by Ray, M. L.
As she walked into the ballet studio, she was surprised to see Levi waiting for her and in his eyes, there was a strange, almost panicked look. “What is it, baby?”
He shook his head, and the look was gone. He gathered her into his arms and held her tightly. Juno frowned. “Are you alright?”
“Just a paranoid old man.”
She relaxed, chuckling. “Everything’s fine, Levi, I promise. The shoot went well. We followed the storm in.”
He grinned ruefully. “I know. The vaporetto ride was a bit hairy.”
“Why did you come in? I do have to go practice, I’m afraid.”
“I know, I… um, well, I thought I’d just say hello before I…”
He looked lost and Juno touched his face. “Levi, look at me. Something’s happened?”
Levi sighed. “No… I’m just being paranoid. After Fausta…”
Ah. Juno smiled. “Well, thank you for caring, but I’m really fine.”
“I’ll pick you up after practice?”
“I would like that.” She kissed his cheek. “Now, I really have to go.”
“Of course. Have a good one. I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
Levi watched her walk up the stairs, turn and wave at him before disappearing into the studio. He nodded to the receptionist who had been watching them curiously, and left. He pulled out his phone and called Knox. “Hey, bro.”
“Hey, dude, we’re in the car on the way to the airport.”
“How’s Nook taking leaving Tab?”
“Surprisingly well, if by surprisingly well I mean she’s sobbing uncontrollably, shouting Ma child! Ma child!”
Levi laughed as he heard Nook protesting in the background. “I am not…”
“Baby, there’s snot. A lot of it…. Ow!”
There was a rustling then Levi heard Nook’s voice. “He’s a jerk and I’m not sobbing.” But her voice did sound a little shaky, and she laughed. “Maybe a little. We can’t wait to see you, Levi and your lovely lady…”
“Ah, yes, about that… listen, I wanted to tell you before you got here. I might have asked Juno to marry me last night.”
There was a stunned silence on the other end of the phone then he heard whispering and Knox came back on the phone, or Nook had switched it to speaker, Levi couldn’t tell. “Bro… you proposed to Juno?”
“I did.”
“And what did she say?”
Levi smiled. “She said yes.”
Nook whooped for joy, but Knox chuckled, and it was a sound of bemusement rather than congratulations. “It’s… fast.”
Levi had been prepared for this. After all, Levi was the steady one in the family, the one who thought everything through, who acted out of responsibility, not passion. Except now. “When you meet her, you’ll get it. I imagine you’ll recognize the same feeling when you met Nook.”
“Damn right.” Nook. “Congratulations, honey, I’m… we… are so happy for you.”
Levi could see her poking Knox meaningfully because his brother spoke again, hasty and regretful. “Yes, sorry, of course we’re delighted for you both, bro. Truly. Now I really can’t wait to meet her.”
“And you will, very soon. Now, don’t miss that flight. Juno and I will pick you up from the airport in the morning.”
“Cool. Love you, bro.”
“Love you too. Kisses, Nook.”
“And you, darling.”
Levi ended the call, smiling, and was about to go find some coffee when his cell phone rang again. It was Isabella Papini. Levi steeled himself.
“Hey, Isa.”
“Have you thought any more about what I told you?”
“It’s only been a couple of hours, Isa. Let me process.”
She sighed. “I’m sorry, but it was such a relief to be able to tell someone, you know. Cat would think I’m crazy—I think she does anyway, and the police… I do have a contact there.”
“You do? Would he talk to me?”
“I don’t know.” She gave him the detective’s name. “If he does agree to talk… he knows my side, and he’s not unresponsive. He just won’t give me any details about Fausta’s death.”
“Then he’s not going to talk to me.”
“I don’t know. The Zapata’s have more sway with the authorities than the Papini’s do. Your father’s legacy and all.”
“That was a long time ago, Isa. I doubt if…”
“It’s worth a try.”
Levi sighed. “Yes, it is. If it means both putting your mind at rest and if it helps catch Tudor Welch…”
“Or Arturo. I’ll call you later.”
