Sniffing Out Murder (Mina's Adventures Book 7) Read online

  “But didn’t you leave Leo and Buddy with her?”

  “It was an emergency,” he mumbled. She could see how embarrassed he was, “Tony was in prison, and I gave her all the money I had. I’m sorry Leo.” He avoided looking at his brother.

  “It’s okay, Simon, it wasn’t so bad. See, we got to meet all these nice people and Buddy has a yard now.” His face lit up when he mentioned his dog.

  Mina was dying to ask about the mother’s accident, but she figured they’d had enough heartache for one day.

  “Simon, if you make a list of the things you need to get from Mrs. Somer I’ll make sure to send a grown-up to get them.”

  “Like who? I don’t want to get Tom in trouble. Tony is a bad man. I’ve seen him threaten people. He has a knife. You think that was his motorcycle?” he asked his brother.

  “Maybe. Who else would park there?”

  “Does Tony have a last name?” Mina drove into the small plaza where her Furry Friends Foundation was located. Tom was already there, and again she couldn’t help noticing how happy he looked. He walked up to her car, announcing to the boys that they were going to go grocery shopping on the way home and also that take-out pizza was on the dinner menu. They were in the truck and heading out before she’d even locked her car. Boys!

  Most of the spaces assigned to the shelter were occupied. It looked like the place had gotten very busy suddenly. Good.

  Sky sat at the front desk, camera in hand for the good-bye pic of a lucky furry friend and its new family. Then she would post that on social media. She was such a terrific young lady.

  “Well, where is he?” she asked Mina.

  “Where is who?” Awkward.

  “Simon. Everybody is talking about him, not even eighteen and he’s taking care of his little brother, has good grades, and a job. I was counting on finally meeting in him, I did help with his dog and…”

  Mina could hardly hide her smile. “Okay, okay, I get it. He went home with Tom, but you’ll probably get a chance at meeting him tomorrow since I won’t be here at all and he may be stranded waiting for Tom to get off work. I understand Tom will now work days instead of nights. Wonder who his replacement will be.” Tom had been there from the beginning. He was like family.

  Sky didn’t seem interested in speculating—probably already planning what to wear tomorrow. "You are aware that he’s not even eighteen, right?”

  The young woman shrugged. “Age is just a number. How old is your boyfriend?”

  What?

  Luckily, Linda came from the meet-and-greet room, a young couple in tow,each carrying a kitten. Perfect. Romeo and Juliet were brother and sister, and it was so wonderful they were getting adopted together.

  Mina walked to her back office to get her stuff together for tomorrow’s grand reopening. It had only been two weeks but felt like forever. She missed the activity, meeting new people, new cats. It filled her days, leaving less hours to ponder on how empty her life felt at times. The only creatures needing her were her cats—well Aria did. Mina had no doubt that Houdini was perfectly capable of surviving on his own.

  She even missed Margo’s annoying and needy phone calls. Gino must be home because she didn’t call to whine about a single thing for twenty-four hours. And as usual her thoughts ended up at the same place, the void in her heart. Diego. Like the old saying, so close and yet so far. She swirled her chair around and started to open drawers and files, might as well get things done tonight. No one waiting for her at home.

  From the front door the parking lot of the FFF appeared empty except for her LTD. It felt more like a Saturday night than a Monday. Most of the office type businesses in the small plaza were closed at night and on weekends. She loaded her papers onto the back seat, having decided a stop by the Ralphs on the way home was a must. And she should have asked Millie if more snacks and beverages were needed for the opening, just in case more than one guest arrived at the same time. Mina called on her cell, but her call went directly to voice mail. Okay then, she could call back if she needed something. This really was a quick stop. Even so, the smell of the rotisserie chicken had her mouth watering. She resisted temptation and settled for some sliced turkey and Brie, the triple cream one. A sourdough baguette—and dinner was in the bag.

  The motorcycle appeared in her rearview mirror as she neared the off-ramp. It approached at such dizzying speed she felt hypnotized. Motorcycles weren’t common on this side of town, and yet this was the second one she’d seen today. Or was it? Simon’s words swirled in her mind. “Tony is a bad man—he has a knife.” She kept an eye on the fast advancing bike without turning her head as if anyone could see inside her dark car while driving at such speed.

  The red light stopped her cold. She waited, her hands gripping the steering wheel, looking straight ahead, trying to comprehend her sudden wave of fear. And just like that, the motorcycle turned right and was gone before she even had the chance to lift her foot from the brake. She sighed in relief. Scaredy-cat. Pretty pathetic for a grown woman to fall apart at the sight of a motorcycle. For all she knew a female could have been riding it. Not to say that women couldn’t be as dangerous as men. Mina smiled at her own distorted sense of equal opportunity wickedness and pushed on the gas with renewed zest.

