The Other Path

Chapter 56

Even before pulling open Caruso's door, Kate can hear strains of "Nessun Dorma."

"He's no Pavarotti," Rick comments, "but not bad. He does lend a romantic air to the place."

"Not if you understand the plot of Turandot," Kate argues. "You have a princess who wants to put a whole country to death unless they tell her the name of the love-crazed prince who wants to marry her – so she can put him to death."

Rick gives a slight shudder. "That's right; you read Italian, don't you?"

"More or less. I won't have any problem with the menu. But I know the plot of Turandot because my dad's an opera buff. My mother was more into protest songs, particularly about civil rights."

"From the way she lived, that figures."

"Uh-huh. Mom could go through ten verses of 'We Shall Overcome,' but she didn't have the desire or the patience to sit through an opera. So my dad took me a couple of times and explained what was going on."

"But I take it you're not an enthusiastic fan."

"You know me, Babe. I'll take cool jazz anytime. And I liked spending some evenings with my father. But I can take or leave opera."

"And the detective in you will take it as long as it leads us to your suspect." Rick checks his watch. "I made our reservation for seven, so we're right on time."

"Ask for a table near the kitchen," Kate requests.

"Why? Have you developed a craving for the sound of clattering dishes?"

"No, a cop's craving for the sound of gossip. If Nico's a regular patron, the servers and the kitchen staff may have something to say about him."

"And if he shows up tonight, that's even more likely," Rick guesses.

Kate flashes a satisfied grin. "Exactly."


As Kate nibbles at an antipasto, Rick inclines his head toward a customer being ushered toward a small booth. "That guy matches Dee Dee's description of Nico."

"Right," Kate agrees. "About average height, olive skin, dark hair. But several of the other men dining here and two of the servers match it too."

"But look who's coming to join him. A woman, about sixty but well preserved. Hair professionally styled, the jewelry looks real, and the dress is cashmere. That's got to be Mama."

"There's a good chance."

"When Luigi comes back, we'll find out," Rick declares.

"Babe, you can't just ask our server the name of other diners," Kate cautions.

"No, but I can get him to tell me."

Rick smiles engagingly as the server returns to their table with two orders of linguine and meat sauce. He gestures to the booth across the room. "Luigi, I would love to send a bottle of Bruno Giacosa to that handsome mother and son over there."

Luigi bobs his head in a demi-bow. "The Rafaellis? Of course, Sir. Can I tell them who sent it?"

"Just say someone who enjoys witnessing family respect. Can you do that?"

"Of course, Sir. Right away."

"Good man. And a little later, we'll want to see the dessert tray. My wife adores canolli."

Luigi grins. "That makes two of us. And our pastry chef is amazing."

"The Raffaelis," Rick repeats as Luigi hurries away. "Now you have a name."

"And you'll have a bill for a $200 bottle of wine you won't even get to drink."

"Actually, a $250 bottle of wine, " Rick corrects. "And I may not imbibe, but I shall savor the effects nonetheless."


Rick leans on his elbow in his accustomed seat as Kate studies the text on her computer screen. "The Organized Crime Unit sent an answer to my query on the Rafaellis."

"Are they connected?" Rick asks.

"You might understand more about the connection than I would. Nina Rafaelli, Nico's mother, is Dino Scarpelli's cousin."

"I think Dino's got a hundred cousins. Many of them are family but not 'family,' if you get what I mean. As far as I know, no Rafaelli family operates in the city. Nina must have married out."

"Way out. Nina went back to Sicily and married there to a Giuseppe Rafaelli. As far as OCU knows, Nico is the only child from the marriage. When Giuseppe passed away from an 'accident,' Nina brought Nico back to New York. Apparently, Giuseppe left her well fixed. So, from the information the OCU has, she doesn't participate in Scarpelli operations, at least not the illegal kind. She owns stakes in various legitimate businesses around the city. Some of those overlap with the Scarpellis' assets."

"How about Nico?" Rick asks.

"He runs an import business."

"Drugs?" Rick guesses.

"OCU has its suspicions, but nothing solid. He deals primarily in fashion. The designs originate in Italy, but much of the production takes place in countries where labor's cheap."

"Like China, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India," Rick offers. "Nico could bring drugs in from at least three of those, maybe more. And who would be in a better position to find out than his mistress? So he puts a tight leash on her and beats her to keep her in line. Then one day, she gets up the courage to run, but Nico gets wind of it, kills her, and dumps her like garbage."

"That's a good story, Babe, but one for which we have absolutely no proof. And the OCU has no evidence against Nico or his mother."

"Did the OCU know Nico's an opera lover?"

"Their report doesn't mention it."

"Then we have a place to start that they haven't checked out yet. Opera patrons, the ones with money, run in certain circles. And as with any endeavor that needs financial support, opera fundraisers would keep track of who's in those circles and any information they can use to extract donations."

"Don't they keep that information private?" Kate asks.

"Of course they do. They don't want anyone poaching their prospects. But they also hold events, and they'll sell a ticket to anyone willing to fork over the price. It just so happens that I've been to a couple of them with Mother. She was coaching some cast members in Rent. It's based on the opera La Boheme."

"I know. That's why my dad went to see it. He told me he liked the opera better,"

"Your father isn't the only opera lover firmly tied to the original. Mother was hoping her students would get a boost from that crowd but didn't have much luck. Still, showing up put me on the list. I still get fundraising letters disguised as invitations."

"I don't suppose you've been invited to anything happening soon."

"Saturday night, actually. It's for New Opera of Manhattan, a recently established company still struggling to get its footing. The troupe is trying to raise money for a new take on Otello, something about the eternal destructiveness of jealousy."

"From some of the murders we've seen, they might have a point."

"Very true," Rick agrees. "So you want to go and watch them put the arm on my bank account?"

"I'm more interested in putting the arm on a killer."

"Well, with any luck," Rick declares, "you can do both. We should buy you a slinky gown for the occasion, something red. That worked out great when we caught the killer at the MOMA gala."

"I'll be busting out of slinky gowns in a few months," Kate argues.

"All the more reason to enjoy wearing one now. And by the way, you never did tell me where you hid your badge and gun at your MOMA triumph."

"You'll have to figure that out for yourself."