Slowing to a stop, I parked as close to the door as I could and locked the car before scurrying across the lot. Anderson and Dario waited outside, lounging against the wall in conversation.
Dario glanced in my direction – a half-grin curled the corner of his mouth.
“Mornin’ teach. Kinda late, aren’t ya?” he said with an exaggerated glance at his watch.
I glanced at my watch and realized I’d managed to be late after all. With a grin and a deep breath, I nodded and opened the door.
“Everything all right, Vin?” Anderson whispered as he entered the classroom behind me.
“Good morning everyone,” I said, and nodded to Porter as he walked toward his seat.
Greetings rounded the room and questions arose over the assignment. Class time passed with heated discussions over the right way to run an investigation. I allowed the class to hold the floor until things got a bit out of control. It was then that I brought everyone around to the importance of gathering evidence from a contaminated crime scene. Class dismissed, I tossed my belongings into the soft-sided, leather briefcase.
The door closed and I realized everyone was gone, but me. Outside, I glanced up and down the corridor, but even Dario and Porter had disappeared. My gut tightened as I mentally brushed the dust off the self-defense techniques I’d learned last year.
It wasn’t until I’d nearly reached the front entrance that I saw Dario and Porter outside with Marcus. Relief flooded me, and my knees weakened. They laughed over something, but glanced around at the same time. On guard against someone, perhaps. I wondered.
“Hi Vin.” Marcus greeted me with a grin and a peck on the cheek as I walked through the doors.
My glance skittered to the two PPD cops and I asked if they had waited for any special reason. They both grinned, avoiding the obvious – that they waited for me. My very own bodyguards. Wow.
“Are you ready to go?” Marcus’s warm voice asked as his hazel green gaze slid over my face.
“Yes, indeed.” I turned to thank the two cops. A smile and a few remarks about ‘payment for favors’ were muttered as I walked away with Marcus.
His strong fingers wrapped around my arm as we strolled to the car. My injury had all but disappeared. I knew my brother, Saint Doctor Giovanni, had been correct in his diagnosis. It had been weeks since I’d felt this pain-free.
“You stopped the car that was behind me, didn’t you?” I asked.
“It wasn’t me. Another trooper was in your area. The driver lives down the road from here. There’s no reason to suspect you were in any danger from her.”
“Oh, I could have sworn that I was tailed. She followed me from the on ramp at the Route 6 Connector. When I slowed, she slowed and this kept up until I came onto the school grounds.”
“Are you paranoid because there have been three murders which involved people you dealt with on a regular basis?” Curiosity and maybe some concern filled his eyes as he stared into mine.
“No.” I denied that. “But that accident I had a while back … now I get nervous when I’m followed.”
“Sure. I understand you could feel that way. Let me say this … nobody will hurt you as long as I can prevent it. Now get in the car and go home. Straight home. Understand?”
I considered his words for a few moments, staring at his handsome features.
“Marcus, if I’m not under any threat, why do I need to go straight home?”
“Because you are a disaster magnet and I want to make sure you’re safe. That’s the only reason. I promise.”
“Right. Well, my brother will be over for dinner tonight, so you won’t have to worry about me. Okay?” I leaned in and kissed him soundly. His fingers tightened on my arms as he drew me closer.
“You drive me nuts. You know that don’t you?” he murmured against my lips.
“Mmm, I know.” A wide grin on my face, I entered the car and left the grounds.
Marcus’s gray cruiser followed me into Providence, but turned off at the South Main Street Exit. There were odds and ends I needed at the market so I stopped to get them.
Before leaving the car, my gaze roamed the market parking lot in search of anything out of the ordinary. All looked the same as usual. I scurried into the market.
Up and down the aisles, I strode with purpose. After I’d tossed this and that into the basket, I ended up at the checkout counter to pay for the goods.
“Hey Vinnie, how are you?”
I turned to stare into the face of Ima Gozinta, her uniform trim and neat, as was her braided hair.
