To hell with Diego. She jumped up and hugged Signora Cantú. “Please don’t cry. You can keep the cross. It wasn’t mine to start with. I don’t know why it’s so special, but you can have it. Emilia said the gypsy would probably never come back for it anyhow.” The distressed bundle Mina held in her arms stiffened.
In between sobs the grandmother said, “Gypsy? A gypsy had my Alex’s cross?”
Mina grabbed a handful of tissues and began to pat Signora Cantú’s face. “Is Alex your granddaughter’s name? That’s pretty.”
“Her name is Alessandria. Her mother is Montenegrina. She liked nicknames.”
“Montenegrina? What does it mean?” Keep her talking. Make her stop crying.
“From Montenegro on the other side of the Adriatic, by Yugoslavia or whatever it is called now. Same country as our last queen Elena Di Montenegro.” The sobbing quieted. Her voice was hoarse.
“Um, history was not my best subject.” How was Diego involved in all this?
Mina looked up to see him beside them, a tall glass of water in each hand. He handed one to Mina, one to Signora Cantú. It’s even harder to cry while you drink. Brilliant.
“Alex, her granddaughter, went missing in 1989. That’s her cross you were wearing. Signora Cantú, now that you confirmed it is her cross, we have something concrete to work with.”
My mother died in 1989.
“You will find her, won’t you Diego? She’s all I have left. I’m an old woman. God is giving me the strength to hold on so I can see her once again before I go.” She started to cry again.
“Diego, we can’t leave her here alone. What if she gets ill?”
“She has a badante, a live-in. The woman went to a movie downtown so we could be alone. She should be back any minute.”
“Mina, mia cara, you brought hope to an old woman’s heart. May God bless you and your family also.” Signora Cantú blew her nose.
Her family? How ironic. The grandmother at least had hopes to see her granddaughter again. Mina had no one to wait for.
“I will need to hold on to the cross and the chain until we get to the bottom of all this,” Diego said.
“Of course, of course.” She brought her fist to her lips, kissed the crucifix, crossed herself with it then handed it to Diego.
Mina wrapped the chain around her finger. Why had she promised Signora Cantú she would wear the crucifix until her granddaughter was found? The poor woman must have been under the impression Mina planned to help Diego find Alex. A naive assumption. Diego never wanted help from anyone, and from his behavior, the logical theory was Diego and Alex were in a relationship.
What happened? Had Alex left him? He had to be crazy about the girl to go through all this trouble. Mina couldn’t blot out the hurt in his eyes when he spoke of Alex.
Well, Mina, for one, didn’t want to see him reunited with the signora’s granddaughter. With a little luck maybe they’d find out Alex ran away with the gypsies.
“Anything you want to talk about?” He was back to his usual self, a man of few words. She had plenty to talk about, so much so she felt overwhelmed.
“Come on, Mina, I can almost see the wheels turning in that charming little head. I saw how troubled you were by Signora Cantú’s plight. I didn’t expect her to react so passionately. She’s usually very reserved.”
“How long have you known her?”
“Since 1990, we met after Alex went missing.”
“I’m talking about—you know—the granddaughter.” She couldn’t bring herself to say the name. Maybe by keeping it impersonal, she could pretend the woman never existed.
But he said it for her. “Alex…” He continued, his voice less assured. “It must have been… in 1988? Maybe fall of 1988.”
“What? You can’t remember when you met the love of your life?” No, no, I didn’t mean to say that.
She expected a reaction. She didn’t care if it came in the form of an elaborate denial or a straightforward acknowledgement. Something. Anything. Instead Diego kept his eyes on the road and his mouth shut.
They had passed a road sign five miles or so back. They were near Montecchio, only twenty minutes from her place.
Maledizione. She never brought up the condoms issue. Not that it mattered. In this mood he would probably slow down just enough for Mina to get the hell out of his car and then speed off to go looking for her.