“Fine, bye.”
Levi hung up and sighed, rubbing his eyes. Part of him thought Isa was paranoid—Juno had been with Arturo all morning and she had looked fine when she came back. He’d felt so silly turning up at the ballet school like a worried parent.
“Hey, man.”
He turned and saw Jake, Juno’s friend, behind him. “Hey, Jake, how are you doing?”
“Same old. Pretty shocked about what happened to Fausta. The bad thing is, I keep thinking ‘at least it was her and not Juno or Moriko’. I feel sucky for thinking that.”
“But it’s honest.”
“Listen,” Jake looked around him, “I wanted to talk to you. About Tudor Welch. You know what he did to Juno in New York?”
“I do.”
“Thing is… I think something was going on with him. I don’t think what happened to her was a spur-of-the-moment thing. I think he planned it.”
“I’m lost.”
“Levi, do you know a man called Kevin Hawkes?”
Levi frowned. “There was someone at my school by that name. Younger. I didn’t know him, though. Why?”
Jake half smiled but there was no humor in it. “Because of who he became.”
And even before Jake said the words, Levi knew who he was.
Tudor Welch.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Juno was nervous. She and Levi waited in the Arrivals lounge of Venice’s Marco Polo airport and she could see from the board that the flight carrying Levi’s brother and sister-in-law had landed thirty minutes ago. Any minute now, they’d be here, and she was terrified.
“What if they hate me? What if they think I’m too young?”
Levi grinned. “Ask Anouk. She said exactly the same thing to Knox when she met us. We loved her on sight, and it’ll be the same for you.”
“You’re very optimistic.”
He kissed her cheek and slid his fingers between hers. “I just know my family.”
Juno tried to calm her nerves. As the passengers started to filter out of the baggage claim, her eyes met a woman’s, who smiled widely at her and Juno realized, from photographs that Levi had shown her, that it was Anouk. This was confirmed a moment later when Anouk threw her arms around her. “Hello, Juno… it’s so good to meet you at last.”
Juno relaxed immediately. Knox, Levi’s twin brother, hugged her too and then greeted his brother. Levi beamed at them and Juno felt the warmth of the family and felt both relieved and a little sad. It made her miss Ferdie.
Anouk took her arm. “I’m so happy to meet you at last. Levi hasn’t stopped talking about you.”
“He’s a wonderful man,” Juno said. Anouk radiated warmth and love and she was beautiful too, her dark hair falling in thick waves, her face rounded from pregnancy. Juno wanted to hug her again, wanting that maternal feeling that Anouk had given her. She wasn’t that much older than Juno, she knew, but she had an assured, confident way about her that Juno loved.
Knox grinned at her. “We want all the dirt on what my bro’s been doing since he got here.”
Juno flushed, shooting a look at Levi, who kissed her cheek. “Don’t listen to him, he’s a moron.”
“We’re going to tell Juno so much stuff about you, Levi. All about your OCD ways…”
“And
I have baby pictures,” Anouk volunteered. Juno giggled as Levi looked at his sister-in-law, appalled.
“Traitor.”
Anouk gave Levi her best cheesy smile. “Sorry. Now, come on, you two, I’m dying to see this gorgeous city.”
As they travelled back to Levi’s apartment in Santa Croce, Juno pointed out all the usual sights. “Maybe we can go to some places that the tourists don’t usually go, places I’ve loved my whole life,” she said shyly, and the others agreed.
“Sounds good to me.”
They ate at home, Levi making a simple pasta dish and a large pomegranate salad. Juno and Nook sat outside afterward, on the balcony overlooking the Basin. “It’s gorgeous,” Nook sighed happily, then smiled at Juno. “What was it like growing up in such a place?”
“I admit I am spoiled for other cities. I’m looking forward to visiting Seattle.”
“I’m sure you will love it. You went to New York, am I right?”
