Ghostly Serenade Read online

  Still, without my ability, my life would be pretty boring. So how could I complain?

  Sure there were times when I wished it had never happened. But I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Did that mean I was a glutton for punishment or what? At least only a few people, including Dimples, Uncle Joey, Uncle Joey’s hitman, Ramos, and my husband, Chris, knew the truth. I’d managed to pass off my ability to most everyone else with the explanation that I had premonitions.

  It had worked so far, but what if the truth ever came out? Just thinking about it sent shivers down my spine. Facing my kids would be the worst part. They’d hate it and would probably never trust me again.

  Then there were all kinds of people who would want to use me for their own purposes. Like Director Wells from the CIA. The last time I’d seen him, we’d just discovered that he had a mole in his organization. He would probably jump at the chance to get me to help him.

  But… how was he any different from Uncle Joey? I had to work for Uncle Joey because he knew the truth. Still, working for a mob boss seemed lots better than working for the government. It might have something to do with the fact that Uncle Joey actually cared for me. So did his hitman, Ramos, who’d saved my life several times.

  In fact, Ramos had almost died a little over a month ago. Because of me. At least he wasn’t going to New York with us. He’d gone to Miami to spend time with his brother and finish recuperating. I had to admit that I’d miss him, but maybe he was better off away from me for a while.

  I sighed. I was in too deep with Uncle Joey to ever get out. Maybe I was an idiot for letting things go so far. Uncle Joey had claimed me and my family as part of the Manetto clan. My family was headed to New York with Uncle Joey and his wife, Jackie, tomorrow in his private jet, and staying in his hotel with his extended family. My kids even called him Uncle Joey.

  Holy hell! What had I done?

  I pulled into the garage and turned off my car. Taking a moment to calm down, I reasoned that this was my life now, and it was a good life. Nothing bad was going to happen. Besides, Uncle Joey cared about me and the kids. My husband, Chris, was Uncle Joey’s lawyer. While it complicated things, it meant that we were all important to Uncle Joey. So everything would be fine.

  Feeling better, I got out of my car and hurried into the kitchen for a diet soda. As I poured a can into a glass filled with ice, Savannah bounded in. She reminded me of a gazelle, all long limbs and endless energy. Excitement shone in her bright blue eyes, and she could hardly wait for tomorrow.

  I smiled at her and realized that, instead of looking down, like I normally did, I was seeing her nearly eye-to-eye. What the hell? Had she grown overnight? “Savannah. Are you taller?”

  Her brows rose with surprise. “Let’s go check.”

  She pulled me up the stairs to her room, where we’d kept a record of her age and height on the doorframe. She stood as tall as possible, and I used a pencil from her desk to mark her height beside the others on the door jamb.

  The last mark was from her birthday just a couple of months ago. I didn’t expect to see a change, but, after making the mark, she pulled away, and there it was, undeniable proof that she’d grown a whole inch since then, making her five foot three.

  “Look at that,” I said. “Pretty soon, you’ll pass me up.” I still had a few inches on her, but, at this rate, I wasn’t sure I’d keep it.

  She jumped up and down, squealing her delight. At thirteen, she wasn’t my little girl anymore. I’d noticed a definite change in her mood swings and realized she wasn’t as easygoing as she’d been just a few months ago. Not that she was a huge drama queen, but lately she’d had moments of severe angst. Most of it was over Miguel.

  Oh great! Now I had puberty to deal with on top of everything else.

  “Do you think Miguel will notice?” she asked.

  “Uh… I don’t know. Maybe.” Her crush on Miguel was stronger than ever. The fact that he was Uncle Joey’s son, and five years older than her, didn’t seem to matter. He was the main reason we were headed to New York. His opening night as Aladdin on Broadway was tomorrow night, and we’d been invited to the Big Apple to see his performance.

  Right now, the stress of this whole situation with Miguel, and the Manetto family, sent a heavy weight of dread into the pit of my stomach. Even the few life-and-death situations I’d faced seemed easier than this.

