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“We have to get back to Florida or lose the winter money!” Hugo roared.
“It ain’t my fault them cops are stoppin’ us,” Tevia shouted back.
Hugo paced in the small office. “Dania is driving me crazy,” he said. “She keeps asking me why Koslov wanted to speak to me. He’s coming home tomorrow. What if he tells her? What if she goes to the police? She might do that just so the carnival can move on.”
“She worried about the people who work the carnival year ’round,” Tevia tried to explain. “You can’t blame her for that. People need to eat, Hugo. They need to survive; she needs to survive, too.”
Tevia got up, opened the small fridge, taking out two bottles of beer, and handed one to Hugo.
“I’ve seen her talking to that mush. What’s his name, the Irish one? Michael, that’s the one,” Hugo said. He was calming down and sat in the old battered chair facing Tevia.
“I got an idea,” Hugo said.
“I ain’t goin’ to like this, am I?” asked Tevia cautiously.
Hugo moved to the edge of his seat. He let the plan form in his mind as he talked. Hugo was not as stupid as
Dania thinks, and he never knows who might be listening. He leaned close and whispered, “What if we get the police to believe Dania and this Michael killed Russo?”
“Why would they kill Russo?” Tevia asked. “The police will want a reason. You can’t go blamin’ someone with no reason. Besides, she is Koslov’s daughter. How are you gonna make him point a finger at his own daughter? You’re nuts! That cop, Gillespie, He’ll never go along with it.”
“I wouldn’t have to be trying to think of something if you had done your job!” Hugo jumped up and paced again. “Damn fool! You left the tent peg, and that stupid dummy . . . I told you to tie weights on the body and sink him in the middle of the lake! How much simpler could I make it?”
“I did weigh the body down!” shouted Tevia, in his own defense. “You’d think he’d be hard to find in nine acres of water. I don’t know what happened. He just popped back up, and some damn dog found that tent peg. Then he practically dropped it at Gillespie’s feet. What was I supposed to do?”
“Well, we’re stuck here now. We’ll have to wait,” Hugo said. “I’ll talk to Koslov tomorrow. Maybe he can help us figure out what to do, but we have to stop him from talking to Dania. She doesn’t know anything yet. We have to keep her in the dark.”
Hugo and Dania pull into the parking lot at Newton-Wellesley Hospital Wednesday morning just after ten. They walked to the elevator but didn’t speak as they rode to the second floor where Boris Koslov’s room was located. They approached the nurse’s station.
“We’re here to pick up Boris Koslov,” Hugo told one of the nurses.
“Mr. Koslov is waiting for the release form from his doctor, and then he may leave. You can let him know you are here to take him home?” The nurse smiles at Dania. “You could go down and pay the bill while he’s waiting for the doctor. He will be along shortly.”
Hugo and Dania went to Boris’s room to find him dressed and impatiently waiting in a chair.
“Well, it’s about time,” Koslov grouched. “Chuccuo, I’ve been waiting all morning to leave this place. I hate hospitals! They smell and give me boils!”
“We have to wait for the doctor to discharge you,” Dania said. “I’ll go down, take care of the bill, and be right back. We’ll have you home soon.” Dania kissed her father’s cheek, patted his shoulder, and quickly left the room.
“How much does she know?” Koslov asked.
“Nothing,” replied Hugo. “She’s been asking questions, but she doesn’t suspect anything.” Hugo sat on the edge of the bed facing Koslov. “I blame Tevia. He screwed up, and now there’s all kind of trouble.”
“It could have waited ’til I was out of this wretched place!” He lowered his voice. “I didn’t want him killed. I wanted my money back! I told ju I would handle it. He
would have given my money back, and then maybe I’d have killed him.”
“What if he’d already spent the money? What would you have done then?” asked Hugo.
