Penny was quiet during dinner. She stuffed her face with cupcakes and, surprisingly, pumpkin pie. Actually, she ate a lot of pumpkin pie. Amelia was grateful. She was one of the only one's in the family to like the fall dessert, but now there is another who will eat her homemade pie.
Everyone wasn't talking to much. The children could barely stay away to eat there chocolate cupcakes. It wasn't too late, but the turkey and cranberry sauce is tucking them in for an early sleep. Most were also full of alcohol, and older, causing them to feel extra drowsy. Dylan, Quentin, and Aubrey were the only one's who have barely touched a drink all evening. Penny was listening to Addison talk about the progression of her job. She didn't speak much, but she made sure to react to the conversation.
It was around eight o'clock at night when everyone was officially done with Thanksgiving. Some went to watch a movie together and the rest went to there separate rooms to rest and relax. Usually, Quentin would stay awake and be around his family, but he has someone to take care of.
He helps her throw away her plastic dessert dishes and put her dirty glass in the sink. Her eyes laid half-mast and she stumbled up the stairs. He tried not to laugh, but he had to remain calm and collected for her sake. He couldn't turn into a laughing and giggling mess only for him to not pay attention and then she fall up the stairs. That would be a disaster.
Halfway down the hall, she babbling again, "You know, you aren't half bad! You have a great family. Never take any of them for granite." She misspeaks the word granted. "I am soooooooo happy that we got married because your family is awesome. Just so cool."
He tries to hide his smile as she continues to gush about his family. She lays down on the bed and he pulls out her overnight bag and finds her pair of pajamas. He has to pull her off the bed and push her into the bathroom to get her to change. He sits outside the bathroom, making sure to listen just in case she slips and falls. She was a clumsy drunk.
She pulls the door open, dressed to perfection in her old t-shirt that was from college and a pair of gray pants with fall leaves printed all over. She tripped up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, basically holding herself up. She rest her head upon his chest and whispers, "Can I go to bed now?"
He couldn't stop himself from leaning forward and giving the top of her head a light peck. "Of course." Surprisingly, she had enough energy to hoist herself up, so that he could carrier to bed. He reacted quickly, placing his arms underneath her thighs to support her. He was a little freaked out. She has never shown his much affection to anyone. She was typically a closed book, with her emotion and actions tightly wrapped up.
It only took a few long strides to get to the bed. He placed her on one side and took down the other. She was already half asleep, but he managed to coax her to the open side. Penny snuggled under the covers and promptly fell asleep.
Quentin grabbed a book from his bag, and laid down wondering if married life was this great.
***
On the third floor of the Long Island mansion, Birdie was getting ready for bed. She put on a light pink floral nightgown, brushed her teeth and started to undo the tight bedding sheets. Her back was facing the front door, so she didn't notice it slowly open, careful to not make a noise. A man holding a damp rag quickly wrapped one arm around her upper stomach, restricting arm movement. Before Birdie could scream for help, before she could properly breathing in, a rag placed over her mouth and nose. She didn't want to breath in the chemicals, but she wasn't prepared for it. The world started to become darker and she started to feel dizzy until she could feel anything.
Dylan Romano didn't come home because he missed his family. He didn't come home to play catch-up. He came home, if he could even call it that anymore, for a job. He came to interrogate a potential suspect or hopeful snitch. Once her whole body relaxed, he placed his arms under her knees and across her back. He needs to take her away from the house. If she was in the house, anyone could hear her call for help.
The house has more than one staircase, thankfully. He sneaks away, careful with his footstep to the one that leads outside.
In his car, he binds her arms and legs and place duct tape over her mouth. He pulls out of the driveway, smoothly and silently. DR is at the top of his game; however, he is expecting a fight from the sister-in-law of the head of the Gallo family.
He drives to a secure location that The Company provided. It was a run down shake in the middle of the woods. It clearly was a crack house from the destroyed couches and falling apart, graffitied walls. A perfect place to accuse someone of murder.
He pulls out the only sturdy chair from broken apart dining room table. DR undos the rope and attaches her to the chair.
This is where DR belongs, not in the other place. He belongs in dirt and filth, hurting loved ones. He used his family to get close to this random woman that they all actually care about. He came from a revered family. They were wealthy, sophisticated, polished, and up together. DR was corrupted, destroyed, and falling apart bit by bit.
He belongs with the worst of the worst.
Alberta Cotta eyes flutter open. She tries to rub her eyes, but struggles to move her arms. Her eyes pop open, taking in the disgusting sight in front of her. The house was moldy at the edges and hole expose the harsh November weather. A chill ran up her legs. In front of her, leaning against a destroyed table was the last person she expected.
