by M. L. Ray
“And his fiancée. Ferdie was secretly engaged.”
That surprised the detective. “To whom?”
Juno half-smiled. “Isabella Papini.”
Rossi stared at her. “Who was stabbed last week.”
“Yes.”
Rossi looked between Juno and Levi. “I see.”
“So, you can see, this isn’t over and now I’m more sure than ever that Ferdie was murdered. By Tudor Welch.” She looked at Levi. “Tell him what you found out about Tudor, baby.”
Levi told him what he’d learned at his alma matar. “We think Tudor was obsessed with Ferdie even then, because he was in love with Lucy, or at least, determined she would be his. We’ve learned that Lucy Graziano was pregnant when she… died. But her wounds are very, very similar to that of Fausta’s wounds. Isa was also stabbed in the stomach and this was after she came to me with her suspicions.”
Rossi listened to everything Levi had to say, nodding, but then he sighed. “There is just one problem with all of this. Tudor Welch wasn’t in Italy when Federico died.”
“He could have been. We think he’s travelled on false passports before, mainly when Lucy died.”
“Which is entirely within the realm of possibility, but in Federico’s case, we know for sure.” He tapped something into his laptop and turned it towards Levi and Juno. “Note the time stamp on the video.”
They watched as Tudor danced with another ballerina, this time on a stage in New York City. The Met. Both Juno and Levi recognized the stage. The time stamp was the day Ferdie died.
Juno took a deep breath in. “Perhaps the video camera or phone had the wrong date on it.”
Rossi shook his head. “We have checked. Tudor Welch was definitely in New York on that date. I’m sorry.”
“But then… who else? Who else would want to kill Federico?”
“That’s the question I’ve been asking myself since he died, Juno. But I can find no-one and nothing to suggest that anyone wanted him dead. I’m so sorry.”
Juno felt utterly deflated as they left the police station and walked around the city. “I so thought he would tell us he was going to reopen the investigation.”
“I think he would if we could give him even the slightest hint of a motive from anyone else. Come on, let’s sit, have some coffee and see where we are.”
They went to an outdoor café on the Campo Santa Maria Formosa. Juno ordered a hot chocolate while Levi had a latte, and they sat with their hot drinks. Today, Venice was cloudy, rain threatening every so often, and it seemed to Juno that the weather reflected her mood. She ran through everything in her head.
“Arturo.”
Levi looked at her. “What about him?”
“You said Isa had her suspicions. And he lied about knowing Lucy Graziano.”
“He did,” Levi said carefully, “but he also came clean to me about it. He didn’t want anything hidden in case, well, you know.”
“Exactly,” Juno said, “don’t you think the timing of his ‘confession’ was odd? Right after Isa came to you with her suspicions?”
Levi stared at her. “Juno… do you really think Arturo would be capable…?”
Yes. But she shrugged, trying to stay neutral—as much as she could. “Maybe I’m projecting.”
“We have already been through this. Arturo… well, for one thing, he was with Cat when Isa was stabbed and Isa positively identified her attacker as a red-headed man. Not Arturo.”
Her shoulders slumped. “You’re right.”
Levi reached over to touch her cheek. “Darling, I want answers too but we can’t just throw suspicion on anyone.”
“I know.” Juno chewed on her lips for a second, then sat up. “Look… we have the wedding in the morning, then my performance afterward. Detecting will have to wait.”
Levi chuckled. “Good choice.”
“I thought we might go visit Isa today.” Her tone was light but she could tell Levi wasn’t fooled.
“She’s not going to tell you anything that she didn’t tell me, Juno.”
“I know. I just want to hear it from her. Not the stuff about his death, but how much she loved him. It brings me peace to know he was loved.”
“I get that.” He smiled at her. “I’ll call Cat.”
“Thank you.” Juno sipped her hot chocolate. “And also… I’d better go find a dress for tomorrow.” She smiled suddenly. “I can’t believe we’re getting married.”
“Still time to chicken out.”
