by Fiona Grace
“Eh,” he said, dismissing it. That was the problem. Hot people got let off the hook way too easy. “What I want to know is who called you?”
She pulled out her phone and looked at the incoming call log. “I don’t know. I told the police about it, but the number was blocked. I keep mentally dissecting the call, trying to think if there’s something I missed. But yes, it is interesting. Whoever did that is likely the killer, right?”
“Yes. So it reasons that if they knew about your beef with Catalano, they thought that by calling you there, they could frame you. You have enemies?”
She considered that for a moment. “Not really. Who would hate me? Well, other than Nessa. And everyone knew about my beef with Mimi Catalano. You know how many people were at that meeting.”
He leaned against the door, thinking. “What did this call sound like?”
“I don’t know. It was a man. Or maybe a woman. I couldn’t tell. I think they were pretending to have an accent, you know?” She shrugged. “At times it sounded almost like an American, pretending to be foreign.”
“I think that’s what you go on.”
She went to the door, finally succeeding in nudging him out of the way. “I can’t go on anything. I have far too much to do now. Including getting a bunch of animals exercised and fed before I start with my full day of appointments—”
“I don’t mean you specifically. I meant the police. You told them that, right? They need to look into it. You should stay out of it.”
“I did tell them.” At least, she thought she did. She couldn’t remember. She shoved past him and grabbed the door, pulling it closed and locking it.
He was silent for a moment, pensive, which was totally unlike him. Before she could take a step off the front stoop, he said, “Okay, okay. You talked me into it.”
She froze in place. “Into what?”
He started to walk her toward the clinic. “Helping you. I can probably wait a couple days before I get back to work on my reno.”
Audrey forgot how to walk. She just stood there, waiting for the punch line. He might as well have told her he had a spare kidney to loan her. “What about your special, mysterious guest?”
“I got the dates mixed up. Turns out, she’s not coming for another two weeks. I have time.”
So it was a she. This was a big development in the whole Mystery of Mason’s Guest saga, and yet she was too stupefied by his offer to appropriately acknowledge it. “Um… you do realize you’ll be working with animals? The animals you hate?”
“I do. But I’ll get over it.” He continued to walk, hands in the pockets of his jeans, like he hadn’t a care in the world. “Look. I’m a quick study, and I can’t be sitting around with my thumb up my butt. I hate that. So do you want the help or not?”
Audrey rushed to catch up to him. Beggars couldn’t be choosers. “Y-yes. Of course. You could fill in until I find someone suitable. That would be great.”
“Good. So let’s get over there, and you can show me what to do.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“Get the hell off me!”
No sooner had Audrey finished with her last patient of the day than she heard Mason screaming from the back of the clinic.
He’d been good, for the most part, and they’d passed an uneventful day, even though he’d been full of rather silly questions (“Do the cats eat the same thing as the dogs?”) and had been more interested in charming people on the phone rather than taking care of the animals. But he’d filled their water and food dishes fine, even though he hadn’t been one to cuddle or sweet-talk them while he did it.
That appeared to be backfiring on him, though. Animals could sense fear, and usually, they gravitated to it.
Which was completely evident when she ran into the back and found Mason lying flat on his stomach, Polpetto using him as a dog bed.
“Oh my gosh!” she shouted, rushing toward him. “Polpetto! Off!”
Polpetto listened, jumping off Mason at once and heeling beside her. Red-faced, clothes rumpled, Mason rolled over and stared at the ceiling. “What in God’s name was that thing doing? I spilled some kibble and just bent down to pick it up, and that thing jumped on my back.”
“That thing has a name. Polpetto.” She stroked his ears as he stared up at her adoringly. “And he just wanted to play. He probably thought you wanted to wrestle. He needs his exercise. Whoever his owner was he’s probably used to taking long walks with him.”
He sat up and rested his forearms on his knees. “You can count me out for that one.”
