Hopefully you've been paying enough attention to remember names - and yes, there have been quite a few in this story. My muse has decided to throw me another curve ball, by the way. This story may turn out to be as long as any of George R.R. Martin's books!

Hope you enjoy this chapter. Leave a comment if you wish.

Chapter 140.

"Who's Bernini?" Jess' face reflected her confusion.

"Giancarlo." It was all I had to say.

Recognition filled her eyes first. "So there's a connection between the fruit company and Molino's thug."

"More than likely Molino owns the company and is using Giancarlo's name."

"And Mike Morgan drives for him. The same Mike Morgan who killed my mother and Molino's wife, and probably Tina and Ricky's mother."

I nodded.

Rudy had been watching our faces as we talked, his eyes narrowed in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Molino sent Giancarlo Bernini to New Jersey to kill one or more of the Locarno's. He openly owns two auto modification shops, but we think he also owns the company that provides your fruit. Morgan served time for the vehicular homicide that killed Jess' mother. He was also accused in the accident that killed Molino's wife, but the case was dropped and now Molino has him driving his delivery trucks. Now don't you find that curious?"

He grimaced and nodded. "Very curious. But aside from the fact that I get fruit from the Bernini fruit company, what does that have to do with me?"

"You provided a link we were missing, or rather information that indicates that Molino was behind his wife's death." I watched his reaction to that.

He seemed to think about it for a few minutes before he said, "You said something about another person who was killed."

"Yes, Lucy Locarno. No one was ever charged in her death. We believe the driver who hit her car was Morgan. Evvn the cops thought so, but couldn't prove anything. What we don't know is why Molino has such a vengeance against the Locarnos."

"Or why he would want his own wife dead," Rudy pulled over a chair from a nearby table and sat. His interest was piqued. "This Molino is something, isn't he?" He shook his head. "But why are you investigating all of this? Isn't it a job for the cops?"

"To them, these are all old cases."

"Except for Giancarlo's attack on Ricky," Jess chimed in. "I bet he never reported it to the police."

I shrugged. "He's handling it himself. He and Marcello have bodyguards who are so good even I couldn't spot them. Besides, Giancarlo seems to be laying low for now."

"Do you think Molino would use Morgan again?" Rudy's fingers steepled on the table.

I shook my head. "One more car accident might be one too many. He'll probably avoid that."

"So what can we do?" Rudy sounded like he wanted in on the action.

"What you can do is let me know if Morgan delivers any more fruit to you, then keep him here until I can come and talk to him." I could try to corner him at the fruit company, but I didn't think I wanted to chance approaching him in enemy territory. The piano bar was safer, especially if I believed Rudy had my back.

Jess put a hand on my arm. "Greg, are you sure you want to do that?"

"Rudy will be here." I tilted my head toward the bar manager.

"Maybe you should take someone else with you." Her eyes pleaded even more than her tone.

"Who? Wilson? Pshaw. Could you imagine him up against someone like Morgan who'd kill without a second thought?"

"You will just talk to Morgan, won't you?" She still looked worried.

I nodded. "You know talking is one of my best weapons."

That brought a fleeting smile.

I'd had about enough of the so-called singer's caterwailing, so I drank the last of my bourbon in one gulp and stood. "I hope to hear from you, Rudy. And thanks." I grabbed my cane so I wouldn't have to shake his hand.

Jess took my cue and stood, too. She smiled at Rudy. "I'm sure Greg will let Marisa know you asked about her."

"I really do care about the kid. Just so's you know."

As we left, I noticed that the poster indicating that Marisa Wells was singing was still up. I honestly hoped that she would be before long.

Once we were in the relative privacy of the car, Jess asked, "What do you think?"

"About what? Morgan? The fruit company and Molino? Marisa's chances for a full recovery?"

"All of the above. I guess I mostly worried about the last even though I don't know her, but how does everything tie in together?"

"My guess is that there are a few players at work here. As I've been told frequently, your father is small potatoes, so how your mother's death ties in, I don't know yet. But the rest, I guess whatever feud there is between Tony Locarno and Carlo Molino goes back a ways. I wouldn't bet on how long Morgan's been working for Molino. In fact, I'm almost surprised Carlo didn't send his local thug against the Locarnos instead of first Julio and then Giancarlo."

"Maybe he did." Her voice was low so I couldn't tell whether it was just Jess musing or she was telling me something.

I smiled wryly when I realized what she referred to. Lucy's death. "You think that was a direct attack on the Locarnos?"

"Don't you?"

I nodded as I started the car and pulled out of the lot. All the way home, I reviewed what I knew about the relationships between Molino and the Locarnos and the timelines of the many events. Something had to have triggered all of this. The only one who might know was Julio. He probably didn't even think it was important. I pulled into a parking spot near our place and realized I had a new source of information that I could tap, Julio's mother.