Juno nodded. “It was… busy.” She laughed. “Even here during the Biennale and the Carnival, I’ve never seen so many people. I think it must be easy to be anonymous in New York City.” Her smile faded. “Maybe that’s not such a bad thing, sometimes.”
Nook didn’t say anything but reached over and squeezed her hand. Juno knew then that Levi had told her about what happened to Juno there.
After lunch, Nook went to lay down for a while, the baby wearing her out after the long flight, and Juno told Levi she had to go into work. “I’m sorry, honey, but with the show coming up…”
Levi kissed her. “I should come with you.”
Juno smiled. “Don’t be silly, I can make it there on my own.”
“I’ll pick you up later.”
“Okay.”
Levi kissed her again and watched her go. It didn’t sit right with him to let her go out unaccompanied, with Tudor Welch still out there, but he knew it was Juno’s decision, not his. It was still daylight, and the vaporetto ride would be full of other people. She’ll be fine, she’ll be okay.
“Hey, bro, penny for them.”
Levi looked around to see Knox smiling at him. “Nook resting?”
“Out like a light. We called Tab before she went to sleep, everything’s good back there.”
“Good.”
Levi snagged two beers from the fridge and handed one to Knox, who was studying him carefully. “There’s something on your mind.”
Levi nodded. “I could do with an ear. Tell me I’m being paranoid and crazy.”
“Let’s grab a seat on that balcony of yours and you can tell me all about it.”
An hour later, Knox blew out his cheeks. “Dude.”
“I know. Am I crazy to think that Isa Papini might be onto something?”
“What’s your read on Arturo Corri?”
“I cannot imagine he’s involved in Ferdie’s death but then why would he lie about knowing him? About knowing Lucy Graziano?”
“I have to say, bro, it looks bad for him. The fact he honed in on Juno isn’t in his favor either.”
“But Juno tells me he’s never been anything less than friendly toward her. I mean, he was interested in her sexually, yeah, but after she said no, he’s never once made her feel uncomfortable or unsafe. He’s been a friend.”
“Hmm. But if I was going to inveigle myself into someone’s life, I would do the same thing. It’s insidious. It feels okay until it’s not, you know?”
“Yeah.” Levi sighed. “I’m thinking maybe I should go back to the college, talk to some of the staff who were there at the time.”
“Maybe try to get Lucy Graziano’s autopsy report. Would they have DNA’d the fetus back then?”
“Not sure. You mean to prove it was Arturo’s?”
“It might help to know.” Knox smiled at his brother. “Throw some G’s around if you have to.”
Levi tried to look disapproving, but he knew Knox was onto something. If he could find out what really happened back then… and whether Arturo knew Tudor Welch back then. “But why kill the dancer?”
Knox shrugged. “Maybe so Juno could be Principal? That is what everyone thinks is going to happen right? Maybe Corri was trying to prove his love? Like I said, insidious.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah.”
Levi considered for a while. “Of course, this could all be crap and Isa Papini could just be…”
“Insane?”
“Grieving.”
“That’s some projection.”
“Yeah.” Levi shook his head. “But I can’t shake the feeling that she’s right and Juno’s… God, Knox, you of all people know what it’s like to worry about the woman you love. What the killer did to Fausta… it made me relive what happened to Nook. That level of sadism. It terrifies me.”
“Then do some digging. Throw some weight around. If Arturo and Lucy Graziano were involved, and she left him for Ferdie, then yes, he could have waited this long for revenge. Don’t take any risks, don’t spare any resource. I let Nook out of my sight for five minutes and she got stabbed. I’ll never forget finding her in that basement. Don’t let it happen to your lovely girl.”
***
Isabella Papini was regretting talking to Levi Zapata. What if he went straight to Arturo, either confronted him, or just straight up told him what Isa was accusing him of?
No. She didn’t believe he would. For some reason, she knew Levi could be trusted in all of this. His love for Juno Martello proved it, at least, in Isa’s mind. God, she missed Federico. His smile, his kiss. The way he had gotten clean for her, and for Juno. It hadn’t been easy; she’s spent nights barricading him in his bedroom when he was almost wild with desperation for his fix. Doling out aspirin and liters of water, taking a hard line. And he’d done it and she’d had her love back for a few blissful weeks.
