A Death In Tuscany (Sarah Woods Mystery Book 13)

by Jennifer L. Jennings

  “What a coincidence,” I said. “I was just looking for something, too.” I made a point not to mention the missing cash.

  “Really?” Her eyes widened. “That’s so weird. You didn’t happen to see a diamond earring did you?”

  “Sorry, I didn’t. But, good luck with the search.”

  Dick had continued walking down the trail, completely ignoring me. “Come on Britt,” he said with an irritated flick of his hand. “We need to do this before it gets too dark.”

  Britt offered me an apologetic look, but there was something about her expression that seemed off. “Enjoy the rest of your run,” she said, and quickly caught up to her husband.

  When I got back to the room, Carter had just gotten out of the shower.

  “How was your run?” he asked. “You weren’t gone very long.”

  “It was fine.” I grabbed a towel and wiped the sweat from my forehead. “I passed Dick and Brittany on the trail up from the hot springs. Apparently, Brittany lost one of her diamond earrings this morning and they were going to try and look for it. They had flashlights and towels, but I’m not sure what the towels are for. I can’t imagine they actually expect to find the earring floating in the water.”

  Carter straightened and gave me a wide-eyed stare. “Maybe the same person who stole my cash has her earring.”

  “Yeah, I was thinking the same thing, but Brittany was acting strangely and her husband was being a prick as usual. I got the sense he didn’t want his wife talking to me.”

  “You think she lied about her missing earring,” Carter asked.

  “I don’t know, but what else would they be doing with those flashlights?”

  Carter shrugged and gave me an innocent expression. “Maybe he collects rare insects. The ones that only come out at night.”

  I gave him a playful punch on the arm. “Yeah, right, I’m sure that’s exactly what they’re up to.”

  I opened my laptop and did a search online for a Richard and Brittany Thompson in the New York City area. I found a wedding announcement in a local paper with a thumbnail sized photo of the two of them. Neither Brittany nor Dick had Facebook accounts. A few articles I found about Dick were work related. He was a successful developer with a reputation for being a hard ass. I couldn’t find anything on Brittany Thompson. It might help if I knew her maiden name.

  “Hey,” Carter said. “I’m starving. I thought you were gonna take a shower.”

  “Sorry.” I closed the laptop and headed to the bathroom.

  * * *

  Two hours later, around 7:30pm, we headed down to the dining room for dinner. The usual suspects were all present. Lauren and Jamie were already sharing a bottle of red wine, while the couple from Canada were munching on focaccia bread. I noticed Brittany sitting at her table without her husband. She looked pretty in a silk blouse, her hair styled in a chic French braid. Despite her cheery disposition, once again I got the sense that something was wrong. I might not be an expert in body language, but I had learned a thing or two about reading people’s mannerisms. Brittany was chewing on a fingernail. Now, I surmised she wasn’t a nail biter because her fingernails were neatly manicured. So something must have been bothering her.

  “Did you find your earring?” I asked her.

  At first, she looked at me with confusion, but then she cleared her throat and said, “No luck. It’s like a needle in a haystack.” She chuckled softly but there was no hint of amusement in her eyes.

  “Sorry to hear that.” I made a show of looking around. “I hope your husband hasn’t stood you up for dinner.” It was meant to be a joke but she didn’t smile.

  “He’s still down at the hot springs. He said he wouldn’t come back till he found the darned thing. He can be very stubborn.”

  I chose not to comment.

  She glanced down at her lap and I got the hint that she’d rather be left alone, so I kindly bid her a nice evening and joined Carter at our table.

  A new waitress appeared and introduced herself as Maria and proceeded to rattle off the entrée specials in perfect English. I ordered the lasagna and Carter ordered a grilled chicken plate with potatoes and beans.

  “By the way,” I asked Maria. “Does Chiara have the night off? I don’t see her around.”

  Maria paused and bit her lip. “Oh, I’m sorry. I think Chiara works in housekeeping now.”

