Mina remembered Gino telling her how he’d raised his four sisters after the death of their parents. She managed to smile at that thought. Then she adjusted the oversized shirt and unbuckled the seat belt.
By the time they reached the front door Mina had made up her mind to take matters into her own hands. She didn’t know why Gino resisted letting the police know about Diego’s disappearance, but she would call De Fiore and get his view on the matter. She also needed to call Millie and the shelter in case they’d heard about the accident. She must let everyone know she was okay and ready to get back to business. Her determination made her feel better.
Eva was the first one to greet them in the hall.
Where was Margo? Right behind Eva, all emotion and false cheerfulness. “Mina, thank God you’re okay, I’ve been so worried about you. I was just on the phone with that Millie, explaining about the accident…”
Mina could tell that her friend avoided looking at her face. Was it that bad? She needed to find a mirror, and a chair because she felt queasy. And she felt a bit stupid with the big shirt on. Her eyes found Kalinda sitting in her wheelchair, looking tired, disheveled and apparently determined to avoid Mina’s eye as well. Why?
“How are you feeling?” Eva asked, her voice so low Mina had to strain to understand what she was saying.
“I’ll be okay, I’m told.” It was hard to sustain the inane chitchat when she wanted to wail and ask everyone to help her find Diego.
That seemed to be all Eva wanted to hear. She went back to her chair and her book in the living room.
Mina noticed that Kalinda had not moved an inch where she sat in the living room, her pallor such a contrast to her shiny black mane. Whatever was bugging her must have been serious, as serious as what was bugging Mina. Mina walked into the living room and asked. “Kalinda, you okay?”
The woman nodded, her dark eyes searching Mina’s face.
Looking for what? She had to know about Diego. Or did she know something bad? Was that the reason behind her fraught expression?
A cell chirped. Gino answered it right away then he stared at the phone in his hands. “I need to take this call, alone. Kalinda, you can stay. Sorry cara.”
He looked at Margo who shrugged and left the room briskly. Eva hesitated then put her book on the coffee table next to Kalinda and walked out.
“If this has to do with the accident and a missing person, I’m staying,” Mina insisted.
Gino let out a long sigh, then he moved closer to Kalinda and Mina, and spoke into the phone.
Chapter Six
“I have Kalinda and Mina here. Yes, she’s okay.”
As Gino spoke into the cellphone, Mina thought that he seemed to grow taller, his shoulders more straight, his posture more confident. He turned to Kalinda and motioned for her to write.
Write what?
Without hesitation Kalinda pulled a small notebook from under her afghan and a pen.
What else did she keep under that afghan?
Gino dictated what sounded like an address, perhaps of a business. Kalinda repeated the words as she wrote them. Gino nodded that she’d got it right, then he went back to the caller.
Mina’s body trembled. Who was he talking to? De Fiore? She didn’t dare to think it was Diego, afraid to jinx it.
Someone cleared her throat. Three pair of eyes focused on Eva standing by the open door.
“So sorry to interrupt, I have a bad migraine. Kalinda, if you don’t need me I would like to lie down.” She moved quickly to grab her book from where she’d left it earlier then sort of tiptoed out of the room without looking back.
“Okay, got it. I’ll take care of it. Subito.” Gino’s eyes darted from Mina to Kalinda and back. “Sure, understood. Capisco benissimo.” He put the cell back in his pocket. His face had lost five years in a minute, at least.
Certainly he wouldn’t be speaking Italian to Detective De Fiore, since De Fiore was the man’s stepdad’s last name. The detective was Japanese by birth. So to whom would he be saying right away and yes, I understand in Italian? It had to be Diego. Mina knew it, felt it.
“Diego is okay," said Gino. "Not that I ever doubted it.”
What a liar.
“I need to take care of a few things for him, so if you two will excuse me.”
“No way, you’re not getting away with this. I want to know what happened and—”
“Not now. I need De Fiore’s direct phone number.”
“What?” Mina wasn’t giving up.
