Ruby fever epb, p.8
Ruby Fever EPB, page 8
He hung up and grinned at me.
“Ciao?”
I had never heard him say that in a professional setting. Ciao was very informal, both a greeting and a goodbye, and it had originated from the Venetian dialect’s s’ciào vostro meaning “I am your slave.” The phrase wasn’t meant literally; it was used more as “I’m at your service” and it was mostly said to younger people and friends and family, those you knew very well.
“What’s the point of stereotypes if you can’t use them to your advantage?”
“I’m so glad to hear that.”
“Why?”
“Wahl called. He wants to interview the family. Kaylee, Luciana’s daughter, is my age. I need the Count.”
Alessandro’s entire persona changed. He took his feet off the table and sat straighter in his chair, throwing one long leg over the other. His pose acquired elegance. His expression turned suave. He looked worldly, slightly jaded, yet breathtakingly handsome.
“Is this the Count you were looking for?” A light Italian accent overlaid his words like a glossy polish.
“Yes. That’s the guy.”
“And what will this humble Count get if he comes with you?” His voice was like velvet.
“The satisfaction of a job well done?”
“I was thinking of something more substantial.”
“Like what?”
“Once this is over, we go away for a weekend to the coast. I don’t care which, as long as there is clear blue water and hot weather. No meetings, no appointments, no phone.”
I knew what he was asking. Whether Linus survived or not, we would do this, because it was about us alone. “Done. Will you take a kiss as a down payment?”
“I’d be a fool not to.”
I walked over and leaned down. My lips touched his. I started tentative and gentle, a tease rather than a promise, just a hint of things to come. His mouth opened. I caught his breath, and my tongue brushed his ever so slightly. His hand slid into my hair, and he kissed me back, hungry but savoring every moment. We kissed while the world stood still and when we finally came up for air, I had to stop myself from reaching for his clothes.
Count Sagredo gave me a dazzling smile. “I am at your service, tesoro mio.”
Luciana Cabera and her daughter lived in River Oaks, less than ten minutes away from Linus on foot, in a seven-million-dollar mansion. The 8,500 square foot home sat in the middle of a manicured acre and was built in what Alessandro started calling Houston European style, meaning it was a pseudo-Mediterranean beige stucco house with a colonnade and an inexplicable round turret of brown stone that matched nothing else.
Alessandro grimaced as we pulled up to the house and parked Rhino behind a stereotypical black SUV with federal license plates. Rhino was Grandma Frida’s special project, a custom armored SUV she built from the ground up. It was the most secure vehicle we had that could still pass for a somewhat civilian car.
“Snob.”
He gave me a pained look. “Why does it have a turret, Catalina? Are they expecting an army of medieval knights and trebuchets?”
“You never know,” I told him.
“It’s a Tuscan colonnade interrupted by a Scottish turret with Tudor windows.”
“You can hold on to my hand. I’ll lead you in while you avert your eyes.”
“No need.”
My phone chimed.
“Cornelius,” I told Alessandro and put the phone on speaker.
“You were right,” Cornelius said. “It’s recent. Less than twenty-four hours.”
Damn it. I had hoped I was wrong.
“Thank you so much.”
“Of course. Any time.”
I said goodbye and hung up.
Alessandro was looking at me.
“Do you remember the brush I stole from Luciana’s purse? I gave it to Cornelius. He took the brush and Gus to Linus’ house and had Gus check the scent signatures. Luciana’s scent is in the yard and in the house, and it’s fresh. As the Speaker, she had unprecedented access to the Warden. They likely had many confidential meetings. He might have added her as an exception to his security system.”
“When did you know?”
“I didn’t. I had a feeling.”
Alessandro wiggled his fingers at me. “Witchery.”
“No, instincts. Once Leon called and told us that the siege protocols were active but there were no bodies, I knew that either the attack never happened, or the attacker got out unscathed. Luciana and Linus, one attack after another. It felt too coincidental. I didn’t suspect her, but it didn’t feel right, so I wanted to cover all of my bases.”