  “Really?” I said. “She’s no longer a waitress?”

  Maria nodded, and seemed rather uncomfortable talking about it. “Yes, that’s right. I don’t really know why, but that’s what I’ve been told. Would you like a bottle of wine with dinner?”

  “Yes,” Carter said, “Whatever you think will go best with the chef’s menu.”

  After Maria left our table, I looked at Carter and I could tell he knew what I was thinking. “I bet Dick got her in trouble and now she’s been demoted.”

  He shrugged. “Why do you really care? You barely know the girl.”

  It was a valid question, but I didn’t have an exact answer. “I just feel badly if he got her in trouble, that’s all. She seemed like a sweet girl.”

  Carter held up a hand to stop me. “I agree, but maybe there are other reasons we don’t know about. It’s none of our business, remember?”

  I nodded with a sigh. “You’re right.”

  Carter and I spent the next hour drinking wine, savoring the meal, and discussing our plans for the following day. We decided to make a day trip to Rome.

  After Maria cleared the dinner plates and brought us two cups of Café Americano, I noticed Carter kept glancing over at Brittany. I had been so consumed with our delicious meal, I’d neglected to realize that she was still sitting alone.

  I whispered to Carter. “Looks like Dick never showed for dinner. I’d be pissed.”

  “Maybe we should invite her to have coffee with us,” he said. “I think she’s embarrassed.”

  I turned in my seat to find Brittany picking at her plate. She’d barely eaten anything. I waved to get her attention.

  She looked up, and her eyes had a glassy effect to them, kind of like someone who was stoned.

  “Why don’t you join us for dessert or coffee?” I said.

  Brittany smiled. “That’s nice of you, but I don’t want to impose.”

  “It’s not an imposition,” I said. “Please join us.”

  She set her fork down, stared at her plate for a second, then grabbed her purse and stood up. Carter pulled out a chair for her at our table.

  “Thank you,” she said to Carter. “You both are so sweet. I must look pitiful eating all by myself.” She gave a nervous laugh. “Dick must still down at the hot springs.”

  I checked my watch. “It’s after nine o’clock.”

  “I’ve tried calling his cell phone, but it goes straight to voicemail. I’ve left several messages but he hasn’t called back.”

  We lingered in awkward silence for half a minute and I observed her face. I could now understand why she wore so much make-up. She was trying to hide a bruise just under her left cheekbone. The foundation didn’t quite cover up the purplish hue underneath. Usually, I try not to jump to conclusions, but something inside me knew that her husband had caused that bruise.

  Finally, Carter spoke up. “Brittany, is everything okay? Are you worried about something?”

  She shook her head but not very convincingly. “No, why do you ask?”

  “Does your husband often stand you up like this?”

  She paused. “Well, no, but he’s been distracted lately, so I can understand how he lost track of time.”

  Excuses, excuses. “You know,” I said carefully. “Maybe I shouldn’t bring this up, but why was he so angry at the waitress last night?”

  Brittany’s eyebrows furrowed as if she had no clue what I was talking about.

  “Chiara the waitress,” I said, ignoring Carter’s reprimanding glare. “What was that all about?”

  Brittany straightened, as if I’d jogged her memory. “Oh
, that. It was just a misunderstanding. The waitress couldn’t understand that Dick wanted his steak rare. I’m sorry if he made a scene.”

  “I felt bad for Chiara,” I said, frankly. “She was quite embarrassed, I could tell.”

  Brittany nodded. “I know. I apologized to her afterward and she seemed fine after that.”

  “And yet,” I said, “She now works in housekeeping.”

  Brittany’s nostrils flared slightly. “Oh, I didn’t know that. I hope it had nothing to do with Dick.”

  “Anyway,” I said, trying to lighten the topic. “How long have you been married?”

  “A few weeks. This is our honeymoon. We couldn’t come right after the wedding because of his work schedule.” She fondled the massive rock on her finger, staring at it longingly.