“It’s important, very important.” He kept his eyes steady on her.
Whatever was going on it had to be deadly serious. Mina grabbed the notebook and the pen Kalinda had given to Gino. She scribbled De Fiore’s phone number and handed the notebook back to Gino, then she walked away. She went sulking into the kitchen where Margo was watching some silly rerun on a TV with the volume turned way down.
“Wanna a glass of wine?” Margo asked.
“I better not, I’m sure whatever they gave me at the emergency room is still in my system. How are you doing? So sorry about Gino’s car.”
“Oh, I’m sure there’s a new one coming.” She shrugged. “I miss Hawaii.”
“I’m sure you do, but that was vacation. It’s not the same as real life. Look at Kalinda, when a problem arises, she comes back to the mainland.” How come no one was asking where Diego was? Not even Margo. Then Mina remembered she wanted to call Millie and the shelter, so she went back to the living room where the plastic bag with her personal belongings, including her cellphone, sat on the chair next to Kalinda.
“Mina, what’s happening?” asked Kalinda. “I feel shut out. Where’s Diego? I’m so confused. Only two weeks ago all was wonderful, and now I feel like no one trusts me. I reached out to Diego for help and…”
“What is it that you need help with Kalinda? I’m here. Let me know,” Mina offered instinctually.
Kalinda looked at her, although Mina wasn’t sure she was really looking at her. She shook her head as if trying to shake bad thoughts out, then said, “Maybe it’s payback for sticking my nose where it didn’t belong.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The wench, Nadya Velos. All my problems started about the time Houdini was kidnapped. It can’t be a coincidence? Right?”
“Kalinda, what do you and my cat have to do with each other? Honestly.” Was Kalinda hallucinating?
“More than you’ll ever guess.” She laughed a short, bitter laugh. “I was the one who suggested Nadya rent that house in San Clemente, near you. The little bitch tried to screw with me. Ah! She hired my Matchmaker Company to help her hook up with a man, she told me. It didn’t take me long to figure out she was trying to use my close relationship with Diego to get personal information about him. She was determined to make him fall in love with her, and she knew I knew him well. If she’d been straight with me, I would have probably set her straight about you two, but she thought she was oh-so-clever.”
Oh my God, was Kalinda implying she plotted on Diego and Mina to meet in California? No way. Mina’s emotions were painted on her face as usual, her eyes staring at the Matchmaker to the Stars. “Are you—suggesting—how? You knew where I lived? About the Furry Friends Foundation?”
Kalinda smiled. “Look, it was partly good planning but mostly pure luck. I didn’t know about your whereabouts, but Margo and therefore Gino did. I have to say, we had a jolly time when you two met that Sunday afternoon. Gino was recording the phone calls coming in from California so he could play them back to me. Nadya, mad as hell and concerned about the future of her budding romance with Diego. Diego asking about you with some lame excuse. And then the big Kahuna herself. I must confess I had not seen that one coming. I mean, the big boss who happened to be the wench’s aunt, getting mixed up with Diego’s love life? By then it was too late. There was no way to stop destiny.” Suddenly Kalinda was serious, “You and Diego are soul mates. I knew it that night at the charity gala. I can close
my eyes and see that scene at the bar like it was yesterday, you in your red dress, a flower in your hair, and Diego barely able to control himself from reaching out and touching you.” Her voice broke.
That was the night she lost her legs. Mina rushed to hug her. “Kalinda, I don’t want you to be sad. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know about you and Nadya and Gino…”
“What about Gino?” Margo stood by the door, pale and obviously upset.
Oh no, she must have misunderstood the last part of the conversation. “Margo, is not what you think. Kalinda was telling me about the people who kept calling your Gino while you two were in Hawaii. Remember? You called them the Italians? So annoying?”
“Who’s annoying?” Gino asked.
Great, this was like a comedy, but the last thing Mina felt like doing was laughing. She had to know about Diego. “The phone calls you were getting from Orange County.”
“Orange County? No, from Italy.” Margo said.