  I sighed. Maybe I was making too big of a deal out of it. It wouldn’t be that bad. I just needed to chill out, and quit worrying so much. Everything would be fine.

  Cringing to hear Savannah’s romantic thoughts about Miguel, I glanced at her bed, hoping to distract her from him for a few minutes. Her suitcase lay open with a smattering of clothes and shoes piled on top. “Whoa. I don’t think all that is going to fit.”

  “I know. But I can’t decide what to take. I don’t want to leave anything behind that I might need.”

  We spent the next forty-five minutes figuring out her wardrobe, and what days she would wear certain clothes. With all her chatter, even though most of it was in her mind, it was a major undertaking. By the time we got done, my head was pounding.

  I’d managed to block out most of her thoughts, but I was a little shell-shocked from the effort. My worst fear of accidentally answering her thoughts had taken all my concentration, and it was a relief to head back to the kitchen for another soda and a couple of aspirin.

  How many days of this could I take? Maybe it wasn’t so bad that I had to help the police. At least it would give me a break, especially since there were the New York Manettos to deal with. Uncle Joey’s cousin, Frank, along with his wife Sylvie, and their grown kids, operated the hotel Uncle Joey owned.

  There was also Uncle Joey’s sister, Maggie Manetto. He’d made up the story that Maggie was my real mother to explain how he was my real Uncle, and that she’d put me up for adoption because she was a nun. That would have worked, only she’d actually shown up at the hotel the first time I’d stayed in New York. When we first met, she’d gone along with the lie. Later, after explaining everything to her, she kept up the premise for Miguel’s sake.

  I’d had to tell my kids all about the lie, so they could play along. Now they looked forward to meeting their long lost-grandmother. My stomach tightened just thinking about it, and I knew that asking my kids to lie was probably going to send me straight to hell. What kind of a mother did that? In just a few hours, we’d be in New York and living the lie that we were related. All for Miguel’s sake.

  Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if Miguel knew the truth. I knew Savannah would be thrilled, but I didn’t even want to think about that. Savannah and Miguel? Hell no.

  Chris got home early, and we spent the rest of the evening getting packed for our trip and making sure everything was ready. Before turning out the light to go to sleep, I mentioned Chief Winder’s request to Chris, telling him that I’d agreed to help the NYPD.

  “Are you serious?”

  “I’m not happy about it either, but it shouldn’t take more than a quick visit. Then I’ll be done.”

  I caught his anger that I’d agreed, especially since this was our vacation. We had enough to deal with without adding the police to it. Why couldn’t I ever stick up for myself? I could have said no. It was like I put everybody ahead of him and our family. This was our time, and now I’d ruined it.

  My mouth dropped open, and he caught the hurt in my eyes. “Damn. You weren’t supposed to… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. I’m just frustrated.” He said he didn’t mean it, but deep down, he was still miffed at me for accepting.

  “I know. I don’t blame you. If our roles were reversed, I’d be thinking the same thing, so I get it.” I let out a sigh. “I tried to tell them no. I really did, but there’s a killer on the loose, and I might be able to help. How can I ignore that?”

  He didn’t answer, so I continued. “I don’t think I’ll get much anyway, so it’s probably just a matter of showing up for an hour or so. Then it will be over, a
nd I can move on, knowing I did what I could.”

  “Yeah, okay, sure.” He closed his eyes and rubbed his hands over his face. The stress of meeting the Manetto clan, along with involving our kids with them as long-lost relatives, was getting to him. “It’ll be fine. We’ll have a great time.”

  “Exactly. There’s so much to see and do in New York that the rest of it won’t be a big deal. It’ll be great. The Hotel Perona is amazing, and the Manettos are really nice. I know we didn’t have much of a choice about going in Uncle Joey’s private jet, or staying with him in his hotel, but look on the bright side. We don’t have to pay for it, right?”

  He chuckled. “I guess so. But that just means we owe him that much more. It never ends, does it?”

  “No. But what do we do? We can’t change it, so we’ll just have to make the best of it.”

  “True. But I think I need something to take my mind off this whole situation. I’m tired of worrying about it.”

  “I couldn’t agree more.”

