Death Under the Venice Moon (23 page)

"You would have done the same. The poor kid was crying his eyes out, and it was all the concierge's doing. He reminded me of Kyle."

"I got it. But the cops didn't know any of this. Their mission was to save the damsel in distress. I doubt the swollen knee will appear in their report anytime soon. Not that a report will even be filed, the way I understand the system. After our conversation from the police station when your phone died, you had me very worried. Kyle, too. By then the cabin—
baita
—had been located. We were packing up, and the Italian detective decided to make a phone call. Someone owed him a favor. Right away we knew where you and Nicola were, and we got a little bonus. Giada was there also in a special room, listening to every word you two said."

"That witch. I knew it. But why? Wait, you mean she knew I was hiding in the bathroom when she came in?"

"You were hiding in the bathroom? What's with you and public bathrooms? Lella, honestly, this is all I know, but I have the feeling a lot more is going on. The Italian detective told Kyle where Giada was, and a lot more. Kyle and the detective seem to get along well. When their chat was over, all I can say is that Kyle looked…old.

"When Kyle called Giada to go pick you up, he pretended not to know she was already there. Personally, I don't think this is connected to Giada's corporation. I think she orchestrated this whole thing on her own."

 "While I was hiding, I watched Giada check messages on a cell phone. I'm pretty sure it was Kyle's. But I had left his phone on the seat of the Focus, and when we got the car back it was there, just the way I left it."

"If she was checking and possibly deleting your son's messages, she didn't know you were watching. That's what I mean. This is about Kyle. She is a very clever lady and gets paid big bucks to do what she seems to do so well. But again, I think she is using her connections to keep Kyle here. She's a woman in love." He said
love
as if it were a dirty word.

"You never liked her, did you?"

"She's a tall blonde. I'm partial to petite brunettes." He whispered in my ear. And after that I knew we weren't going to get much sleep, swollen knee or not.

I dragged myself out of bed and into the kitchen, craving coffee in the worst way. Kyle was on his way out the door of this fabulous little house with the postcard view of everything wonderful about Lake Garda.

His hair still damp from the shower, he seemed in a big hurry. It was barely seven a.m. Hmm, not like he had a job to go to.

I went to hug him. "I guess I'll see you in Venice. I'll get Larry up, and we'll hit the road. Drive safely. Maybe we can get together for lunch?"

He nodded, obviously distracted by whatever was going through his mind.

Giada looked like she needed a good night's sleep, but was still beautiful without makeup and wearing a pale green robe. She walked him to the car.

There was such a lingering sense of doom in the air I wanted to get out of there as fast as I could. What was going on? I hurried back to the bedroom and found Larry all packed, dressed, and ready to go. I was stunned and was sure he could tell.

He hugged me. "Sweetie, we can have breakfast on the road if you don't mind. Did you see Kyle?"

I nodded. "He just left."

Larry smiled. "Let's follow his lead. Can you get dressed? I'll pack your stuff."

My heart skipped a beat. Nick, my deceased husband, always packed for our travels, and I unpacked. I went to get some clean clothes. No way would I wear the same pants I had on yesterday when I fell and hurt my knees.

The smell of fresh coffee came from the kitchen. Giada, still in her pale green robe, greeted us and set some cute mugs on the small kitchen table.

I looked at Larry. I wanted some coffee. Without a word he sat and said, "I take mine black." His eyes let me know I owed him one.

We drank our coffee quickly then went out the front door. Before Giada went back in, Larry said, "I need to get gas and maybe air in my tires."

"Before you hit the main road, there is a gas station. You can check your tires also."

He nodded at her sad face. I couldn't stand it. I turned around and gave her a big hug. She stood there, limp, then without a word she closed the door.

"Let's go. She is probably on the phone calling the cavalry."

"Oh, Larry, what are you talking about?"

"Nothing. Let's get going. We need to make up time."

"What for?" I fastened my seatbelt.

He leaned over and kissed my lips softly. "Did I tell you how sweet you are and how much I love you?" He shifted gears, and we started down the peaceful hill, back to reality. "You know, we should come back here, just the two of us, for a real vacation." His eyes were fixed on the winding road. His hand carefully caressed my injured knee.