Instead of getting out of the car, I started the engine again. Jess was halfway out, but sat down again.

"Where are we going?"

"To see Julio and his mother."

She puzzled on that a minute or two, then the penny dropped. "She might know of something in the past that set Molino off on his vendetta."

"Bingo!" We drove cross town to Julio's.

Walking from our parking spot, half a block from the apartment building, Jess continued, "It could also be that something happened between Tony Locarno and Molino's father or even his grandfather. Carlo's not that old, is he?"

"That's a thought. Let's see what Signora Curci has to say." I rang the bell in the entryway to the building. They seemed to have beefed up security since I was there last.

"Who's there?" Julio's voice came through rather tinny.

"Dr. House and Jess. Can we come up?"

"Sure! Any time. You know that."

The buzzer sounded and we could enter, then take the elevator to his floor. Julio stood in the open doorway, a grin on his face.

"I'm so glad you're here. Mom's leaving tomorrow and I wanted her to meet the two of you." Then in a lower voice he added, "Don't say anything to her about the kidnapping, okay?"

I thought she knew, but then, there were lots of things I never told my mother. Why should Julio be any different?

He ushered us in. "Mama, look who's here. The doctor I told you about, and the woman who's starting a catering company."

He'd been talking to her in Italian, so I smiled at the small, dark-haired woman in the black dress and said, "Buongiorno, Signora Curci. Come va?"

She smiled. "Dottore, bene, grazie."

I'd established that she was fine, but my Italian was a little rusty. I wasn't sure I'd be able to ask all the questions I had for her without Julio to translate. "Does your mother speak any English?" I asked him.

His mother answered for herself. "My English, she is not so good, but better here." She looked around. "Sit, please."

We all took seats on the couch and chairs in the living room. Mrs. Curci insisted on making us coffee and feeding us pieces of her home-made biscotti. I didn't object.

As I munched on the delicious cookies I thought about how to broach the subjects I wanted to ask about, but Jess beat me to it.

"We're so glad that you are visiting Julio. I know he misses his family in Palermo, but he has so many opportunities here. We hope he can stay."

Mrs. Curci tilted her head. "We miss him too."

"You met Tina, didn't you? A lovely girl, from a good family. The Locarnos are well-respected here." Jess was doing very well.

There was only a flicker of reaction to the name Locarno. "Tina, she is as you say lovely." Mrs. Curci smiled. "I am happy Julio meet such nice girl."

I pressed the point. "For a Locarno."

"Tony Locarno, he come to Palermo, try to be how you say? Big shot?"

Interesting. "When was that?"

"Five, six years ago. You remember, Julio?"

But her son shook his head. "I never heard of the Locarnos until...until I came to America."

Mrs. Curci took a deep breath and let it out. "Carlo sent you, no? He no like Locarno. Say Francesca killed by Locarnos."

"It's not true, Ma. She was killed by a man named Mike Morgan."

"Julio's right," Jess said. "And tonight we learned that Morgan drives a truck for theBernini Fruit Company."

Julio's eyes widened. "Bernini is Giancarlo's name."

"Carlo's friend?" Mrs. Curci was as surprised as her son.

"We think Carlo actually owns that company."

"So Morgan works for Carlo!" Julio slapped a fist into the other palm. "There's your connection."

"One of them." I turned back to his mother. "What happened when Tony came to Palermo? Did Carlo prevent him from doing business there?"

"Si."

"Did you ever meet Tony?" Jess asked.

"One, maybe two times. He come to our ristorante. Very polite, buona maniere." She looked at Julio for a translation.

"She means he had good manners."

I summed it up. "But he was competition for Carlo, and Carlo didn't like that so he sent him on his way."

"Si. Yes."

"That explains a lot."

"But we still don't know why Francesca was killed," Jess pointed out.

"Or whether Morgan rammed the car your brother was driving because of his unrequited love for Ellie or because Molino sent him."

Jess shook her head. "Morgan was living in Dorsey then. It wasn't until he was released from prison that he moved to Princeton."

"It would be curious to find out how long he's been delivering fruit." I added it to the list of questions I'd ask him if I ever got the chance.

Jess, as usual thought of something I hadn't considered. "Or even how long the fruit company has been operating."

"Mama, is there anything else you can tell us about Carlo?" Julio asked.

"He has new girlfriend. Americana."

"Do you know her name?" She might have nothing to do with anything, but you never knew. I had to ask.

"Her name is strano, strange. Beverly."

Jess and I exchanged glances. We didn't know any Beverly's. "What is her surname? Um, cognome?"

"Cognome? Ah, also strange. Windermaker." She said it slowly.

Now why did that ring a bell?