He didn’t seem surprised. Why wasn’t he surprised?
“Alessandro, you have something.”
“I do.”
“What do you have?”
“Would you like to see it?”
“Alessandro!”
Alessandro produced his phone with an elegant flourish and offered it to me. An email from someone named Doc Giordano.
“Who is Doc Giordano?”
Alessandro nodded toward the street. “A retired brain surgeon. He’s lived two houses down from Linus for the last thirty years.”
“I don’t remember House Giordano.”
“There isn’t one. Doc isn’t a magic user. He’s a rich old guy who worked very hard for most of his life to live at this address. He and Linus are friendly. I’ve chatted with him a few times.”
That didn’t surprise me. Alessandro had the uncanny ability to get people to like him without doing anything at all. He’d enter a room filled with strangers and in thirty seconds they would start telling him their life stories.
He was also clearly enjoying dragging this reveal out.
“Give,” I demanded.
“Every day Doc walks his dogs at nine in the morning and nine in the evening like clockwork. He remembers seeing Luciana Cabera walking from the direction of Linus’ home toward her house a little after 9:00 p.m. on Sunday night.”
That fit right into our window. “Is he sure?”
“Very. He’s in his seventies, but he is still very sharp. There’s more.”
“Tell me.”
“There was another person with her. He didn’t get a good look, because they were wearing a large hoodie, but he thinks they were young from the way they walked.”
I leaned back in my seat. “Unless Luciana had hidden talents, she couldn’t have killed Pete with her magic. Not if she was a true halcyon.”
He nodded. “Whoever was with her is likely the killer.”
“If so, why did they leave Dr. Giordano alive? He saw them.”
Alessandro smiled. “Hubris.”
Luciana had been a Prime. She’d dealt with other Primes on a daily basis. Her entire political career revolved around mages, and Dr. Giordano was an ordinary person. She never considered him a threat because in normal circumstances he never would be. An experienced combat magic user would’ve eliminated all witnesses, but Luciana wasn’t used to getting her hands dirty. She walked right past Dr. Giordano, because she was so conditioned to ignore people like him, he might as well have been invisible.
We had to get him out of the city. “Where is Dr. Giordano now?”
“On vacation with his lovely spouse,” Alessandro said. “On the Warden’s dime. I’ve explained the situation to him. He’s onboard.”
I really loved this man.
A dark thought zinged through my brain. “She had a young person with her, Pete was killed by someone with unusual magic, and Kaylee hasn’t taken the trials.”
“Interesting, isn’t it?” Alessandro said.
If House Cabera killed Pete and hurt Linus, I would make them pay.
“I have so many questions.” I tapped my fingers on the dashboard in front of me. “Why would Luciana want to hurt Linus? Why would Arkan have her killed? Did Kaylee help her mother end Pete’s life or was it one of Arkan’s assassins? If it was one of Arkan’s people, did he somehow force Luciana to help him gain access to Linus and did he kill her after they botched it?”
“Let’s go ask them.” Alessandro popped his door open. “Shall we?”
“We shall.”
He got out of the car to open my door.
Normally I opened my own door unless I was wearing a gown that required management, but right now we were on display and Alessandro was in his Count Sagredo persona. He switched identities like gloves, and he was always flawlessly consistent once he assumed them. Today he wore khaki trousers, a crisp white T-shirt, and a seersucker blazer unbuttoned, with the sleeves casually rolled back to mid forearm. His shoes were blue Santoni loafers, his shades were Trussardi, and if you searched the Internet for “young Italian Prime,” you’d see his picture. Probably several of them.
Kaylee was twenty-two, like me. Alessandro was the god of our adolescence, and his Instagram was the altar on which all of us prayed. I was no longer in love with that fantasy. I preferred a different Alessandro, the one who plotted like a Borgia, neutralized his enemies before they knew what hit them, and woke me up in the middle of the night to do things that made me blush when he mentioned them later. But Kaylee wasn’t me.
