“YOU, DOMINIC,” ROSA SAID. “You are the one.”
The blood drained from Dominic’s tanned face, leaving only the pallor of fear and death. “Rosa,” he said, “how … how can you say that? Trish could not have told you that.”
“But I know it. And soon, when she feels safer and stronger, Trish will say so to everyone.”
Steve stood up and stared down beside him at Dominic, then turned and walked over to the windows and stood looking outward into the darkness—or maybe at his own reflection in the glass.
“But it wasn’t me,” Dominic pleaded. “I was—”
“Quiet,” Gus said. “Rosa, why do you say such a thing? Please, sit down.” When she took her place again on the sofa, Gus continued, “You know that Dominic is close to me, Rosa. He has proven himself loyal to me, to the business. You know Dominic went to prison rather than betray me.”
“I know nothing of such business matters, Gustavo. I close my ears to them and do not wish to hear of them. I know only that Dominic is my son-in-law and that … that his wife, my second daughter, is dead now also, and—”
“See, Gus,” Dominic broke in, “she’s freaked out over Tina’s death. She’s off the deep—”
“Rosa,” Gus said, “are you saying also that Dominic killed Tina?”
“I know he is a vicious, evil man. I know how he used to beat Tina. But that ended in the past, and I have forgiven him for that.” Maybe Rosa believed she’d forgiven Dominic, but the venom in her voice betrayed her and I finally understood what I’d been unable to understand till then. “… beat my Tina many times,” Rosa was saying, “but I do not know that he killed her. I leave that to the police, and to God. Nothing will bring Tina back, and now I have no daughters, no children. Only my grandchildren, Trish … and Lisa, too, if it is not too late for her. I will protect them.” She took a deep breath. “It was Dominic who attacked Trish.”
Steve turned away from the window and looked at Rosa. “What proof do you have? Trish didn’t tell you who it was, so what is your proof?”
“We all know Trish was at Dominic’s house,” Rosa said. “I left her there myself, with Lisa. Tina was at work. Later, Lisa went to her room to talk on the phone, perhaps one of those boys who call her constantly. Trish was left to watch the television by herself, and Dominic was the only other person in the house. Trish told the police that when her father was late picking her up she was bored and decided to walk home.” Rosa paused and looked around. “Does anyone who knows Trish … you Steven, or Gus, or Dominic … does anyone believe Trish would do such a thing?” There was silence. “No. It is not possible.”
“Wait a minute.” Dominic started to stand up, but at a warning look from Gus he sat back down. “Wait a minute. You all know what my … what Karen told the cops. She was with me the whole time.”
“Karen was not truthful with the police,” Rosa said. “Poor Karen. I have come to like her, even though she is your … your woman. She and I have talked, most often when I would leave Trish at your house, or pick her up. But she was not there that night. Lisa said she wasn’t.” Rosa turned to Gus. “I do not approve of this Karen … and her relationship with my daughter’s husband. But the marriage of Dominic and my Tina died many years ago. I can tell Karen regrets becoming involved with Dominic. I can see she fears him now, too.” She turned back to Dominic. “She would say whatever you told her to say.”
“But she was there.” Dominic’s voice was rising in pitch, becoming strident. “We were … well, I can’t say in front of you what we were doing. But she was there.”
“Lisa told me she was not.”
“Well, then, she must have come later.”
“No,” Rosa said. “Something Karen herself told me—not purposely—makes me know she was not with you. It was that same night, during the confusion, before she talked to you. She told me she had gone shopping. She lost track of the time and afterward she hurried to your house because you would be angry. When she arrived, Trish was already gone.”
“She told you that?” Gus asked.
“Yes,” Rosa said. “Karen was not at Dominic’s house until after Trish ran home … until after Trish ran away from him.”
“Karen couldn’t have told you that.” Dominic was shouting now. “She was with me.”
That was Dominic’s big mistake, right there, although he was too slow to recognize it yet. Everyone in the room believed Rosa was telling the truth about what Karen told her. I believed, because Karen had told me the same thing. The rest believed because they knew Rosa wouldn’t lie. And we all knew that Karen had had no reason—on the spur of the moment, not knowing the significance of what she was saying—to make something up to tell Rosa.
