Think Twice

Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-eight

Bennie, Grady, and Fiorella arrived in the Philly airport and joined the stream of tourists, vacationers, and business travelers heading down the hall to the terminal exit. They passed a souvenir cart, a soft pretzel stand, and finally, the Miami gate.

Bennie smiled, catching Grady’s eye. “Remember the last time we were here? Not my finest moment.”

Grady chuckled, throwing an arm around her. “Beg to differ. That kid had it coming.”

“Look!” Fiorella pointed down the hall, where Mary, her parents, and The Three Tonys stood, waving at them and holding flowers and balloons.

“YO, BENNIE!” The DiNunzios and Mary rushed forward to meet her at the exit, startling the TSA guard and causing heads to turn.

“Benedetta!” Mrs. DiNunzio reached up for her.

“Bennie!” Mary squealed, and Bennie gathered them up in a big hug, then released them.

“Hey, Mary! Or should I say, partner? Congratulations!”

“Wow!” Mary’s lips parted in happy surprise. “Partner works for me, but did you just call me by my first name?”

“I sure did, and why not? It’s about time, don’t you think?”

“Sure!” Mary beamed.

“How’s Carrier? I mean, Judy?”

“She’s great! She says hi, and she’ll be back at work in two weeks.”

Bennie wanted to hear more, but she and Mary got distracted by something happening between Mrs. DiNunzio and Fiorella, talking in front of Mr. DiNunzio and the Tonys.

“Grazie, Donna Fiorella.” Mrs. DiNunzio stood next to Mr. DiNunzio, who had his arm around her shoulder. “You save Benedetta. Mille grazie.”

“You’re welcome.” Fiorella nodded in acknowledgment. “Do you still believe I’m not a good woman? Or have I redeemed myself?”

“You are good!” Mrs. DiNunzio answered, and the two women hugged like old friends. When they broke their clinch, Mrs. DiNunzio’s eyes were glistening. “So, why you come back, Fiorella?”

“I’ve decided to move to Philadelphia.”

Everyone looked dumbstruck, except for Mr. DiNunzio, who grabbed one of The Tonys by the shoulder and tugged him over to Fiorella. “FIORELLA, YOU REMEMBER MY BUDDY PIGEON TONY LUCIA? HE CAN SHOW YOU AROUND TOWN.”

Fiorella extended a hand to Pigeon Tony, with a seductive smile. “How very nice to see you again.”

Bennie returned to Mary. “Mary, did you buy a house? Grady told me everything that’s been going on.”

“Yes, I’m a new homeowner, and Anthony and I are doing great, too.”

“Congratulations on that, too! Are you guys going to live together?”

“Not yet.” Mary shook her head, smiling. “We’re taking it slow.”

“Good. Tell Anthony I said hello, will you?”

“You can tell him yourself. He’s here, and he brought a friend.”

Mary stepped aside with a flourish, and her parents, Fiorella, and The Tonys cleared away. Anthony emerged from the back of the crowd, holding a leash, and at the end stood Bear, wagging his tail. His belly had been shaved and two of his legs had a bandage, but when he saw Bennie, he scampered stiffly to her, in delight.

“Bear!” Bennie felt tears come to her eyes. “Look at you, pal!”

Grady beamed. “I couldn’t bring myself to put him down and I asked them to do the surgery. I had to make secret phone calls to see how he was, but I didn’t want to tell you until he was out of the woods.”

“I love you!”

“Me or the dog?” Grady asked, but Bennie had knelt down and was burying her face in the dog’s thick ruff. She kissed his muzzle and caught a whiff of his breath, which smelled suspiciously of peanut butter. She laughed, stood up, and took his leash.

“Let’s go home, gang,” Bennie said, her heart full and happy.

“Arf!” Bear barked, and everybody laughed.

Acknowledgments

Think Twice is a thriller with gunplay, chase scenes, and bad girls, but at its warm and gooey center, it’s a story about the power of a mother’s love. So first, thanks go to my mother, Mary Scottoline. She’s the strongest person I know, or could even imagine, and has triumphed over so much adversity to become the woman she is that I can’t decide whether I love her more than I admire her, or the other way around. She’s the reason Is tarted writing, because I wanted to see in books the kind of strong, smart, and funny women I saw in life. And ultimately, I’m so grateful for all she has done for me, my daughter, my brother, and my friends. All the good parts of me are from her, and frankly, so are the bad parts, which are way more fun. Thanks, Ma.

I’m a big fan of thank you, and after sixteen novels, I’m lucky enough to have a SWAT team of go-to experts to answer all of my hard questions, though any mistakes are mine. For legal and police procedures, I always turn to Glenn Gilman, Esq., and Detective Art Mee, who never let me down. Thanks, gentlemen, once again.

For medical issues, thanks to Brad Zerr and Tina Saurian. For financial and banking issues, thanks to the folks at PNC, Rick Monterosso and Marlene McCafferty. And for law firm finances, thanks to my BFF Franca Palumbo, Esq., now of her own law firm, Thalheimer & Palumbo. Congrats, Franca!

Big hug to the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine and to the brilliant Jolie Demchur, who can tame the wildest of horses and helped me so much with all matters veterinary.

Think Twice took me off the reservation big time, for a research trip to Nassau, Bahamas, where everyone was enormously helpful and friendly. Thanks so much to Officer Antonio Bain, of the Royal Bahamian Police, who answered all of my questions and took me on a tour of the police station in Nassau, and huge thanks to Wilbert Moss, an expert criminal defense attorney, who spent so much of his valuable time teaching me the intricacies of Bahamian criminal law. Thank you both so much for your expertise and hospitality.

On the publishing end, thank you to the gang at St. Martin’s Press, starting with my editor and coach, Jennifer Enderlin, who improved Think Twice so much, in addition to coming up with the title (again!). Thanks for everything to John Sargent, Sally Richardson, Matthew Shear, Matt Baldacci, Jeff Capshew, Nancy Trypuc, Monica Katz, John Murphy, and John Karle. Thanks to Michael Storrings, for a great cover design! Also hugs and kisses to Mary Beth Roche, Laura Wilson, and the great gang in audio. I’m indebted to all of you.

Thanks and big love to my genius agent, Molly Friedrich, to the Amazing Paul Cirone, and to the lovely and talented Lucy Carson.

My wonderful assistant and bestie Laura Leonard is invaluable in every way. Thanks, sweetie, and especially for going to Nassau with me as one of our continuing excellent adventures. Nobody is better on a research run than Laura, and plus, she’s fun!

Finally, biggest thanks and love go to my remarkable daughter, Francesca, a writer herself, who helped me with this book, as well as our dogs, cats, and a very stubborn pony, who shall remain nameless.

Lisa Scottoline

***