A Death In Tuscany (Sarah Woods Mystery Book 13)

by Jennifer L. Jennings

  After breakfast, we approached the reception desk and asked Eduardo, one of the owners, about the hot springs and how to get there.

  “Buongiorno,” Eduardo said, although we knew from the previous day at check in, that he spoke perfect English. “How can I help you?”

  “We’d like to visit the hot springs,” Carter said. “Do you have a map of the trail that gets us there?”

  “Of course.” Eduardo was an attractive guy in his early thirties with dark hair, olive skin and eyes the color of milk chocolate. He and his family owned the property and you could tell he had a lot of pride. He politely excused himself as he went to search for the map. He returned a few seconds later with a packet of papers stapled together.

  “Very easy to walk the trail.” Eduardo pointed to a handwritten map on the first page. “Just follow the signs. You’ll go past the horses’ stables and just stay to the right. Five or six minutes and you are there.”

  “Is there a place we can change into bathing suits?” I asked.

  Eduardo shook his head. “No, I’m afraid not. Just wear your bathing suits and bring a towel. I should also let you know, some people will not wear bathing suits. I hope you won’t feel uncomfortable, it’s very natural.”

  “I see.” I couldn’t help but giggle at the look on Carter’s face. “I’m fine with it, if you are.”

  Carter shrugged. “I don’t care what anyone else does but I won’t be going bare-assed.”

  Eduardo nodded, trying to hide his smirk. “No problem. You will enjoy. I also included, for your reading pleasure, a little history about the hot springs. Very interesting.”

  “Sounds great.” I grabbed the packet of papers and stuffed them into my purse. I turned to face Carter and said, “Shall we go back to the room and get changed?”

  * * *

  Before our trip, I had gone shopping and purchased three different bathing suits. I hadn’t bothered to try them on, but figured at least one of them would look decent. I was wrong.

  Carter sat on the bed and read the history of the hot springs, according to the papers Eduardo had given us.

  “Listen to this,” he said with a curious tone. “Back in 1985, someone discovered gold in the hot springs right on this property. It was estimated to be worth over two grand. Apparently, the family who owned this place back then, had hired some professional team to come in and try to find more gold but they never did. They kept at it for almost a decade, depleting their funds in the hopes of finding more. Eventually, the property fell into arrears. Then in 1996, the current owners bought the property and made it into a resort. ”

  “That’s interesting,” I said, checking out my silhouette in the mirror, trying to suck in my belly. At forty-five years old, I guess I couldn’t complain too much. I was still trim from all the running but, a week in Tuscany was going to change that if I wasn’t careful and this bathing suit wasn’t doing me any favors.

  “Why are you doing that?” Carter asked. “That bikini looks perfectly fine. Stop judging yourself. You’re beautiful.”

  I let out a sigh. “Thanks, but maybe I should wear the one-piece.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Come on. Just wear the bikini. I bet no one else will be down there this early anyway.”

  “Fine.” I stepped into my flip flops and grabbed two towels from the bathroom. I decided vanity was a waste of time, anyway.

  With the help of the map, we found the trail with no problem. We passed the horse stables and veered off to the right following the signs. As we continued on, the trail began to take us down into the valley. The view of the rolling hills nearly took my breath away. Many miles in the distance, a castle on the hill looked like something out of a medieval fairy tale.

  “Is this place even real?” I said, taking out my camera to snap a few shots.

  By the time we reached the bottom of the hill, I could hear the water in the stream and I knew we were getting close. I could also smell the sulfur, which is the predominant mineral that comes up through the earth. The smell is not necessarily pleasant, but it wasn’t so bad that you had to plug your nose, either.

  When the water finally came into view, I was amazed. Steam rose from the water, which had an opaque, petroleum jelly consistency. Little pockets or pools jetted out from the stream, providing perfect little spots to sit on the rocks and soak.

  “Look,” Carter said while removing his jeans. “We’re the only ones here. I hope it stays that way.”

  As Carter removed his shirt, I could clearly see the scar where he’d been shot on his chest. The wound had healed, leaving a quarter sized pink mark where the skin had been stitched up. It still took my breath away every time I saw it, a constant reminder of how close I was to losing him. Since then, I haven’t taken one day for granted.

  Carter placed his clothes, wallet and keys in a neat pile by the side of the stream. As he dipped his foot in the water, his eyes closed as he smiled in ecstasy. “Oh, wow. It’s like a warm bath.”

  I removed my flip-flops and walked tentatively toward him, the rocks below my feet a bit treacherous. He took my hand and slowly guided me in. Once we found a few steady rocks to perch on, we were able to relax and enjoy this magnificent natural wonder.

  “Now this is what I’m talkin’ about,” Carter said with a sigh of pleasure. “Doesn’t get any better.”

  I reached over to fondle the pink patch on his chest. “Maybe the minerals in the water will help break down the scar tissue.”

  Carter raised an eyebrow. “I thought you liked scars. In fact, I remember you calling them sexy.”

  It’s true. Scars are a bit of a turn on for me. I have no idea why.

  He leaned over and kissed me on the lips and I got the sense he was feeling frisky. He gently guided my hand toward his crotch region. “Well, well,” I said with a devilish grin. “Look what we have here.”

