Born Into Love

by LaClaire, Catherine

  “Prints?”

  “The officer said they probably wore gloves. Even the dumbest crook knows that nowadays.”

  The elevator stopped.

  “Mercedes and I will work with the authorities using computer records. No need for you to come with us.” The curator’s expression softened as he bid her good-bye.

  He and Mercedes walked the short corridor into the first workshop. Fortunately no one was working in the space. “Tell me everything that happened yesterday.”

  “I worked on the ceramics, with the exception of the pitcher, Remy paid a visit and . . .”

  “You should have told me.”

  “I don’t like thinking about him and besides, I handled it.”

  “He is without scruples.”

  “We exchanged words, I threatened him with pepper spray and the curator’s going to invalidate his pass. He’s neutralized.”

  Diego considered Procteur a coward. Brave only when his victim was weaker than himself. It took only a moment before Diego saw the parallel between him and the earlier version of himself, the vampire he used to be.

  “How did he explain his visit?”

  “He delivered a plant. I found out later he’d taken it from your exhibit.”

  When they entered Mercedes’ lab, a uniform guarding the area challenged them as his job required. They introduced themselves and showed identification. Mercedes made printouts of the collection and compared pieces. When the policeman answered a call, she mouthed a message. The pitcher had disappeared.

  She did not mention its absence to the officer since it had not been recorded, but waited to see what he would say.

  Diego kept silent.

  What had Tala placed inside? What had been her intention? And why would someone steal it?

  In his beloved’s eyes he saw growing curiosity. Did she love mysteries? If so, she had yet to learn that looking into the unexplained often took a personal toll.

  The verification of artifacts took place under the watchful gaze of a newly arrived detective. Diego chose a stool and settled in. The workshop eliminated almost all but florescent light. The ache in his bones diminished. He rested. Calm seas were behind them.

  Mercedes’ smile warmed him when she discovered five bowls and several beakers shuffled on the shelves, but intact. His sweet love had tears in her eyes.

  When the detective drained the last of his cooled coffee, she presented the results. Six pieces had damaged handles and could be repaired, five ceramic vessels would never be whole; others were untouched. Diego wanted to take the scent of the person who had done this, smell the compounds that would differentiate him or her. But that investigation would not be possible under present conditions.

  The detective surveyed the worktable. “Damn shame. I’m a history buff. Breaks my heart to see the damage.” He turned to Diego. “Mr. Castilla, we’re going to hold some of the property for evidence.”

  “Naturally.”

  “What do you think happened?”

  “I can only offer a theory.”

  “Shoot.”

  “Perhaps someone heard that another crate arrived. They may have been looking for something to sell on the black market and when they found simple ceramics, took revenge.”

  “Have any enemies?”

  “Probably, but they have not announced themselves.”

  “This looks like a calling card to me.”

  Fortunately the few pieces intended to display had been delivered before the robbery. “The remaining items will be taken to my home later today.”

  “Cart before the horse, but better than nothing.” The detective said he’d be in touch and left, but a uniformed policeman stayed.

  Ms. Rodgers found us. “Another wrinkle. Since the shipment wasn’t under the original agreement, our insurance company’s balking.”

  “I carry extra. Do not fret.”

  “Okay,” she said, fanning herself. “I’m going back to work.”

  But Diego wanted to know something else. “Did you enjoy lunch the other day?”

  “I forgot to thank you for the wine. It was delicious even though my companions were horrors.”

  He pointed. “Mercedes told me Remy borrowed one of the plants.”

  She phoned maintenance and ordered its removal. “After yesterday’s stunt, I canceled his pass.”

  “When?”

  “Just before you arrived.”

  Diego spent the rest of the day alone in the office of a vacationing administrator. He drew the drapes and slept on the cool floor.

  He and Mercedes saved their discussion of the theft for the beach. He parked by the sea wall and they walked. She kicked off her wedge heels and hiked her skirt to scale it. He stayed appreciative of her fine form.

  She smoothed her hair. “Now please tell me, who’s our suspect?”

  “I am unsure.” He had no intentions of naming the thief, not until he had proof. And then, he still might not tell her. She believed confrontation cleared the air. If his suspicions proved correct, confronting this person without a plan would be useless especially since he did not know the contents of the pitcher.

  “Mi amor, tonight I will be home very late. I will be working on the case.”

  “I’ll go with you.”

  He scooped her in his arms. “It could get. . .hairy.” Another word he stole from Luz.

  His beloved crossed her arms. “Am I crowding you? Is that why you’re closing me out?”

  He laughed. “Every pulse of time without you is my loss.” In his heart he feared his casualness about the crate had placed her in danger.

  “The next time I see you, you’ve got to tell me everything.”

  Rejecting his offer of a steadying hand, she climbed the sea wall in a rather good imitation of a second story man.

  “Diego, I am not a cream puff. Remember that.”

  * * *

  Diego heard the museum guard as he walked in the hallway outside the first lab. The dimmed museum lights provided the shadows Diego needed. As for the guard? He should not have been smoking, nor should he have left the inner workshop’s high window open. And calling his mother while on duty? Not in the job description.

