OK, only one more chapter to go after this one. Then I can get back to work on my other neglected fic.
Chapter Twenty One - Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow
St. Ignatius Cemetery, New Jersey
The remaining members of the Sullivan family all stood around the small tombstone holding flowers, their tears falling down to the ground. No one said anything for a long time, like they expected Eddie to come out and be alive again. It was eerie that they couldn't hear a sound even though Manhattan was just across the river.
Finally the priest spoke up. It was an unnerving sound, hearing a voice after silence was present for so long. He just said how wonderful Eddie Caruso was and how he could put a smile on the saddest faces of those who loved him. Some people may have questioned the choices he made in this life, but they never questioned his devotion to his wife, his children, and his sister. Now he joined the parents that he loved in Heaven. It was with that statement that Frank Sullivan dropped his flowers on the grave and left. Angie, Mary, and Mike watched him go and the silence was present again.
There was one other mourner at the cemetery that day. Benny Spinopolli leaned against a distant tombstone and watched the scene with a silent tear running down his face. He hadn't expected Eddie Caruso to be in that warehouse when it exploded. King Benny hadn't been able to save their mother and now he had killed the son. It was yet another burden he would have to bear in his lonely life.
Mary kissed Angie's cheek and laid her flowers at the grave before silently walking away with Mike and Father Xavier at her side, leaving only one person at Eddie's graveside. The one person that was crying the hardest. Finally, she laid her flowers at the base of the tombstone and kissed her fingers before touching the name etched in stone. Turning to pay her respects to her mother's and father's graves, Angie traced her fingers over her mother's name. Mary Rose Sullivan Caruso: Beloved Mother, Wife, and Sister. Then she quietly wiped the tears from her eyes and walked back to where her family waited for her.
As she crossed the cemetery, Angie could have sworn she saw someone in the shadows watching her walk away. Turning her head, she locked eyes with King Benny. Then in one instant, in the blink of an eye, he was gone.
Mikey opened the rear door of the waiting black town car and Angie slid in next to Danny, who was hidden by the tinted windows of the rented Federal sedan. Danny grasped her hand as Mike slid into the driver's seat. "Nice performance. I think that King Benny and anyone else who may have been watching were convinced." He whispered.
Mike slid the car into drive and followed the car in front of them where Frank, Mary, and Jack Malone were riding. "He thinks he killed him." Angie said quietly, thinking of the look of grief she saw for a split second on King Benny's face. "I went to him for help. I got him involved and now we've made him think that he killed Eddie."
"We had to, Ang. It was the only way to make it look convincing." Mike said, glancing into the rear view mirror. "What's left of the Caruso family is in a frenzy to restructure itself and we don't know who they have reached out to."
"King Benny is tough. And heartless." Danny agreed. "He's been to enough funerals in his day...most of which he was responsible for. He'll bounce back from this."
"Not this time." Angie said, looking out the window as the scenery flashed before her. "This was different."
"I'll tell him, Ang." Mike reassured her. "Just not now. For everyone's safety."
Danny put his arm around Angie and she leaned into his strength. They sat in silence as Mike followed Jack's car as he turned off the main highway and down several deserted back roads. Finally, the two sedans pulled off the road into a neglected barn on an abandoned farm. Danny and Jack ushered the Sullivan's into a waiting van and they took off for a small airport a few miles away.
A private jet was waiting for them on the runway as the van pulled into the airport hangar. As the Sullivan's got out of their van, the door to the airport office opened and Agent Mackenzie came out. He was followed by Eddie, pushing Theresa's wheelchair, and the kids. Little Eddie broke into a run and flew into his aunt's arms. Angie scooped him up and could barely hide the tears as she held on to him. It would be the last time she ever held him like this. When, and if, they ever saw each other again Little Eddie probably wouldn't even remember her.
Angie held her nephew tight as she watched Eddie and Uncle Frank embrace. They shared tender words that were not meant for anyone else to hear and then let each other go. Eddie said his good-byes to Mikey and Aunt Mary before turning to his sister. Mikey took Little Eddie out of her arms and she stepped into her brother's embrace. Unable to hold back the tears any longer, Angie began to sob. Eddie closed his eyes and held on to her until Agent Mackenzie told them that they had to get going.
Looking down at his sister, Eddie wiped a tear from her eyes and said, "I love you. Everything I did, I did for you. And you have made me so proud."
"I miss you already." She whispered. "I know this is for the best, but I can't even think about a life without you in it."
"I'll always be here for you. Always." He whispered, finally letting her go and kissing her forehead. Tearing his gaze away from her, he turned to Danny and shook his hand. "Take care of her for me, OK? She can be a real pain in the ass sometimes, but the pay off is worth it."
Danny nodded and smiled. Then with one last look, Eddie and his family walked toward the plane that would take them to their new life. Danny wrapped his arms around Angie and she buried her face in his chest, unable to watch her brother walk away again. And this time he was never coming back.