“So anyway, we’ll have dinner later in the day. Then sometime Friday we’ll drive to St. Louis because Jamie’s football team is playing in the state championship game Friday evening.”
“Your whole family is like the ideal TV family. I can’t wait.”
She looked at him. “Gabe, there are some things I should tell you about my ideal TV family.”
“Sounds serious. Tell me everything.” He said, leaning toward her.
“My Mother keeps finding dead bodies, so who knows what the weekend might bring. Ben’s family is rumored to be connected.” She put her finger alongside her nose and bent it. “His uncles, the Luciano brothers, gave my Mother a two hundred and fifty thousand dollar car for her birthday. My Mother is 12 years older than her husband, Ben. And she’s pregnant.”
Gabe nodded. “The pregnant part I knew from the video going viral last month. Remember you announced it to the whole world via the paparazzi while you were trying to get yourself shot as I recall. No biggie. All families have skeletons. Wait until you meet my parents.”
The steward served breakfast and they relaxed as they ate. Afterward, they ran some lines together. In no time at all, they’d landed at the Johnson County Executive airport. Gabe had made arrangements and a rental car was waiting.
Jess gave Gabe directions and played tour guide as they drove to Ben’s house. She had decided not to talk to Gabe about the bomb she was going to drop when she got home. The truth was, while she’d played several scenarios through her head, she still hadn’t decided what she was going to say or when she was going to say it. A couple of months ago, Ben had accused her of trying to direct everyone’s lives. He had no idea how much work went into being a director.
As they pulled into the driveway, Jess said, “Leave the bags. Depending on how full the house is, we may have to go to the Parker House.”
Gabe looked askance at her.
“It’s what we call the house that Mom had before she married, and moved in with, Ben. If Ben’s brothers Pauli and Joey are here, there won’t be enough bedrooms for all of us. It might be better to have the other house to ourselves anyway.”
She entered the code to open the garage door and guided Gabe through the garage and into the house, calling, “Hey? We’re here. Anybody home?” as they entered.
Lane and Ben met her in the hallway. Lane and Jess hugged.
“Mom, Ben, this is Gabe Greer. Gabe, this is my Mom, Lane and her husband, Ben.”
Ben and Gabe shook hands.
Lane stepped forward and gave Gabe a hug. “It’s nice to meet you Gabe.”
“It’s my pleasure, Mrs. Bellini. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Please, call me Lane.” She looked at Jess. “Where are you bags? Surely y’all don’t think you’re staying at a hotel.”
“No, I just didn’t know how full the house might be and thought we might end up at Parker House.” Jess replied.
Ben laughed. “First come, first to get a room. The Bellini boys can stay at Parker House.” He looked at Gabe. “I’ll help you bring your things in.”
Lane watched as Ben and Gabe went out to the garage. At six feet two inches tall, Gabe was a couple of inches shorter than Ben, but his smile was every bit as bright as what Lane called the mega-watt Bellini smile. Gabe had dark hair and bright blue eyes and had an air of an Irish bad boy about him. Lane understood why half the world was in love with him.
Jess and Lane walked to the hearth room. “God, Mom. You look great.” Jess said as she patted her Mother’s baby bump.
“Now. You should have seen me this morning. Suddenly, none of my jeans fit and I was a teary-eyed mess of hormones. Ben’s solution was a Black American Express card with my name on it. I hoped you and I might be able to stop at the mall this afternoon before the insanity hits there. But, you might not want to leave Gabe.”
They were sitting on the sofa together as Ben and Gabe came in to join them.
Jess laughed. “Gabe loves to shop, but I think he’d be okay hanging with Ben. By the way,” she looked at Ben. “What are you doing home today? Don’t you have a big trial starting Monday that you should be preparing for?” She looked at Gabe. “Ben’s the best criminal defense attorney in the metro.”
“I do, but there’s something else going on that takes priority right now.”
Before Ben could continue, Jess looked at her Mother. “You found another body.” It was a statement not a question.
Ben shook his head, “It wasn’t your Mom this time. Jamie’s football coach was killed at school yesterday. Jamie found his body.”
Jess looked at Ben in disbelief. “Where is he? Is he okay?” Jamie might be a foot taller and out-weigh her by at least a hundred pounds, but he was still her baby brother and that made him hers to protect.
Ben held up his hands. “Hold on tiger. He’s with Tanner. Someone seems to have it out for the football team. On Monday, Jamie’s friend Justin, you know he’s the quarterback, was poisoned. He has a peanut allergy and someone made sure he got a big dose. Luckily, Jamie found him and we got him to the hospital in time. Then on Tuesday, Jamie found Coach Ferguson in his office with his head bashed in. Much to Jamie’s annoyance, he hasn’t been alone since.”
Jess shook her head and looked at Gabe. “What did I tell you? We’re a whole family of murder magnets.”
With what was going on with Jamie, there was no time like the present to drop her bomb, and just at that moment, she decided to spring it on Ben. Alone. She looked at Ben and quickly jerked her head toward the hall. She got up and hugged her Mother. “I’m going to stop in the little girl’s room.”
“Gabe, it’s been a pleasure meeting you, but as Jess pointed out, I do have a trial starting Monday. So if you’ll excuse me, I’ll leave you in my wife’s capable hands.” Ben said as he stood, bending to kiss the top of Lane’s head before he left the room.
Jess was waiting for Ben in his office and he closed the door as he entered.
“Okay, let me have it.” He was sure that Jess was going to blame him for what was going on with Jamie.
“Tell me again how you just happened to meet my Mother the day you came to pick up her donations for the church’s garage sale.”
It wasn’t what he expected to hear from her and he shook his head. “Jess, you know the story.” His voice giving away just how tired he was.
She narrowed her eyes. “Yeah, I know the story. Then maybe you can explain to me how you can be the father of my baby brother.”
“Jess, you know the Bambino just calls me Dad.”
She took the papers from her purse and slapped them on his desk. “No, what I know is that this is a paternity test and you are Jamie’s father.” She said as she pushed the paper toward him.
Ben sank into the chair behind his desk. What the hell is she talking about? He picked up the papers she’d put on his desk. There in black and white it said there was a 99.99997% chance that he was Jamie’s father.
She took out her wallet and slapped a picture, of her Mother from 18 years ago, on his desk. “Does she look familiar? Or have there been so many that they all just blend together?”
Ben looked at the photo and shook his head. Lane had blonde hair cut in a short pixie style. Oh, dear God. What had Lane told him about her mentor from work saying that her long hair was too sexy for the office, and that she’d cut it all off?
No, they hadn’t all blended together, not by a long shot. Eighteen years ago, he had been a college student at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. He’d been nineteen and had used a fake ID to go with friends to one of the casinos in Council Bluffs, Iowa. He’d met, danced with, and seduced a woman. They’d had a night of amazing sex and the next morning, he’d gotten up and dressed while she was still sleeping. He went to the gift shop to buy aspirin and breakfast and when he’d come back to the room, he’d found it empty. He had waited, until checkout time, thinking that maybe she’d had the same idea he’d had. However, she never returned. He hadn’t gotten her number and had spent much of his free time for the next several days in an unsuccessful attempt to find Angie Valle. He shook his head. How the hell had he not seen this?