Ferdie had proposed to her during Carnival. “We’ll get married soon,” he raved as soon as she’d agreed, “and Juno will be delighted. Everything is going to be good, you’ll see.”
And it was. Until she had been in Milan for a show, turned on the television news and seen his face. Federico was dead. An overdose. Isa had gone to pieces. Cat had come to her side immediately and Isa had begged her not to tell the world about her and Ferdie.
And now she didn’t know why. She hadn’t been able to grieve properly for him. She’d snuck into the funeral, at the back, seen that Juno hadn’t attended, knew the crushing grief she would be feeling, wanted to comfort the girl who was now alone in the world. Wanted to go to her as a sister but couldn’t.
Cat had tried to get her to talk about it but Isa wanted to shut down. And so, she did. Until Fausta was murdered and Isa became terrified, beyond frightened, that Juno was next. She could not let that happen to Ferdie’s sister. Would not let that happen.
She put her paintbrush down now. Dusk was settling over the city and as she pushed open the window to let some air into her studio, she breathed in the scents of the city. She loved Venice, always had, but to her, now it seemed every corner held danger, held some menace that she could not understand.
She heard the door of the apartment open and close downstairs, and voices. Cat… she strained to hear the male voice. Please don’t let it be Arturo Corri… Isa wasn’t sure she would be able to keep her hatred for him out of her eyes.
“Isa? Come down, bella, we have a guest.”
Isa sighed and wiped her hands. She went downstairs and felt a jolt of adrenaline. Cat was in the kitchen, and in the doorway, Arturo. He turned at the sound of her footsteps and for a brief moment, they stared at each other.
He knows.
Fear clutched at her heart but Isa clenched her fists and plastered on a fake smile. “Ciao.”
“Ciao.”
She tried to read his eyes, but they were shadowed. Cat stuck her head out of the kitchen and beamed at her. “We’ve been food shopping. All very domesticated. I though the three of us could have dinner.”
“Sounds good to me.” Isa moved past Arturo, trying not to cringe. He smelled of cigarettes and expensive cologne. “What are we having?”
She and Cat chopped vegetables while Arturo made pasta from scratch, Cat and Arturo talking easily. But when Cat wasn’t looking, Isa could sense Arturo watching her.
“Be right back.” Cat left the kitchen and immediately the atmosphere tensed. Isa ignored Arturo but she could feel his gaze on her.
“What is it, Isa? What’s wrong?”
Her skin prickled. His voice was gentle, but she heard the undercurrent in it, the threat. “Nothing. Just tired.”
“I saw you, you know. With Levi, the other day. You were talking.”
“Just being friendly.”
“Huh.”
Isa said nothing. She felt frozen with fear.
“I thought you didn’t like him for some reason. My mistake.”
“I don’t know him that well…”
“Like I said, my mistake.”
She looked at him then and almost recoiled from the look in his eyes. Pure malice. In a flash it was gone. “Ah, well, better we all get along, isn’t it?”
Dinner was a tense affair and afterward, Isa excused herself to the studio. She let out a deep breath as she closed the door behind her, but she didn’t pick up her paintbrush. When, a half hour later, she heard Cat’s bedroom door open and close, she made a decision. She really didn’t want to have to listen to her sister and Arturo Corri fucking. She grabbed her coat and ran lightly down the stairs and out onto the street.
It was dark now, but there were plenty of people around and Isa moved among them, not really caring where she went. She knew the small streets, the campo’s, the waterside of Venice so well now, that she knew she would always be able to find her way home.
She passed by a busy restaurant, its tables spilling outside it. She saw Levi Zapata sitting inside and she raised a hand in greeting but he didn’t see her. His arm was around Juno, and they were talking and laughing with another couple and Isa remembered that his brother had come to visit from America. She watched them and a sense of profound loneliness came over her.