She would not apologize for her pique. She felt used and certainly didn’t want anything more to do with the cross. How would it help Diego and the grandmother bring home the wayward Alex anyway? Promise to the grandmother or not, Mina wanted to be rid of it. She would give it to Diego for the sake of the grandmother. Yes, that was the right thing to do. Emilia would understand.
It was after eleven. The main road had little traffic. Mina sat and stewed on the miserable ending to such a promising day. The silence was getting under her skin, the closer to home, the higher her anxiety level.
At the edge of town, Diego pulled into the deserted parking lot of a grocery store, stopped the car and turned off the engine. A few minutes went by, longer than a lifetime. He unbuckled his seat belt and turned to face her. He didn’t just twist around, he turned and made himself comfortable. She followed his lead, unlocked her belt and moved ever so slightly toward him.
“No, no, no.” He pointed his finger at her. “Do not move.”
“But…?”
“Please listen—I’m about to tell you a story. Don’t interrupt. When I’m done, you can ask me a question, only one. After that, you’ll forget we ever had this conversation. I mean it. Deal?”
Deal? Like he gave her a choice? Anger was her first reaction. To hell with Diego. She could walk away from him just as easy as he walked into her life. Or not. Might as well listen to the story. What did she have to lose?
“Deal.” She sat still. Time passed. If cars or people went by, they were unnoticed. She focused her whole being on Diego, on this moment in time.
“To keep this simple, we will call our two main characters the man and the woman. Remember our deal, Mina.” His voice faltered. “I’m telling you as much as I can. Shhhs. No talking.”
She bit her lip. Damn.
“In the spring of 1988, the woman, in her early twenties, decided to offer her services to the newly founded Juliet Club in Verona. The club was a group of volunteers who answered letters sent to Juliet from desperate lovers worldwide. The woman was well-educated and fluent in several languages. Perfect for the task. She was in town with her paternal grandmother who came to settle her son’s estate. The son was the woman’s dad who died after a lengthy illness. Enter a—talent scout. The scout liked the woman’s skills and offered her a career with the—firm he represented. This was not a nine to five job she was recruited for but a more complicated and, at times, dangerous profession. The woman was a romantic, imagining herself as a Bond girl. She accepted the position and was sent to Germany for training.”
Oh, my God. She became a spy?
“The grandmother stayed in Verona thinking the woman went away to school, to the University of Heidelberg. The woman’s mother, now a widow, was not on good terms with her mother-in-law, the grandmother, and went to live with her family in a foreign country.”
He must be talking about Alex. Verona, grandmother, it all fits.
“At the end of 1988, the man arrived in Germany and met the woman. His job was to oversee her first assignment, to be her mentor. They left together on a foreign assignment and traveled as newlyweds.”
And fell desperately in love. I knew it.
“The two were not lovers.” He looked straight into Mina’s eyes.
She felt guilty for her thoughts, her assumptions.
“She knew the country, its language and its customs. The man and the woman grew close. Close enough to be brother and sister. It was her first mission. She performed well, but as they were ready to leave the foreign country, something went terribly wrong and the man was in an awful… accident. T
he woman received orders to move on, to leave the man behind. Instead, she contacted her mother’s family in a nearby country. They sent help and the woman crossed into her mother’s land with the wounded man. He was flown to Landstuhl, in Germany, an American medical facility. The woman failed her test. She did not obey orders.”
Alex saved Diego’s life. If not for her unselfish act, I would have never met him. He wouldn’t be here now. She changed her mind on the spot. I will help him. Her throat tightened with tears of empathy.
“Months later the man returned to Italy and wanted to thank the woman for saving his life, but she was nowhere to be found. He’s still searching.” He spoke the last few words in such a mournful voice, Mina had to fight the urge to reach across, hug him and apologize.
After a while Diego said, “Is there a question you’d like to ask?”
She swiped away tears with her hands. “Yes.” She caught a ragged breath. “Would you like to meet Emilia?”
Chapter 11
“I know you’re staring at me.” Diego whispered in the dark of the bedroom, without moving.
Mina poked his bare torso. Propped on her elbow, she ran her finger over his old scars, scars she remembered from their night in California. Could they be remnants of the “accident” that sent him to the hospital in Germany?