"I would like that. I would like that a lot. Do you know we never flew on a plane together?"

"We are flying back together, aren't we?"

"What about your rented car?"

"I can leave it at any Italian airport. It's in the lease contract."

"Good."

A few minutes later he pulled into a gas station with easy access. He went straight to the air compressor.

"Don't you need gas?" I asked.

"No."

"But you told—"

"I know what I told Giada." This was the voice of Detective Lawrence Devin. What was he up to? "You can stay in the car."

Indiana Jones himself couldn't have kept me in the car. I got out and watched Larry squat down to get a good look at each of his tires. Must be serious. A few times, he knelt and ran his hand underneath the car, around the tires.

"Okay," I said. "I may not know about cars, but I'm not that stupid. What are you doing?"

He stood, towering over me, lifted me, smacked a kiss on my forehead, then put me back down. "Checking for bugs. I mean—"

"I know what you mean, a car tracking device. I watch detective shows too."

All I got from him was a spontaneous eruption of laughter. "Let's go, and no, I don't need any gas. I said that in case she is on her terrace with binoculars."

"Okay, mister, I want to know what's going on."

"I already told you she has help from the Italian police. According to the detective, it's not unusual. Big corporations send monthly checks to one of the higher-ups. In return, they get favors when needed. Giada is the face of De Bernardi and his corporation. She calls in the favors. However, something else is going on, a bit more serious and very personal. We're meeting Kyle before he gets on the plane."

"What plane?"

"He didn't tell you? Ooops. He is flying back to the States. His flight leaves in…four hours."

"What? Oh my God, I didn't even say goodbye to him. How about Giada, is that why she was so sad?"

"Calm down. Giada knows nothing. That's the plan. She may have enough influence to stop him from leaving, even if only temporarily. Hang on, let's see what this baby's got under the hood, and you can ask Kyle yourself in about twenty minutes."

Unbelievable. He pulled into the same rest area where I'd had my first chat with Nicola, but he drove into the gas station area and parked to the side. I noticed the Focus.

"Lella, stay calm. Your son has enough drama of his own. Okay?" He stroked my cheek with the back of his hand, a show of affection I'd come to cherish.

We got out of the Mercedes, and Larry walked up to Kyle's car, squatted down, and repeated the same thing he did to his car.

The whole time my son avoided looking at me. Was it something I did? Said? What?

"Yes, got it." Larry squatted by the passenger side of the back bumper. He looked up. "I suggest you leave it where it is. If she figures out it's gone, she'll find an excuse to send her beloved highway patrol after you."

Kyle nodded, all life drained from his already somber face.

"What are you doing with the car when you get to the airport?" I asked.

Finally he acknowledged my presence. "Mom, I'm planning on driving the Focus to the Garage San Marco reserved parking spot and leaving it there."

"Are we taking you to the airport?"

"No need to. My friend, Marco, remember him? The water taxi captain? He collected all my belongings from my hotel room. He's waiting at the parking garage. He's driving me. I would like to go inside for a cup of coffee, but this is the only spot I found without cameras. Just playing it safe. Don't want to end up like Pia."

"What are you saying? You scare me to death."

He looked at Larry. "Pia kept a diary, planned on turning it into a book. The police returned it to her family before they figured out what was in it, or maybe the Trento cops aren't on the take…yet. I suggested the cousin make copies and contact the Italian detective to see if there's any way to bring charges." He shrugged. "Giada offered Pia a contract: convince Cruz to disappear for forty-eight hours as a publicity stunt for the release of our movie,
The Lost Heir
. In exchange, Pia would have worldwide exclusive rights to the first interview when Cruz was found and rescued. Giada and Cruz have a long history of bad blood. She considers him 'high maintenance.' He dislikes all young independent women, plus the fact that she constantly monitored his actions. The cops are taking another look at Pia's brakes. Accident or not, I bet Giada was hoping Cruz had been in the car when it went off the road. All his contracted work has been sent to Carolyn. The part has been retooled for me to take over his roles. Creepy, right? Hell no. I'm not coming back here. Okay, then." His phone went off. He took it out of his pocket, looked at it, and put a finger to his lips to shush us. "Hi, Giada. I'm at the rest area outside Verona, getting coffee." He rolled his eyes. "What? When? They found Cruz?" He glanced at us, animated. "What do you mean he found himself? Oh, I see. Three o'clock, main room at the Century Palace. Got it, I'll be there with my best smile. No problem. See you then."

