“I got the call on my radio, and my partner and I stopped by to see if we could assist since we were in the vicinity.” The officer rocked back on his heels. “For some reason, your address stuck in my mind. I’m pretty sure we’ve been called to this location a few times.”
“What are you trying to say?” Carlita’s eyes flashed in anger.
“Easy Nate.” Sam placed a light hand on the officer’s shoulder. “As a tenant of Mrs. Garlucci’s, I can personally vouch for her and her family. Notwithstanding evidence, I don’t believe they had anything to do with Ms. Burelli’s unfortunate collapse.”
“I didn’t mean to ruffle feathers. You know the beat. We gotta cover all the bases.” The young officer, Nate, extended his hand to Sam. “We miss you down at the precinct. You staying busy?”
“You betcha. Staying busy and having the time of my life,” Sam said.
“Unless you need anything else, I have a wedding to celebrate.” Carlita pinned Officer Nate with a pointed stare.
“Yes, ma’am. Hopefully, you won’t be hearing from us again.”
“But someone will let me know the status of Megan Burelli’s condition?” Carlita asked.
“Of course.”
Mercedes and Reese stood waiting for Carlita on the other side of the gate. “Well?”
“So far, it appears Ms. Burelli experienced some sort of medical episode.” Carlita pressed a hand to her chest. “At least I hope that’s what it was and that she’ll be all right.”
“Me too,” Mercedes tapped the bodice of her bridesmaid’s dress. “I got it.”
“Got what?” Reese asked.
“I videotaped everyone inside the courtyard, just in case.”
“Good girl.” Carlita caught a movement out of the corner of her eye. She’d completely forgot about Ricco. “Mr. Ricco, I have to get back to my son’s wedding. Before I do, I was wondering if you happened to witness the young woman’s collapse.”
“I did.” Ricco nodded. “Course, that’s my job…to keep an eye on everyone and everything, and especially Brittney and Vinnie.”
“Yes, and I appreciate your…dedication to your job.”
“Thank you.” Carlita could’ve sworn Ricco smiled.
“So you saw what happened,” Mercedes prompted.
“Yes. The woman and her friend were sipping champagne and eating some of the appetizers the servers brought around. Might I add that the food was delicious.”
“Thank you,” Carlita said. “And then what happened?”
“All of the sudden, the woman clamped a hand over her mouth. She fell backward onto the chair and then keeled over.”
“Clamped a hand over her mouth?” Reese clarified.
“Yep. Like maybe she was choking on food or something,” Ricco nodded.
“Great,” Carlita groaned. “Maybe her friend had it wrong about what happened, and we are responsible.”
“People choke on food all of the time,” Mercedes pointed out. “You can’t be held responsible for someone choking on a piece of food.”
“Is there anything else?” Carlita asked.
“Nope.” Ricco shook his head. “Other than the friend was screaming Megan’s name over and over, real hysterical-like. That’s when Sam Ivey, the former cop, showed up and took over. He’s the one who called for an ambulance.”
“How do you know it was Sam?” Mercedes asked.
Ricco patted his pocket. “I know everyone who was invited to the wedding and cops, in particular, even former cops. It’s part of my job to know who’s around.”
Carlita’s jaw dropped. “You have information on every single person who was invited to my son’s wedding?” It never occurred to Carlita that Vito would go as far as investigating the wedding guests. Then again, he and his “employees” were keeping an eye on his daughter.
“I do. Luigi and I both have a list. We went over it last night.”
“I see.”
Ricco lowered his gaze, causing Carlita to wonder if there wasn’t something else. Something Ricco wasn’t telling her. “You know Sam Ivey, my tenant, is a retired police officer and you know something else about the wedding guests.”
Carlita continued. “Please, tell me what you saw or heard.”
Chapter 7
“Ah, it’s nothing.” Ricco waved dismissively. “You pegged it right. The chick was chowing down, probably choked on an olive or something and keeled over.”
Carlita suspected Ricco wasn’t telling her everything. Despite her attempts to get him to talk, he refused to elaborate. She finally gave up, and the trio made their way back to Ravello’s.
Mercedes remained silent until Ricco was out of earshot. “He was going to say something and suddenly changed his mind.”
“Did you happen to notice his earpiece?” Reese whispered.
“He…uh, was probably staying in contact with his partner, Luigi.” Carlita didn’t dare elaborate, anxious to avoid answering too many questions about Luigi and Ricco.
“I figured maybe he was talking to Elvira and was part of her security team,” Reese said.
“They’re actually two different security companies.”
Mercedes snorted, and Carlita shot her daughter a warning look.
“We…we weren’t sure if Elvira and her sister had enough manpower to cover the event,” Carlita fibbed.
“That’s cool. I figured since Elvira wore an earpiece, too, they were working together.”
“Elvira is wearing an earpiece?”
“Yep.” Reese nodded. “It’s one of those new-fangled contraptions. I’ve seen them on my crime scene investigation shows. Of course, you have to be on the same frequency to communicate.”
The women began walking again.
“I hadn’t noticed,” Carlita said. “You’ve got a sharp eye, Reese.”
“Thanks,” Reese beamed. “A sharp eye and a vivid imagination.” She started to say something else and then stopped.
“What were you going to say?”
“It’s nothing.” Reese’s face turned bright red. “Just my brain working overtime.”
“Does it involve Elvira?” Mercedes asked.
“No. It’s about the other security guy. I’m sure it’s nothing, you vetted him, and he’s on the up and up.”
Carlita said the first thing that popped into her head. “My son hired him.” Which was close to
