Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 74005 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 370(@200wpm)___ 296(@250wpm)___ 247(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74005 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 370(@200wpm)___ 296(@250wpm)___ 247(@300wpm)
“Diego Vega,” Robin says, voice low.
Vinnie shakes his head immediately. “Vega is dead.”
Robin doesn’t yield. “I’ve been thinking about that. It could all be a ruse.”
“He’s dead,” Vinnie says. “I’ve seen photos.”
“So have I.” Robin doesn’t budge. “And I also know about the barn.” She swallows, glances at Raven. “About Falcon and Eagle. Ray told me. She felt bad I was the one sibling who didn’t know.”
Raven nods, unapologetic. “I was done pretending that wasn’t part of our story.”
Robin looks back to Vinnie. “They thought that man was Diego Vega. He wasn’t. Vega turned up alive in Colombia later. So what if these photos are also wrong? What if the corpse is a fake? What if someone wants us off his tail?”
Vinnie leans in. “Unlike three traumatized teenagers, I don’t make mistakes on ID. Not like that.”
Robin rolls her eyes. “Falcon wasn’t a teenager. He was twenty-two. And Hawk had never seen him before. But Eagle had, and he wouldn’t make that kind of mistake.”
“I believe you about Vega,” I say to Vinnie, because I do. “And I think looking at the others might be a waste.”
Vinnie tilts his head. “Why?”
“Because the chocolates are the thing.” I sit forward. “There’s a culinary element here. Today in class, Chef Charleston lectured about chocolate and how it differs by region. Cocoa percentages. Texture. Mouthfeel. If one of those chocolates is different—different origin, different fat content, different nose—he’ll see it. Maybe that’s the ‘special surprise.’ Not poison. A clue.”
No one responds.
Robin’s forehead is wrinkled. She gets what I’m saying. Vinnie’s brow is furrowed. He gets it, but he has doubts. Raven has excused herself for a moment.
“That makes sense.” Robin turns to Vinnie. “Admit it. That’s smart.”
Vinnie’s mouth curves. “It’s not dumb.” He rises, leaves the kitchen for a moment, and returns with a zip bag. “But chocolate? Really?” He sighs. “Then again, we have to follow every lead. I only took a portion of each piece. The rest is intact. I figured you’d want them back.”
A shiver runs along my spine. “Thank you.”
“Don’t eat them,” Vinnie says dryly.
“I won’t. I’ll take them to Chef Charleston tomorrow and ask him to analyze them.”
“Careful what you share,” Vinnie says. “Keep the talk in the kitchen. Not the hallway.”
“I know. I won’t tell him why I’m asking. I’ll make something up.”
Raven returns and gets caught up on the conversation. She turns to me. “Are you going to be able to sleep?”
“I don’t know,” I say honestly.
“We’ve got chamomile,” she offers. “And an old movie.”
“Maybe.”
Robin sighs. “I’m worried about you. And about Hawk. I’m afraid he’s going off the rails, which is unlike him.”
“I told him to stop,” I say.
“And?”
“And he heard me,” I say. “But hearing and listening are different verbs.”
“Mmm.”
Robin clearly wants to say something. Something about Hawk. Something about me. But she keeps her mouth shut. For now, at least. I appreciate it. I don’t want to cause family turmoil. Hawk needs his brothers and sisters.
Vinnie wipes his mouth with his napkin. “Tomorrow I’ll keep digging on Ramirez, Klein, and Valentini. But maybe Dani’s right. Maybe the chocolates are where we start. Let’s see what her chef has to say. And then we can look at the other gifts, see if there’s some sort of other clue. Maybe the card wasn’t a threat after all.”
“What the hell else could it be?” Raven demands.
“Anything,” he says. “A map, maybe.”
“A map?” Raven shakes her head. “Come on, Vinnie.”
“Baby,” he says, “trust me on this. I saw things while I was on the run that would make your head spin, and when I returned, I saw things from my own grandfather that made those other things look like child’s play. These people leave clues. Some in plain sight, and others you have to dig for. As weird as it seems, the chocolate might be a clue. I know I didn’t think so at first, but now that I think about it, my gut is telling me that Dani may be onto something.”
After we’ve all had enough coffee, Vinnie retires to his office, and Raven goes to help Phyllis in the kitchen. Robin waylays me on my way back to my place.
“Are you sure about trusting Vinnie on Vega?”
“Yes.”
She nods. “I love Vinnie. He’s a great guy and is going to make a great husband to Raven, but something doesn’t sit right with me. I’m glad you trust him, but call me if you don’t want to sleep alone.”
“I’m okay.”
“Sure.” She gives me a quick hug and then heads toward the doorway.
I head back to my suite and set the bag of chocolates on my kitchen counter like I’m placing evidence. I go to the bedroom, wash my face, change into lounging pants and a soft tank. Then I return to the kitchen, grab the bag of chocolates, and set it on my night table.