  Since I knew exactly what he had in mind, I gave him a long, toe-curling kiss, only breaking off to catch my breath. Concentrating on this wonderful man who loved me sent everything else out of focus. It was just what I needed. “How’s this? Is it helping you forget?”

  “You know it.” He kissed me deeply before uttering my favorite words. “Oh baby, oh baby.”

  CHAPTER 2

  Uncle Joey sent the limo to pick us up. I didn’t know the driver, but he opened the car door for us and sent me a friendly smile. “Good morning. Mr. Manetto is meeting you at the airport.”

  “Okay, thanks,” I said. We slid inside the limo while he loaded our luggage into the trunk. Savannah could hardly contain her excitement to be in a limo. Her eyes lit up, and her mouth dropped open. Josh tried to act like he was used to this sort of thing, but inside, he enjoyed the special treatment. Then he wondered how much this was costing me and Chris. He hoped we weren’t selling our souls to the devil.

  I chuckled, then wondered if maybe Josh had it right after all. Had I sold my soul to the devil? I didn’t think so. But how did I know for sure? Besides working for a mob boss, hadn’t I just killed someone a few weeks ago? Of course, that had nothing to do with Uncle Joey. But I still had plenty of anger toward that person for what he’d done to me and Ramos, along with everyone else he’d terrorized.

  I huffed out a pent-up breath. Maybe I needed to talk to someone sooner rather than later.

  Then it hit me. Maggie Manetto would understand. She didn’t know my secret about reading minds, but she knew everything else. She’d had her own demons, and one way she had dealt with them was to become a Sister in the church, which wasn’t quite a nun, but close.

  Growing up in a mafia family would make her the perfect person to talk to. She’d understand everything. Just thinking about talking to her relieved some of my stress, and I relaxed into my seat.

  We arrived at the private airport and pulled up right next to the jet. Our driver opened the door and ushered us up the stairs and onto the plane. Uncle Joey and his wife, Jackie, were already there and waiting to greet us.

  “Welcome aboard,” Uncle Joey said, his face splitting into a big smile. Eager to show off the jet to my kids, he took us on a tour, calling it a CJ3 with six comfortable seats. The first four seats faced each other with the ones in front facing the rear of the jet. “You can take these four seats, and we’ll sit in back.”

  He showed the kids how the seats worked, since they were extra-wide and fully adjustable. They also had fold-out tables that could be pulled between the seats, with cup holders spaced in the paneling along the outside by the windows.

  Before sitting down, he showed us the lavatory, then took Josh and Savannah to the cockpit and introduced them to the pilots. The captain even moved to let Josh and Savannah take turns sitting in his seat for a minute. After that heady experience, we took our seats and got ready for take-off.

  It wasn’t hard to pick up how exciting this was for my kids. Even Chris was beginning to enjoy the moment, thinking that maybe this wasn’t so bad after all. Once in the air, Jackie opened a cupboard that held a small fridge stashed with water bottles and soda and asked what we wanted to drink.

  After passing our drinks around, I had to admit that it was nice to get a full can of soda for a change. In the lap of luxury, we settled in for the flight. I pulled out my book and became so engrossed in the story that I hardly noticed the time passing. Before I knew it, we were coming in for a landing.

  As we stepped off the plane, I remembered this small airfield from my last visit to New York. Coming down the stairs, it was great to see a friendly face, and my heart warmed as Syd greeted us with his big smile.

  He was Uncle Joey’s inside man at the hotel, or at least he had been until I’d picked up from Frank that he knew all about the arrangement. The New York Manettos had owned the hotel, but a few years ago they’d had some financial trouble and Frank had asked his cousin, Uncle Joey, for help.

  Uncle Joey promptly bought the hotel and asked Frank to run it. Afraid there might be some bad feelings between them, Uncle Joey had asked Syd, a longtime family friend, to keep an eye on things for him. Since Syd was the hotel manager, that seemed like a perfect solution.