  But Diego used the opportunity to alter himself from bat to wolf to smell what humans could not. Scents and sounds crammed his senses and narrowed his world. Vaguely he worried about the click of nails on the polished floor. A carpet of human scents circled around him. Traces of the curator speckled the walls. Farther on came the scent of Mercedes at the lab table, the computer and the cabinet.

  A sound. Metal. Keys jangling.

  Earthy odors from the clay pottery hovered near. Every anticipated scent entered his being, except the scent of the thief. How could it be missing?

  Suddenly, the door opened.

  The security officer froze. Diego fought for thoughts but they would not come.

  “Nice. . .doggie. . .nice. ...”

  Diego loped closer, snarling. The man screamed, dropped his flashlight and ran like prey. Diego veered and leaped through the open window suddenly winged and airborne.

  Later he stood near Mercedes’ cottage. No welcoming light burned in her bedroom. He wanted to see her, but use his powers to beckon? He hoped never to do that.

  A rustling followed by a groan made him turn.

  Mercedes lay in a crumpled heap by the deck stairs. She whimpered. The white fear that had crept through his tissues as he died shot through him. He touched her neck. The natural beat of her heart shouted that they were not the same but it delighted him to hear the sound.

  * * *

  Mercedes opened her eyes to find Diego bent over her, kissing her cheek.

  “Darn. Should’ve put on the deck light. I tripped. I’m lucky I didn’t kill myself. Just wacked my head on the railing.”

  Diego patted her body. “I am checking for injuries. Does anything hurt?”

  “With your hands on me, I feel really fine.”

  “No dew on your shirt so you hav
e not been here long.”

  “Good work, detective.” She flexed her arms and tested her shoulders. “I told Annie I’d take a walk.”

  “You are bleeding.”

  She touched her right temple. “I’m not surprised. Don’t look so horrified. People bleed. And I’m not going to the hospital. I think I just had the breath knocked out of me.”

  “The cut must be bathed and the flow halted.”

  “Kiss it and make it better.”

  “I cannot.”

  “I forgot blood makes you sick.” She linked her arm through his. The door squeaked. “We’ve got to be quiet. Annie sleeps on the first floor now.”

  “We are quiet. The settling house makes noise. Please fix your wound. I must return to my cottage now that you are awake. I have surprises for you and your sister and I want you to see them tonight.”

  Several minutes later, holding a bandage, she waved it in front of him. “Just a scratch. Do the honors?” She spied several packages. “That was fast. What did you do, run home?”

  He smoothed the strip over the washed cut. “Yes, and I think you will be pleased.”

  “You must really be happy with your choices. This could have waited until tomorrow.”

  “You are right, but in spoiling you I also get a reward.”

  “So I’ve turned you into a people pleaser.”

  He handed her the largest box. “I can live with that.”

  Under the piles of tissue she discovered a black knit dress. The bodice sparkled with jet beads. Mercedes held it against her and hurried to the long mirror near the living room door.

  “This is the most beautiful dress I’ve ever owned. It catches just above my knee.”

  Only a wedding dress would look better. But he had no right to expect more than they already had and even that happiness could founder. “Shoes?”

  When she reappeared her legs showed to great advantage in the heels. He tossed a word at her: “Joyas?”

  “Jewels?”

  As she raised the velvet lid, her hand trembled. Inside glittered a thick gold chain. The three carat ruby dangling from it had been worn by his mother. Fate had been kind to her. In death she had been spared the news of Rodrigo’s destiny and the torment of her oldest son.

  Mercedes left the gift in the satin-lined box. “I can’t accept. I shouldn’t accept any of it.”

  “Accept them all. I have waited a long time for the right woman. And you will astonish everyone the night of the opening.” A tear rolled down her cheek. He caught it in his mouth. She tilted her head to one side and her body shifted. The beads on the dress caught a different light.

  “I’m happy, but I have concerns too. Annie’s health is the most important, but Dave’s return is a stress and the theft in the museum raises other problems. Doesn’t it seem like events are building up around us?”

  “We will face them together. That is the best we can do.”

  She slipped into his arms. “Have you found the thief?”

  “Remy is the best guess. He wanted in on the shipment from the start.” Yet he left no scent. “There could be others yet unidentified.”

  He held her hand. “Tomorrow you will have to take the helicopter without me. I have other business.”

  “Detective business?”

  “Yes. Right now you need a massage.”

  “Maybe you just want to give me one. But for that, I will not need the dress. Wait a second.”

  “True.” He left to click off the lights. She returned now dressed in a tee and shorts. She placed her hands over his as he began to rub her shoulders.

  “Yes, that is exactly the right spot. I’m beginning to think I’m demanding.”

  His voice turned gravelly. “I like it.” He led Mercedes to a chaise longue where he rediscovered that the greatest gifts were those shared by a man and a woman in love.

  Chapter 7

  Ms. Rogers wore yesterday’s suit and no make-up. Mercedes made the ultimate sacrifice and offered the curator the latte she’d bought for breakfast.

  “Something else happen?”

  “Staff having visions for starters and now I’m falling behind schedule. Would you get the callback list for the exhibit? It’s in the office.”