Mason had actually been a big help, so she couldn’t ask for any more. Especially from an animal hater. She grabbed a leash and clipped it to Polpetto’s collar. “Thanks. I’ll take it from here.”
They went out to the front, Mason massaging his lower back with both hands and eyeing Polpetto warily, the baby. “I can’t believe it. How’d you get that thing wrapped around your finger?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, it listens to you. It’s nice to you.” He was staring at it as if trying to solve a particularly difficult math equation.
She laughed. “Well, I don’t call it ‘it’ or ‘that thing,’ for starters! And I give it a little bit of love. Pets, cuddles, sweet talk. That’s all you really need. And you’ll get it back a thousandfold in return. That’s what’s so amazing about pets.”
“Yeah. I’d rather get my love elsewhere. Thanks.” He tried pulling his T-shirt around so he could see the back of it, and all Audrey glimpsed was a sliver of his tanned, glorious abs. She looked away as he whined, “Ugh. It drooled on my shirt. Look at that.”
Don’t look, Audrey. Don’t look. “Aw, poor baby.”
“See you tomorrow?”
She raised an eyebrow. “You’re seriously coming back?”
“I said I would. I don’t go back on my promises. Eight-thirty?”
She nodded. “Yes. Thanks.” He turned to leave, and she stooped next to Polpetto. “And Mason?”
He whirled. “Yeah?”
Audrey cupped the mastiff’s big jowls. “Polpetto says he’s sorry. How can you resist this cute face?”
Mason was less than amused. “Try me.” He let out a chuckle and turned back on his way. “’Night, Boston.”
She smiled as she watched him leave, trying not to pay attention to how good his butt looked in those jeans. That was what he’d accused her of the first time she met him. People looked at Mason’s everything, because it was all pretty exquisite. And yes, because of that, he was full of himself. But who knew that underneath, he was also a really nice guy?
No. The last thing she needed to do was think about him that way. He had a female guest coming to visit in two weeks. Probably a supermodel who was just as flawless as he was.
She stepped up the sidewalk, giving Polpetto the okay to start the walk, and the second she did, he took off, nearly pulling her arm out of its socket. No, she didn’t like to run, but she didn’t have much of a choice. During his check-up, she’d put Polpetto at a young three years, but he bounded up the street like a rambunctious puppy.
All she could do was hold on for dear life and hope he didn’t pull her into the path of an oncoming car.
He led her around the town without stopping, almost as if he knew the streets well. Audrey didn’t. She knew the path from the clinic to her house, and the few blocks around her home, pretty well, but the rest of the city was a mystery. He pulled her down back alleys and into private yards, rushing as if his life depended on it.
There were parts of the city she’d never seen before. Baroque-style churches. Quaint little tea and book shops. Statues and ancient ruins etched with time-worn symbols. Fenced-in olive trees on the sides of the street, hanging in a canopy overhead. Small, stone bridges over burbling creeks. Large, Greek-columned edifices mixed in between the small, sandwiched homes that must’ve been official buildings.
She saw none of this, really. Only as a blur, with a promise to come back later.
Finally, he stopped in a narrow alley that smelled of garbage. He sniffed at a couple of garbage cans.
“Oh, no you don’t,” she scolded him, massaging her sore shoulder. “You had dinner. This food isn’t going to do you any favors.”
“Principessa?”
She looked up to see G striding toward her, a heavy bag of garbage in each hand. Behind him, an open door spilled light into the dark alley. She looked up at the building. It had looked rather familiar, but she’d never seen La Mela Verde from the back. Polpetto had taken her up and down so many streets, she’d completely lost her sense of direction.
“What are you doing out here?” he asked, smiling down at the dog. “With a friend, eh?”
She looked down at Polpetto, who was now sniffing the garbage bags. “Yes. Just taking this one for a walk.”