Dominic should have admitted, right then, that Karen wasn’t with him, admitted he had Karen create the alibi because he was afraid someone might suspect him. Then he should have stuck to his denials and trusted that Trish wouldn’t identify him. But he didn’t, and that’s what turned the tide—certainly as far as Gus was concerned. Surprise, disbelief, disgust, anger—and who knows what else—passed over Gus’s face. For a moment even he was speechless. He was standing now, staring at Dominic the bodybuilder, who seemed to shrink in size before the old man.
Dominic understood, finally, that he’d lost Gus, and he panicked. He jumped up and ran toward Steve. “You gotta believe me, buddy. I didn’t do—”
Steve’s look stopped him. It was a look, not of anger or disgust, or even hatred—but of nothingness. A cold, deep vacant look. His hand was inside his sport coat and when it came out it held a dull black semiautomatic—my Beretta.
“No!” Rosa cried. She turned to Gus. “Dominic must be turned over to the authorities. Do you want him killed here? The police would only turn it around, would put it somehow upon your head.”
“She’s right,” Gus said. “I don’t need something stupid happening here.” He stopped for a few seconds, rubbing the tips of the fingers of his right hand back and forth across his chin. “Dominic,” he said, “have you brought a gun with you into my house?” When Dominic looked surprised, Gus added, “Do not lie to me.”
“No, Mr. A. I swear I would never—”
“Search the fucking sonovabitch, Gus,” Steve said. “If you don’t, you’re crazy.”
Gus turned on Steve, his face twisted in anger. “Who are you? Who are you to come into my house, in front of my own blood, and order me what to do?”
“I … I’m sorry,” Steve said, visibly shaken by Gus’s rage.
Watching Dominic, I saw a change then—very subtle, more a matter of posture than anything else. He may have begun to believe things were going to work out all right for him after all.
“Come here.” Gus was gesturing to Goldilocks. “Take this … take Dominic out of my sight. Take him to the kitchen and leave him with Raymond.”
Goldilocks pushed Dominic toward the door. I was as certain as Gus was that Dominic would never have brought a gun into that house. But still I’d have sworn Dominic was hiding something. Maybe it was that “one more thing” Karen said Anders was going to try. If it was what I thought it was, maybe Dominic’s belief was well-founded. Maybe things would work out right for him, after all.
But then everything changed. Just as Goldilocks and Dominic got to the door, Gus switched gears. “Wait,” he said. “Steve, you take Dominic. And do not harm him, you understand me? Leave him with Raymond and then come back here.”
Steve shook his head and started to say something, then apparently thought better of it. Goldilocks stepped aside and Steve, prodding Dominic in the small of the back with my Beretta, moved him out of the room.
When the door closed behind them, I spoke up for the first time since Steve had pushed Lammy and me into the library a lifetime ago. “That was a mistake, Gus,” I said, “if you really want Dominic turned over to the cops, I mean.”
“Shut up, Foley,” Gus said. He was sitting down again, and he looked very tired. “What makes you so smart about ev—”
One explosion. Unmistakably a gunshot, from not so far away. Then two more, exactly like the first one, in rapid succession. Then one more, not as loud. Then nothing.
Goldilocks and I got to the library door together, but Steve was already coming our way. We backed up as he came into the room. He closed the door, walked over to Gus, and laid the Beretta on the table. Then he sat down in the nearest chair.
Running footsteps could be heard, and Raymond came in. “It’s Dominic,” he said. “He’s dead. Somebody—”
“He turned on me.” Steve spoke in a monotone. “He had a piece, a little revolver. I think he wanted me to kill him. He … he admitted he went after Trish. He came at me and I had to kill him.”
I had to admire Steve. He was a quick thinker, all right. And he’d just pulled off an award-winning performance. I wasn’t sure that I could do as well—even though, unlike Steve, I’d be dealing with the truth.