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Chapter 134.

The next day when I arrived at Anthony Locarno's office, Marcello was already waiting outside. He tapped his right foot and adjusted his tie twice as I approached.

I snickered. "He can't be that bad. We're here to talk to him about a seat on the hospital board, nothing personal, nothing about your real estate business." But I knew as I said the words they wouldn't help Marcello relax. He'd spent too many years fearing his father. That alone should have told me what kind of tyrant we were dealing with.

A young man with a slight Italian accent, probably the one I'd talked to the day before, came toward us from down a long carpeted hallway. The scent of expensive cologne or after shave preceded him. "Signor Locarno will see you now. This way." He waved a hand back the way he'd come, then followed us to a closed set of ornate wooden doors.

As we entered, the tall, gray-haired man behind the massive desk stood. He had a more than passing resemblance to his son, but was much more imposing in his posture and demeanor. A slight smile played across his features. "Dr. House, how good of you to come to my humble office to see me and my son."

"The pleasure is mine." That was as much charm as I was willing to expend. He didn't offer a hand, so I didn't have to shake it.

"Please, have a seat." He looked past my right shoulder. "Vittorio, bring us some coffee and brandy." He waited until his minion left before spreading his hands on the polished wood table. "Now, Doctor. You and I talked a week or so ago about the seat on the board of Princeton-Plainsboro Hospital. At the time, I was undecided whether it was something I would be interested in doing myself, or in having my son, Marcello, do for the family." His hand extended in Marcello's direction.

"And now?"

"I find that I have too many demands on my time. Marcello is a busy man, also, but he has not as many such obligations. He sits on no boards and is not as well-known in the state."

Marcello's mouth twitched listening to his father speak as if he wasn't there.

"What you're saying is that you would prefer your son take the seat." I smiled at Marcello and shrugged. "As far as I'm concerned, that would be great."

Anthony's eyes narrowed. "How well do you know my son?"

I had to be careful here. If I said I knew him well, Anthony might think this was a setup. But if I didn't know him, why would I be so willing to accept him as a substitute for his father? "I've had business dealings with the real estate firm, and met both Marcello and Richard. They seem to be accomplished businessmen."

"What sort of business have you had with them?"

"Ricky found a perfect property for a business my girlfriend and her sister are starting."

"Giordano's girls?" He nodded knowingly. "Some kind of catering business I understand."

"That's right." I glanced at Marcello who hadn't said a word. "They'll start operations next weekend."

"I see."

"Papa." Marcello cleared his throat. "They have a sound business plan. I told you it was a good enterprise to invest in."

"They're taking investors?"

"Not yet, that I know of." I wasn't going to commit them to anything no matter what it got me.

"Why isn't their father investing in the business? I suppose he has a hand in there somewhere."

"Actually, they're working without his help or influence. In fact, I think he's miffed they don't need him, that they're doing it on their own."

One of Tony's bushy gray eyebrows shot up. "Than I wish them all the best." He smiled. "It's about time someone showed Peter Giordano what a small fish he is." There was no mistaking his disdain for senior.

"I understand he's trying to open his own restaurant in Princeton or Trenton. I'm afraid I mentioned that he might ask Marcello or Richard to find him a good location." My eyes shifted to Marcello.

Tony shook his head. "We don't need his business." He was adamant.

"Getting back to the hospital board seat - " I let it hang.

"Yes. It would be good for Marcello to take the seat."

"I'm sure if you propose that to Dr. Cuddy, she'll be agreeable." I rose as if to leave, then pretended to have a new thought, but it had been festering in my mind the entire time we talked. "Do you happen to know a man named Michael Morgan?"

His eyes flickered and his body stiffened, but he shook his head. "I don't recall the name."

I glanced at Marcello to see whether he'd noticed his father's reaction. His grimace indicated he had. I turned back to Anthony. "One more question: is there anything you know about your daughter-in-law's fatal accident that wasn't reported in the papers?"

He deflated slightly. I didn't think he could ever completely collapse, but it was a very different reaction than he'd had to anything else we discussed. "Poor Lucille. So sad. And her poor children."

"They never identified the man who hit her."

"No. The police looked into it, of course. I pushed for a complete investigation. But there were no leads and eventually they had to drop it."

"So you don't think Mike Morgan was responsible."

He sighed. "Early on, the police chief brought up that name. He'd been involved in similar crashes. As I recall, one involved Giordano's wife, no?"

I nodded.

