Ashes of Autumn (Mina's Adventures Book 4)

by Maria Grazia Swan

  ASHES OF AUTUMN

  Maria Grazia Swan

  Copyright © 2014 Maria Grazia Swan

  First Edition

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  All rights reserved, which includes the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever except as provided by the US Copyright Law.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author and publisher.

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  Editing by www.editingcrew.com

  Formatting and Cover design by Debora Lewis

  arenapublishing.org

  Cover photos courtesy of Shutterstock

  To provide the reader with more of an actual sample of the book the Table of Contents is at the end.

  This book is dedicated to all the generations of Italian Americans,

  past, present and future with a big grazie.

  CHAPTER 1

  Santa Monica Mountains, California.

  Autumn 1992

  “We’re lost.” Mina surveyed the road getting narrower and bumpier with each spin of the tires.

  “No, we aren’t. Stop nagging.”

  “Margo, look around. Bad road, bare hills, no houses. And except for that snazzy old blue car with those big shiny bumpers parked on the canyon side of the road, we haven’t crossed a single vehicle or soul in either direction for the last ten minutes. This is not Topanga Canyon.”

  “You don’t know for sure.” Margo tapped her fingers on the steering wheel of her brand new Camaro to the beat of imaginary drums, her oversized dangling earrings swinging in rhythm.

  “We should have stopped to see if that man needed help.”

  “What man?” Now her roommate paid attention. “Where did you see a man?”

  “By the old car, with all the chrome. I told you there was a man taking pictures of the canyon. I think. I couldn’t tell; he was on the other side of the car.” Mina looked back. The man and the car were now just dots swallowed by the dust caused by Margo’s car. “It was supposed to be a fun trip trying out your new convertible. We’ve been driving around for hours. I’m getting sunburned. Had I known I would have worn a hat and brought water.”

  “Mina, stop talking water. I need to pee so bad I’ll wet my pants.”

  “Hey, pull over, open the door, and pee. There is no one around, not even a bird–because there aren’t any trees.”

  “I might do that.” Margo pouted.

  “Good. What got into you? ‘Let’s go for a fun drive,’ you said. ‘I hear Topanga Canyon is a beauty,’ you said, ‘movie stars, beautiful homes’–ah, that’s it, isn’t it? Someone must have told you about some freaking movie star. Spit it out. Who is he? You are here hoping to see some famous man’s house. Right?”

  “Maybe.” Margo fidgeted in her seat. “But what if I did take a wrong turn somewhere, and this is not Topanga Canyon? So what? As soon as I come to a wider stretch of road I’ll turn around, and we’ll head back to the Pacific Coast Highway. No big deal. You sure are bitchy. You need to get laid. Tell Mr. Wonderful Mystery Man instead of sending flowers to pay you a visit already.”

  “Leave my flowers out of this.” She didn’t want to discuss Diego with Margo, especially not until he felt better after his surgery. And when the time came to talk about him to her friend, what would she say? Mina’s lover was just that–a wonderful mystery man. Even she didn’t know much about him or what he did, only that his work was dangerous, and he couldn’t speak of it–only that and how much she missed him every minute of every day.

  “Who is this man? Or better yet, what is he? A monk?”

  They came around a tight bend, and the whole scene changed. A big sign warned this was private property. Stone walls bordered the road. The no-name canyon closing in on them. “Holy shit. Is this federal land?” Margo screeched.

  They looked at each other.

  “Margo, I don’t know. What if it is? Are we in trouble?” Even after all the years of living in the States, Mina felt a great sense of respect for the laws of her adopted country.

  “You’re asking me? But you’re right, we are lost, and no, I’m not stopping to pee by the side of the road. What if someone is looking at us with binoculars? Or maybe they have guns pointed at us. Let’s get the hell out of here. I need to turn the car around. Shit.”

  “Calm down. Who are they? It’s just a wooden sign. Anyone could post that. There isn’t any gate. Let’s see if we can find a place to do a U-ey. Let’s not panic, okay? We can’t be the first lost drivers on this road.”

