Ashes of Autumn (Mina's Adventures Book 4)

by Maria Grazia Swan

  CHAPTER 13

  It was after nine by the time De Fiore joined them in the townhouse. Margo pouted like a kindergartener. Nothing could stop her from watching Cheers, her favorite show, but not wanting to miss on the police activity, she kept the television on with the sound off. Mina suspected her roommate had a crush on Ted Danson.

  The other person in the room was a plainclothes detective De Fiore sent to the house with them as an escort. He looked near retirement age, married, and not a bit interested in socializing, so grumbling Margo stuck to television. De Fiore hadn’t yet settled his perfectly creased trousers on the chair when the doorbell rang, and in walked Madrid and another man Mina didn’t recall ever meeting before. They headed to the dining room table. De Fiore motioned Mina to join them. The idea of sitting with not one but three handsome men must have trumped Ted’s sex appeal because Margo made a beeline to an empty dining room chair. No one tried to stop her. Mina dragged herself there. Nothing good could come of this.

  De Fiore slid a sheet of paper toward her. She leaned back on the chair without touching the paper. “What’s this?”

  A hush hovered over the table as if someone had lowered the volume on the mute television. “It’s for your car,” De Fiore said.

  “A bill of sale? You’re buying my car?” Her anger was barely contained.

  Margo stood. “Can I get you gentlemen something to drink?”

  A chorus of no-thank-yous answered her. She remained standing, seemed to hesitate as to what to do next, and finally sat.

  “Mina, someone has been messing with your car. We need to find out who and why.”

  “Are you saying someone tried to steal it?”

  De Fiore shook his head. “No. It’s–serious. We are taking the car in to see if we can get some prints, anything. The fact that you noticed the smell of tobacco may have saved your life.” He must have read the disbelief on Mina’s face because he spoke faster. “We aren’t playing with amateurs Mina. Madrid is here to answers your questions as this is out of my…expertise, for lack of better words. And Officer Smith,” he glanced at the third man sitting with them, “will be–the contact person.” When Mina didn’t answer or react, he said, “Is any of this making sense?”

  “No. How about plain English?”

  He sighed. It was his turn to lean back and before he spoke again, the man called Smith did. “Miss Calvi, what Detective De Fiore is trying to tell you without scaring the life out of you is that someone is trying to kill you.”

  “Holy crap!” Margo’s spontaneous outburst brought a sense of relief to the perceptible tension around the table. “Who’d want to kill Mina? Does this have anything to do with the flowers she gets?”

  “Flowers?” Smith asked. A glance from Madrid seemed to muzzle his curiosity.

  Mina rested her fingers tips on the edge of the table and sat up straight. “I’m not an idiot. I may speak with an accent, but I can assure you my brain thinks in perfect English. Let’s stop tiptoeing around the problem, and just tell me what the hell is going on.”

  “Fair enough. The good news is that we now know for sure you had nothing to do with spooking the residents of the mountain home. At least not consciously.” Just how much did Madrid know about her and Diego? She searched De Fiore’s expression, but his Asian features hid secrets effectively, and he carefully avoided her eyes. “The bad news is that since Surowiec’s clan has no use for you, for reasons that aren’t yet clear, they’d like you better dead,” Madrid declared.

  “That’s stupid.” Did she really say that? “What would they gain by my death?”

  “Revenge.” That wasn’t a guess. No. Madrid was making a statement. “They are hoping your death will bring pain and sorrow to–another person they really wish dead.”

  Mina understood he meant Diego. Obviously neither Madrid nor this diabolic Surowiec knew Diego had dumped her and was probably happily sunning on some sandy beach with the mysterious exotic beauty he kissed on the mountaintop. She wasn’t going to sit there and wallow in her misery. She grabbed the piece of paper from the table and stood. “How long do you expect the examination of my car will take?”

  “Huummm, a few days. We are keeping it in Orange County.” She sensed the puzzlement in De Fiore’s voice. He knew her too well. “But Mina, we need to leave someone here, in case…”

  “No. No one in the house. They can sit outside in the parking lot, but not in the house.” She stared at Margo for a nod. It was slow to come. No doubt her roommate was contemplating the possibility that the bodyguard would be someone like Kevin Costner whose new movie ads had been running on every television channel for the last few weeks.