“Hi, Ima. Surprised to see you here.” My glance took in the deli sandwiches in her hands. Lunch, I guessed.
“Yeah, I stopped to get lunch for Marcus and then I’m back on the road. Did you enjoy your visit Sunday? My stepfather thinks you’re the bomb,” she said with a grin.
Yeah. It was as enjoyable as a toothache.
“It was a pleasure to meet the family,” I lied. It’s true. I’d head straight to hell, especially after I broke my promise to the Almighty. It had been a pleasure to meet Bradley … but the wife and Ima, I could do without. I wasn’t jealous or anything, though. And to think she would have lunch with Marcus and he’d never mentioned it. Hmm. I wondered why he hadn’t told me about their luncheon engagement.
The line moved ahead quickly. I stepped up to the clerk and watched as she rang in the groceries. Swiping the ATM card through the machine, I punched in my pin number and left the store with a nod to Gozinta.
Once home, I slapped together a casserole, popped it into the oven and set the timer. Two hours remained before Lena’s visit. I’d heard the Yukon pull into the driveway and knew Aaron was home. Leaving my apartment door open, I slowly climbed to the second floor without applying undue pressure to my knee.
At the top of the stairs, the door swung wide. I chuckled at the arched eyebrows and smile on the handsome face.
“Guess you heard me, huh?”
“Indeed. You aren’t one for the quiet approach, are you?” He stepped aside so I could enter the cheerful kitchen. Coffee perked and the smell drew me toward the counter.
“To what do I owe the pleasure of your company, Beautiful?” he asked, a teasing sparkle in his eyes.
“Have you heard that Nurse Crisp was found?” I asked and watched him closely.
“No. I’ve been in the field all day and haven’t retrieved my messages. Tell me what happened.” He poured two cups of the aromatic brew and slid the milk and sugar across the counter.
It didn’t take long to explain the dead body and how I’d had to identify her remains.
“You get all the fun, don’t you?” He smirked. “How did Marcus take the news when you told him what happened?”
“He was less than amused and grumbled about the whole ordeal. You have to do what you have to do, right? I felt it was my duty to give the PPD a hand.”
“You were curious and had to satisfy that need to know thing you have going on. Let’s be honest.” He grinned.
“Yeah, you’re right I suppose.” I smiled and sipped the coffee. Then I asked what he’d been doing in the field.
“I’m just interested in a line on the art theft business. I’ve considered the options and wondered if Lena would grant me an interview. We’ve had her under surveillance for some time, but she’s maintained a low profile since the funeral.” He toyed with the spoon and then stared into my eyes.
Dang, here it comes.
“You wouldn’t want to give me a hand with this, would you, Vin?” His voice was so soft and quiet … maybe I’d imagined the question. Fat chance of that.
“She is my great aunt, you know.”
The coffee pot sat nearby. I refilled my cup and poured more into his. There I was, buying time again.
“I wouldn’t ask you to turn her in if she was an accomplice. I
simply need you to drop by and check things out for me. If you happen upon any information that I might find useful then tell me, if not that’s fine. You might ask her if she’d speak to an agent.” His dark eyebrows arched as he spoke, but his warm brown eyes mesmerized me. Who could refuse a man like this?
“As it so happens, I’ve been invited to tea with her this afternoon.” I checked my watch to see how much time had elapsed and then opened the door to the hallway to listen for the oven timer.
He watched these actions with a smirk and then raised his brows in question when I turned back toward him.
“My brother arrives for dinner around six. I have a timer on for the casserole in the oven.” I chuckled at the way he rolled his eyes at me.
“Multi-tasking again. Is that it? Well, will you help me or not?”
“Right. I guess if I come across anything of interest, I might share it with you. However, Lena probably doesn’t know about Nate’s light-fingered business, so don’t get your hopes up.”
The wide smile showed even teeth, perfect and white against his tanned skin. Though his color had faded from the summer.