  “Newlyweds,” Carter said. “How’d you two meet?”

  She hesitated. “You really want to hear the boring story?”

  “Why not?”

  Maria brought over the coffee and asked Brittany if she’d like a coffee or a digestif. She kindly declined, asking only for a refill on her water.

  “We met at the country club about three months ago,” Brittany continued, a wistful smile on her face. “I used to work some of their catering events. Dick was very sweet and we began dating.”

  “A quick engagement,” I added.

  “Yes. Things moved fast. He’s the kind of man, when he knows what he wants, he goes after it. Dick really is a good guy, I mean, his heart is in the right place. He just gets easily frustrated. I’ve read that people like him with type A personalities tend to have high expectations of others and themselves.”

  Clearly she was making excuses for the fact that he was an inconsiderate jerk. I decided to change the subject. “So, is this your first time in Italy?”

  “Yes.” Brittany shifted nervously in her chair as she checked her watch. “I’m sorry to be rude, but I’m pretty exhausted. I think I’ll head back to the villa now. Thanks for inviting me to sit with you.”

  “It was nice chatting,” Carter said. “Will you be fine walking back on your own?”

  She got to her feet, grabbed her clutch and offered us one last smile. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. Enjoy the rest of your night.”

  After she was gone, Carter and I looked at each other with raised eyebrows. “Did you see the shiner?” I asked him, tapping the side of my face. “On her left cheek.”

  Carter nodded. “Yeah, I saw it. But that doesn’t mean her husband did it.”

  “Hmm,” I said. “You’re right. I’m sure she just walked into a door.”

  As we left the restaurant to head back to our villa, Lauren and Jamie approached us.

  “We don’t mean to be nosy,” Jamie said. “We couldn’t help but notice that you invited Brittany to sit with you. Did she tell you why her husband stood her up tonight?”

  I hesitated to comment but I figured there was no harm. “She lost a diamond earring down at the hot springs this morning. I guess he’s determined to find it.”

  The sisters looked at each other in bewilderment. Lauren said, “He’s still down there? In the dark? Is he crazy?”

  I shrugged. “If the earring is anything like her engagement ring, it’s worth a small fortune.”

  Lauren pursed her lips and I got the sense she wanted to comment further. “I heard them arguing this afternoon, must have been around three or three-thirty. They were on the balcony and our window was open, so I could hear everything they said. He was going on and on about a gold nugget that he found at the hot springs this morning. He was insistent on going back there to look for more. I think she’s lying about the earring bit.”

  “Seriously?” I said. “He thinks he found gold?”

  “That’s what he said.” Lauren pointed to her sister. “She heard the conversation, too.”

  Jamie nodded. “He warned Britt not to tell anyone about the gold.”

  I remembered the article Carter had read about the gold found in the area over two decades ago. What are the chances that Dick actually found some? “I assume Dick had no idea you guys were listening to their conversation.”

  The girls simply shrugged.

  When Carter and I returned to our room, we were both too tired to do anything but go to bed. We had to reserve our energy for the next day in Rome.

  Chapter 6

  For some reason, the alarm didn’t go off the next morning. We scrambled to get ourselves ready and decided there would be no time for breakfast. When we walked out of our villa we could barely see ten feet in front of us, the whole mountain was fogged in.

  “Shoot,” I said. “I hope it’s not like this in Rome.”

  As we descended the stairs, we heard a wavering female voice calling out to us from across the courtyard. As she got closer, I could see it was Brittany.

  “I’m so sorry to bother you guys. I think I might need your help.”

  She looked horrible. Her hair was a rat’s nest and her eye make-up was smudged with dark rings under her eyes. There were tear tracks on her cheeks.

  “Are you okay?” Carter asked. “Did something happen?”

  “I’m worried sick,” she said, her shoulders quivering. “Dick never came back last night. I stayed up until midnight waiting for him but I guess I fell asleep on the sofa. I just woke up and … well he hasn’t been back. Would you mind going with me down to the hot springs? I really don’t want to go down there alone. I knocked on the sisters’ door, but they’re probably still sleeping.”