  Finally Margo conceded, “Okay with me, I guess.”

  Thirty minutes later Mina turned off the lamp on her night table. She lay still with her eyes wide open, asking herself how this could have happened. How does one go from crazy in love, ready to buy the dream cottage, and anticipating a life of happily ever after to this deep despair without hope for tomorrow? And to make it even worse, she didn’t even have a car.

  Whoever wrote “…the sun will come up tomorrow…” knew what they were talking about, because regardless of how lousy she felt, the sun shone bright in the blue sky. Good morning, Orange County. Okay, it was almost noon by the time she made it downstairs. Margo was all dressed, full make up, and yes, f-u-l-l. The smell of coffee perked up Mina’s need to get a cup right away.

  “Hi, Margo, you look like you’re going somewhere. Hey, thanks for making coffee.”

  “It’s okay, you look awful. Did it bother you that some poor soul spent the night out in his car watching over us? Is that why you didn’t sleep well?”

  That was the last thing Mina expected from Margo. What do you know? The girl who always acted so superficial had a heart, apparently a tender heart. Mina was too embarrassed to confess she never thought about that, too busy feeling sorry for herself. Again. She sipped her coffee in silence.

  “I have an appointment at the beauty school. I waited to see if you need to go somewhere, since you don’t have a car. Maybe I can drop you off?”

  “Margo, that’s so sweet of you. Thanks. Nothing to do, nowhere to go. Maybe I’ll bring some coffee to the guardian angel out there.”

  “I did already. The new shift should have arrived.”

  “You did? Aren’t you the nicest person? What does he look like?”

  “Who?”

  “You know–the new shift.”

  “It’s a she. Nice lady, about forty. Sorry, got to go. Her name is Chris, I think. Well, wish me luck. See you this evening.” She left, eggplant hair, chandelier-like earrings, and a heart the size of…Texas?

  Mina sat and sipped, trying hard not to think about her last breakfast with Diego in Italy. All the love and the hope…

  How could all that disappear? Well, it didn’t disappear, it became part of her memories. A dripping kitchen faucet was the only noise interrupting the stillness of the house. She had to do something, the stress was getting to her. Why would someone want to kill her to get revenge on Diego? Well, the joke was on them. Somehow it didn’t feel funny. After checking that all doors were locked, she went back to her room.

  She must have dozed off because when the house phone rang it was two p.m., and she didn’t even remember getting into bed. It was Kathy.

  “Were you sleeping? You sound…groggy. Big night last night?”

  “No, no. Nothing like that at all. A terrible night, couldn’t sleep. Long story. Sorry.”

  “I think we need to go take a little tour of your cottage.”

  “Why?” Good, maybe it blew up or something…

  “Adams hired a contractor to provide estimates for remodeling, and I happened to see the report, so I thought I’d bring it with me, and we could walk through it. After all it’s your house. What do you say?”

  “Huh, yeah…but you see, I don’t have a car. Wait, do I already own the house? How does this work?”

  “No, you do
n’t own the house legally yet, but this is normal, to get estimates in advance, I mean. What happened to your car? Never mind. I’ll pick you up, and we’ll drive there together. Maybe I can meet your roommate.”

  “Margo went to fill out paperwork for her beauty school. She wants to be a beauty–a hairdresser.”

  “Good for her. Well then, I’ll be there in, oh, say thirty minutes? We have to do it while there is still light. The utilities are off.”

  After they hung up Mina remembered about the cop sitting outside in the car. What would happen if she saw her getting in a car with a stranger? Would she follow them? Better find out. She took a three-minute shower to wake up completely and got dressed without drying her hair. She had to eat something; she just had to. In the kitchen she toasted some bread and slapped peanut butter on it. Water from her hair dripped into her glass of milk. How ironic, it reminded her of that American saying… don’t cry on spilled milk… or something like that. She would not cry. Maledizione, she had to warn the Chris cop outside. The last thing she needed was for a misunderstanding of some kind and a public scene. With five minutes to spare she locked the front door and walked to the parking lot looking for the surveillance person.

