22
After I left Elizabeth’s home, I headed straight to North Beach and Castle Alley. Gloria had pulled a fast one on all of us. She must have known I’d find out fairly quickly that Nina had taken refuge with Cheryl. But what good would that do? If Nina could be so easily bullied by her daughter, what did Gloria hope to achieve? I rang the bell and let myself in with a key. I called up the stairs to my grandmother.
"I’m here, dear," she answered. She was making a cup of tea as I entered the kitchen. She looked up brightly. "Would you like a cup, Julia?"
I nodded. "Sure." I watched Gloria as she fussed with cups and saucers and lemon slices. When the tea was ready, I took a sip. "When were you planning to tell me?" I asked.
"Oh! " She sighed, "that."
"Yes. That!"
"There was no time to
