Jack, Jayne, and I left in my parents’ SUV and headed to Tortellini’s. He lived in a fancy gated community not far from my parents. I wasn’t sure if that was coincidence or another instance of him wanting to emulate my father’s success, but at least we didn’t have a long drive.
Thanks to Birdie’s quick digging, we had a gate code to get in, too. We also had the cover of night on our side. Even so, we’d changed into dark clothing. Not full-on cat burglar, but dark enough that none of us would be super obvious. Jayne’s sparkly sequined top and heels weren’t snooping-friendly anyway.
I parked at the neighborhood pavilion next to the community playground. Parking on the street at this hour in this neighborhood could very easily get the cops called on us, but there were a few other cars there so I hoped we’d blend in.
Besides, there was already a car parked in front of Tony’s. If we were lucky, it was whoever he’d hired to kidnap my mom coming to report on how things had gone.
“Let’s hustle,” I said. “If his hired help is there, I don’t want to miss anything. In fact, if that’s who that car out front belongs to, we need to follow it when it leaves. Could take us straight to my mom.”
“Good thinking. Let’s all make sure our phones are on silent,” Jayne said. “We don’t need someone’s ringtone giving us away.”
Jack shook his head. “I’m not bringing mine. Gonna leave it in the car, if that’s all right.”
“Sure,” I said. “I’m locking it up.”
With that, we all got out. I’d looked at the GPS long enough to know where we were going, so I led the group. It was the stucco monstrosity just up ahead and around the block. Tortellini’s house wasn’t as big as my parents’, nor did he have as much land, but he’d done his best to make it as ostentatious as possible.
I pulled my phone out and snapped a photo of the license plate of the car out front, just in case.
Tony’s house might have been the biggest in the neighborhood. It was certainly the best lit, which didn’t help us out except that it allowed us to see the property a little better. We just had to be careful to stay in the shadows.
There was no fence except on the rear property line, where the house backed up to a golf course. Thankfully, the course wasn’t lit, so that part was darker and provided more cover. There was also a stone path through the side yard, dividing the house from the thick trees and shrubbery that surrounded the property, but taking that path seemed like too big of a risk. We took a quick look around, then slipped into the greenery to maintain our cover.
Jayne immediately started spitting and waving her hands.
I kept my voice down, but I was instantly concerned. “What’s wrong?”
“Spiderweb,” she whispered with a grimace. “I’m fine.” She wiped at her face one more time.
“Listen,” Jack said. “This is a perfect place for me to shift. I can do my own recon around the house while you two do yours here. If I find anything, I’ll come right back and let you know.”
I shook my head. “No, if it’s something good, stay and get all the info you can. Chances are, we’ll miss something if you leave.”
“All right. Just don’t split without me.”
“Not intentionally. But if something happens…”
Jack smiled. “It’s not that big of a deal. I can fly back to your parents’. That house is probably visible from space, so I don’t think I’ll have any trouble finding it.”
I gave him a thumbs-up. “Good.”
“All right. Let’s see what I can see.” The air wavered, and a moment later, a large black bird flew up from where Jack had been standing. The bird perched on a nearby branch, gave us a nod, then took off.
As he left, Jayne grabbed my arm and leaned in. “Do you hear voices?”
I listened. “Someone’s talking close by. But it could be the neighbors. Maybe we can get closer and figure it out.”
Together we made our way through the trees and brush along the side of the house until we came to the backyard and the pool. The underwater lights were on, giving the pool an aqua glow that illuminated everything around it. Two people stood near the sliding doors, which were wide open, allowing a glimpse into the house.
The man was Tony Tortellini, and he was actually just inside the house. The woman standing a few feet closer to the pool looked like his assistant Carrie Caruthers, but it was hard to tell. I was used to seeing her in full stage makeup and a spangled costume, although the skimpy two-piece rhinestone-embellished bathing suit she had on wasn’t that much different than what she wore on stage.
Although her lower back tattoo wasn’t visible in her stage outfit.
“I think that’s his assistant,” I told Jayne. “Not completely sure.”
They looked to be in a heated conversation, so we listened.
Carrie seemed to be pleading with him. She shook her head, making her blond curls quiver. “You said we’d talk. You said after the show.”
“That was yesterday. And that’s not exactly what I said. Listen, I’m really tired.” Tony was frowning, hands on his hips.
“Yesterday, today, what does it matter? A date is a date, right?” She wiggled her hips a little, obviously trying to entice him.
It didn’t work.
“It matters because—look, you shouldn’t be here, Carrie,” Tony said. That confirmed my guess. He looked irritated. “The neighbors will talk.”
“Tony, I’m your assistant.”
Jayne poked me, nodding that I’d been right.
Carrie continued. “They’re not going to talk. There’s nothing odd about us hanging out.” She put her hands on her hips. “Besides, I have a surprise for you.”
“There’s something very odd about it when my wife is out of town and you’re here in a bikini.” He raked a hand through his hair. “Carrie, what we had was amazing and you’re a sweet kid, but it’s over. I’m trying to make things right between Gabrielle and me. That’s why, when you asked about coming over earlier, I said we’d talk about it later. I didn’t mean here at my house.”
Jack, in his raven form, landed on the roof.
Carrie looked on the verge of tears. “Why now? Why all of a sudden? What’s changed?”
“Because…she’s pregnant. I can’t leave with a kid on the way. That changes things. You have to understand that.”
“I don’t have to understand anything except that you’re a jerk.”
“Hey,” he snapped. “I’m still your boss. Unless you want to find another magic show to hire you without a reference. Don’t forget I took a chance on you.”
“Don’t be like that, Tony. You know I love you. You used to love me too.”
That seemed to placate him a little. “I’m sorry, kid. It can’t be like that anymore, and that’s all there is to it.”
She sniffed, grabbed up a filmy pile of chiffon that I took to be a swimsuit cover-up and stomped off toward us.
We ducked. I hoped we couldn’t be seen from the path that went around the house.
But Carrie trudged on by, obviously too upset to be aware of anything beyond her own broken heart. I felt for her. She clearly had been made to think their relationship was going to be more than…this. And while I’d never liked Tony, I liked him even less now.