Pipe Burst Guest novel · Chapter 19 of 24

Chapter 19: The Cousin

Tullio was still smiling when Cesare said his name.

It was the smile he wore at weddings and at wakes.

"Cousin," he said. "You're not going to believe a page of photocopies."

"Where did you get the seal?"

"Don't be ridiculous."

"I asked you a question." Cesare's voice was very quiet. "The night you brought me that paper, I asked you where you got the seal. You said the old Don had given it to you himself."

"He did."

"He was in Boston."

Tullio's eyes moved to the doors, and then to the faces along the table.

Every captain was looking at him.

Not one of them was looking at me.

"All right," Tullio said, and shrugged. "You want to do this in front of the table, we'll do it."

"Tullio," the old captain said sharply.

"No, let him hear it. Let the whole family hear it." He leaned back in his chair and held up his cast. "Orsatti found out what I was taking from the docks. He was going to the Don on a Monday."

"You were skimming," Cesare said.

"I was feeding the family that raised me. And Orsatti was going to hang me for it." He laughed, short and warm. "So I wrote a better story. It took me one evening and a good pen."

"My father," said Ines.

It was the first thing she had said in minutes.

Her voice was so small that I almost did not hear her.

Tullio turned his head and looked at her with something close to tenderness.

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