“He’s an energetic beast, si?” G said, dropping the bag to pet the dog. “Ah, and he’s hungry. I have just the—”
“Don’t, please. He just ate. Anything you give him wouldn’t be a good idea,” she said, when something suddenly occurred to her. G knew just about everyone in town. “G, this is the dog I found at the murder scene yesterday. He might belong to someone who knows what happened to Mimi Catalano. Have you seen him before?”
G stooped closer to get a better look at the dog. He shook his head. “No. Does not look familiar.”
She let out a long sigh. “Really? Oh. That’s too bad. I thought if anyone knew him, you would.”
He took the two bags and one by one tossed them into a dumpster. He said, “You know, you left too soon for me to talk to you. But I heard what Blondie said. You don’t have to worry about her.”
“Actually, I do. Everyone seems to believe whatever lies she’s shilling.”
“Nah.” He waved a hand dismissively. “I don’t. I know Mimi. For years and years, I know her. She was no good.”
“You did? So she gave you a hard time, too?”
“No. Not me. She was very friendly to us locals. It’s the people from away she has most trouble with. You know, she’s the one who came up with the one-euro house deal, years ago.”
Audrey squinted at him. “She did? Then why does she have a problem with expats? She must’ve known that—”
“She was hoping that it would lure back Sicilians who’d moved away. But it backfired on her. And suddenly all these foreigners kept coming in. She didn’t like it, so she did everything in her power to give them trouble.”
“So you’re saying that the person who killed her was probably an expat, and that’s why they’re focusing on me?”
He shrugged. “I’m saying she wanted to divide people. And maybe she succeeded. There are locals on her side who agree with her, but many locals who don’t. Like me. But she has her group of followers who do not like people from outside.”
“So you think one of them might be trying to frame me, regardless of who killed her? I heard the beach she was found on is only a ten-minute walk from the city, so really, anyone could have.”
“Anything is possible. That beach, I go fishing there, now and then. It is popular with joggers and walkers, but not in the middle of the day. Too hot, even in September. It’s very secluded in places, so there is a good chance the police will find no witnesses. It’s really a wonder you found the body right away.”
“I only did that because of the phone call. Otherwise… who knows?”
“You were with that American, right? That Mason?”
She blinked. Had she said anything to that effect in front of him? Yes, she had, at La Mela Verde the previous night, while talking to Nessa. But G had been so busy serving customers, she hadn’t realized he was listening.
What, was he jealous? “Yes. He’s a friend. And he had a car.”
“I’d be careful with him if I were you. I’ve seen him walking around at night. He looks… very suspicious.”
She laughed. “Mason’s not suspicious. He’s a ladykiller, but not in the way you’re thinking.”
“I saw him that morning. The morning of the murder. He looked guilty, like he was up to no good.”
“What? No, you’ve got to be mistaken. He was sleeping in that morning.”
“No. I am sure I saw him that day.” He said it with such zeal that it sent a shiver down Audrey’s spine.
“Oh,” was all she could say, completely flabbergasted. Was that possible? Why would he have lied to her?
He patted the dog’s side. “You two look tired and hungry. Come on in. I make you some of my night’s special. Gambero rosso.”
Audrey was still reeling over the news about Mason. Had he lied to her? And why? G was staring at her, expecting an answer, so she said, “I—I don’t know what that is.”
“Red prawns. Delicious! I make them with a little lemon juice and olive oil, my specialty. Come …” He motioned them to the back door.
Polpetto started to pull eagerly on his leash, all in, but Audrey stood firm.
“I don’t think so. I’m exhausted and not really hungry. It’s been a busy day. Plus, I’ve got to get back to the clinic to drop this guy off and finish up some paperwork. Work has been crazy.”
“Hmm. I am sorry about Marco,” he said after a few moments. “He did not show up this morning?”
She shook her head.
“Ah. His parents supported Signora Catalano. He told me today he overslept, but …”
“I get it,” she said, forcing a smile which turned into a yawn. “It’s not his fault. I’ll see you later.”