  Her secluded neighborhood was as quiet as ever. The street lamp at the end of the cul de sac provided a quick glimpse of tattered yellow tape, a reminder of the fire.

  All was calm, not a soul in sight, so she found it strange seeing her gate wide open. Perhaps Millie had been out and just returned? Sometime the gate took its sweet time closing again. She crossed it into the driveway and noticed the light in Millie’s windows.

  Good. It always gave her a sense of security knowing that her capable assistant was home. That Millie owned a gun and knew how to use it was an added bonus. She reached above the sun visor to click on her garage opener as she cleared the corner and slammed on the brake while her heart walloped in her chest. A black motorcycle with lots of chrome reflecting the motion lights of the garage door blocked her entrance. The most frightening sight wasn’t the dark bike, but the missing rider.

  SIXTEEN

  HIS FINGER PUSHED back a strand of hair covering her face. “I need a haircut.” She blurted out.

  “Shhssh.” The same finger played with the contours of her mouth. “No talking,” he whispered in her ear and continued exploring the outline of her face with his lips. “Bella, how I missed you.”

  She moved her leg. It had gone numb, entangled in some of the clothes they had shed on their mad rush to the bedroom. They hadn’t quite made it to the bed.

  The only light came from the automatic plug-in night-light in her bathroom.

  “Can you stay?” She hated herself for asking.

  He pulled her closer; their bodies stretched and intertwined. Time apart hadn’t hindered the perfect fit. While her hands explored the curve of his shoulders and the old familiar scars on his back, she knew he wouldn’t stay the night.

  “Thank you for the note.” Missing him already.

  “I wondered if it reached you. Didn’t have a thing to bribe the messenger with.” He chuckled softly, his warm breath sending heat waves up her spine.

  “I’m so sorry about the phone. I really am. I still don’t understand about the fire.”

  “Mina, don’t be sorry. If only I could explain to you the ripple effect that kid and that phone launched… I would call it a miracle if I were religious.”

  “No need to explain. De Fiore took care of that. He said that dozens of nefarious consequences may have been set in motion by the boy’s actions. He meant by Leo using or trying to use the phone to reach his brother. The phone you had trusted me with, and I carelessly lost.” She buried her face in the hollow spot between his neck and his shoulder, felt his heartbeat throb against her cheek.

  “De Fiore.” He sighed. “His grumpiness can be forgiven. He cares very much about you and Kalinda, and what happened with the phone, was—well… was way
above the knowledge most of us have in regard to cyber—spying.”

  Did he notice her puzzled expression?

  He must have because he began to speak softly, his voice next to her ear. “Mina, somehow the kid triggered the phone GPS. The first time I assumed it was you. After all it came from Kalinda’s place. The nonsense went on for a while, we—myself and an expert—couldn’t tell for sure if you were trying to warn me or if you didn’t know what you were doing. Then suddenly, a third party joined in. The only human voice was that of a kid, and there was a barking dog. For weeks we’d suspected unauthorized activity in our system. That’s the reason your first phone was shut off. We didn’t know who or where the interference originated. The kid playing with your phone helped us zoom in and gather information. Getting inside Kalinda’s house and cleaning the mess without raising suspicions was paramount. De Fiore lent his help, so we moved quickly, and now Kalinda’s place and anyone connected to it are again safe. I’ll have a new phone brought to you as soon as I get back to my office.”

  “Your office?” That was the only thought in her mind. Where was his office and how had he ended up on the freeway next to her car at the perfect time?”

  “It couldn’t have happened at a more auspicious time. With everyone involved out of the area, I had no way of warning you or somehow letting you know what was happening without contacting you directly, and that wasn’t an option. So you see, your dropping the phone was a blessing in disguise.” He smiled in the dark, his lips on her skin. “I have to pick up Gino at LAX in about ninety minutes and deliver him to the restaurant in Long Beach. I’ll brief him on the situation during the drive there. He will be so relieved knowing we cleaned up the mess and no one on our side got hurt or exposed.”

  She barely listened to his long explanation. He wasn’t upset, quite the opposite. Good enough for her. “Were you in the fire engine? Did you see me?”

  “I was in the smaller vehicle with the fire Chief.” He pulled her closer. “Yes, I saw your LTD, but there was nothing I could do except pine for you.” The huskiness in his voice told more than words ever could.

  “How about this evening? How did you know when I would get on the freeway? I didn’t know myself. I decided to stop for groceries at the last minute. Oh, no. The groceries are still in my car.”