  “First or last, as long as I’m not a dead driver.” Margo inched the Camaro ahead, and only a few yards past the sign the setting changed once again.

  They found themselves in a wide cul-de-sac, obviously the end of the road. Behind the high walls, tall palms swayed in the light breeze, their silhouettes like teasers against the cobalt blue of the California early autumn sky.

  And there was a gate. A massive, ornate gate, and a second sign announcing, Private Property Keep out.

  “I bet it’s one of those clinics, you know…for people trying to get sober or clean,” Margo said.

  “Whatever, maybe it’s indeed the house of a famous movie star, but please, turn the car around, and let’s get out of here. This place gives me the willies.”

  “Okay, okay. Here we go.” She tried to make a complete U-turn but had to put the car in reverse.

  Mina’s edginess persisted. She hated that sense of helplessness that came from being in an unfamiliar, place and with Margo driving a brand new automobile she hadn’t had time to get to know yet. Mina was feeling nervous. And that gate, why a gate? It reminded her of the gates in the Italian cemeteries…and like a magnet, cemeteries reminded her of the last time she saw Diego.

  Oh, Diego, I miss you so.

  “Hey, how am I doing? Are you watching?” Margo’s shriek brought her back to now.

  “Watching what?”

  “Is there anything behind me? Okay, backing up, backing up.”

  Bump.

  “Stoppp.” Maledizione.

  “Damn, Mina, I told you to watch.” Margo put the car in park, and they both hurried out of the shiny white Camaro.

  A large rock sat at the curb. Margo let out a sigh. “Wow, it’s just a rock. Thank God.”

  Mina got down on her knees to check the damage to the car, a brand new car. Pebbles thrust against her bare knees. The deep scratch on the rear fender was hidden from view, but it was there never the less. From under the car she could see Margo’s feet pacing back and forth like a cat on a prowl. Needing to go to the bathroom could make a girl nervous. Wait…what was that? A cat?

  No. A dog.

  A little, curly-haired dog. Motionless on the ground. Was it hit?

  “Margo,” Mina whispered, not wanting to spook the furry bundle.

  “What?”

  “Shhsh, quiet, come look. You think we hit it? Can it be hurt?”

  “What are you whispering about? What are you doing under the car?” More pacing.

  The dog, a small white poodle, hadn’t budged but lay quivering. Where did it come from? She made herself even smaller and crawled as far under the back of the car as she could, then reached and scooped up the frightened creature. Cradling the poodle like a baby, she sat on the very rock Margo backed into and examined the pooch to see if it was hurt. Oh, it was a she…and she was sporting a rather fancy haircut.

  “Holy shit, Mina…what’s that?”

  “It�
�s a miniature poodle. She was under the car. I’m trying to see if she’s bleeding, but she may be just frightened.” Mina moved the paws, looked at the head, under the short-cropped hair, and behind the fluffy ears–all seemed okay.

  “Do you think she belongs to the people in this…place…?”

  Margo kneeled next to Mina. “Any identification on that fancy collar?”

  Fancy was a good description. The pooch wore a turquoise-colored collar with a row of rhinestones sparkling in the sunlight. A gold tag dangled from the center of the collar. The tag had a name and what could be a phone number. Luce. Mina found the name endearing, Light. The poodle must be someone’s light. How sweet. She must find the owner. “Margo, why don’t you try to call the number with your mobile phone?”

  “What happened to getting the hell out of here?”

  “What if the dog belongs to the people behind the gate?”

  Margo huffed but went to get the phone and entered the numbers as Mina called them. In the stillness of the place Mina could hear it ring, once, twice. A man’s voice answered on the third ring. First he repeated the phone number and then a short, “Can I help you?”

  “Huh, did you lose a dog?”

  What? Mina couldn’t believe her ears. Cradling the pooch, she got up from the rock and grabbed the cell phone. “This is Mina Calvi, and we are trying to locate the owner of a cute poodle.”