  “On my way.”

  The guard outside the door gave Mercedes a warm smile. “Secretary’s on a break. You’re one of them conservators, aren’t you?”

  “Not even close, but my career’s headed in that direction. Hopefully.”

  The heavy-set man leaned against the doorframe. “Let me ask you somethin’. You believe in curses?”

  “Only on bad days. Why?”

  “I saw a wild dog. Everybody’s makin’ fun of me, but I know what I saw.”

  She didn’t want to be abrupt, and curiosity ate at her, but her job required she get the list. Seconds later, she decided it would be kinder to listen. Anyone could see the man needed to talk. “What did the creature look like?”

  The guard’s eyes widened as if he’d been slapped. “That’s what it was. A creature!”

  She tried to undo the notion that settled too easily in his brain. “Did it have fur?”

  He nodded. “It shimmered.”

  “It reflected light? You put the lights on?”

  Sweat popped out on his forehead. “No, ma’am. I ran. Anybody woulda run.”

  “The animal itself, how big?”

  “Like a German Shepherd, but thinner.”

  “Did it lunge for you?”

  “No, ma’am. But I think it was hungry.”

  She took the list off the desk corner.

  “Want to know about the eyes?”

  She guessed. “Red and filled with evil?” Very slowly he nodded. His skin drained of color and he looked like he might keel over. As if his fear had spores, the hair on her neck rose.

  “Well, I’ll be on the lookout and you be careful. It must have been very upsetting.”

  “You got that right.”

  * * *

  Diego walked onto Mercedes’ property. Annie observed his arrival from a chair on the deck. He came bearing a gift, a gallon of chocolate ice cream. “Mercedes phoned. She reached the museum without problems and said you needed this snack.”

  “It’s a craving and dessert for tonight. You’re invited to our barbecue. It’s a spur of the moment thing. Mercedes doesn’t know about it yet. Dave’ll be here. He’s the baby’s father.”

  “I will be happy to come. I’ll put the ice cream in the freezer.”

  “Great.”

  When he returned, Annie got down to business. “Are you going to break my sister’s heart?”

  A tingle spread across his forehead. Was Annie trying to read his thoughts? “No.”

  “I hope that’s true. Luz vouches for you so maybe you won’t let my sister down. We haven’t been having great luck with men.” She wiped her brow. “It’s hot. I’ve had enough fresh air and that ice cream is calling me.”

  Diego concentrated on removing himself from the sun. The rays were strong and especially painful. He had never had so much exposure in so few days.

  Later, he spoke with Luz.

  “Yes, Master?”

  “I will dine next door tonight but Annie needs help today. See that she manages the dinner preparations and bring her a strengthening tea and more chocolate ice cream. I must go into the city.”

  “She’s worse?”

  “Annie guards a great secret. She is quietly using every cell of her weakening body to save the life of her son. Just as quietly we are going to support her.”

  “Yes, Master.”

  “Do not call me by that name.”

  Luz grinned. “Yes, Master.

  The doorman in front of Remy’s building accepted a bribe. Procteur’s luxurious suite had a wall of windows that according to the man, spoke of his big bucks. Lately he had been “palling around with a guy who looked like a thug.” Diego was in luck, he said, because Mr. Procteur had called for a limo.

  Diego
waited in an alley with several inebriated men. Remy plus the thug hurried into the vehicle. Diego flagged a taxi. In that time, they had traveled a block.

  “Two-hundred dollars. Follow the limousine with the green logo.” The man nodded and asked no questions.

  Remy and company exited a few blocks later, straightened their suits and ties, and walked into Teodoro Incorporated.

  Within seconds Remy and a much shorter man dressed in an exquisitely cut suit left the shop. The goon—he blamed his companion for the continued deterioration of his vocabulary--had vanished. The stranger raised his head. Their eyes met. Diego sensed the stranger knew about him and about his past. He and Remy disappeared into the limo, but Diego had registered a threat.

  “Hey, bud, do I follow or what?”

  “No, I’ve seen enough.”

  Luz greeted Diego at the door, excited by having a change in routine. “I got Annie double chocolate, Master. Remember how we feasted on chocolate in Mexico?”

  “You feasted. I smelled it.”

  “Annie’s lonely.”

  “Did you give her the tea?”

  “Yes. That’s what I took care of first. She downed it in the kitchen. Master, you must eat here before you go to their home.”

  “Have it ready. In the meantime, investigate Teodoro Incorporated, an importer. He means us harm.”

  “Can’t you just read his mind?”

  “With him I must be careful. He is not what he seems and do not say, ‘Who is?’”

  “Perhaps it’s good you’re in love. Now you will fight maybe even like in the old times.”

  * * *

  Mercedes wore an apron. “Come in. This is your chance to meet Dave and my chance to renew his acquaintance. Believe me, it’s not what I want.” She lowered her voice. “He uses people.”

  Diego hiked an eyebrow as though the news surprised him.

  “Dave, meet a friend of mine, Diego Castilla.”

  Dave looked at Diego who stole recognition from Annie’s guest before the man blurted out that Diego had attacked him. “How do you do?”