  Making love in a stream is not as easy as it looks in the movies, especially when you are trying to balance on a hard rock, out in the open where anyone could walk by. We gave it a try though, and eventually gave up when my knee slipped and I almost went under. Thankfully Carter has quick reflexes and he caught me before I could submerge. The romantic moment was lost as we erupted into a fit of laughter.

  “This is crazy,” I said. “Having sex in this water, who knows what kind of organisms are swimming around. Let’s wait till we get back to the room.”

  “Look over there.” Carter moved a little further down the stream, holding on to the branches of the trees so he wouldn’t get swept away by the current. “Let’s check out the waterfall. Hold my hand and I’ll guide us over.”

  “Okay, but don’t let go. I’m not the strongest swimmer.”

  “Trust me,” he said.

  Of course, I trusted Carter with my life so there was no hesitation. With some clever maneuvering, he got us safely downstream, closer to the waterfall. It was worth the trouble.

  We were able to sit under the waterfall, which spanned about a five foot area, and it felt like a hydro-massage on our shoulders. There was never a time when I had felt more alive. “I could stay here all day,” I exclaimed. “This might be better than sex.”

  Carter laughed. “Well, I wouldn’t exactly say that, but it’s pretty close.”

  We were lucky to have the place to ourselves for a long time, although I couldn’t be sure how long because we had no way of knowing what time it was. Unfortunately, the sound of voices alerted us to the fact that we were no longer alone.

  “Oh shit,” Carter said with mild look of concern. “My wallet and keys are way up stream where we got in.”

  “We should probably get out then.” I began climbing up the side of the bank as Carter followed. The voices were getting louder and, as soon as I was on dry land, I could see over the bushes toward the sound of the voices. Crap. The rude man and his wife were standing near our pile of belongings, searching the area. They were each dressed in robes and I assumed they were here to take a dip. The man had a scowl on hi
s face and I could only imagine he was annoyed at the fact that other people had gotten here before him. The wife was all smiles when she saw me.

  “How is the water?” she asked. “I bet it’s lovely.”

  “Heavenly,” I replied.

  She bit her lip, nervously. “I hope we didn’t intrude on your space.”

  “No problem,” I said, making a vague hand gesture. “We were just getting out anyway.”

  She took a step toward me, extending her hand. “I’m Brittany, by the way. This is my husband Dick.”

  Perfect name for him. “I’m Sarah. Nice to meet you.” After shaking her hand, I noticed Dick hadn’t made any effort to come over. He kept his distance, as if Carter and I had cooties. He walked to the water’s edge, removing his Rolex and placing it on top of a towel.

  Brittany must have deduced that her husband was not in the mood to make new friends so she backed away from me and joined her husband, who was already going into the stream.

  We trudged back to the spot where we’d left our belongings and thankfully the pile was still there. We wrapped our towels around us since the air was relatively cool compared to the water and Carter gathered his wallet and keys. First thing he did was check inside the wallet and, when he did, a confused expression appeared on his face.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  “I could have sworn I had over four hundred euros. Now there’s less than two hundred. Damn it, I knew I should’ve left my wallet in the safe.”

  “Are you sure? Maybe you miscounted?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “So what are you saying? You think someone stole the money out of your wallet while we were in the water?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  “Dick and Brittany are the only ones around. Shall we go ask them if they took it?” My comment was made in jest, but Carter seemed to be seriously thinking it over.

  He checked his wallet again. “Maybe you’re right. It’s possible I miscounted.”

  We made the half mile trek back to the villas and, when we got back to the room, the first thing Carter did was check the safe where he kept the rest of his cash. After counting several times, he shook his head in astonishment. “There are definitely over two hundred missing. I’m sure of it, Sarah.”

  “Okay, so what do you want to do about it?”

  “Well, it’s not the money I’m worried about. I brought enough with me to cover everything. I’m just pissed because someone blatantly stole it out of my wallet.”

  “Dick and Brittany were the only ones around. Unless someone else was down there and we didn’t see them. We should go down to the office and report a theft.”

  Carter rubbed his temples and shut his eyes. “No, it’s not worth it. I’ll just be more careful next time.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I’m sure. I don’t want to waste any more time worrying about it. Let’s get changed and go find us some lunch.”

  Chapter 4

  Since the resort didn’t offer lunch, Eduardo recommended that we take a short drive into town. There, many cafés offered Panini sandwiches, pizza and anti-pasta dishes. We got in our rented Fiat and headed out.

  San Casciano dei Bagni is more like a commune than a town, located in the Province of Siena, about 70 miles southeast of Florence. We were able to walk the maze of narrow streets and alleys in under ten minutes, ending up at the center piazza. We dined at an outdoor café with the castle looming over us, the most prominent structure in the square.

  I ordered the margarita pizza and Carter ordered a ham and pecorino cheese Panini. We shared a carafe of sparkling white wine, and finished off the meal with a mysterious flavor of gelato called Bacio: which I soon discovered was a combination of chocolate and hazelnut, similar to Nutella. I had to remind myself that there was no point in counting calories while vacationing in Italy.

