Page 35 of Tito
Staring at me for a minute, she then leaned her head back and broke into laughter.
I blinked at her response. I never expected for her to laugh. I expected a swat on the head or more Italian reprimands, but not laughter.
“Oh, mio Dio.” She kept laughing.
I shook my head and glanced at Valencia.
She was grinning at my mother’s laughter, but she met my gaze and shrugged.
“My, my. What an imagination you have.” Mama sniggered a bit. “I thought you would outgrow this need to be a detective.” She giggled. “That is how Max is, son. He was brought up to be a butler by strict family tradition. To act like a butler, talk like a butler.BEa butler. That means you never show what you think or feel. Then some people have wonderful genes. I asked him once about his age and he told me his father was still alive and he looked younger than his 95 years. As for the pantry. Max has all kinds of duties, Tito. Like he has to get napkins, doilies, straws and many other things when he serves drinks or lunch in the study. Especially when Stephano has guests. You question thingsthat aren’t unusual. So do not continue your investigation into Max, si?”
I took a deep breath and nodded.
Reaching over, she mussed up my hair. “That’s my bambino.” Then she smiled at Valencia and Julianna. Turning, she made her way to the kitchen.
Valencia tugged on my hand to get my attention.
I looked over at her.
“So what do you think?” she asked me.
I shrugged. “I won’t investigate him anymore. But that doesn’t mean I am satisfied.”
“Best not let Zia catch you at it,” Romeo teased me. “I remember when you were what? Fourteen? When she took a spatula to your behind, because she busted you for—”
Cutting his revisit to our teens short, I raised my hand at him. “If you insist on going down memory lane Romeo, then I can do the same. As in we shall not test Shakespeare’s wrath… Ok?”
He paused and blinked at me. “You wouldn’t,” he exclaimed in shock.
“Would you?” I raised my hands innocently. “Nothing good can come from telling a story of my young teens. Or your teens either, correct?”
Julianna looked over at Romeo and asked, “What about Shakespeare?”
He shook his head.
The girls laughed as they could see these stories were taboo as far as us guys were concerned.
“That’s ok,” Julianna said with a shrug. “When Dante comes back, I’m sure he’ll tell me.”
“No, I’m afraid not,” Romeo replied. “As much as he would like to tell you, he would have much to lose as well. We were all fourteen once upon a time.” He laughed.
I laughed with him then said, “Except for Max, I’ll bet.”
“Now, now,” Romeo warned me as he stood and helped Julianna stand from her chair. “You’d better lay off this case, Sherlock. Or there will be a spatula with your name on it, in the future.”
We all laughed.
I might lay off Max but the pantry and its secret door wasn’t off limits, was it?
Julianna nodded at Valencia. “Ok, we only got a half an hour until the Zoom call with my parents—I mean with…” Her eyes sparkled with unshed tears.
Valencia stood and grabbed her hands. “It will be okay. We will sit together and face them. They raised you, Julie. They are still your parents. That hasn’t changed.”
Julianna gave her a nod and bit at her lip.
“So, where are we going to have it?” I asked
“In my room,” Julianna replied. “More privacy.”