“Don’t be stupid. He took it on Friday and died Saturday night. What? He bought another carnival with it?” Koslov made a Russian sound deep in his throat to demonstrate his disgust. “At least I would have it back. Now what do we do?” asked Koslov, getting even more irritated. “Maybe we wait until the police find it, huh? How is that going to help me?”
“Look, I did what I thought you wanted.”
“Cuya moi, ju thought wrong!” Koslov shouted at him.
Dania and the doctor entered the room. “See, it took only a few minutes and a couple questions for the doctor to sign your release. Now you can go home.” Dania said hoping to cheer her father up.
“Here is a prescription for dizziness and headaches. Take it as noted, and don’t take more than six a day. If the symptoms persist longer than a week, call me.” Dr. Skornick handed it to Dania and left to attend to other patients.
Koslov made a rude gesture the doctor didn’t see. The nurse pushed a wheelchair into the room.
“I don’t need that thing. I will walk,” Koslov grumped.
“Sorry Mr. Koslov, you use the wheelchair, or you don’t go home,” she said sternly.
“I want to go home,” Koslov replied and let her help him into the chair. She wheeled him down in the elevator, and out the door. Koslov didn’t say another word until they were safely in the car. ”Cuya moi!” he said as they pulled away.
The ride back to the carnival was made in strained silence. The only sound was the thrup-thrup of the car’s windshield wipers. Dania tried to engage her father with small talk, but he remained mute. Hugo was the same. She knows something has transpired between these two men. She would get to the bottom of it, one way or another. She will wait ’til she has her father alone.
The police were wasting no time in talking to Koslov. They were there waiting by Koslov’s trailer dressed in rain slickers with their hats pulled down against the rain. They watched the big black car splash through the mud in its approach.
Gillespie opened the back door of the car when it came to a stop. “I wish I could give you more time to recuperate, but I know you are anxious to be on your way. I am sorry. I’ll be as brief as possible, but we need to talk.”
Hugo helped Koslov into the trailer and into his chair at the desk. The police officers remained outside, but Dania and Gillespie entered.
“Do any of you recognize this handkerchief?” Gillespie asked when they are all seated. The room is close
and damp. Gillespie handed it to Koslov, who looked at it and shook his head. He handed it to Dania, but she didn’t recognize it either, and handed it to Hugo.
“Yes, I do!” Hugo exclaimed, jumping up from his seat. Finally, something is going his way.
****
Tony may come over and sit on the porch with Ellen every evening after supper, but only for an hour—Donal’s
rule. Ellen has also agreed that if her grades slip, this privilege will end.
“Part of growing up is not forgetting your responsibilities,” Ellen often reminded Christopher whenever he forgot some task like taking out the trash. He usually has some funny remark to make, but she took it seriously.
For now, her responsibilities are chores and homework, but soon these will change as she graduates high school and starts college. Ellen has always been a straight A student, and Moira and Donal would like to see all their children go to college. Michael chose to work in the mill after graduation from Our Lady’s, in order to help the family financially. Then the accident occurred, and everyone felt he’d made the right decision.
Donal listened to their conversations on the porch. He didn’t think it’s eavesdropping. He’s protecting his daughter’s reputation, and it was Moira’s requirement if Tony was to visit. Ellen had mentioned to her parents that soon it would be too cold to sit on the porch. Would they allow Tony to visit her inside? Neither one had answered. They would cross that bridge when they came to it.
Donal was so proud of Ellen right now. He knew she had a damn good head on her shoulders; she took after her mother. If he could get Michael to settle down and marry a nice Irish girl, he just might have a chance for grandchildren to boast about.
The two love birds were sitting on the front porch. “Ellen,” Tony said, breaking the contented silence. “What will you do after graduation? I know your father would like you to go to college. Is that what you want?”
“I’ve been thinking about that,” Ellen said. “There are several nearby colleges. I sent letters to a couple to see what they offer. I thought about being a nurse or a secretary, but I like children, and teaching school is something I think I want to do.”