"But there was no way to link him to Lucille or her accident. I wish there had been. Having that unsolved is disquieting."

"I'm sure." I didn't try to mask my sarcasm. "Well, thank you for your time today, Mr. Locarno. I know how busy you are. And I'll be happy to have Marcello on the hospital board." I stood and walked to the door, expecting Marcello to follow.

But his father wasn't finished with him. "Marcello, do you have the report on the car dealerships?"

I left them to their business and drove to the hospital, deep in thought. Had I learned anything from Anthony? Anything important, that is? Aside from an indication that he knew Morgan's name, not even a direct admission, the rest was all negative information.

But it was a useful meeting anyway. It confirmed what I thought about Anthony's iron-fisted control of his family. That didn't help me with Francesca's puzzles.

I supposed that I'd have to follow through with Marcello: the board seat, introducing him to Marisa and/or Cuddy, maybe even more. I stopped at my boss' office on the way to my own to tell her about my meeting in a way that would ensure her cooperation.

I entered her office, ignoring the closed door. "I saw Locarno. He wants his son to sit on the board. I think that will work out even better than Locarno himself. Marcello sits on no other boards, but he's the heir to his father's businesses."

She crossed her arms and glared at me. "You couldn't convince the father to take the seat?"

"Think about it. Do you really want to have one of dozens of boards with Anthony Locarno on it, or the first board that Marcello Locarno chose? I think you'll like him. A younger, even better-looking version of his father. Being the first board he's on, you'll have a special connection to him."

She pursed her lips, looking down. Her fingers tapped on her desk and she glared at me. "When can I meet him?"

I smiled at her. "He might have time this afternoon or tomorrow. I'll give him a call."

"I have a ten o'clock meeting tomorrow morning, but any other time would be good."

I took that as a dismissal, and a go-ahead to arrange a meeting. I couldn't wait to tell Jess about this, so on my way back to my office I gave her a buzz.

"How'd your meeting with Locarno go? Did he know anything?" she asked immediately.

I told her the little I learned from him. "At least there's still a possibility that Morgan was responsible for another death."

"But we have no proof."

"You know the meeting was to discuss the hospital board, so we spent most of the time talking about that," I reminded her.

"Did Locarno bite?"

"He wants Marcello to take the seat. I already talked to Cuddy about it and she's willing to meet Marcello." I tried not to sound smug.

"Greg, you're not trying to play matchmaker, are you?" She knows me too well.

"Would I do a thing like that?" I rolled my eyes, even though she couldn't see me.

"It's only another way you manipulate people." She chuckled. "At least it might have a good outcome."

"Don't all my plans?"

"Most of them." She chuckled.

I rubbed my nose. "Of course, that leaves me with my singer."

"Your singer?"

"Patient with vocal cord problems. Wilson's on the case for me. Didn't I tell you about her? Quite a looker."

"And you hoped to hook her up with Marcello?" Her voice went up an octave. "What's gotten into you lately?"

I shrugged. She was right. It wasn't like me to even think about other people's relationships unless I could use them to my advantage. There was only one reason I wanted Marisa involved with someone, anyone. It would discourage my team, and Wilson, too, from being distracted by her. Chase should be focused on Ellie, Wilson on Nina, and Taub on his ex-wife.

"Greg? Where'd you go?"

"I was thinking about what I should have for lunch."

"Sure you were. So what is it about this woman?" Did I hear jealousy in her voice?

"I'm not interested in her that way." Why did I feel I had to reassure her.

"Is her case a puzzle?"

"We've pretty much solved it." I reached my office. The only one in the conference room was Chase. He stood when he caught sight of me.

"So?"

"Look, can we talk about this later? Chase is at my door and he looks annoyed about something."

"This isn't finished."

"I know. Talk to you later." I ended the call and waved Chase into my office. "What's up?"

"The cops finally traced the pickup that hit us the other day." He shook his head. "It was registered to someone named Will Norton, but Norton reported it stolen two weeks ago."

"Have they found the truck?"

"Yeah. It was abandoned off Condon Road."

I'd driven Condon several times a few months earlier. "That's the road that leads to Dorsey."

He nodded. "There were too many prints on the steering wheel and doors for them to pick out any, unfortunately."

"So we still don't know whether it was Morgan. I hope Ellie is being careful."

"I'm sure she is." He sounded worried. "She's mostly staying in with Chris. He's recovering well, but she's not ready to take him out again any time soon."

"I think we have to find out where Mike Morgan is. It's the only way we can be sure she's safe."