  A robotic male voice asked her to hold for a moment.

  “Margo, stop giving me the evil eye–yes. I’m holding the white miniature poodle. The phone number we dialed was on her tag. Look you tell me the name that’s on the tag, and then I’ll tell you where we found her. Fair?” She listened. “Okay, you’re legit. I don’t know our exact location because we are actually sort of lost ourselves, but the road came to a dead end, and we are looking at a fancy gate, and–” To Mina’s astonishment, the gate began to open. “Driving up to…? Oh, okay, got it, no problem, we’ll be there in a few minutes.”

  Don’t you think you should at least ask me first?” Margo said.

  Mina scratched the frightened poodle on top of her head. “Honestly, Margo Swift, don’t you need to go to the bathroom? Here is your chance. Let’s do this.”

  “Let’s.” Margo seemed to catch the mood. “I’m dying to see what’s on the other side of the wall.”

  The open gate didn’t leave many choices, one wide path, bordered by mature vegetation totally alien to the bare hills surrounding the place. The drive headed straight uphill. No living soul around. The roadway disappeared over the peak of the hill. What was on the other side? Mina sensed Margo’s hesitation. Even the pooch stirred. In front of them a slow incline opened out onto a large space. A parking lot? And at the very end, a one-story house that would fit perfectly on any California beach seemed awaiting their arrival. Margo proceeded slowly, parked as close as possible to the house. They both got out of the car and walked up the terrazzo path that led to the entry.

  A young man in jeans and gauzy cotton shirt waited for them in the open doorway. He wore sandals and didn’t even pretend to smile.

  “Hello.” Mina wasn’t ruffled by his demeanor.

  His eyes on the poodle, he mumbled, “Can you wait a minute?” then disappeared inside without pausing for their answer. He came right back, sporting a new attitude. “Ladies, can you please follow me?” A big smile. “Mr. Surowiec will see you now.”

  What was this? The West Coast residence of some foreign dignitary? Will see you now? Really?

  With Mina still holding the frightened dog, they followed the young man into a large room decorated in a whimsical rich-beach-dude style. Not much was needed in the way of décor as the best element of the room was the view. Floor to ceiling glass brought the outside in, and just outside the walls was a large, shimmering pool–well, Mina assumed it was a pool. She could only see one side of it, and the edge seemed to fall into–nothing. Water coming from nowhere and dropping off into…space? Wow! Mina was so taken by the magical illusion she hadn’t realized another man had come into the room.

  Margo on the other hand…”Helloooo.” Her cooing could awake Sleeping Beauty. Couldn’t blame Margo. The man looked to be in his late forties, silver hair cropped close to the scalp and a tanned, handsome face. He must have come from the pool area, wearing flip-flops, shorts, and a lightweight unbuttoned shirt.

  Mr. Surowiec might have been an older man who kept himself in terrific shape or a younger man who didn’t care about his physique. One thing Mina knew for sure, his sharp hazel eyes didn’t miss a beat. The annoyance provoked by Margo’s cooing reflected in those eyes while he studied both Mina and Margo with fierce discernment. He didn’t pay much attention to the pooch. And Luce snuggled against Mina. Bizarre. No happy reunion. Wasn’t she his?

  “Ladies, I understand you found Luce outside the gate.” He did know the name. “May I ask what brought you up here?”

  “We were lost, but you found us.” Margo wasn’t easily discouraged. She batted her eyelashes faster than a hummingbird on a caffeine rush flapped its wings.

  Before Mina could give her version of the events, a beautiful blonde came into the room. She had the looks of a cover girl, full lips, big blue eyes, tall and shapely, wearing a white summer dress and gold sandals. Her appearance managed to shut up Margo, and suddenly the poodle leaped from Mina’s arms and rushed to the blonde. Sooo, the dog was the beauty’s light.

  “Amanda, these ladies found your dog outside the gate,” he said.