She had begun to see his relationship with Alex in a new light. It was natural for him to want to find her, for himself, for Alex, and for Signora Cantú. They all deserved closure.
Maybe Emilia could help solve the mystery. She rubbed her fingers against the back of the cross and discovered a rough spot in the center, an imperfection she hadn’t noticed before.
“Are you playing tic-tac-toe on my back?” Sleep hounded Diego’s voice. He woke slowly, lazily. The memories of other morning jousts brought a rush of heat to her cheeks. “Please, don’t turn over. I need to talk to you, and I’m embarrassed for you to look at me while I do.” Nuzzling his back.
He stiffened. “Okay… I’m listening.”
Oh. Dio! “It’s—well, damn, it’s humiliating. I don’t have my birth control pills.”
He let out a sigh. “Girl, you had me worried there. Not a problem, give me the empty container. I’ll get you a refill at the base.”
“You don’t understand. I don’t have—I haven’t been using the pill for a very long time.” Since you went away, she wanted to cry out.
He was quiet. What was he thinking?
“Mina, don’t be nervous, tell me what you want me to do. I can tell this is hard for you. Trust me.”
Trust me? She didn’t even trust herself. “We… I can’t change what’s already happened, but maybe we could use condoms?” There, she said it. Snuggled against him, she waited.
“Is pregnancy your main concern?” His casual tone made her whole sexual dilemma sound like a seasonal cold. How about that? Could it be a man thing or was it possible Diego was that removed regarding sexual consequences? Not the brilliant, sophisticated man she loved, no way.
“Uh, yes.” And a dozen other reasons.
She rested her hand on his waist and nestled even closer. He flipped over, without warning, and there they were, face to face, eyes wide open in the early dawn of the new day. He pulled the sheet over them, his breath on her neck, under the white cocoon.
“Don’t worry about pregnancy, it won’t happen.” Huskiness in his voice.
“That’s easy for you to say. How do you know for sure?”
“I know because I had a vasectomy. Years ago.”
“A what?” She knew what a vasectomy was. She just never met a man who had one, or at least a man who openly admitted to having had one.
“I don’t go around shouting it to the world, but since you’re stressed over it, I figured it should put your mind at ease. Not?”
“I… I…”
He just told her he would never father a child. Mio Dio. What happened to him that he wouldn’t want children?
“It’s not that I dislike kids, it’s just that I don’t want to contribute to bringing a new life into this world. Not after constantly witnessing human handiwork.”
When she continued staring at him, he prompted, “Mina, hello? Are you okay? You’re trembling. This has nothing to do with you, with us. You understand right? I made the decision years ago.”
He said us. She still couldn’t look at him. Her brain understood he had the right to do as he liked with his body. Her heart mourned what could have, should have been.
Why couldn’t she be thankful she didn’t have to worry about being pregnant? Was she secretly wishing she were?
They lay silent, bodies pressed together, the white linen canopy insulating them from the immediate world but not from their thoughts. At some point, she drifted back to sleep.
Daylight woke her. She was alone in the bed.
Diego.
The front door clicked shut. She panicked. He left her. She shouldn’t have talked about pregnancy. Maledizione. She pulled the sheet over her head. Tears stung her eyes. A noise sounded in the kitchen. Diego?
She jumped out of bed. The sheet wrapped around one of her legs and tangled. She stumbled, making enough racket to bring Diego to the doorway.
“Buongiorno.” He smiled. He wore a different shirt than the day before. He must have been down to his car.
“What time is it?” She felt stupid, standing naked in the middle of the room in front of Diego fully dressed.
“It’s the perfect time. Coffee is ready and I brought in the fresh rolls by the front door.”
She grabbed her robe and followed him to the kitchen. The living room shutters were open and outside the sun shone.
“Want to have coffee on the terrace?” he asked.
“I don’t know. I’m not fully awake.” Her mind was still back on pause from when he uttered the word vasectomy.
“We have a visitor.” He pointed to the terrace.