Juno laughed. “Not a chance, Zapata. You’re stuck with me.”
Isa was sitting up in bed waiting for them when they arrived just after lunchtime. For a second, she and Juno just gazed at each other, then Juno went to her and they embraced.
“I’m so sorry this happened to you, Isa. And I’m so sorry that you and Ferdie never got your happy ever after. You both deserved it so much.”
“Thank you, Juno.” Isa’s face was wet with tears, but she smiled at them both, asked them to sit with her.
“How are you feeling?”
“Okay, thanks, but they do still have me on the morphine for the moment. They say I can go home on Monday.”
“No sooner?”
“I wish.” She smiled at Juno. “I hear congratulations are in order. The wedding is tomorrow? Arturo told me. I’m delighted for you both.”
Juno glanced at Levi, who nodded. “We wish you could be there but your health is more important.”
“Ah, it’s okay. We’ll celebrate together afterward, promise?”
“Promise.” Juno nodded, then took Isa’s hand. “Isa… we went to the police this morning. We talked to Detective Rossie about Ferdie’s death. We don’t think it was an accident or suicide either.”
Isa let out a long breath. “But I bet he told you there were no suspects?”
“He did. Tudor Welch—the man who stabbed you—was confirmed to be in New York. I just have no idea who else would want Ferdie dead.”
Isa shook her head. “I know, and it’s killing me—sorry—to know there’s someone out there who hates him that much. I did suspect Arturo, but I’m utterly convinced he had nothing to do with it, now. Cat is his alibi for the night I was stabbed and besides, I saw my attacker. It was Tudor Welch.”
“We’re going around in circles,” Levi said gently, “and to both of you, I say this with love, let it go. For now, at least, until we can really look into Ferdie’s actions leading up to his death.”
Isa lay back on the pillows but kept her hand in Juno’s. “Or… we could concentrate on building our lives back together again. He’s not coming back. We all have to accept that, however much it hurts.” She looked at Juno. “But… to me, you are my family as much as Cat is, Juno. You are my sister, never forget that. I hope we can get to know each other properly now.”
Juno leaned forward and hugged her again. “I wish you could be at our wedding.”
“Me too. Maybe Cat should come and hold up her phone so I can watch.”
They both laughed. “Like that scene in Friends?”
“I, Ross, take thee, Rachel…” They both said it and burst out laughing. Levi grinned at them.
“Do not say the wrong name,” Isa ordered him with a smile.
“I promise.”
***
Tomorrow. Tomorrow she would be married, be given the biggest applause of her life, and then she would die. He’d decided to let her have her moment in the sun after all, then, as she revelled in her success, and her new life with her new husband, he would take it all away.
He smiled to himself. The security at the concert hall was woefully lax. He’d been able to break in easily, hide underneath the stage. Tomorrow they would all know that he could not be stopped.
Tomorrow they would all know that he had won.
Chapter Thirty
Nook fastened the flower behind Juno’s ear then stepped back to look at her, tears in her eyes. “You
look so beautiful.”
Juno grinned at her. The simple white dress she wore wasn’t really a wedding dress, but when she had seen it in the store, she knew it was the one. Bell sleeves, a simple beaded bodice that fit snugly across her chest and then a free flowing skirt to just above her knee. Juno hadn’t wanted to carry a bouquet, but she wore a pale pink peony behind her ear, her hair loose and pulled over the opposite shoulder. In her ears, she wore two simple ear studs, white gold letter F’s—Levi had suggested them when he saw them in the jewellery shop yesterday. “A wedding gift from me and also, to honor your brother, to have him at our wedding.”
Juno had fallen even more in love with him after that.
Forty-five minutes later, they walked into the city hall. Cat Papini stood up, grinning at them. “I’m your official wedding videographer. Orders from Isa.”
Juno and Levi hugged her and introduced her to Nook and Knox. Juno looked around. “Jake and Moriko will be here any moment… and Arturo too.”