Dylan Romano.
She just met the man today. She would say she would have never expected this, but she doesn't know him. He was a stranger. Her years married to a man in the mafia taught her to make everyone her enemy. This wasn't her first time being kidnap. She thought that after her husband died, it would have been her last.
She would normally hold her tongue, waiting for the enemy to address her, but her mouth was covered with tape.
"So, Alberta Cotta, or should I say Alberta Gallo."
She rolls her eyes at him.
"So, what made you leave the family, hm? You left your high position in the family to be a maid?" He ripped the tape off her mouth. She stretches her mouth before speaking to him.
"My husband died and they needed someone to watch over the man, since they loaned him a lot of money. But I'm guess that you knew he already that," she said with attitude. Everyone in the family knew of men like him. Men that rest in the shadows, hunting others and then blaming it on them. She gasp sarcastically to hide her real shock, "You were the one who visited our house, questioning us on William Marshall's death. I knew you looked familiar, you have that soulless look in your eye."
DR stayed quiet, grinding his teeth and pulling his arms tighter across the chest. He had to use all his strength to not hurt the old, sassy woman in front of him. "So you know what you are doing here? You paid someone money to take the fall for the murder of Marshall. You know who did it."
Her heart started to beat faster. She knew that her actions and her past where going to catch up to her. She tried to play it cool, "Why would I want his murder to roam free? If I knew I would tell the police. Ross is still my nephew, I sent him money from time to time."
He smiled sinisterly, "I never mentioned Ross."
Shit, she swore in her mind. How could she be so stupid? She couldn't help it with alcohol pumping through her system.
He continued to speak to her, "You paid off him to take the fall because you knew he was smart and could avoid the inevitable. Thankfully, his loyalty doesn't lie with his family. You would pay the murder off because (one) it was you or (two) someone you loved did it."
She thought she was going to have a heart attack. She did all of this to protect the young woman she loved. She couldn't let this man get to her. She knew that he would kill to enact revenge for the vile man.
She did the only thing she could do, and spit in his face. He wasn't getting any answers.
He laughed at her. "You know what is great right now. You have no power, nothing. I can do whatever. I could kill you."
"Yeah, but you will be killing an innocent woman."
"So, it was the daughter that killed Marshall. I never would have tho-"
"She didn't do it either," she quickly covered, trying not to sound to panicked. "I'd rather you torture me, kill me, anything, than you hurt her. Even if I am innocent.
"Oh, so if you are innocent, then it has to be her? You know that once I know for sure, I will kill her and all you want to do is protect her. So the only question left is why and how? She is certainly not strong enough to attack the man, but anyone is powerful enough with a knife." He looks over to her. She looked as though she was going crazy. "If you don't tell me how did it, you or her, I am going to kidnap the girl and kill her in front of you and then blame it on you so you rot in jail. If you tell me, I will spare both of you."
"No," she spits out. She used to be great at concealing information, but now she is older and has someone in her life who is pure and innocent. She is weak. She was also still influence by alcohol from the dinner. She couldn't think straight anymore
"Fine," he threats and walks towards her. A swift punch to the gut was all it took to take her breath away. She tried to breath, get any sort of air into her body, but it was interrupted by a jam to her face.
It continued through the night. He would punch, kick, and hit her throughout her body. He would sometime rest to lay ice across his knuckles and contact people on his phone. In the twilight hours of the morning, a knock can be heard at the door. This was during his break, so he sauntered to the door. Birdie couldn't see how was at the entrance and she couldn't hear anything. Well, that was because they didn't speak at all. He came back around and through swollen eyes she saw him holding a cardboard box.
He opens it in front of her, taking out a simple syringe and small glass medical bottle. "Do you know what this is?" He ask her, reading the instructions carefully.
She doesn't return his question.
"This is Sodium Thiopental. It is great at slowing down your body's ability to transmit information to your brain. When used unresponsively, it kills, like it did to Judy Garland and Marilyn Monroe. However, when used correctly, it can be used to extract the truth from people like...your...self."
At the last word, he jams the needle into her arm. She tried to move away from it, but her pain slows her down. She felt a rush of cold liquid enter her body stream and she starts to relax. Some pain is relieved, but she is more confused if anything.
"So," A voice calls out. "Who killed William Marshall, your employer?"
"What," she draws out in a haze.
"You covered up his murder, so did you kill him or did Penelope Marshall?"
"Uh," she closes her eyes shut, trying to process the words being thrown at her. She couldn't think properly, she couldn't stop herself from answering his question.
"Penny...killed William Marshall."
"Gotcha," DR smile and rushed out the door, leaving the poor woman to pass out on her own.