I heard the timer go off. With a quick salute, I headed downstairs to rescue the casserole before it burned to a crisp. Cooking was second nature, though I rarely did any. Why bother when my mother fed me almost all the time and Lola cooked for the remainder of it?
Chapter 16
Altimas are swift little cars. They keep pace next to the beasts with larger engines and heavier bodies. My Altima scooted along in the traffic. It was quarter to four when I swung onto Magnolia Street in Cranston. Dean Estates is a lovely old neighborhood in western Cranston that has large, stately homes built within the last forty years, or less.
The road snaked around, ending in a cul-de-sac. Great Aunt Lena lived near the cul-de-sac entrance and I parked in front of the wide garage doors. Leaving the car, I glanced around to see who was out and about.
Two vans were parked a few houses apart. The side of one boasted carpet cleaning while the other advertised plumbing and heating. I’d bet they were both FBI surveillance, but what did I know? The doorbell chimed after I pressed the button. Footsteps clattered on the hardwood floor.
The massive oak door swung open. I fought off a great temptation to turn and wave to the agents who recorded activity from the van. Since they have no sense of humor, I refrained from making an ass of myself, and stepped inside the Edwardian house.
The housekeeper announced that my great aunt would see me in the parlor. Who used the term ‘parlor’ anymore? Nobody I knew, that’s for sure. I nodded, following the plump woman into the thick-carpeted room where a fire burned in the fireplace. Heavy brocade-covered furniture sat lumped together in front of it.
My great aunt gestured that I should come in. For a moment it felt like the Queen of England had just beckoned to me to sit down. What the hell is this?
I quick stepped toward Great Aunt Lena, and took a seat across from her on the brocade sofa. She sat in a wing backed chair. Her short stature disappeared in the height of it, though her fluffy body filled it from side to side. Spindly legs swung over the edge of the seat, her feet not quite touching the floor. Another person who reminded me of the land of the little people, I thought, as she swung her legs back and forth. Most of my aunts were short and their feet didn’t reach the floor when they were seated either.
“Elsie,” she said to the housekeeper, “you can bring in the tea now.” Her grandiose attitude pricked me a bit, but what the hell, I didn’t have to live with her.
My hand folded hers within it and I said with feigned concern, “How are you these days? It must be difficult without Nate.”
“Ach, he was such a bastard to live with that I could hardly wait until he kicked the bucket. Now I realize I loved the old rascal more than I thought.” Her stiff hair flexed as she moved her head from side to side.
“At least he left you taken care of,” I murmured.
Keen black eyes narrowed as she stared at me. Magenta lipstick on her thin lips had sneaked into the cracks of the surrounding fine lines. Powder adorned the sagging face and rouge spots formed round circles on her cheeks.
“How do you know he left me taken care of? For all you know, he might have left me penniless. The cheap bastard.”
A wayward pulse thumped in my throat and I took a breath. “Of course I don’t know auntie. I can only assume that he would have left you cared for. He did seem like that kind of man. I mean, your kids went to good schools and colleges and all.”
“Yeah, that they did.” She sighed. “He was a scoundrel, though.”
Elsie brought the coffee to the table in a silver tea service. What was I missing here? This was twice in one week I’d been served from a silver tea service. Everyone seemed to have money, at least more than I had anyway.
The tea steeped in the pot until Aunt Lena poured it into the elegant English tea cups. Crust-free sandwiches, cut into triangles, and dainty lemon glazed cookies lay on lovely rose-flowered plates. My aunt served me and then settled back in her own chair, wiggling her plump bottom into the soft cushion. She savored the flavor of the tea with every sip by lightly smacking her lips together.
The sandwiches were made with some type of meat paste. I almost gagged at the taste of it. The cookies were better so I ate those instead. Great Aunt Lena stared at me as though she weighed each word before she spoke them. I wanted to squirm in my seat, but held off.