“Oh, that,” Gino said. “Yes, I recorded the phone calls and then let Kalinda listen to them for entertainment.”
“How come I didn’t get to listen?” Margo was one unhappy woman.
“Carissima, they were in Italian. By the way, I need to run out. I have some business to take care of. Mina, you should go with me and get yourself some clothes.”
“I don’t want clothes. I want to go home.” She stopped short of saying to see Diego.
“You can’t. Not this minute. I need your car. I suggest you come with me and get some clothes while I take care of business.” He wasn’t suggesting; he was telling.
“Can I go with you?” Margo pleaded.
“I would love for you to go with us, but I really need you here to take care of things. You understand, right?”
Margo nodded. Mina knew her friend felt neglected. Poor Margo. Mina had no idea why Gino had come up with the clothes excuse, but she hoped he was taking her to see Diego.
“Gino, I’m taking my phone with me, I must call the shelter and Millie.”
“Fine, you may need to use the car charger. I bet your phone is dead.”
“Boy, are you the optimist.”
Five minutes later they were in Mina’s LTD. Gino drove while Mina plugged in her cellphone because, as Gino had predicted, it was dead.
Finally Mina reached Millie. “Millie, I’m good, making this call short because my phone is out of juice. How is everything? How are my cats and Zeus?”
“Mina, I’ve been so concerned. We’re all doing great, we miss you. Some gentleman has been calling about boarding his cat but he wants to meet you personally. I guess you were recommended by common friends? He says he’s in Diamond Bar and has a show cat that needs two weeks boarding. That would be nice, we could use the business.”
She was right of course. “Diamond Bar? That town is a long way from the B&B. Is it even in Orange County? Did he leave a number? Can I call him?”
“No, he insisted on coming over to meet with you before bringing the prize-winning cat. Best in Show he called it. He said he’ll call in the morning.”
“I see—can’t promise—things are happening but will try my best and will keep you posted. Millie, thank you so much for being there for me.”
Mina had to hang up. She was getting all emotional, and now that she was free of whatever she was drugged with, her face felt on fire, and she had an excruciating pain in her right shoulder, where the safety belt in the car dug in. How in the world could the police not put two and two together? How could they buy the nonsense about her driving the car, she asked Gino, while she called the shelter. It seemed like forever before someone answered. Where was Leigh? Mina kept looking around while waiting for someone to pick up the phone at the other end. Were they heading south?
“Gino, where are you taking me? Oh, hi, Leigh. It’s Mina. Yes, I’m calling from the car. What are you saying?”
Leigh explained, “Linda had two people apply to adopt a puppy. They both want the same one. What do we do?”
“Oh. Did you check their credentials? Anything unusual?’
“Both are good prospects, about the same age.”
“I’m guessing that to be fair we need to give it to the first one who applied. When are they coming back? Do we have another puppy that maybe wasn’t there before and might make a good candidate?”
“Oh, great idea. I’ll have two puppies in the same pen and hope one of the prospects falls in love with the other puppy. Thanks Mina. When will you be back?”
“In the morning, for sure. Got to go.” Mina made her statement loud and clear while watching for Gino’s reaction. There was none. She ended her call. “Gino, where are we going? And where is Diego?”
“We’re on our way there.”
“There where? How come he didn’t come back to the house in Hermosa Beach? And did he tell you what happened? Where has he been hiding and why?”
“Mina, stop asking questions. Until we know whom we’re dealing with, it’s better not to discuss it. I can’t believe it, my first week in charge and this happens. Diego Moran of all people.” He mumbled to himself mostly, rather than speaking to Mina.
“Don’t blame yourself. I’m sure Diego will explain everything. Obviously, whatever the problem was, it’s resolved? No?”
She looked at Gino, but there was no reaction. His knuckles, however, were once again bloodless. She sensed the proximity to the ocean. While she couldn’t see it, she smelled the brine. The sun was high in the sky, a little after noon, and her stomach rumbled. It dawned on her that she hadn’t had any food since the meal at Gino’s so-called restaurant.