  Among the many cultural differences, we discovered that we actually had to request the bill at the end of the meal. The wait staff will not bring it automatically. Apparently, it is considered rude to rush the customers by placing a check on the table.

  Another cultural shock: most of the stores, banks, churches and museums close down between the hours of one and four o’clock. Riposa—much like the Spanish siesta— is a long held Tuscan tradition. It is a chance for the workers to take a long, leisurely lunch or simply rest. Since it was only two o’clock, there would be no shopping. Not that I’d planned to go home with an extra suitcase full of souvenirs, but I wanted to find an unusual gift for my son Brian, who was going to college in Boston.

  After roaming the streets for a second time, we decided to head back to the car. Just as we approached the parking lot, we saw two familiar faces heading in our direction. They certainly weren’t hard to miss, especially with Lauren and her cane. Judging by her distressed features, her foot must be killing her. Jamie walked slowly beside her, offering words of encouragement.

  “Hey,” I said to them in a friendly manner. “I hope you aren’t planning to do anything besides eat and drink. All the stores and attractions are closed for the next two hours.”

  “Fine with me,” Lauren said, trying to keep her chin up. “I just want to find a nice sunny spot to sit down and drink.”

  “By the way,” Carter said to them. “I should probably warn you to keep your purses close. I had some cash stolen from my wallet this morning.”

  Jamie and Lauren both looked appalled. Jamie asked, “Really? Where did that happen?”

  “The hot springs this morning. There was no one around so I figured our things were safe. It’s my own fault.”

  “Jeesh,” Jamie said, shaking her head slowly. “Sorry to hear about that. How much was missing?”

  “A few hundred. They only took half of what was in there. No idea why they’d do that.”

  Jamie pulled her purse close to her side protectively. “Well, did you report it?”

  “Nah,” Carter said. “I’ll just be more careful.”

  “Any idea of who it was?”

  Carter shrugged. “The couple staying next to you, Brittany and Dick. They were the only ones around.”

  Jamie turned to Lauren with an I told you so look on her face. “I knew that guy was sketchy. Maybe we should ask Eduardo if he can move us to a different unit.”

  Lauren didn’t seem to care one way or the other. “It’s up to you.”

  I could tell they needed time alone to discuss things so I waved good-bye and headed towards our car. “I hope you two have a nice afternoon. I guess we’ll see you at dinner tonight.”

  When Carter and I got back to the villa around 3:00, we decided to spend the rest of the day laying low. No point in wearing ourselves too thin since we had a whole week. I had loaded up my kindle with e-books about Italy and was looking forward to delving into one of them. Carter opened his book, one that he’d purchased in town about Tuscan wines. He was determined to learn a few things before we embarked on the wine tasting tour the next day.

  Only a few minutes into reading, my eyelids became heavy. No wonder I was so tired. My inner clock was still on New England time, which was six hours behind. I didn’t want to fall asleep because then I’d be up all night and I’d never get over the jet lag.

  “I think I’m going to go out for a short run and get some fresh air,” I announced, shutting off the Kindle.

  Carter kept his eyes focuses on his reading. “Want me to go with you?”

  Carter’s idea of exercise was doing a hundred pushups and then walking to the fridge for a beer. “Since when do you run?”

  “Is this your way of saying you need a little alone time?” he said with a teasing smile.

  “No, I just need to burn some calories so I can eat like a pig tonight.” I changed into shorts, a t-shirt and running shoes then tied my long brown hair back into a ponytail. “I’ll be back in twenty minutes. Don’t worry, I won’t let anyone steal me.”

  Chapter 5

  I decided to he
ad down the trail that pointed to the hot springs, mainly because it was familiar territory. With limited daylight left, I wanted to play it safe. The sun was already descending into the valley at 4:00, almost obscured by the heavy clouds. One hour until sunset.

  I was aware of how constricted my lungs felt and surmised it must be the elevation. I’d read in one of the booklets that the commune San Casciano dei Bagni sat almost two thousand feet above sea level. That must be the reason I felt so out of breath. Usually, I can go five miles without much effort.

  When I got to the hot springs area, I wasn’t surprised to find the place deserted at this time of day. I decided to have a look around, thinking that perhaps I’d find Carter’s missing money just lying around on the ground. I knew it was a fruitless effort, but I did it anyway. After a few minutes I had no luck in finding anything except a pair of dirty undies tucked under a bush. Yuck.

  I wondered if Carter had made a mistake with his cash. I’ve done it countless times and I know how easy it is to lose track. Especially on vacation.

  With no time to dilly dally, I decided to head back up the trail toward the villas.

  As it turned out, I wasn’t the only one on the trail. Dick and Brittany were heading toward me, both carrying flashlights and towels. My first instinct was to run past them with a quick wave hello, but I was curious what they were up to.

  “Going back for another soak?” I asked them. “You guys are brave.”

  Brittany shrugged slightly and gave her husband a quick glance as if she were afraid she might say the wrong thing. “Well, actually I lost one of my diamond earrings this morning. Must have slipped out of my ear when I was changing out of my bathing suit. Probably on the ground here somewhere. That’s why we have the flashlights.”