I'm posting early tonight since we're off to a party in a little while. Next week I'll be selling my novel at Bubonicon, so I probably won't post until Sunday night.

Anyway, here's this week's chapter. Hope you enjoy. Leave a few words if you wish.

Chapter 169.

Jess watched my face during my entire conversation with Tina. Her eyes held both concern and uncertainty.

"The kid thinks her grandfather can take care of himself." I answered her unasked questions.

"He wouldn't have gotten as far as he has if he couldn't."

I nodded. "That's what Tina thinks."

"And you think otherwise?"

I shrugged. "Who knows? I'm not sure he's ever dealt with anyone like Molino."

"But he's dealt with him before, knows some of his methods. What has you spooked?"

"Who says I'm spooked?"

"I know that look. Something's not sitting right for you and you can't put her finger on it."

I smirked. "You've been around me too long, learned my tells."

"It wasn't easy." Her amusement was tinged by the seriousness of the situation.

"I have to talk to him about it, there's no getting around it."

"So, call and set up an appointment."

"It's not that easy. A man like Locarno won't take time to see me unless I give him a good, solid reason, not the nebulous feeling that something's about to go very wrong."

She closed her eyes tightly. When she opened them, there was speculative glint that hadn't been there before. "What if you threatened to throw your lot in with Molino?"

"Why would I do that?" I shook my head. "Seriously, that's what he'd say,"

"Greg, he knows I'm Giordano's daughter. Wouldn't it be logical for me to side with Daddy?"

"Tina said something about family ties."

"Exactly." She took my hand and examined the palm. "You have only loose ties to his family, but stronger ones with me, which can carry over to a connection to my father."

I studied her through eye slits, measuring her words and what they implied. "I don't want him to consider me an enemy."

"I'd phrase it as if you were contemplated what might be in it for you to work for Molino."

"Actually, I was thinking about another approach. People like Locarno like to be asked advice."

"Go on."

"I could point out that we've been in harm's way and aren't certain we're out of it now, especially after your father's recent behavior." I rubbed the back of my head. "I won't ask for protection, but I'll point out that we would be better able to take care of ourselves if we weren't in the dark about his plans."

She nodded. "You can tell him you don't want to step on his toes or do anything to jeopardize those plans, but the only way you can do that is if you have a better idea of what they are."

I smiled at her. "Good point. His son and grandson don't even know what he has in mind. I don't need details, only an impression of which way he's going."

"Make the call." She pointed to my phone on the table.

I found Locarno's number and punched it in. "Hello, this is Dr. Gregory House. I'd like to make an appointment to talk to Mr. Locarno about some matters of mutual concern." I listened to the receptionist, then pantomimed for Jess to get me paper and pen so I could jot down her response. "This afternoon at four. I'll be there."

When I closed the connection, I turned to Jess. "Seems successful businessmen keep Sunday hours. I've got a meeting with Tony at four."

"Want me to come along?"

I thought about it. Would he talk more freely with Jess there or not? "Come along. You can wait in the reception area unless he asks you to come in."

She smiled. "I think you're making the right move, much better than what I proposed."

"I can always hold that tactic in reserve."

"So, what are we going to do between now and four?"

"Need you ask?"

###

At three we showered together to wash off the sweat we created, and then dressed and left for Tony Locarno's office. He was waiting for us and insisted Jess accompany me into his inner sanctum.

"I don't mind telling you that this trouble with Carlo Molino is keeping me from much more important work."

Jess settled into one of the plush chairs across his desk from him. "Then you know how my sister and I felt yesterday when his people's actions interfered with our catering business."

"But in the end, I gather all was well?"

She nodded. "Except for my father's brief appearance our first event went very well. Still, their actions during the afternoon were more than an annoyance."

"I do have some of my own actions in place. They should rid you of any worries over what Molino's henchman might do. Bernini has gone much too far and I won't have that kind of behavior in this area."

"I'm glad to hear you feel that way."

"May we ask about some of your plans? As I said on the phone, I don't want to do anything that will interfere with you getting the results we all want."

Locarno set his mouth in a line and sighed. "I won't give you any details, but I've been able to assemble a case against the produce company and the automobile businesses that will take them to court for price fixing, illegal transportation of goods and a number of other offenses. They'll be too busy fighting the law to spend any time harassing Ms. Giordano and her sister."

I felt a smile developing. Of course Locarno would use legal, business means to shut down Molino's operations!

"You seem to approve of my methods, Doctor."