“We still have ten minutes before our ceremony. They’ll be here.”
Sure enough, a moment later, Juno saw Jake and Moriko approaching, both of them overly excited. “We had to sneak out of practise. Claudia sends her love but with everything going on today, she couldn’t get away.”
“It’s okay. We’re just waiting on one more guest now.”
But by the time they were called in Arturo was still nowhere to be seen. Juno frowned. “Weird.”
“He probably got caught up in something. Today is about us, though.”
Her expression cleared as she grinned up at him. “Damn right.”
In a few moments, they were repeating the vows to each other and then, in what seemed a blink of an eye, they were married. Juno’s eyes were full of tears as she looked at her new husband. “I love you so, so much, Levi.”
He pressed his lips against hers in answer, holding her tightly and she knew it wasn’t just her cheeks that were wet with happy tears.
Their guests threw confetti over them as they exited the courtroom and Juno giggled at the mischievous expression on her friends’ faces.
They went to lunch at an upscale restaurant Levi had booked and toasted their happiness with champagne. The food was delicious, happy chatter surrounded them, and Juno could not have imagined a more wonderful day.
As their friends talked around them, she leaned against her new husband and kissed his neck. “We did it.”
“We did. All good from now on, my darling love.” He put his arms around her and drew her close. “And now you’re going to be the lead in this production.”
She nodded. “Is it crazy to say I just wish it was over and done with? Because today has been so happy and yet… later on I’ll be dancing in a dead woman’s role.” She grinned wryly. “Life sure is a pendulum.”
“Always is, always will be. Think of tonight as closure.” Levi kissed her. “I was thinking… what would you say to flying back to Seattle with Knox and Anouk in the morning? Honeymoon there? If you don’t want to, I completely under…”
“… I want to.” She nodded fervently. “So, so much.”
She saw Levi’s shoulders relax. “Good.”
Lunch over and almost regretfully, Levi had to say goodbye to his new bride as she, Jake and Moriko went to prepare for the show that evening. Nook and Knox decided to go sightseeing for their last evening in Venice and so Levi was left alone with Cat. Cat was trying to call Arturo. She shook her head. “Voicemail again. I hope he’s okay.”
“I’m sure Arturo can look after himself.” Levi thought it odd his friend missed the wedding but perhaps he’d come to the conclusion that seeing someone else he had been fond of pledge their love to someone else was too much twice in a lifetime. He could understand that. First Lucy, now Juno.
Something niggled at him but he pushed it aside. “Shall we go see your sister? Tell her about the wedding?”
“Good idea.”
They went to the hospital, but as they approached Isa’s room, there was a flurry of activity and Cat sped up. “What’s wrong?”
They burst into Isa’s room and Cat gasped with horror. A junior doctor was pumping Isa’s chest—Isa was pale and limp in the bed, and Levi could see the bedsheets were soaked with blood.
“What the hell happened?”
“We don’t know… we think she tried to…” One of the nurses was in tears, but the doctor looked up annoyed.
“Get them out of here!”
Two other nurses herded Cat and Levi from the room. Cat was beside herself and Levi wrapped his arms around her. “My sister… my sister…”
“They’re looking after her,” Levi said but even to his own eyes, he sounded lame, and as shell-shocked as Cat. All he could do is hold her while she cried. A few moments later, a nurse came to tell them that Isa was in surgery.
“What the hell happened?”
“As far as we can make out, she must have used the needle in her arm and punctured an artery. The first we knew something was wrong was when her monitors went crazy. She’s lost a lot of blood. I’ll come back and find you when I know more.”
As the nurse turned to go, Levi called her back. “Was it an accident?”
The look in the nurse’s eyes told him what he needed to know. “I don’t know. It’s not likely. I’m sorry, we’ll know more later.”
Cat’s sobs got louder and Levi held her tighter. “It’s okay, baby, they have her. They’ll save her.”
He hoped beyond hope that was true.
