so that she was sort of modeling her halter. Which of course just emphasized her breasts and bare stomach.
“Do you like it?” she asked.
“You have no idea.”
Michelle smiled again. “Anyway, would you help me? In a very unofficial investigation?” “Why unofficial?”
“I know my father, there’s no way he’d let me do this.” “You don’t think he’d find out?”
She shook her head. “I told him I’m taking a leave, that’s all he’s going to know.”
“And you want to go undercover by yourself?”
“Not by myself. I’d like you to back me up, to be my second set of eyes.”
“But what would you do undercover? It’s not like you could join the mob.”
“Obviously. But if I got to know Mickey Bravelli, I might be able to get him to confide in me. Maybe not right away, but eventually.”
I waved my hand to dismiss the idea. “Michelle, these guys don’t even trust people they’ve known all their lives.”
“I know that.”
“And the only way you could even get close to him, you’d have to be his girlfriend.” “I know that.”
I could feel my eyes widen. “You want to be his girlfriend?”
“No, but I’d be willing to go out with him a few times.” I felt sick, picturing Michelle arm in arm with Mickey Bravelli.
“He’ll expect you to sleep with him.”
“Doesn’t matter, I won’t do it.”
“Then he won’t have anything to do with you.”
“Maybe. Maybe not.”
“Michelle, this is a fantasy.”
She looked at me for a few moments. “A lot of people seem to believe my brother was corrupt. Do you?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know.”
“I don’t know either, Eddie. But I have to find out any way I can. You know, it’s like I lost Steve twice …” She broke off, shaking her head.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, once when he died, and once … never mind, it probably doesn’t make any sense.” “Go ahead.”
“Well, if Steve was into something he shouldn’t have been, then he wasn’t the person I thought he was. It’s like I lost the brother I thought I knew.”
“It does make sense, Michelle. But you’re not going about it the right way. I mean, how are you even going to meet Bravelli?”
“I’ve already done that.”
“You’ve already met him?”
“There’s this fruit store next to the beauty shop,” she began.
Now I understood. “And on the other side of the fruit store,” I said, “is the clubhouse.”
“Clubhouse?” she asked. “You mean, like Mickey Mouse?”
“No, like Mickey Bravelli. That’s a mob hangout.”
“That’s probably why I saw him in the fruit store. I went there on my lunch break the first day, to get something to eat, and there was Bravelli, buying a banana.”
“Lucky you.”
“He looked me up and down, like, Who is this? I pretended not to notice. Mrs. Correri told me later he comes in all the time.”
“Who’s Mrs. Correri?”
“She and her husband own the fruit store. Anyway, I hung out in there during my whole lunch break yesterday, hoping he’d come in.”
“And you got lucky again.”
“Yep, and I think he came to see me. As soon he walked in the door, he looked around, like he was looking for somebody. I was talking to Mrs. Correri, and he noticed me and started staring. Finally, he came over and said hello to Mrs. Correri—he calls her ‘Mama Correri'—and then he asked her, ‘Who’s your new customer, Mama?’ She told him I was the new manicurist next door, and she introduced us.”
“And?”
Michelle shrugged. “Well, that was it. He got a banana and left.”
“Another banana? What is he, a monkey?”
“Anyway, I had to call in sick at Angela’s this morning, you know, so I could go to the funeral, and when I called, they told me Bravelli’s coming in tomorrow morning at eleven for a manicure. He specifically asked for me.”
“Michelle, if he finds out who you are, he’ll kill you. Your face was on the TV news tonight, I’m sure it’s going to be in
“Do you like it?” she asked.
“You have no idea.”
Michelle smiled again. “Anyway, would you help me? In a very unofficial investigation?” “Why unofficial?”
“I know my father, there’s no way he’d let me do this.” “You don’t think he’d find out?”
She shook her head. “I told him I’m taking a leave, that’s all he’s going to know.”
“And you want to go undercover by yourself?”
“Not by myself. I’d like you to back me up, to be my second set of eyes.”
“But what would you do undercover? It’s not like you could join the mob.”
“Obviously. But if I got to know Mickey Bravelli, I might be able to get him to confide in me. Maybe not right away, but eventually.”
I waved my hand to dismiss the idea. “Michelle, these guys don’t even trust people they’ve known all their lives.”
“I know that.”
“And the only way you could even get close to him, you’d have to be his girlfriend.” “I know that.”
I could feel my eyes widen. “You want to be his girlfriend?”
“No, but I’d be willing to go out with him a few times.” I felt sick, picturing Michelle arm in arm with Mickey Bravelli.
“He’ll expect you to sleep with him.”
“Doesn’t matter, I won’t do it.”
“Then he won’t have anything to do with you.”
“Maybe. Maybe not.”
“Michelle, this is a fantasy.”
She looked at me for a few moments. “A lot of people seem to believe my brother was corrupt. Do you?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know.”
“I don’t know either, Eddie. But I have to find out any way I can. You know, it’s like I lost Steve twice …” She broke off, shaking her head.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, once when he died, and once … never mind, it probably doesn’t make any sense.” “Go ahead.”
“Well, if Steve was into something he shouldn’t have been, then he wasn’t the person I thought he was. It’s like I lost the brother I thought I knew.”
“It does make sense, Michelle. But you’re not going about it the right way. I mean, how are you even going to meet Bravelli?”
“I’ve already done that.”
“You’ve already met him?”
“There’s this fruit store next to the beauty shop,” she began.
Now I understood. “And on the other side of the fruit store,” I said, “is the clubhouse.”
“Clubhouse?” she asked. “You mean, like Mickey Mouse?”
“No, like Mickey Bravelli. That’s a mob hangout.”
“That’s probably why I saw him in the fruit store. I went there on my lunch break the first day, to get something to eat, and there was Bravelli, buying a banana.”
“Lucky you.”
“He looked me up and down, like, Who is this? I pretended not to notice. Mrs. Correri told me later he comes in all the time.”
“Who’s Mrs. Correri?”
“She and her husband own the fruit store. Anyway, I hung out in there during my whole lunch break yesterday, hoping he’d come in.”
“And you got lucky again.”
“Yep, and I think he came to see me. As soon he walked in the door, he looked around, like he was looking for somebody. I was talking to Mrs. Correri, and he noticed me and started staring. Finally, he came over and said hello to Mrs. Correri—he calls her ‘Mama Correri'—and then he asked her, ‘Who’s your new customer, Mama?’ She told him I was the new manicurist next door, and she introduced us.”
“And?”
Michelle shrugged. “Well, that was it. He got a banana and left.”
“Another banana? What is he, a monkey?”
“Anyway, I had to call in sick at Angela’s this morning, you know, so I could go to the funeral, and when I called, they told me Bravelli’s coming in tomorrow morning at eleven for a manicure. He specifically asked for me.”
“Michelle, if he finds out who you are, he’ll kill you. Your face was on the TV news tonight, I’m sure it’s going to be in
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