The dinner table was already festive, and the family was nearing the end of their meal, when Robert Sinatra finally showed up.

“For a mayor,” Donnie said, “you’re always late.”

“Better late than never,” Robert said as he made his way to the head of the table where his father and, to the right of his father, his stepmother sat.  “I am campaigning you know.  I had several campaign stops before I could get here.  It’s amazing I’m here at all.”

“That special election is still months away,” Tony said, “but everybody’s campaigning.”

“Hey, Ma,” Robert said as he kissed Jenay on the cheek.  “Hey, Pop.”  He kissed him too.  “Move down one, Donnie,” he said to his younger brother as he patted him on the arm.

But Donnie objected.  “Why I got to move?”

Jenay smiled and shook her head.  “They still, to this day, jockey for position to be closest to you, Charlie.”

“It’s been that way all their lives,” said Tony, who sat beside Makayla while Brent sat at the head of the opposite end of the table.

“Ah, Tony, don’t even try that,” Ashley said.  “You be jockeying too.  You want to be next to Dad too.  You’re just sneakier with your jockey,” she added, and they all laughed.

“Come on, Don, move down,” Robert insisted.  “This is your mayor talking.”

“Not for long,” Donnie said as he and then Ashley moved down a seat.  “If the polls are accurate.”

Robert glanced at his father.  They both knew how close the race was, and how easily it could all go downhill.  The race was a dead heat, and would be decided within the next three months.  “Don’t be so impolite,” Robert said as he took Donnie’s now abandoned seat.  “If you truly cared you’d be out beating the pavement for me, getting the word out to your friends and associates.”

“I do beat the pavement for you,” Donnie said.  “I’ve gotten the word out to everybody I know.  My friends are going to vote for you.”

“Mine too,” Ashley said.

“Our friends are not the problem,” Donnie said.  “The power structure in this town is the problem.  They’re the ones trying to stop you.  They’re the ones who want no parts of anything Sinatra.  I’m not your problem.  Your name is.”

Robert looked at his younger brother.  He and Donnie were the only two of Charles’s male children to have blonde hair and blue eyes.  The rest of his sons looked more like him: dark hair, green eyes.  And although he and Donnie disagreed on virtually everything, he agreed with Donnie on that score.  “Nothing I can do about my name,” he said.  “I’m proud of my name.”

“Damn right,” Charles said.  “And forget that power structure.  You’ve got to fight the power.  Pound the pavement yourself.  Leave no stone unturned.  Get the masses to vote for you and you’ll win.  You’ll be okay.”

Donald and Ashley were grinning and glancing at each other.

“What?” Robert asked.

“Dad actually said fight the power,” Donald said.  “When he is the power.”

Robert rolled his eyes and looked at Tony.

“I know,” Tony said.  “They’re special.”

Robert laughed.

“Don’t worry, Bob,” Charles said.  “You’ll come out on top.”

Robert smiled, and actually felt better.  He loved his father’s confidence in him.  When nobody believed in him, he could always count on Big Daddy.  And Jenay too, whom he also adored.  “Where’s Bonita?” he asked.  “Where’s Junior?”

“Nita and Junior are in the game room.  They ate quickly so they could get back to their games.”

“I’m surprised they aren’t at each other’s throats yet,” Makayla said with a smile.

Tony looked at her.  “You mean like you and Brent are?” he asked.

Tony was no bullshit artist.  He told them like it was, and everybody in the family expected it from him.  But still.

“Stay in your lane, Anthony,” Jenay warned him.  Even she was leaving it up to Charles to act as mediator alone.  Even she was staying out of it.

“I’ve just been hearing rumors of love on the rocks around here,” Tony said.  “I’m just hoping that’s not true.”

But nobody would deny it.  Not Makayla.  And certainly not Brent.  They both continued to eat their dinner.

“And what’s this I hear about a drive-by at Lou Fontaine’s today?” Robert asked his father.  “First I heard Brent was involved.  Then, just before I came over, I hear you and Ma were there, too.  And that there was some kind of break-in at your office the day before.  Is that all true?”

“There was a drive-by today?” Makayla asked nervously, looking at Brent.  “Are you okay?”

Brent quickly reassured her.  Although they were on awful terms, he still didn’t want her worrying about him needlessly.  “I’m okay,” he said.

“Did you catch the shooter?” she asked.

“No.  They got away.”

“But was there a nexus?  Was it related to that break-in at Dad’s office?” Makayla asked.

“Had to be,” Charles said.  “The two punks who broke into my office claimed Lou Fontaine paid them to do it.  That’s why we were over there.  We later found out they worked for her.”

“Are they still cooperating?” Makayla asked.  “Or have they asked for lawyers?”

“They lawyered up,” Brent said. “So they now claim they have nothing to do with it and they never told Dad anything about anything.”  Then he looked at Charles and Jenay.  “And we couldn’t connect that other guy to any of it either.” The other guy was Percy.

“But what does Miss Fontaine have to do with this?” Tony asked.

Brent and Robert already knew the answer.  They looked at their father to tell it.  Charles exhaled.  “She died,” he said, “in that shootout this afternoon.”

“Oh, no!”  Makayla said.  They all were horrified to hear the news.

Tony shook his head.  “Drive-bys in Jericho.  And it’s not all that uncommon anymore either.  What with that opioid epidemic hitting us as hard as New Hampshire.  And now a life has been taken.  From one of our oldest families.  Do you guys have any idea what it’s all about?”

Charles easily answered that one.  “No, we don’t,” he said.  “A bullshit break-in at my office, leads to one of our most prominent citizens murdered, and we don’t have a damn clue why.”

It was a sobering assessment that caused Charles and Jenay to exchange glances.