  Mina walked up to grey, generic sedan, before she could knock on the tinted window, the driver’s door opened, and Chris got out to greet her. How did she know who she was? Did De Fiore give her a picture? Whatever. She explained the situation. Apparently, Chris’s only assignment was keeping an eye on the townhouse and surroundings. Okay then, she handed Chris the key to the townhouse and told her to make herself at home until her shift was over.

  Kathy’s car was at the gate, and Mina went to meet her without allowing Chris the time to turn down the offer.

  Good, this way she didn’t have to explain all that to Kathy. Why worry people over nothing? If the Surowiec person was indeed so powerful, by now he should have figured out that Diego’s love interest had changed course. She wondered what kind of car the dark-haired beauty drove. Clear your mind, Mina.

  Kathy looked lovely as usual and cheerful too. They headed south on the 405 to the 133. That would take them directly to Laguna Canyon.

  “How is your cat?” Mina asked.

  “My cat? My kitty is terrific, thank you. You like cats don’t you?”

  Mina nodded.

  “Why don’t you get yourself one? There are so many lovely kittens in need of homes.”

  “I might do that. Not while I’m in the townhouse. I doubt I can. We are just renting. My friend Emilia in Italy had a very smart cat called Fufa. I learned to appreciate pets a lot more just by being around Fufa.”

  “Oh, thank you for your referral.”

  “My what?”

  “Dan De Fiore. He said you recommended me to him.”

  “He called you?”

  “Why are you so surprised?”

  “Oh, huh, I don’t know.”

  The road cut through the Laguna Coast Wilderness Park, and even if Mina had driven the road many times before all that green and the turning leaves sort of reminded her of her little town in Italy. Or maybe it was because of the cat talk, especially Fufa.

  “Mina, what’s with you? You’re here, and yet you aren’t. What happened last night?”

  “Last night? What did De Fiore tell you?”

  “You realize De Fiore is his last name, right? Is he the one you are in love with?”

  “Nooooo. God, no. He’s a cop who makes my life miserable. He took my car.”

  “What do you mean he took your car? Were you drinking?”

  Mina felt like her head was about to explode. In love with De Fiore? Drinking? What next? The surroundings that minutes ago reminded her of Italy now looked like swamps, ready to swallow her. She had to find a way to explain to Kathy. Explain what? Plus, she wasn’t ready to discuss Diego with Kathy or anyone else. Not yet, not while the wound was so new, so deep. Perhaps she could give a watered-down version. Someone fiddled with her car; that part was true. The love of her life found someone new; that was also true. “Kathy, do you think we could stop in Laguna for a smoothie before we tour the house? I’ll put you up to date with De Fiore and company.”

  A while later, while Mina slurped her last drop of coconut-banana-very berry smoothie, Kathy let out a loud sigh. “Wow. You had quite a night indeed. I’m sure you’ll get your car back soon enough. How long can it take to dust for fingerprints?” Mina decided she wasn’t the only one hooked on television cop shows. Kathy was also. Dust for fingerprints… right. “So now you know why I don’t call him Dan, got used to the Italian last name. It’s sort of an inside joke as he has not a drop of Italian blood in him.”

  “Yes, he told me about it.”

  “He did? You talked about all that on the phone?”

  “No, he came to my office, late morning.”

  “I must say, the man is full of surprises. He is single you know.”

  “Now, Mina.” She smiled, a sort of subtle smile, like the two of them shared some riveting secret. “Listen we need to get going, or we’ll hit heavy traffic on the way back. Let’s go take a look at this great real estate potential, see if it’s still looks as good to you now as it did before.”

