Ryan had to work on Sunday so Valentina stayed home to get things unpacked and put away. That didn’t take very long. Her life had been so busy with school that there hadn’t been time to accumulate much stuff. Her family home had everything anyway. Valentina never realized before how much she never lacked for anything in the way of home comforts. Roman’s house was full of everything a person could ever need, including a home gym, pool, and home theatre.
If she was with Ryan, time together mattered more than material things. With him, she’d have a chance at something she never dreamed would happen. Having someone to love. Someone to start a life with. Maybe even start a family with. Valentina wanted a love like Roman and Madison’s. It was too early to think it could be but there was hope.
It had only been the first date, but if Ryan would have wanted to the spend the night, it would have been hard to say no. Being a gentleman, he texted her brother to have her bodyguards waiting for them when they returned. Even with her security system Ryan still insisted on checking out the house to make sure there was no one hiding under the bed or in the closets. Then he’d given her another earth shattering kiss good night. A pool of heat hit her lower belly just thinking about it.
Now that the house was in order, she enjoyed some coffee that Dom had dropped off after replacing the guys who had spent the night keeping watch on her place. They were both now in the living room watching the news. The deaths of the two women had been publicly declared murders and the police were looking for any clues to link them. There was a special hotline set up for people to call in any tips they may have had. It was warm in her house but she shivered. Who would kill them and for what reason?
The only information given by the police was that the deaths had involved some kind of head trauma. Used to being so busy, having nothing to do made her restless.
“What do you think really happened?” Her heart ached thinking of the victims’ families.
Never one for many words, Dominic just grunted.
“Dom, I’m going out.” She grabbed a down vest from the closet. He got up and went to the door.
“Where to?” His hand was on the doorknob.
“I don’t know. I just can’t sit here anymore.” She trailed him out the door and down the sidewalk. “A walk. Anything.”
They headed down the street to where the shops were. It wasn’t her intended stop but she didn’t feel like strolling around the lake. Not all the shops were open. The tourist season had ended so only a few businesses still had the open sign lit up out front.
The one Ryan refused to take her to, Bygones, had its lights on. “Let’s stop at that one.”
“Since when do you like old shit?” Dominic didn’t seem happy about accompanying her to the shops. He tended to scare the other customers when they went in places.
“I don’t, but it’s open. You can stay out here if you like,” she suggested.
“Your brother would have my nuts if I let you out of my sight.” He reached for the door.
“Thanks for the disturbing visual.” A bell above the entrance jingled as they walked inside.
It was at least a minute or two before a man came from the back. “Can I help you?”
“Are you the owner?” Valentina asked after she shooed Dom over to look at some antique swords.
“Yes. Is there something I can help you with?” He flashed her a big smile and placed both hands on the counter.
“No, I just wanted to introduce myself.” She reached out her hand and he shook it. “I’m Valentina Caponelli. I’m an attorney and just opened my office about a block away. I saw you were also new so thought I would just stop in and say hi.”
“Well, hopefully, I will never have a need for a lawyer but I’m glad you stopped by. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Caponelli.”
“It’s miss,” she corrected him.
“My mistake, I figured someone as beautiful as you would already be taken.”
That statement brought Dominic back to her side and the smile on Edward’s face disappeared.
“I am taken.” Well, even if she wasn’t, that was her story. “But thanks for the compliment.”
Edward swallowed as his gaze drifted to the man by her side.
“Ah, this is a friend of mine, Dominic Scarlatti.”
The antique owner just nodded and neither held out their hands.
“So,” Edward said after a moment, “is there anything I can get for you or show you?”
Both were shocked when Dom spoke. “Yes, the knife in the case.”
An hour and a few hundred bucks later, they left Bygones. Valentina found a Tiffany lamp she liked for her office and Dom purchased a vintage dagger. The two men actually had a civil conversation about knives, swords, and other deadly weapons that left her feeling a bit queasy. Although Edward was polite and didn’t do anything threatening, she wouldn’t want to be alone with the guy. He just gave off a bad vibe, maybe a sense of sadness.
As soon as they arrived home, Roman called. “I need your help.” Finally, she would have something to do. “Can you come over?”
“Sure, we’re leaving now.” Dominic drove her to her brother’s house, where they found him in his office.
“What’s up, Romeo?” The glare he gave her would have most men pissing themselves, but she knew he’d never hurt her.
“I’m going over the files from the housewife murders.” He stretched and leaned back in his chair. His desk was littered with papers.
“How did you get these?” She paled when some of the photos of the victims came into focus. “Who could do such a thing?”
“I’ve seen worse.” Dominic picked up a photo. “But even I would never do that to a woman. Maybe it was a woman who did this.”
Valentina ignored him. “Again, how do you have these? These are confidential files from the police department. See, on the front it says Confidential, Property of the Lake Genoa Police Department.” She tapped it with her fingers.
“I had our tech guy hack in. I want this monster caught just as bad as the next guy. I thought we could go over this stuff and see if we can find something they missed.” Roman studied the photos again. “Do you recognize this work?” Some killers had a signature, especially the hired ones. He held up a photo of Amy and handed it to Dom.