“What about us, Ellen?” Tony asked, taking her hand in his. “Maybe after graduation we could get engaged . . . or something.” Tony blushes under his dark complexion. “I have never cared for anyone the way I feel for you. Ellen, I... love you.” He stammered.
“Oh, Tony, I feel the same, but we need time to be sure,” she said turning in her chair and looking directly into his eyes.
“Loving someone is special. I’m only seventeen. I want you. I want college. Imagine how good our life would be once I get a degree. I’d have everything I want.”
––––––––
“You’re right,” he said. “This is so hard for me. I’m older, but you’re more grown up. I put in for a promotion at the mill. I’m going to settle down and try real hard to be someone you can be proud of. I want to take care of you properly. Ellen, can we think about getting engaged after graduation?”
“I don’t know. You know you’ll have to ask my father for my hand.” Ellen told him.
“Aw, shit, I forgot about that!”
Ellen can’t help herself and laughed.
Donal took out his pocket watch. Checking the time, he called out the window. “Tony, it’s time for you to hit the road.”
“He’s going, Da,” Ellen called back.
Tony suddenly took Ellen by the shoulders and kissed her gently on the mouth. Stepping back, he gave her a nod and a wink. “First time I ever kissed a teacher,” he joked. In that moment they both know that things are going to be just fine.
Donal was listening to the young couple. He peeked from behind the front room curtains.
“Moira is going to kill me,” he whispered, picking up his copy of The Yearling and took a sip of his whiskey.
Lieutenant Gillespie stood on the door step of Mrs. Russo’s small, run-down house on Dalby Street. The paint on the siding was worn through, exposing wooden shingles. Gillespie felt that any minute the porch could give way. It was listing at a precarious angle.
“Mrs. Russo, I know this is unpleasant, but it’s necessary if we’re to figure out why your son was killed,” Lieutenant Gillespie said calmly and politely. “We’d like to take a look around the house to see if we can find anything that might help.”
“I don’t understand any of this,” she said through the screen door. “He was a good boy. Maybe he was a little headstrong. Sometimes he rubbed people the wrong way, but my Johnny didn’t deserve to be thrown in Silver Lake like he was.” She said crying.
“We are just trying to help, Mrs. Russo. Maybe his father could be of some help? May we come in and talk while my men have a look around?” Gillespie opened the screen door, guiding Mrs. Russo into the living room, and helped her to the couch. He took a chair opposite her and pulled out his notebook. He nodded to his men to start looking around.
“Johnny’s father left before Johnny was born,” Rose Russo answered. “The boy never even met him. James Russo was his name. He went to war and never came back. I didn’t know I was pregnant until after he shipped out. I sent him a letter, but he never answered. Then I heard he was killed in action. It was just me and Johnny, and I did the best I could.”
The lieutenant observes the woman. Her harsh life was etched on her face. Her salt and pepper hair was pulled back tight in a low bun, and loose strands dangled down her neck. Her clothes were thin from repeated washing and hung on her thin frame. Her eyes were red rimmed and filled with unshed tears.
“Did Johnny have any enemies that you know of? Anyone he mentioned that might have had it in for him?”
“The only thing I can think of is the other night when he got let go at the Carnival. He worked the booths for every carnival that came to town. We needed money,” Rose said. “He came home all upset because they replaced him and told him not to come back.”
“Did he say why he was let go?” asked the lieutenant.
“No, he didn’t, but he was pretty mad about it. He went back to try and get his job back, but that big guy, Hugo, told him to get lost.”
“Did Johnny say why they fired him?” asked Gillespie again.
“No, he never said why.” Rose reached for the handkerchief inside the top of her dress and wiped her eyes. “I told him something else would come along. He was going to ask the taverns and breweries along Bottle Alley for work. They sometimes have jobs sweeping up or loading the drays. Johnny didn’t take to schooling. He wasn’t much good with reading or numbers. He worked at the mills for a while but couldn’t get on for a permanent job.”