  Mina took a last look across Pacific Coast Highway. People strolled on the boardwalk. Others lingered on benches. Young people, old people. Couples. She had dreamed of walks by moonlight and barefoot strolls on the pale sand. She sighed and quickened her pace to catch up to Kathy who was already waiting in the car. They headed up through Forest Avenue instead of Broadway and quickly reached the house. The short street appeared empty. Perhaps the people living in the other houses were still at work. In spite of all of Mina’s bad projections, she had to admit the house held some charm even without Diego in the picture. Kathy had a rolled up sheet of paper the size of a poster, must be what she called the report. Not much had changed since she first fell in love with the place, but she could tell people had gone through it. The shutters weren’t properly closed, and she could hear birds chirping on the majestic tree. Even the front door didn’t latch so well. Or maybe it was her attitude that changed. Nothing looked so appealing now that he wouldn’t be part of her dream. Did Kathy sense the depth of her sorrow? Was it that blatant? What was it that De Fiore said? “Surowiec had a front row seat to your emotional breakdown.” Could she really be the cause of Diego’s problems?

  Kathy put her arm around Mina’s shoulders. “Stop torturing yourself. Let it go. Set it free. It’s the only way to know.”

  She didn’t want to cry and didn’t want Kathy to know she was crying, but a brief sob escaped her lips. She wiped her cheek with a fisted hand. “To know what?”

  “If he really loved you.”

  CHAPTER 14

  Chris’s shift must have been over because Mina found the house dark and quiet. She had no idea if someone else sat out in the parking lot or if the nonsense was over.

  “Margo,” she called from downstairs. No answer. Strange. Margo’s Camaro was parked in its usual spot. Oh well, perhaps she met a new friend at the beauty school and went out for a drink. Good for her. Perfect time for solitude, all those emotions between confiding in Kathy and revisiting the cottage. Exhausting.

  To eat or not to eat? She went upstairs to change into something comfortable. She would decide later about her hunger.

  Margo’s bedroom was closed. Was she entertaining? Nah, she would have left a note or something to warn Mina. A sense of mental discomfort crept up on her. All De Fiore’s fault. The Detective of Doom. She should have asked Kathy to talk to him about her Volkswagen. Wouldn’t it be funny if those two ended up dating? Mina the Matchmaker. She liked the sound of it.

  No noise at all from Margo’s room. She knocked lightly. “Go away,” Margo shouted.

  Wow!

  “Margo? You okay?”

  “Go away. Leave me alone.” Was she crying?

  “I’m not going away, and I’m not leaving you alone. There. I’ll stand here until you le
t me in.” Mina crossed her arms on her chest and leaned against Margo’s door. It must have been unlocked the whole time because she fell backward and ended up on her butt inside Margo’s room. Thankfully the thick carpet softened the landing. They stared at each other, Margo sitting up in her bed, a look of bewilderment on her face, and Mina sitting on the floor, legs sprawled, feeling like an idiot. After a second or a lifetime, they both erupted in a series of brief bursts of laughter. When one stopped the other one started up again, like an infectious disease. It came to a stop once Margo flung a pillow at Mina who let herself fall backward and play dead on the bedroom floor.

  “Where have you been?” Margo asked.

  “With Kathy, looking at the house.”

  “You still like it?”

  Mina shrugged. “It’ll be okay. What happened to you? Why are you in bed and why the bad mood?”

  Margo plopped back and pulled the sheet over her face.

  What was going on? Her roommate wasn’t the type to get easily depressed. Plus she usually bounced right back.

  She got up from the floor, collected the pillow, and went to sit on Margo’s bed. “So? You didn’t like the school? What? I don’t want to see you so depressed. That’s my specialty, remember?”

  “I liked the school. They call it academy, not school. But the academy didn’t like me.” She spoke from under the sheet. Her mouth formed a wet spot on the cloth.

  “You’re joking, right? Isn’t this one of those schools, pardon me, academies, where you have to pay a lot of money to go to? What? They don’t like the color of your dollars?”

  “They don’t like the color of my hair.”

  Enough nonsense, Mina reached out, and with one forceful pull she yanked the cover from Margo’s face. The black smudges under her eyes didn’t lie. She had been crying. A lot.

  “So what? Let’s buy some dark brown hair color and change it back to the way it was–years ago?” She laughed.

  “I don’t care, I never, ever want to go back there. Those people are so mean.” She sniffled and wiped her nose with the sheet.