***
Juno was certain she had left her shoes in her locker. She hunted around for them, then asked everyone if they had seen them. Jake frowned. “No, boo, I’m sorry. Are you sure you left them here?”
She gave a half-smile. “If I took those things home, the stink would drive Levi out of the apartment in a second.”
Jake grinned. “Ha ha. Not anymore. You’re married now, he’s legally obliged to put up with them.”
Juno laughed and grabbed an older pair of ballet shoes from the bottom of her locker. She couldn’t be mad or superstitious about ballet shoes today. She’d just married the most wonderful man in the world and now she was going to perform one of the most prestigious dances of her life.
Before she knew it, the curtains were going up and as the first dancers went on stage, Juno peeked around the curtain to the audience. She saw Levi, Nook and Knox in their seats and felt a thrill. Her family. Levi’s expression was nervous, stressed until he saw her and smiled, his handsome face lighting up. He mouthed ‘I love you’ to her, and she grinned, waving back. It was all the strength she needed.
Her first steps onto the stage as Rubies began were amongst the most nervous of her life, but then as the music swelled, she began to move, graceful and light, across the stage. She was dancing for Levi now, for the memory of her brother, for her new family—Nook, Knox, the baby they were having, the child they had at home, and for herself.
At the end of the act, she bowed gracefully to the rapturous applause and danced off, ready to go get changed for Diamonds. She was high-fived by her fellow dancers and hugged by an emotional Claudia. “You have made me so proud, darling.”
Juno was alone in the dressing room as she hurriedly swapped the red costume for the pure white. She knew the other dancers were at the stage side, ready for her and the changing room echoed with silence as she crisscrossed the ribbons on her shoes. Her earlier nerves had left her now and she was ready for the final act.
She walked to the dressing room door and opened it. She looked up and gasped, rocking back, as a figure stepped in front of her and she felt the prick of a needle in her neck and everything went black.
Cat Papini sat next to her sister as the machines bleeped and pulsed. They’d pumped liters and liters of blood into Isa and had told Cat, for now, she was stable. Cat did not believe Isa had tried to commit suicide for one moment.
Isa stirred and Cat took her hand. “Isa? Dar
ling?”
Isa opened her eyes and looked at her sister. “He…”
“What is it, darling?
Isa struggled to speak but her eyes were wide and frightened. “He did this to me…”
“Who, darling? Who did this to you? Was it Tudor Welch, sweetheart?”
Cat’s heart plummeted as Isa shook her head and began to cry.
Levi heard the murmur of the audience and saw the anxious faces of the corps de ballet at the sides of the stage as they waited for Juno to appear for the final act of the ballet.
His heart began to pump hard. “I’m going to find out what’s wrong.”
Nook and Knox nodded at him, both anxious too. Levi went out of the auditorium and circled around to the stage door. Jake let him in. “I’m looking for her… I can’t find her…”
Panic was beginning to set in. What the hell? They searched the dressing rooms and every place they could think of.
They heard the explosion from the front of the stage and ran towards it. “Smoke bomb,” someone shouted and the whole place was thrown into confusion.
In the melee, Levi found Nook and Knox. “What the hell is going on?”
“Juno is missing. I think Welch has taken her.”
God, even the words hurt. His cell phone rang.
“Cat?”
“Isa’s awake.”
“Is she okay?”
“Not really but she’s stable. Listen, Levi… God…” Cat was sobbing now. “It’s Arturo… he did this to her. He’s working with Tudor Welch. You have to protect Juno… he’s coming after her.”
Levi’s heart failed. “Oh God, no… Cat, Juno is missing. We think she was taken from the dressing rooms, and someone has set off a smoke bomb in the auditorium as a decoy.”
“Oh God, no…”
“Look, Cat… can you think of anywhere Arturo might take her?”
“No, I really don’t… wait. At his place, a few weeks ago, I saw some realtor leaflets for properties.”
“Can you remember them?”
“I’m sorry, no… look, I’ll go to his apartment. I have a key.”