  The blonde’s eyes darted from Surowiec to Mina, to Margo, back to the man. Mina saw no warmth in her eyes, more like…fear. She clutched the poodle against her bosom, nodded and mumbled, “Thanks.” She left down the same hallway where the young man who opened the door had disappeared.

  “Excuse me, would it be possible for my friend to use the bathroom?” Mina asked.

  Without answering her, he snapped his fingers and the doorman appeared. “Can you show this young lady the way to the powder room?” The words were spoken in a very even tone. The eyes, however, must have said more.

  “Yes sir, this way, miss.”

  Margo gave Mina a look that could kill but followed the young man without arguing.

  “Where are you from?” Surowiec asked.

  “We live in Orange County.” He frowned, and she went on.“Oh, you mean where I’m from originally? I’m Italian.”

  “Italy and Orange County, both quite a ways from here.”

  “We, well–Margo, my roommate, has a new convertible, and we were trying to find Topanga Canyon, but I’m guessing we made the wrong turn.” Why was she nervous? She was telling the truth.

  “Topanga Canyon.” He nodded. “You have friends there?”

  Why the questions? “Margo was hoping–someone told her–she was trying to find the house of a movie star…” Blood rushed to her face. Why should she be embarrassed? It was Margo’s idea. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for us…”

  He smiled, probably enjoying her awkwardness. “It’s okay,” he said, but she knew he didn’t mean it.

  Come on Margo.

  “Is that a pool? Where does the water go?”

  Now the interest in his eyes seemed real. “It’s a negative edge pool, the water flows over into a lower basin and is pumped back through the system. Here, you can see it better from this angle.” He moved toward a different window, and she followed him. The whole pool came into view. It was very large, so large it seemed to float between the house and infinity. The negative edge made sense. It created the illusion of a body of water suspended in thin air, magical.

  Laughter came from outside and splashing. Someone was swimming, Mina moved closer to the glass pane and noticed a small group of people lounging at a far corner. That’s where the sounds came from. A tall, willowy young woman with waist long dark hair stood on the pool deck. She wore a fabulous black swimsuit with cutouts at very strategic places, not the kind of suit you buy off a rack. Two more young women sat on lounging chairs.


  “Wow,” Mina said. “This is beautiful, and the–are they models? Is this like a branch office of the Playboy Mansion?” This time Mr. Surowiec’s laugh was genuine. He laughed loud and proud. “You’re cute. Would you like something to drink?”

  She was about to answer when two things happened simultaneously: Margo came back, and the swimmer pulled himself out of the water.

  The dark haired beauty rushed toward him with a colorful beach towel. She enveloped his glistening body into it then pulled him close. They kissed. When she let go, the man laughed pretending to struggle to free himself from the embrace. The towel slipped, and he bent to grab it. When he turned, Mina caught a glimpse of Diego’s smile.

  CHAPTER 2

  “What happened in there? Did that stuck up Surowiec guy do something to you? Mina, you’re scaring me.”

  The Camaro headed south on Pacific Coast Highway. Mina had yet to say a word since they left the gated house on the mountain. Margo’s voice was shrill. “When I went to the bathroom you were all relaxed and curious about the place. I come back it’s like you’ve seen a ghost, and we have to scurry out of there. What happened? Talk to me.”

  Mina kept staring straight ahead, hugging herself like a child in distress, her whole body a trembling mass. Diego. Why? How? It didn’t make sense. Big surprise. Since when did her relationship with him make sense? He had always been cloaked in mystery. Now you see me, now you don’t. And no questions allowed. That’s a relationship? In what world? Who’s to blame? There was no Diego coming or calling, no date nights, no whispered sweet nothings in person or even over the phone. Just a lot of nothing except heartache. He never promised a thing. It was all her doing. Still, she hadn’t seen this one coming. Too soon after his surgery, too close to home. If only she had her own place, a space she could run to and hide her sorrow from Margo’s friendly intentions. The idea of going back to Margo’s townhouse and enduring her incessant questioning added to her misery.