"I doubt Molino will be expecting that approach, but it will probably work better than brute force. Maybe you can throw in money laundering or tax evasion, too."

He chuckled, a deep sound that came from his belly. "I like you, Dr. House. I like the way you think."

"How much of your plan is already in place?"

"I have the lawyers and Princeton Police Department working on the particulars, but once they started digging, it wasn't hard to come up with all sorts of offenses. Molino operates by the business practices he's used for years in Italy, and has no regard for out laws and regulations."

So much had happened over the last day or so, I almost forgot something. "You know about Bernini using his trucks to transport guns."

"Really?" He studied my face. "How do you know?"

"Petey Giordano drove for the fruit company until today. He was there."

"And he's sure there were guns?" He tapped his fingers on his desk.

I nodded. "I'm surprised Bertoli didn't tell you any of this."

"Must have slipped his mind." He shrugged. "Petey quit?"

"Yes." I hastened to add. "But we have someone else who'll try to take his job and continue to report any suspicious activities."

"I'll have to think about that. What's the name of the guy who's taking Petey's place?"

I smiled. "Edgar Allen. He used to be a wrestler, and he tried to guard me, but was shot in the process. He's kind of between jobs now."

"Big guy?"

"Yes."

"Well, let me know anything he discovers."

"I will." My mind ran through the list of everything we discussed.

Jess must have been doing the same. "What about my father and his new restaurant? Are they under investigation too?"

"There's less to check for him. I gather he ran a clean series of businesses in Dorsey, so there's nothing there to charge him with."

"He wants Bev Fenstermaker to entertain Molino when he comes to town." I smirked. "Of course, he doesn't know she knows Carlo from Italy, or that she's Bertoli's daughter." I watched his face as he absorbed all of this. "And especially, he doesn't know the relationship between Bev and your son."

"Wasn't she caught up in the drama yesterday? How will she explain that to Giordano?"

"She might quit, telling him she wasn't hired to do anything like he wants. But if she doesn't, we have to clean up this mess before Molino shows up."

Locarno nodded slowly. "There are ways to get the wheels of justice moving faster than usual." He turned to Jess. "You haven't said much about all of this."

"I was wondering if Bernini, or even my father, was keeping a second set of books. Dad never did in Dorsey, but he didn't have to. Here, who knows what he might resort to so he can avoid paying taxes."

"Spoken like a true accountant," I scoffed, but there was affection in my voice.

"We certainly can get warrants to search for anything like that." He sighed. "What else can either of you suggest?"

"Nothing really," I said. "We've been very frank with you, suppose you come clean with us."

"What do you mean?"

"You have to have some idea why Molino has targeted you and your family. It's has to be more personal than your difficulties with him in Italy or his desire to gain a foothold here." Chances were even that he'd give me a straight answer, but this might be my only opportunity to ask.

He studied me. "Would either of you like some coffee or tea?"

"Is it that long a story?"

"Long? Not really. Only difficult for me to discuss."

Jess and I exchange puzzled looks. "Coffee would be good," she said.

Locarno picked up his desk phone and gave an order. Then he settled into his desk chair and steepled his fingers in front of him. "You know I had two son's, Marcello and, God rest his soul, Ricardo. That's Ricky's and Tina's father."

"We know he passed away a few years ago." Jess looked and sounded sympathetic.

He nodded. "I had a third son, Giuseppe." He swallowed. "Joe was my eldest. This was ten, twelve years ago. I was grooming him to become a statesman. He went to business school and then followed that with law school. Before he began a law practice, he took a summer off and went to Italy where he met a young woman, Sophia."

I wished he'd get to the point already, but I couldn't rush him.

"She was Carlo Molino's older sister, one he worshipped. Joe had every intention of marrying the woman, even before she became pregnant." He was finally getting to the connection. "Joe wanted to bring Sophia back to the States with him, but there were visa problems and difficulties with the pregnancy, and in the end he returned without her. He vowed to find a way to have her join him after the child was born. Two or three months later, he was killed by the wife of a man he was defending."

Jess' hand cupped her mouth to keep from sobbing.

"When Sophia died in childbirth, Carlo sent a letter, filled with vitriolic language, to Joe. Sophia never told him that my son was already dead."

Jess took my hand and squeezed it. Tears glistened in her eyes. "What happened to the child?"

Locarno shook his head. "We didn't know for a long time. Every communication we sent Molino was returned. When I went to Italy, it was partly to find out what happened to my grandchild. Even then, Molino refused to see me, but I was able to have someone look into the official records. The boy did not survive."