“I hear your brother is home?” she asked with a sly smile.
“He’s here for a medical conference at Rhode Island Hospital. I guess he’ll be with us for Thanksgiving and then will return to Nebraska. My mother is elated that he’s been able to stay with them.”
“Nebraska, huh? Who the hell would want to live way out there?” She smiled that sly grin again and I wondered if she knew about Jill.
“My thoughts exactly, Auntie. It would take more than a medical practice to get me out of Rhode Island.” I chuckled nervously.
“Is his wife, er, Jane?... Will she be here for the holiday?”
“Her name is Jill and no, she plans to spend the holiday with her parents,” I said.
“I thought perhaps they had separated or something of that nature when I found out Giovanni was home without her.”
I smirked and said, “No, nothing like that. I’ve never known two people so in love as they are.” Could I lie or what?
“I see, well Nonni had mentioned that Giovanni was here and I wondered.” Her eyes held suspicion.
I sipped the tea, thinking fast. What was I supposed to do now? How could I get information? Dang.
“You know, in all the years that you have lived here, I’ve never seen the entire interior of the house. It is so beautiful Auntie, you must be proud of it.” Maybe I could find a clue on a tour.
“Yes, it has taken a long time to get it this way.”
Aghast, I stared at the ugly wallpaper and carpets that clashed with the brocade furniture pattern. I could only imagine how much time it had taken.
“Well, you’ve certainly done a splendid job.”
A door banged in another part of the house. I glanced around to see who had arrived. Muffled voices accompanied laughter as footsteps strode down the corridor.
My cousin Angelo stood in the doorway. He smiled at me and came over to kiss his mother.
“Mama,” he said, “how are you today?”
“What the hell do you want anyway?” Lena’s voice became strident.
I stared at her and Angelo in turn.
“What do you mean, Mama, it’s me, Angelo. I’ve come to visit you, Mama.” His smile dimmed as he turned toward me.
“Sometimes she doesn’t remember things very well. It happens more frequently now and she swears a lot, too.”
Angelo snitched a sandwich and gagged after he chewed it. Spi
tting it into a paper napkin, he glared at his mother.
“What is this, cat food? Have you been eating cat food again, Mama?”
“We don’t have a cat, Stupid-o.” She snapped.
My stomach rolled. I reasoned that I could keep cat food down. It was only cat food, not poison. Before I popped another cookie into my mouth, I held it up to Angelo and asked if it was something other than a cookie.
“No, it’s a cookie. You’re safe there.” He smirked, but concern filled his eyes as he turned toward my aunt.
“We have to keep an eye on her all the time.”
“You don’t need to discuss me as though I’m not here, young man. I’m old, not deaf, you know.”
This was such an unexpected twist that I was completely taken aback by my old aunt. Senility or Alzheimer’s had set in. Which one, I couldn’t be sure.
“Auntie was just about to show me around the house, Angelo. Maybe you’d like to do that instead?” I asked.
His eyes swiveled to his mother before he nodded. “If you’ll give me a moment, I’ll get Elsie to come in and stay with her.”
I nodded and watched him leave the room.
A faint cackle left the mouth of the woman across from me. I stared in bewilderment at the wicked gleam in her eye and the sneer on her lips.
“He tries to make me out to be batty you know,” she whispered. “That way he and his brothers can cash in on me, but all the money is in offshore accounts. They can’t touch it, the dirty little bastards.” She cackled again and then settled back as footsteps echoed down the corridor from the back of the house.
Stunned, I sat in awe of this calculating woman. She not only knew where the money was, but surely knew how it had gotten there and where it came from. Unable to contain my curiosity, I leaned forward and asked, “Was Great Uncle Nate really a cat burglar?”
Footsteps neared and she nodded in ascent. “He was the best, the old bastard. He left me taken care of for the next five lifetimes and these little shits won’t get a penny of it, I tell you.”
Dead Wrong Page 12