Gillespie made a note to ask Hugo why he fired Russo. The connection to the carnival had just much gotten stronger.
“Lieutenant, could you look at this?” One of the men called from the doorway.
“Excuse me, Mrs. Russo. I’ll be right back,” He got up and followed the officer to Johnny’s bedroom. Officer Drew showed him a black leather bag with a couple hundred dollars cash inside.
“We found this stuffed in here,” Drew said, pointing at the closet.
“Things are starting to come together. This must be the missing money,” said Gillespie.
Lieutenant Gillespie and Officer Drew take the bag back to Mrs. Russo. “Mrs. Russo, have you seen this before?” the lieutenant asked.
“No. No, I don’t believe so. Why?”
“We found it in the back of Johnny’s closet. We believe it’s the stolen money from the carnival. There’s a couple hundred dollars here.”
“My Johnny would never do something like that. He’s ... he was a good boy!” Mrs. Russo cried breaking down again.
“Did he have any extra money around when he died?” Gillespie keeps prodding. “I know this is hard, but it’s important.”
Rose stopped and sighed. “He gave me money for the rent. We were a bit behind, and he gave me enough to catch up. He said he saved up for it, and I believed him.”
“Mrs. Russo, I’m very sorry for your loss. We’ll be going and leave you in peace. Do you have any questions for me?” Lieutenant Gillespie offered as he stood and put his hat on.
“No, but thank you,” Rose said as she got up from the battered couch and walked them to the door. “Father Gallagher has been around a couple times and he’s helping me with the arrangements.”
Lieutenant Gillespie followed his men out the door, tipping his hat to Mrs. Russo, he said good-bye. “Let’s go ask Hugo and Boris Koslov a couple of questions. “I have a funny feeling about all this.”
****
After supper the next day, Michael took a walk down Adams Street, avoiding puddles. It was raining again. Dania had been on his mind all day, and he hoped to meet up with her. There was a lot of activity going on. Trailers were being packed, and some were moving out. He was relieved when he spotted Dania talking heatedly to Hugo, and he headed in that direction.
“Be thankful he is letting the carnival move on at all,” shouted Dania. She was sorting through a large box. Michael assumed it must be some of her fortune-telling equipment. He made out colorful fabrics spilling over the side as she dug through the contents.
“I should be allowed to go with the carnival. I’m next in charge after your father,” Hugo ranted.
Michael kept his distance until he saw Hugo storm off. “Are you leaving?” he asked walking up to her, reaching out to take her hand in his. He rubbed his thumb over her knuckles.
“I’m not; the carnival is finally moving on,” she informed him. “Lieutenant Gillespie is letting everyone go, but Hugo, Tevia, my father, and I have to stay a while longer. He still believes Johnny Russo’s death and the robbery have something to do with the carnival.”
Michael was pleased she was staying on one hand, but he had mixed feelings . . . if I’m falling in love with her, it will break my heart when she leaves.
“Michael, I have to ask you something,” Dania said “Did you have anything to do with Johnny Russo’s murder . . . even if it was an accident . . . and you panicked?”
“How can you think that? I would never do anything like that. I didn’t even know him.” Michael was shocked and angered by the question.
“Lieutenant Gillespie showed us the kerchief that was used to tie Russo’s hands. Hugo said it was yours. I couldn’t believe it, but I saw you wearing one just like it. I was starting to like you, now this. You are also a suspect. How could I be so stupid . . . to like a gorja.” She took her hand back roughly and started to walk away.
"Dania, wait. I didn’t have anything to do with the robbery or Johnny’s death.” She kept walking. Michael desperate, called after her. “I hardly knew him. I lost my kerchief that first night I worked. I came back the next day and looked for it but couldn’t find it.” He ran after her, Michael caught her, and grabbed her by the arm turned her to face him. “I’m telling you the truth.”
There were tears in her eyes, and she shook her head slowly. The rain was falling steadily now, and they were both soaked through to the skin. Michael placed his hands on either side of her face. He used his thumbs to wipe the rain and tears from her cheeks, but it is a losing battle.