Nudging Polpetto so he’d finally take his nose out of a nearby garbage can, she finally got him to continue on his way, back to the clinic.
“I know, boy,” she said to him as he led her down the deserted street, his shoulders slumped slightly in defeat. “And I know you probably miss your owner. But we will find him. And we’ll get to the bottom of everything else, too.”
At least, she hoped. But with all the enemies that this woman had, the only thing Audrey was completely sure about was that she hadn’t murdered Mimi Catalano. Beyond that, who did was really anyone’s guess.
Her first order of business, though, would be finding out exactly why Mason was lying to her.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The following morning, Audrey got to the clinic at eight. Her favorite part of her job was the excited chorus of barks and yips and meows all the animals had for her when she went into the kennel. It was music to her ears. She greeted all of them with the annoying, coddling baby-talk Mason hated and got them prepared for the day, letting them out for their daily exercise, cleaning up potty accidents, and replenishing the water bowls.
That took the better part of the hour, but she didn’t mind it. This was her paradise. In her element like that, she nearly lost track of time, so when someone knocked on the front door, she expected it to be Mason, reporting for his second day as volunteer.
Instead, it was her first appointment, a woman with a parakeet. It was already nine o’clock. As she flipped the APERTO sign in the front window, let the old lady inside, and told her to make herself comfortable, she peered up and down the street, looking for Mason in all his gorgeousness. But the street was empty.
Odd, she thought, wondering if yesterday’s beat-down at the hands of Polpetto had knocked the will out of him.
She also wondered, not for the first time, if there was any truth to what G had said. When he’d answered his door, it looked as though he’d been asleep for hours. Was it really possible that he’d been out that morning? And prowling around at night… well, sure, he was suffering from an abundance of free time, but it wasn’t exactly like Mussomeli had a swinging night life. There was no reason for anyone to be combing the streets at night, unless they were up to no good. But …
No. Not Mason. He was a little bit of a player, but that was about it. Sure, he hated Mimi Catalano, but he wasn’t a murderer.
Or was she only thinking that because that was the running assumption? That a beautiful man with such innocen
t dimples could do no wrong?
She pushed away those thoughts and brought the little parakeet in for his check-up. All good. A perfectly healthy bird, being well cared for by its doting owner, which was what she loved to see.
When she walked the lady to the reception desk, she found Mason sitting behind it, head back against the chair, mouth slightly open. Snoring loudly.
The old lady gasped as he went to scratch his privates. Blushing, Audrey jiggled the chair.
He sprang to his feet. “What? Where am I?” he asked, looking around, alarmed.
“At the vet,” she said, trying to play off her annoyance, since customers were there. “Remember?”
“Oh, yeah.” He wiped some sleep from his eyes.
“You’re late.”
He smirked at her. “So, fire me.”
Ignoring that, she pointed to her client. “Could you please check Signora Calluci out?” she asked him sternly.
He rubbed more sleep from his eyes as the woman stared at him in disdain. “Yeah. Sure. Got it.”
She smiled at the woman. “Grazie. Thank you for coming in. All good.” She gave a thumbs-up. “Please don’t hesitate to call if you need anything.”
She put her hand with thumb and forefinger out to her cheek, the international symbol for Call me, deciding that rather than doing sign language, she really needed to double down on learning Italian. Meanwhile, Mason slumped against the desk like he was about to fall asleep again.
Audrey stomped back to the exam room to clean up, hoping that by making a lot of noise, he wouldn’t fall asleep again.
As she scrubbed down the room for the next patient, she kept thinking about what G had said about Mason. She realized she didn’t know him, not at all. Other than being from Charleston, he’d been very mum on his life. He’d said he was rich, hadn’t he? Maybe he was part of a crime family. What if he’d moved out here to escape some kind of criminal past? He seemed pretty level, but she didn’t know. Maybe he had a history of violence. What if he hadn’t fully moved beyond his criminal ways, and Mimi Catalano had pushed him too far?
