Caffrey Aloha

Chapter 2

Friday morning. December 24, 2004.

Neal woke at 7am Eastern time, when the lights brightened in the cabin. Flight attendants were stopping at each row to take breakfast orders, and Neal chose the pineapple upside-down pancakes and a glass of orange juice.

Joe ordered the same thing and then said, "How'd the renovation turn out?"

"As I've told June, she deserves an award for being the best landlady in Manhattan. She went for top of the line all the way, from the shower to the fixtures to the crew." Neal frowned a moment at the fact that the word crew still made him think of a group of criminals. It had been a year since he'd given up that life. That was long enough to be rid of those old habits and thought patterns.

"She hired the Vasquez Brothers?" Joe asked, naming the crew he'd recommended. The Vasquez family had worked on several projects where he'd served as an architect, going back nearly twenty years.

"Yeah. Juan Vasquez was quite a character. Most of the time when they were in the loft I was at work or staying in one of June's guest bedrooms, but the few times I was around it was clear they were a family operation. His sons and nephews always followed orders but they liked teasing him. And you could tell he's still not used to having a woman on his crew. Carmen's his daughter, right?"

Joe nodded. "She's a great electrician, and she doesn't let her dad get away with treating her differently from the rest of the crew. Did you meet his son Eric?"

Neal paused as the flight attendant handed them their drinks. "He filled in a few days when a couple of guys were out sick. Some of the crew were razzing him. They kept calling him 'college boy.' Seemed a bit old to be in college though. I'd put him at around Henry's age, twenty-eight or so. Is he getting a masters?"

"About ten years ago, Eric asked if I'd write him a letter of recommendation for his college application. Now that he has his degree and a successful architecture business of his own, his family still teases him about being the first one in his generation to attend college. They're proud of him, but also want to make sure he stays grounded. He kept working with them through college to pay for school, and he still fills in when they need help."

Their breakfast trays arrived and for a few minutes they were too busy eating to talk. Joe was finishing the last of his pancakes when he said, "I asked if you'd met Eric because he reminded me of you. He faced some of the same challenges you are. Working a full-time job while going to college can be stressful. Fortunately he had a family to rely on. Their teasing helped relieve some of the stress, but there may have been times it put him on edge."

Neal looked sharply at Joe.

"Peter may have mentioned you've been on edge recently. You've got a lot of new people in your life, putting a lot of expectations on you. Sometimes that has to be uncomfortable. Remember your family is here for you, and wants to help you. You aren't alone."

"I get it," said Neal, not wanting to talk about himself, especially with Peter probably listening in. "Did you see the remodel of Peter and Elizabeth's kitchen? Peter said when you raved about the Vasquez Brothers to June, El got inspired to go ahead with her own remodeling dreams."

"The girls and I got the tour," Joe confirmed. He glanced back at his daughters in the row behind them. They had finished eating and both had headphones on now. "Speaking of the girls, I'd like to ask your advice. You know they've never met Henry. Pretty soon he's going to be their stepbrother, and they're kind of in awe of him. You too, for that matter."

"Why?" Neal asked.

"The thing is, it's not often Peter can tell us anything about an active investigation. Last summer when he mentioned he was working on a case that involved music, we got wrapped up in it. We heard some of the Urban Legend performances online, and watched when the Local Devastation reunion concert was televised."