“Please, let’s talk about this. Can we go to your trailer and get out of this rain?” pleaded.
They walked quickly, heads down, dodging puddles. Michael jumped ahead and opened the door to let her go first. The trailer was warm and cozy. He took off his wet jacket and cap. Dania shook out her wet shawl and placed the garments over a rack to dry. She grabbed a couple of towels to dry their hair, tossing one to Michael. The rest of their clothes were wet as well but will have to wait.
Dania busied herself putting a pot of coffee on the stove and getting some cups from the small cupboard above the sink. She sat opposite Michael at the table and brushed tendrils of wet hair from her face. Michael had never seen a woman as perfect and as beautiful as Dania was at that moment. She takes my breath away. I can’t speak; Hell, I can’t even think straight. “Now what do we do?” Michael asked. “I don’t know,” Dania said. “I don’t believe you robbed my father, and I don’t believe you killed Johnny, but it’s not looking good with Hugo pointing the police in your direction. What reason would he have to do that?” The coffee was ready. Dania filled both cups with the steaming liquid, and placed milk and sugar on the table.
“There is only one reason I can think of,” said Michael, stirring sugar and milk into his cup. “He’s trying to throw suspicion away from himself. I don’t think he robbed your father, but I do think he had something to do with Russo’s murder.”
“Why would you think that? He’s my cousin, my father’s right hand.”
“It’s just a feeling I have. I believe he’s protecting himself, that’s all,” said Michael.
A strained silence followed. Dania looked at Michael with his sandy hair wet and tangled and his blue eyes so appealing. There is a heat growing inside her. What would it be like to run her fingers through that hair and loose herself in those eyes. She scrunched her hair with the towel, it would take some time to dry.
Michael watched her, knowing that he will hate every minute they aren’t together from this moment on. How will life be when she leaves? How will he be able to go on? They sip, quietly observing the other, until the cups are empty.
“Maybe I should go so you can get into dry clothes. Can we talk tomorrow evening? Why don’t I take you over to Sullivan’s for a meal? It’s a Friday night; no work for either of us on Saturday. I’ll even bring an umbrella, just in case it’s still raining. What do you say?”
“Okay, about eight o’clock?” She stood up and cleared the table. Michael picked up his coat and cap, still
damp and cold from the rain. He walked to the door and down the couple of steps from the trailer. He avoided a growing puddle at the bottom, turned, and looked up at Dania. She was framed by the opening, and the light behind her made the red highlights in her hair glow like fire. God, I have never wanted anyone so much as I want her.
He walked home, head down against the rain. Hugo watching from the shadows doesn’t like that mick hanging around Dania.
She was his property! It suddenly dawns on him that he’s jealous. He’s confused. She was his cousin . . . Could he possibly want her in that way? No, but he wanted the control, the power. He wanted to be in charge, of her and the carnival. Boris Koslov was in his way. To have the carnival and keep the secret about Russo’s murder, Koslov would have to go, but how? Hugo was confident, he’d find a way. Maybe the mick could get blamed for Koslov’s death, too. How wonderful; two for one. He saunters back to his trailer to plot the murder of Boris Koslov.
Tevia sat in Hugo’s cramped trailer; sipping hot coffee and listened to Hugo go on about how to get rid of Koslov. Hugo paced the same five feet, back and forth; the only clear space in the mess he called home.
“The blame has to fall on that Irish Mick,” Hugo said. “I need him out of the way. Dania is falling for him, I can tell. She must travel with the carnival,” he raged, “ I won’t allow her to stay behind with him. We have to think of something!”
“What’s this we?” Tevia asked. “Killing Russo was a mistake. Boris only wanted him roughed up, so he’d give back the money he stole. He can’t tell us where the money is, and now you want Boris killed so he can’t talk about what happened? Are you out of your mind?”