And she certainly shouldn’t be the tawdry, broken, throw-around toy of the Crazy Balducci Brothers.

I knew I had to ride this out, keep my plans to myself and, when things were all ready, I’d sit down with Ralphie and Buddy and explain. Then I’d sit down with Hector and explain. Then I’d go and let them get back to their normal lives being good people and having nothing more to worry about than their Z Gallerie credit cards (not that Hector had a Z Gallerie credit card, more like Home Depot).

Daisy and Ava showed with the coffees, taking me out of my unhappy thoughts.

They stayed and gabbed.

When I said they “gabbed”, I meant they filled in the gaps as told by the reporters and they shared with Ralphie and I the stories of how Indy got together with Lee. Indy was somehow mixed up with why Terry Wilcox disappeared. I knew Terry; he was a contemporary of my father’s. He was creepy and I was glad he was gone (and my father had been super happy when he disappeared) but I was sorry he made Indy’s life a misery before he left.

Then they told me how Eddie and Jet got together (Jet had nearly been raped too, but, luckily, she was saved at the last minute).

Roxie “popped” around (said she was shopping at 16th Street Mall and she had about a dozen bags to prove her story correct). She found out what we were gabbing about and then she shared how she and Hank got together. She’d been stalked by an ex-boyfriend, he found her at Hank’s house, beat her up and took her for a wild ride across three states before Vance, or Native American Hottie, found her and eventually her ex got his hand shot mostly off (again by Vance) at one of Daisy’s society parties (I’d heard about it, but, obviously, hadn’t been invited).

Then they shared how Vance and Jules (the black-haired lady from the drag show) got together. Jules had gone on a vigilante mission to take down drug dealers (which meant I might not be her most favorite person) and she ended up getting shot twice (something, the girls told me, Hector blamed himself for though I didn’t get it, it seemed an honest, though heart-wrenching, mistake). Vance and Jules were the only other “Hot Bunch” (as Daisy called the Nightingale Men) and Rock Chick couple who were married and they had a newborn baby.

Finally, Ava shared how she and Luke got together. I found out she knew Ren too and I also found out that Ren’s cousin, Dom (who I knew too, but not as well as Ren, Dom used to be kind of a jerk but I’d heard that he’d turned into a rather keen family man). Ava’s story was kind of confusing, had to do with con men and somewhere along the line she’d been violated too. Though not as bad as me, still, did one put degrees on these things? Violation was violation, simple as that.

I already knew about Stella and Mace.

After they were done talking, I was seriously weirded out but I also had food for thought. Mainly because it would seem I wasn’t the first girl to catch the eye of one of the Hot Bunch who caused some significant worry, out-and-out scares and visits to the hospital.

While I was thinking this, Daisy, Ava and Roxie took off to The Market to get us sandwiches.

They came back with Shirleen who was taking her lunch “hour” (an hour that lasted two) and they chipped in to help with the final touches for the opening. I asked Roxie for Jet’s number and called her to warn her about the Reunión de la Familia (because that was the nice thing to do). She muttered some choice words, thanked me in a way that seemed very genuine (and even relieved), we hung up after agreeing to meet up sometime and then I turned to the catering menu.

* * * * *

“You need some pigs in a blanket,” Shirleen advised, casting a critical eye over the menu.

“You don’t have pigs in a blanket at an art opening,” Daisy said to Shirleen.

Shirleen’s head popped up. “Sure you do. You just make ‘em with those little, baby sausages.”

“It’s an art opening you need vol au vents or shit like that,” Daisy said.

Shirleen turned back to me. “Ask ‘em if they have pigs in a blanket. They wanna make it fancy; they can wrap ‘em up in Pilsbury crescent roll dough rather than biscuit dough. Trust me, people full of champagne and pigs in a blanket’ll buy a lot of paintings.”

“How do you know?” Ava asked.

“Because I’d buy a painting if someone gave me a glass of champagne and a non-stop supply of pigs in a blanket, especially if it was wrapped up in that crescent dough. Have you tasted a Pilsbury crescent roll?”

Ava nodded and smiled. “Yeah, there was a day when I’d bake and eat a whole tray of crescent rolls all by myself.”

“Not hard to do,” Shirleen muttered with the voice of experience.

The gallery’s phone rang and I was so wrapped up in thoughts of Pilsbury crescent rolls, and wondering how hard it was to make them, I didn’t even think when the operator asked me if I’d accept the collect charges.

I just said, “Yes.”

“Sadie?” my father said in my ear.

My torso snapped up and my mind shut down.

He’d been calling for months, the gallery and my apartment. He had to call collect and I never accepted the charges. A few months ago, Ralphie received a call, put his hand over the mouthpiece and asked if he should accept but I’d shook my head “no”.

At the time Ralphie didn’t ask questions now, obviously, he knew.

“Sadie?” my father repeated.

Shirleen and Ava had come up with me. I felt their eyes on me as well as Daisy’s. I couldn’t do anything, my mind was still shut down.

“Sadie! Jesus! Are you there? I don’t have all f**king day.”

“Daddy,” I whispered.

I hated calling him “Daddy”. I always hated it but it was the only thing he allowed.

At my word, the room electrified.

Shirleen’s arm shot toward Daisy and I saw her fingers snap repeatedly but Daisy was already digging through her purse. I watched as she pulled out her cell.

“There’s talk,” my father said in my ear.

“Talk?” I repeated.

“Talk. We’ll get to that in a minute. Where have you been and why have you refused my calls?”

I blinked.

Was he nuts? Did I play my role that well that for twenty-nine years he actually thought I was the dutiful daughter? I’d always thought my father was smart (he even told me he was smart, he told me this loads) but it seemed apparent he was pretty f**king dumb.