Fufa paraded along the ledge.
“Emilia’s cat. I was thinking… would you like to go upstairs and talk to Emilia about the necklace?” Her fingers went to the chain around her neck. “And Alex?” There, she said it, and it felt okay.
“I was about to ask you. Thanks.” He stirred sugar into the coffee and handed her the cup. It all looked so… domestic, if not for his eyes–eyes that followed her every move, registered her every breath, calm eyes that shone with affection. She walked out on the terrace, sat and drank her coffee, found herself absently petting Fufa. How would she introduce him to Emilia?
“Are you concerned about introducing me to Emilia?” Damn. He was spooky. She hadn’t heard him behind her. He rubbed her shoulders. “You say she is a lawyer? Why don’t I introduce myself so you won’t feel forced to improvise?” He bent and kissed the top of her head.
“Diego, what’s so special about this cross that you recognized it immediately?”
His hands lingered on her shoulders. “You’re giving me too much credit. The cross was a baptism gift to Alex’s dad. As a teenager he was in an accident, and part of the cross was damaged. Whoever did the repair botched it, and there’s a small blob of gold where it joins in the middle. You’d only notice if you were made aware of it. Alex told me its story. She claimed her dad gave it to her as protection, sort of a family tradition. He believed he survived the accident because of the crucifix and that passing it on to his daughter was like insurance from above. I don’t know; I’m not a believer. Point is, he’s gone, and here is the cross, around your neck. So, where is Alex?”
Climbing the stairs to Emilia’s place felt a bit awkward with Diego right behind her. The front door was cracked open.
Mina called out. “Emilia, it’s Mina. Possiamo entrare? Can we come in?”
“Yes, I’m in my office. Avanti. Avanti,” Emilia called from the back of the apartment.
Mina motioned for Diego to follow, and they walked through the main room, just as Emilia came around the corner. Whoa! She was still in her robe. Her grey hair usually neatl
y combed, fell over her face. She looked like an old woman who hadn’t slept at all and needed some strong coffee and serious grooming.
“Emilia, is something wrong? Why didn’t you call me? Are you sick?”
“Ai-yai-yai.” Emilia began waving her arms wildly. When she looked past Mina to Diego, she stopped cold. “Uh, who’s that?” She eyed him.
Diego stepped forward and offered his hand to Emilia. “Diego Moran, honored to meet you, Signora Lauri. Mina tells me you’re a lawyer and may have information regarding a missing friend.” His voice had an assertive, pleasant tone.
I never told him Emilia’s last name; looks like he did his homework and he did address her as Signora, very respectful. Good.
Emilia shook his hand, her eyes still on him. She let go of his hand and turned to stare at Mina as if expecting some kind of explanation.
Mina didn’t know what to say, so said nothing.
“Are you a detective? An investigator? What? And how do you two know each other?” Emilia’s eyes darted from Mina to Diego.
“He’s the guy.” That wasn’t what she meant to say. Too late. Diego looked at her in a peculiar way. Mina thought he was going to tell her to shut up.
Instead he smiled, and Emilia? Well, Emilia did a one eighty.
“Mina, why didn’t you say so? Where are my manners? Oh, please, don’t pay attention to my getup. Come sit down. What can I get you? So nice to meet you… uh… Diego? Where are you from?”
“Emilia, relax. Diego is staying at my place for a few days. He really is looking for a missing friend, but I’m concerned about you. Why didn’t you sleep? What’s bugging you?”
“Bugging me? What an understatement. All the paperwork I dragged home from City Hall, it’s just a fat bundle of nothing. Either the undertaker really is who he claims to be or this is only good to light the fire.” She waived her arms again. Her reading glasses slipped out of her hand and landed on the rug. Diego picked them up and handed them back to Emilia before either woman could react.
“Thanks,” she said. “I’m sorry I’m acting crazy.” She took a deep breath. “You are looking for a friend, and I’m looking for a friend’s killer. How about that?”
Italian Summer (Mina's Adventures Book 3) Page 7