Alessandro held out his hand. I rested my fingers in his and stepped out of the car. We strode up the three wide stairs, my beige pumps clicking quietly on the concrete. Today Alessandro was the star, and I opted for understated navy slacks, a navy silk blouse with small beige and white flowers on it, and a matching jacket with three-quarter sleeves. My makeup was natural bordering on plain, and my hair was gathered into a loose knot. Everything about me was perfectly presentable and designed to fade into the background.
The thick mahogany door swung open before either of us could ring the bell revealing a solemn-looking man dressed in black. His features echoed Luciana’s, but he was slightly younger, his skin a darker shade of brown, and his hair liberally salted with grey. Julian Cabera, Luciana’s younger brother.
“We’ve been expecting you,” he said.
“My deepest condolences,” Alessandro said, his face broadcasting sincerity.
“Thank you.” He held out his hand toward the house. “Please.”
The interior of the house was a warm shade of white, complementing the travertine floor. We followed Julian left, through a thick archway past a luxurious powder room into a study paneled in rich, warm walnut. Built-in bookcases lined the walls between large arched windows. A vintage Moroccan rug decorated the dark brown floor. At the far end of the room, an elegant desk stood, the chair behind it glaringly empty. On the left a large fireplace took up half of the wall, and in the center of the room four people sat on the plush beige sofas and overstuffed chairs arranged around a coffee table.
Agent Wahl and a woman in a beige suit sat facing the fireplace. The woman was about his age, with tawny, warm skin, shoulder-length brown hair pushed behind her ear on the left side, and brown eyes. A tiny transparent plastic tube protruded from her ear, barely visible. A hearing aid. As far as I knew, the FBI had strict medical requirements. An agent with hearing loss had to be exceptional to be admitted.
Across from the two FBI agents, an older man and a young woman sat on the other sofa, both in black. The man looked like an older version of Julian: same nose, same mouth, same worried look in his eyes, but with a longer, leaner build. His hair, cropped short, had gone grey. Elias Cabera.
Next to him, Kaylee Cabera sat rigid, her spine perfectly straight. She was slender, with a heart-shaped face, large eyes under strong eyebrows, and full lips. Her skin was the same warm brown shade as her mother’s, but she’d bleached her hair to champagne blond, a beautiful color with multi-tonal highlights that looked perfectly natural. The hair framed her face in loose waves. She’d taken the time to style it. She’d also put on makeup, not just a brush of mascara, but her entire face complete with deep plum lipstick that looked almost mahogany on her lips. It could’ve meant any number of things, but her eyes told me exactly what it was—defiance. Kaylee Cabera refused to be broken, and she dared anyone to try her.
Everyone except Kaylee rose as we walked in. Kaylee glanced up and saw Alessandro. Her eyes widened. For a second, she forgot to look angry and just stared.
Yes, I know exactly what that feels like.
Wahl’s eyes narrowed. The female FBI agent next to him glanced at Kaylee, then at Alessandro. They’d read the room.
“My deepest apologies,” Alessandro murmured, his Italian accent light and refined. “We arrived as soon as we could.”
“You’re just in time,” Wahl assured him. He turned to the family. “This is Alessandro Sagredo, Prime antistasi, and Catalina Baylor of House Baylor. They will be consulting on this case due to its sensitive nature. Just to remind everyone, I am Agent Wahl, and this is Agent Garcia. Once again, this interview is being recorded.”
“Please, sit down,” Elias invited.
We sat in two overstuffed chairs. Alessandro was on my left, closer to Elias and Kaylee. She was still looking at him, and she had adjusted her pose, resting her right arm on the sofa arm to open up her body, crossing her legs, and presenting him with a flattering angle. I might have been invisible. Perfect. I sent the tendrils of my magic forward ever so gently.
Agent Wahl launched into the standard list of questions. Did Luciana have any enemies? Did she have romantic partners? What was her relationship with everyone present? Were there any recent difficulties?
Elias had taken the lead on answering. Kaylee answered only when directly spoken to and every time she opened her mouth, Alessandro offered her an encouraging smile.
