Vanessa and The Cosa Nostra - Chpt. 3

Chapter three:

Vanessa yawned. It was early morning already, and it seemed like she had just closed her eyes when the alarm rang. She stretched and made her way into the kitchen, to brew up some coffee.
As soon as she took a sip, the phone rang. Vanessa groaned and put a hand on her head. Here she was, not yet brushed or bathed or even wearing appropriate clothing and the phone just HAD to ring.
If she had a choice, she would have aimed a Karate kick at the ringing telephone in the neighboring living room, but she sighed and bringing her cup of coffee, went to pick it up.

“Hello, Phoebe speaking”, she said wearily. Phoebe Swanson was the fake name in her passport; all the Cosa Nostra had fake ID’s.
“Why hello dearie, I DO hope I’m not inter’pting your sleep in these early ‘ours of the mornin’-“
“No, you aren’t, Mrs. Rivers”, Vanessa put on a half-cheery voice, but she tried hard to conceal the groan that escaped her lips, upon hearing who it was.

Mrs. Rivers, a widow, was the next door neighbor, living in number three Rose Lane right next to number two, Vanessa’s home.
And Vanessa HATED her. For no particular reason one might think, but Mrs. Rivers was one, BIG chatterbox and if you put her on, she would never stop. Vanessa called it her style of ‘chewing’ on gossip.
Mrs. Rivers who was around fifty with graying hair, always loved to talk to people and who better to discuss her gossip other than her neighbor, Phoebe Swanson who was merely a lonely, rather empty-headed, job-doing, shop-owning type of lady at twenty years of age?

Vanessa slumped on her sofa holding the phone to her ear and wondering what new gossip ol’ Bailey Rivers had in mind to talk about. Not that she cared or anything. But it was just that Mrs. Rivers often had the type of news that was important to the Cosa Nostra.

“Oh, thank goodness, it would break ma’ dear ol’ heart if I did”, she replied in honeyed tones. Vanessa despite herself, giggled lightly, she hoped Mrs. River’s “dear ol’ heart” DID break. She quieted immediately, listening to her next words; it was not in Vanessa’s character to giggle.

“Well, ay-neways, hun, did you hear about peur Mr. Water and Mr. McDonalds’ death?”

This was the second surprise she had in two straight days. “What!?”, Vanessa straightened up immediately, jumping to her feet and clutching the phone closer to her ear.

“H-How- whe-?”, Vanessa’s words were stuck in her throat. She was amazed. How did her neighbor know-?

“Yes, dearie, isn’t it TERRIBLE? I feel DREADFUL for the peur souls!”, Bailey continued, but her voice didn’t even hint the slightest sorrow, it was full of excitement and glee for the new piece of gossip she had to ‘chew’ on.

“It was in the morin’ papers, it was - didn’t you see, honey?”

“Wait a sec, Mrs. Riv-“, Vanessa didn’t even finish her sentence as she ran out side to get the daily Times.
She pulled the door open and her eyes settled upon the curled newspaper lying right at the doorway.
Grabbing it, she almost tore it as she quickly scanned the first page.
Yes. There it was. She did not even have to scan it; a big headline reading ‘KILLINGS IN MASTLER BUILDING’ and two photos of McDonald and Water was thrown onto the front page itself.

She slowly went inside again, reading the large article. She closed the door and thought, “Maybe the FBI aren’t such good secret-keepers after all – the newspapers have gotten a load of it already”

There was a load of crap of how the police were still searching and researching the crime scene to see if there were any clues and, a long paragraph, or rather, TWO long paragraphs where Water’s and McDonald’s family (mainly their wives) speak of their lovely life and what they think of the horrible murder… but Vanessa was interested in what the FBI knew.

Obviously, the police didn’t know anything or (thank goodness Vanessa was wearing gloves, and left no prints behind), the Times didn’t receive much information from them, for there was no mention of the Mafia at all though in one line it was said, ‘we suspect the Mafia could have had a hand in this…’ by the interviewing of a police man… but it was mainly said by the Times article writer that it must’ve been a normal robbery-sort killing or it could have been manslaughter too.

After hurriedly reading everything, she threw the paper back on the floor. There was nothing in there that was important to the Mafia.

She sauntered back to the living room, realizing Mrs. Rivers was still on the phone.

“Well, dearie, whaddya think?”, she said in a motherly-like tone.
“I think –uh, I think it was TERRIBLE.” Said Vanessa hesitatingly, repeating Mrs. Rivers earlier words. Well, what could she say?

She couldn’t very well say, “Oh, Mrs. Rivers, I think it was wonderful that I managed to kill those two stupid lumps, think of what good it would do to the Cosa Nostra!!!”

Mrs. Rivers said, “Yes, terrible! Oh, those peur, peur dears…”
When there was no response from the other end of the phone, Bailey Rivers continued, “Ya know, dearie, I think the Mafia had something to do with this… don’t you?”

Vanessa felt the hair on her neck stand up at the word and hoped she did not betray anything by her voice.
She stammered, “Uh- I –I dunno”.

“Yes, yes, a scary though’, innit?”, obviously, Rivers heard the tremble in her voice and mistook her to be scared of the Mafia instead of the actual reason, scared that Mrs. Rivers will find out that she IS the Mafian.
Vanessa could have cursed herself but she coolly replied, “Yes, Mrs. Rivers, but how could you think that?”

“Well, hun, I recently, naw, not recently – well, three years ago, I remember the Times wrote some ah’tickle ‘bout Mr. Water spyin’ ‘pon a Mafian an’ gave a repo’t, too. And some days before that – lemme think now –“ Rivers paused ”oh, yes, July the third, 2003, a ah’tickle came out ‘bout Mr. McDonalds researchin’ ‘bout the Mafia and giving details to the FBI or sumthin’”

Vanessa could feel her spine shudder. How did this old crackpot know all this? Did she spend her time staring at old papers or something?
She was scared at how much the old lady knew but she knew it was just Mrs. Rivers guessing – still she wasn’t sure.