They drove through a residential area with mid-rise buildings, with walls and gates, pretty pricey looking. Gino wasn’t talking but he obviously had been there before, since he turned into a wide driveway without any hesitation, rolled down the window, and after pushing a few buttons, said, “We’re here.” The gate slid open with a whimper. Mina caught a glimpse of an elaborate plaque with some inscription, some words. Private residences?
Gino parked the LTD in a parking spot under big old trees, away from the main entrance. “Andiamo,” he said.
Let’s go where? They had passed the formal entrance to the lobby of the building on the way to park. After he locked the car and handed her the keys, Gino walked in the opposite direction from the lobby and entered the complex through a dark wooden door that was so polished it looked like glass.
“We’re on the concierge floor,” he said when they got inside.
We? The anticipation of seeing Diego sort of preempted any thought in Mina’s head. She wished they could move faster. Instead, they waited for an elevator, and once inside it she noticed there weren’t any buttons with the floor numbers. None. Only up and down buttons. What was going on? A private elevator? Again Mina turned to Gino, who made a point of avoiding her eyes. He appeared intent on studying the delightful artwork hanging on the elevator walls. Artwork? Who hung good pictures in a public place? Maybe this wasn’t an elevator at all. Fear rose from her belly to her chest. She had to get off; she couldn’t breathe. Just then the lift began to move.
“Come on Mina, must you act like a lost little lamb?” He had her number. “At least smile—I could use a friend.”
“For what?”
The elevator stopped before Gino could answer.
Chapter Seven
Mina and Gino stepped from the elevator into a mini-lobby. Without hesitation Gino headed for a door on the right. He turned to look at Mina. He rearranged her hair with his fingers, then glanced at her oversized shirt and sighed. That wasn’t what Mina needed. She already felt ugly because of the scrapes and bruises on her face. Thanks Gino. The anticipation of who was behind the door voided all other feelings.
Gino opened the door and walked in. No knocking, nothing. How about that? They stood in a rather large room, a dining-living room combination. One of the walls was all glass and looked onto a terrace, but even from where she was Mina could see beyond the rooftops and
tall trees to a glimpse of the ocean so blue it looked painted.
She didn’t hear him approach. When he stroked her back she jumped. Diego caught her as she turned around and he pulled her against his chest. The thumping of his heart against hers. He smelled of soap or shampoo and must have just showered because droplets of water fell from his hair to her shoulder blades. She could feel it through the cotton shirt, and she sensed his embarrassment at his display of emotion in front of Gino, who pretended a serious interest in a large silk philodendron by the terrace door. Diego’s lips brushed her temple, and she sobbed once, hating herself for it. The tenderness of his embrace was a reminder of their good-bye in the Italian cemetery that far off summer and of the bond they couldn’t deny.
“Mina, I’m so sorry you had to go through this. Are you okay?”
She nodded, wanting to tell him how her real heartache had been not knowing about his fate, rather than her brief visit to the emergency room.
He pushed back her hair and kissed her bruises like mothers did to their children. Then he noticed the hospital ID bracelet she hadn’t bothered to remove. He held her hand and walked her to the sofa. Gino was still busy studying that fascinating plant when Diego picked up a knife from the table, set for one, and kneeled next to her to cut off the plastic band. “I’m keeping this until someone has been held accountable for what they did to you.” And with that he put the bracelet with her name and her date of birth in his jeans pocket.
She glanced at his clothes. They must have been new, and he wore a knitted polo instead of the linen shirts she was accustomed to seeing on him.
Gino cleared his throat. “Everything arrived okay?”
Diego nodded. He smiled at her, that intimate smile they shared, that was theirs and theirs alone. “We need to get you out of that—thing.” He pointed to the borrowed oversized shirt. “Gino was able to get your favorite store to send over some clothes. They’re in the bedroom if you feel like taking a look.”
Best In Show (Mina's Adventures Book 6) Page 4