My magic had skimmed the surface of Elias’ mind. He didn’t notice. He felt like a typical halcyon. Halcyons were crowd control mages. Like me, they couldn’t afford to allow magic leakage, so they kept an iron grip on their emotions, accreting a mental shield that encased their psyche. Their minds appeared opaque and hard, almost like pearls inside an oyster’s shell.
Nothing unexpected here. I moved on to Julian.
My phone vibrated. I glanced at it. A video call from Patricia.
“Excuse me,” I murmured, getting up.
Everyone ignored me.
I walked into the hallway and took the call. The view from a bodycam filled the screen, showing a slight, thin-looking white man in his midforties. He wore dark clothes and hunched over a little, as if expecting a punch on the shoulder. Four guards surrounded him.
“I have this gentleman here,” Patricia said. “He says he has an appointment.”
The man looked up at the camera. The brown irises of his eyes melted into aquamarine. Konstantin. Crap.
“Is that the illusion VIP we’ve been expecting?” Patricia asked.
“Yes.”
“I told him you were busy. He says he will wait as long as it takes. What do you want me to do?”
I did tell him to come back during business hours. I also needed to know why the hell he’d been in Linus’ house.
“Is he alone?”
“Yes.”
“Let him in and put him under guard. Do not injure him in any way unless he becomes aggressive, and if he does become aggressive, I need bulletproof evidence of it, because we can’t afford a conflict with the Russian Imperium.”
“Got it.”
The iron gate blocking the entrance rolled into the wall. Konstantin smiled and started walking.
There was something disturbingly smug about that smile.
Also, his assumed identity seemed familiar somehow. Where had I seen that face before?
They cleared the wall and walked into the front yard. Konstantin stopped and looked directly at me.
“I suggest you get home as soon as possible, Ms. Baylor. The clock is ticking. Tell Sasha that this round goes to me.”
What the hell did that mean? I would have to sort it out after we were done here. I hung up and returned to the study.
The atmosphere had changed while I was gone. Elias and Julian were clearly wary, while Kaylee, still fixated on Alessandro, spoke in a monotone voice.
“. . . dinner around seven. I had homework, so I went to my suite. I don’t know what Mom did after that. Usually, she listened to audiobooks on Sunday nights. It was her way to decompress.”
I took my seat. My magic net was still in place. I skimmed Julian’s mind. Another halcyon. He certainly wasn’t calm—I could sense turmoil deep within the shell—but he was firmly in control. I moved on to Kaylee.
“When did you go to bed?” Agent Garcia asked.
“Around eleven. Mom was still up. I had come down to grab a Tylenol. Statistical Methods always gives me a headache.”
My magic’s tendrils reached for Luciana’s daughter and slipped across the surface of her shell.
“When did you wake up this morning?” Agent Garcia asked.
Kaylee sighed. “Around eight.”
One of my tendrils burrowed through her shell. It was so sudden, I almost jerked back. The shield on Kaylee’s mind was paper-thin. Inside the shield her mind churned. It wasn’t a pearl, it was a glowing coal sitting in a bed of ashes.
“My first class is at ten . . . Look, my mother was murdered and you’re asking about my sleep and school schedules. What does this have to do with anything? Why aren’t you out there”—she pointed at the window—“looking for whoever did this?”
Agent Wahl opened his mouth.
“Ms. Cabera,” Alessandro said. “We are deeply sorry for your loss and the emotional brutality of this visit. We understand the great amount of stress you must be under.”
She pivoted toward him. “I just want the killer found. I can’t have my mother back, but I can have justice.”
“Just a couple more questions.” Alessandro offered her an apologetic smile.
“Fine. Since it’s you who’s asking,” she said.
“Do you own a blue hoodie?”
Kaylee blinked. Her mind spun, the glow of her magic growing brighter. There was some halcyon there, but the rest was something I’d never seen before. So much power, but so little training. She reminded me of Arthur, except my nephew was thirteen months old, and she was twenty-two.
“Ummm . . . maybe? I don’t remember.”
“Please try,” Alessandro encouraged.