  But none of that mattered anymore. It was all just one, big, happy family. The cousins had made peace from their previous estrangement, and Uncle Joey was welcomed back into the fold. Of course, buying the hotel, and letting them continue to run it, had helped, but they both felt the same way about the importance of family and were willing to forgive the past.

  Syd greeted me with affection, and I introduced him to Chris and my kids. He was happy to meet them, and, since he knew the truth that we weren’t really related, he looked forward to our meeting with the rest of the family. Had I prepared my kids? Did they know the truth? It was sure to be entertaining, especially when they met their pretend grandmother, Maggie.

  His heart turned soft just thinking about her. He knew she was nervous about meeting them. Since he’d never seen her nervous about anything, it had surprised him. But, the way Sylvie had carried on, it was no wonder Maggie got nervous.

  Frank’s wife was thrilled that Maggie had grandchildren. Since Maggie had never married and was practically a nun, Sylvie had never thought it would happen, so her excitement made sense. Syd just hoped Josh and Savannah were nice to Maggie, even if it was all a lie.

  Feelings of protection for Maggie washed over him, and he sighed, knowing Maggie might never give up her Sister status to be with him, even if he asked. For now, he just had to be content with their friendship.

  Hmm… it sounded like things had progressed between them, and I looked forward to ‘hearing’ how Maggie felt about him. Who knew? Maybe they could end up together?

  I also wanted to tell him my kids were great, but, since I wasn’t supposed to hear all that, I kept my mouth shut. Sure, he knew about my premonitions, but that was it, and I didn’t want to say too much. He’d see for himself soon enough.

  After retrieving our bags, we took our seats in the fancy “Hotel Perona” van Syd had brought. During the ride into the city, Josh and Savannah glued their faces to the windows, drinking in their first sight of the Big Apple.

  It reminded me of the last time I’d come with Miguel, and how fun it had been. The unease of my family meeting the Manettos lifted and was replaced with the excitement of being in New York. Tonight, we’d get to see Miguel in his first show as Aladdin on Broadway. It was going to be awesome.

  Syd pulled into the underground parking garage, and we gathered our luggage. Heading for the elevator, Syd announced that Frank and Sylvie had planned a nice dinner in the restaurant before the show tonight, where we could meet the whole family.

  “Maggie’s already here,” Syd continued. “She didn’t want to make a big production of it when she met her grandchildren for the first time. And you know how emotional Sylvie gets.”

  “I’m sure it will be fine,” Uncle J
oey said, glancing at Josh and Savannah with a raised brow that spoke volumes of how he expected things to go.

  Both of them nodded obediently, and Savannah swallowed down her nerves. She’d hardly given meeting Maggie a second thought since she only had eyes for Miguel. Now she realized she’d have to play a part, and she wasn’t sure she was prepared.

  “Maggie’s great. You’ll like her,” I said, hoping to put Savannah at ease. We’d already discussed if they should call her Maggie or Grandma. I’d told them to let Maggie decide and go from there.

  The doors opened, and Syd stepped into the lobby first to hold the elevator. Jackie led the way to the front desk, and I followed her out with the kids close behind and Chris and Uncle Joey taking up the rear.

  Slowing to glance around the lobby, we all took in the rich, dark wood paneling and the crystal lights that bathed the room in a warm glow. A beautiful Italian aria played over the speakers, adding to the ambiance.

  With anticipation, I inhaled through my nose, and there it was. That amazing fragrance I remembered from my last visit. This was awesome. Why had I been so worried about coming? All my fears about meeting the New York Manettos disappeared. Just being in this fabulous hotel in New York City was totally worth it.

  Syd stepped behind the front desk and took charge of getting our room keys and logging us in. “You’re all on the same floor,” he said. Looking at me, he continued, “You have the same suite as you did last time. The couch in the sitting room pulls out into a bed. With the connecting room, you’ll all have your own beds.”

  “That will be great,” I said.

  The office door behind the desk opened, and Frank stepped out. “You’re here,” he said, coming around the desk. He opened his arms, enfolded Jackie in a hug, and kissed both her cheeks. Next, he shook Uncle Joey’s hand before stopping in front of me. “Shelby, it’s great to see you. This must be your family.”