looking for signs of
“I think something’s wrong, “she told her husband. “I haven’t been able to get in touch with Juicy for almost two days and I have a funny feeling in my stomach.” Renata sighed and ran her fingers through her lush, perfectly layered hair. “I mean, she’s not answering her home phone, and her cell phone must be turned off because my calls roll straight to voicemail. I just don’t understand, Frankie. Where in the world could she be?”
Frank shrugged as he held the ice bucket under the freezer’s high-tech dispenser. “She’s probably just relaxing. Maybe she took a little vacation. Things have been rough for her. You can’t blame a young girl for wanting to get away for a little while.”
Renata shook her head. She placed a fresh jar of olives on the tray, and reached into the pantry for a stack of bar napkins.
“So you think she would take a vacation without telling me? Where? And with who? Other than us she doesn’t have one good friend in the whole damn state. Besides, Juicy wouldn’t go anywhere without telling somebody,” she said with certainty.
Frank sighed. He had no idea where Juicy was. If it was up to him he would have forgotten all about her, but his wife’s protectiveness of the girl, and the promise Frank had made to his old east coast associate, hung like a weight around his neck.
“I just get so afraid for her sometimes,” Renata confided, her voice dropping. “It’s like she just disappeared or something.” She thought for a moment, then asked, “What about the security guy who’s watch her condo? Has he seen her?”
Frank sighed and raked his fingers through his hair. “I asked him this morning like you told me to. He said Juicy went out early yesterday.” Frank left out the part the old guy had said about seeing someone near Juicy’s condo later that morning because when he went to check it out nobody was there.
Frank passed his wife the ice bucket and took the heavy tray from her hands. “We did everything we could do for Juicy. She’s an adult and she chose to leave our house and live on her own. She can do that you know.”
“I know, I know,” Renata nodded. “I just have a bad feeling about this, that’s all.”
She led the way to the poolside patio and set out the ice, olives, and napkins. Settled once more in her lounge chair, she lit a cigarette and inhaled on it deeply before releasing the smoke through her nose.
“You know,” she turned to Frank and continued. “That girl is all alone in the world. We’re the only ones who would notice if she disappeared off the face of the Earth. I think we should take a ride over to her condo and see if everything is okay.”
Frank sighed again and tossed back a Martini. He had no desire to get off his ass on a warm lazy Sunday, but as the head of his family it was his job to run around and put out other people’s fires.
“All right.” He glanced around at his clan as they ate, drank, and splashed around in his swimming pool. “Richie’s got the grill and Sallie and Paulie can handle the kids in the pool. Let me get the keys to the condo, and I’ll take you over there.”
$$$$$
By the time they arrived at the condo it was getting dark outside. Gino’s car was sitting in the driveway but Juicy’s car was gone. A couple of envelopes stuck out of the curbside mailbox. Renata got the mail and put it in her purse, and Frank unlocked the door with the extra key he had held back after he sold Gino the condo.
He opened the door and was shocked by what he saw. The place had been tossed. Furniture had been thrown everywhere, sofa cushions were sliced and gutted, closets had been ransacked, and every cabinet in the kitchen had been flung open and had its contents spilling out.
“Oh my God!” Renata covered her mouth.
“Stay here!” Frank ordered and pulled out his piece. He swept through the apartment looking for signs of
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