  Carter glanced at me. “What do you think, Sarah? Do we have time?”

  I glanced at my watch. How could I be so heartless? Rome wasn’t going anywhere. We could see it another day. Besides, Carter was giving me that look, and I knew he wanted to help. He’s a sucker for damsels in distress.

  “Okay, let’s go check it out,” I said. “Maybe he just got lost or something and spent the night in the woods.” But even as the words came out of my mouth, I knew it sounded crazy. There was no way he could have gotten lost when the trail was so clearly marked - unless the batteries in the flashlight had died and he got turned around. “I’m sure he’s fine.”

  But Brittany clearly did not have a good feeling about this. Seeing her in her pajamas and robe, she was probably so worried that she forgot to get dressed.

  “Have you tried calling his cell phone?” Carter asked her.

  “Yes, but it’s been turned off since last night. I’ve been calling him nonstop.”

  She looked around the courtyard as if not sure what to do next. Carter gently took her arm and led her towards her villa.

  “Why don’t you get some clothes on and wash your face. You’ll feel much better. We’ll be waiting for you right here, okay?”

  She trudged up the steps to her door. Once she was inside I turned to Carter. “What do you think happened to him?”

  “I have no idea, but it can’t be good. Best case scenario, he just injured his leg and can’t walk. Worst case scenario, he’s dead.”

  “Or, maybe he decided to go have a drink at a local bar last night. He could be in another woman’s bed right now, for all we know.”

  He gave me a stern look. “Please don’t mention that to her.”

  I made a motion of zipping my lips shut.

  When Brittany emerged from her villa, she was wearing a pair of jeans and a sweater. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a braid. With no make-up on her face, the shiner on her left eye was quite apparent, but neither Carter nor I mentioned it.

  “Okay,” she said, slightly out of breath. “I’m ready to go.”

  The three of us headed down the trail, walking at a brisk pace with Carter in the lead. Most of the trail was slippery and I had to watch my footing, but at least the fog was beginning to dissipate the further down we went.

  The sound of the water in the distance caused my heart rate to increase. I realized that, if it were Carter who’d been missing all night, I’d be a complete basket case, too. Brittany was being a tro
oper and I was proud of her.

  As we rounded the corner and entered the clearing, it felt like we were walking into a sauna. The humidity along with the smell of sulfur made my eyes sting.

  Carter immediately began shouting Dick’s name but there came no response. Brittany ran over to the side of the stream and bent over to pick something up. It looked like a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. “His clothes,” she said, holding his things protectively like a baby. “He must still be down here somewhere.”

  We all began shouting his name. Brittany went upstream, while Carter and I headed downstream. I jogged down to the farthest end where the waterfall cascaded into a larger pool area. I felt my insides tense up when I saw the half-naked body. I blinked rapidly and leaned over to get a better look. The body was prone, face submerged in water, limbs spread apart, floating.

  I could not speak or even breathe. For a second, my eyes must have deceived me because I thought I saw him move. Was he still alive? There was no way he could breathe in that position.

  I kicked off my shoes and stripped down to my underwear. With caution, I stepped down the rocks and into the pool. “Carter,” I called out. “Can you come here, please?”

  He was beside me in an instant. The first words out of his mouth was, “Oh shit.”

  “No kidding,” I said, keeping my voice low. “Apparently, we’ve got a worst case scenario on our hands.”

  “I don’t think Brittany should see him like this. I’ll take her back up to the office and tell Eduardo to contact the authorities.”

  “Shouldn’t we make sure he’s dead, first?”

  Carter shook his head. “The body is bloated, Sarah. The guy is a goner but if you’d like to go and check his pulse, be my guest.”

  “Britt is going to freak out. Can you take her back? I’ll stay here with the body.”

  “Are you sure? I don’t think there’s any point in trying to help him, now.”