For a moment we all stared at each other, speechless.

Kyle spoke first. "Well, you heard the news. Cruz is safe and sound somewhere in Trento. A limo is picking him up and taking him to the Century to freshen up and prep for a big press conference this afternoon at three. By then I should be changing planes in London. I've got to run, but you two should grab a drink and watch the star's rescue on television." He winked. "He is a good actor." He gave me a quick hug. "See you back home, Mom, and please, behave?"

I was getting all choked up, damn. "Wait, wait…Kyle, when you get to the parking lot to leave your car? Can you do me a favor?'

"What is it?" He fidgeted with the car keys.

"Remove the tracking device from the Focus and stick it under the nearest tourist bus? If it's from a faraway country, even better."

He was still laughing when he closed the driver's door and turned on the engine.

"Do you think Kyle made his flight?"

"Lella, he was so determined to get out of Italy, nothing could stop him. In all fairness, I think Giada is in love with him."

"So? Since when does being in love give you license to destroy other people's lives? I bet she kept me at the police station with Nicola to make sure he didn't know about her role in Cruz's disappearance. Conniving bitch."

We were approaching the causeway taking us to Piazzale Roma, where we could leave the car and hop a boat to the hotel. It dawned on me this was the first time Larry would see Venice. I kept quiet and studied his reaction. He squinted against the noon sun glinting from the polished surface of the waters flanking the bridge.

"Wow! This is so much better than the pictures. Wow." His voice low, trailing on the last wow. He reached over and squeezed my hand. Showing emotion always made him uneasy.

I laughed, a joyful laugh. "You'll love Venice. We need to decide what to do next. I'm not staying at the Century. All I want to do is get the few things I left there in case someone goes to check. Whatever we do, I must go back to my hometown if only for a day. I owe my mom a visit to her grave."

"Sweetie, this is your home, you decide."

"By the way, what did you think about Cruz's impromptu television performance?" We had just a glimpse of it while sipping cappuccino at the rest area.

"You mean about him getting lost in the woods after waiting for the love of his life to show up at the
baita
? Bunk. When the cops found the place, whoever was staying there had only been gone hours. My guess is Cruz noticed the
Carabinieri
vehicle in front of the cabin and decided to be found in a more dignified way. The impromptu television interview must be his idea of dignity. I bet he had no idea what happened to Pia. Let's see how Giada spins this one. Oh, I can see the steeple. Is that what I think it is?"

"Larry, calm down. We'll end up in the water. Where are you leaving your car?"

"Same garage as Kyle; he gave me all the details."

"Sounds like you two got along fine."

"He's a nice kid and thinks highly of you." He frowned.

Was he thinking about Olivia? "Larry, have you heard from your daughter?"

"We are not going to talk about Olivia, not now. It's out of my hands for now. Okay?" He sounded sad but determined.

I nodded. "I better make sure I still have keys to the room." I fished in my bottomless bag and my fingers met the cell phone. The dead cell phone. "I'm not going to bother with this again. Agree?"

"It's up to you. We can use mine. Kyle knows the number."

Larry had just locked the car when Marco showed up out of nowhere. I only recognized him because of the navy-blue uniform with all the gold buttons.

"Mrs. York." He touched his captain's hat, very impressive. "Kyle made his flight. He sends his love." His tone very formal, his eyes smiling. "I'll be happy to give you and your companion a ride to the hotel"—he winked—"and back if you so choose."

What was it about men and speedboats? Just like Kyle, Larry stood up front, next to Marco. Even if I could only see his profile it was obvious how much pleasure the ride and the view of Canal Grande gave him, lighting up his expression.