“No, it looks personal, not professional. Could be a lover’s quarrel or someone in the wrong place at the wrong time.” Dominic picked up the photo of Tracy and shook his head. “Not a mob hit. I’m certain of it.”
“Are the girls connected somehow?” Valentina dragged a chair closer to the desk.
“Just that they both had items from the new antique store.”
“What about what Dom said? Were they dating anyone? It says here that Tracy had a note in her datebook.” She underlined the sentence with her red nails. “At the time the murder may have happened she had a date with ‘A. Man,’ or did she just mean ‘a man’? Maybe she was going on a blind date?”
“I did some checking and she went out with Nathan, one of the cops here, a few times but nothing serious. I’ve got Arlo asking around about Amy.” He twirled a Cartier pen around his fingers. “Val, you were great with finding out who was bothering Madison and the other businesses in town. See what you can find out this time. Anyone just move to town in the last few months who sends up a flag. Check out this antique guy also. I tapped Ryan’s phone—”
“What? You tapped his phone?” Thank goodness she hadn’t sent any suggestive photos, not that she ever would.
“Not his personal one, just the department’s.” He flicked through the stack of papers again.
Valentina slapped the back of his head as only a sister could get away with. “As the family’s lawyer, I did not hear that.”
He swatted her away as if she was a bug. “Here it is. Follow up on this conversation he had with the police department in McGraw County. See what you can find out about who Elizabeth LaGrander-Davis was sleeping with in town.”
She read through the transcripts. Something didn’t add up. “I’m on it.” Using the spare computer in Roman’s office, she sent off a work order to a private detective they had on the payroll and sent him down South.
After about an hour, Valentina stopped, removed her reading glasses, and asked her brother, “What do you know about etorphine?”
“Never heard of it,” Roman answered.
“I have,” Dominic, who was studying the reports as well, said. “It’s what that serial killer used on that TV show.”
Val and Roman both stared.
“You know, the one with the blood spatter guy who worked for the police department and then he hunted down and killed the bad guys who got away.” It was one of the few times she’d ever seen him smile. “I loved that show.”
“Where do you get it?” Roman typed the drug name into his laptop.
“What?” Valentina glanced back and forth between the two.
“Etorphine.”
“Oh, it’s used on animals, so I would think only veterinarians would have something like that.” Dom got up from the leather couch and wandered over to his boss’s desk.
“It says here it’s used for big animals like rhinos and elephants,” Roman explained. “I can’t see any vet places even needing something like that here.”
“We aren’t too far away from that circus place. They might have it around just in case they need to work on an elephant.” Unfortunately, if they started calling vet clinics and asking about etorphine, it might raise some red flags.
“Good point.”
“There you are.” Madison strolled into the room.
Roman quickly gathered all the crime reports, put them in a folder, and locked them in a desk drawer.
She glanced back and forth between the three. “I know the drill. Don’t ask.”
“We were just finishing up.” Valentina exited out of everything on her laptop and closed the lid.
“Great. Then you can see the dress I’ve designed for you.” She clapped her hands together in front of her chest. It had always been a dream of Maddy’s to be a clothing designer but she never wanted to leave her beloved hometown. When possible, she still liked to sketch and make gowns for her friends’ special events or weddings.
“I’m thrilled, but what is it for?” It was a good bet that Ryan might be the one to someday walk her down the aisle, but that was a long way off. They just started dating.
“The Snowflake Ball,” she squealed.
“I don’t know if I’m going to get all dressed up. I really should be working it. I need to put in more time at Firenza.” Would Ryan ask her to go? The man would probably have to work that night anyway.
“Of course you are dressing up. You have to. Now come see what I made for you.”
So excited was Madison that she jumped up and down a few times. Val narrowed her eyes at her brother as his gaze zeroed in on his wife’s bouncing breasts.
“Lead the way.” She shook her head at Roman and followed his wife out the door and into her sewing room. Fabric and sketches were everywhere, but one thing in the room stood out.
“It’s stunning.” As if in a trance, Valentina carefully stepped over boxes, gloves, and boning that littered the floor. There in front of her on a mannequin was the most beautiful dress she had ever seen. It was a red strapless silk gown. The bodice was fitted, as was the skirt, but the back flared out into a small train.
Before even being asked, Valentina stripped out of her clothes and slipped it on. It fit like a glove. Stepping in front of the floor-length mirror, she felt like a princess, and not just a mafia one. The color reminded her of the bunny costume and her cheeks flushed.
“You must be thinking of a certain officer.” Madison hugged her shoulder and looked at their reflection in the glass. “You’re going to take his breath away.”
“How much? I want it.” She turned and kissed Maddy on the cheek.
“It’s free. I’m happy to have such a pretty sister-in-law to give it to.”
Valentina waltzed around the room. “I can’t wait to wear it, but what if he doesn’t want to go with me?”
“Any man would be honored to take you to the ball.” Roman stood at the door. “You look lovely, Valentina.”
“I don’t want just any man.” She stopped in front of the mirror and stiffened. This time it was her brother who stood next to her, staring back.
“I’ve never encouraged this. He’s a police offer and we operate on the edge of the law, but if Ryan is the one you want, you have my blessing.” He rested a hand on her shoulder. Tears threatened to fall as she turned and wrapped him in her arms. Her family may not have been perfect, but they did love her.