  He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her ever so slowly. “No, or I would have brought you flowers. I happened to be driving up from Miramar when I spotted what looked like your car. I wanted to surprise you, just say hello, but when I came up eye to eye, you never looked my way, totally ignored me. I was puzzled. Had to know why. I checked in and was told Gino’s flight had been delayed. I called Millie. She opened the gate for me, and then, well, here we are. Why were you ignoring me? Wait, did you know it was me?”

  Mina shook her head. “I thought you were Tony, because of the motorcycle.”

  “Who is Tony? Why would he be chasing you?” A new emotion tinged his voice. Concern or jealousy?

  “Huh, he is...” Awkward. “He’s not a nice man, and yes, he has a black motorcycle, and I was worried.”

  “Are you afraid of this Tony? What is he to you?” She tried to glimpse past his sudden mood change.

  “No, not to me. It’s the kids, the brothers.”

  “Mina, does this Tony have anything to do with their mother’s death? Dan tells me you’re insisting he take a second look at the mother’s accident. That’s one of the reason he’s grouchy. He feels like you are dragging him into situations out of his comfort zone and worse yet, cases already closed by his subordinates.”

  “Well, I shouldn’t have to if the people who investigated it, the ones working under his leadership, had done the job right the first time around, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

  “Mina,” his voice a notch softer, “you’re getting yourself mixed up in some crazy situation again, and now you tell me this man Tony is involved?” He had moved away from her and was sorting through the pile of clothes, pulling his out.

  Time’s up—he would get dressed and leave.

  Now her nakedness felt dirty. She went into the bathroom and grabbed her robe. She also turned on the lights. Houdini stood on the bed, looking at Diego and her.

  Were they being judged by a cat?

  Diego glanced at her alarm clock on the night table and tucked his shirt in. He searched for a sock but gave up, grabbed his motorcycle boots and headed downstairs. He sat on the last step to put them on. That’s where his leather jacket lay.

  Mina felt so useless. Pit stop flashed through her mind. She tried to chase those words away, but they resisted. Their life together had become a series of pit stops and quick goodbyes. Soon he would head off to meet with Gino and God knows who else while she would go back upstairs, still wearing his scent like a second skin, and cry herself to sleep in the big, sad bed where even her cats had a mate.

  He stood up from the step and took her hand. “Would you walk me to my bike?” The raw emotion in his voice as real as her sense of loss. They took the garage exit. Diego didn’t want her walking outside in the dark alone.

  Alone. What a curious word. So fitting and so heartbreaking.

  His black, shiny helmet sat on the bike, waiting. “It would be better if my detour remained our little secret,” he said, kissing her goodbye.

  The garage door slid closed, muffling the rumble of the departing engine. Nothing could muffle the crying of her soul.

  SEVENTEEN

  CATS AND THE people who love them provided Mina’s peace of mind.

  On this back to business Tuesday Millie had outdone herself. She’d baked little muffins for the humans and bowls full of tiny treats in the shape of fish for the four-legged friends. The idea for cat’s treats she’d found surfing the Internet. Zeus sat on a huge pillow in the front room and behaved like a pro. Millie must have convinced or bribed him to wear what looked like a bow tie. Bravo Millie.

  That first impression was priceless. More than one of the regulars insisted on taking pics to either post on their Facebook pages or to show to some of their cat owner friends. By two o’clock the scheduled boarders had checked in and a few humans lingered.

  The fast pace of the day helped Mina forget her broken heart at least for the moment. The worse part always came as the sun went down and the long reaching hands of solitude found her soul. For weeks, no, for months, she’d been hoping and wishing to have at least one day with Diego. In her mental ping pong bargaining with the universe she finally settled for a few hours. The universe had delivered and instead of feeling thankful, she felt—duped. Duped? In her anger and disappointment she’d discovered a word she didn’t know she knew.

  “I will say we had a very successful reopening. What do you think? Mina? Helloo?”

  “Oh, I’m sorry, Millie. Indeed it went well, thanks to you of course. Are you sure you don’t want some part-time help at least once or twice a week? We could hire one of the shelter’s volunteers, I can think of at least two who would be delighted to work with you, and they could use the money. Don’t say no right now; think about it. Once we get to ten cats it’s going to be a lot of work.”

  “Mina, if you think you have a mature woman who could help out and could use the money, I will consider it. But then we should intake twelve cats. After all that’s what the place is designed for anyhow.”

  Mina stifled a yawn. “Sorry Millie, it’s not you it’s…”

  Millie gave her an impish half smile. “No need to apologize, I was young once—and in love.”

  “It’s not what you think. He left in a hurry and strongly suggested that, ‘his detour be our little secret.’” If the words didn’t convey her frustration, her tone of voice did.

  “Oh, that’s so not like him. I don’t know Diego as well as you do, of course, but he always struck me as a no nonsense man totally devoted to you.”

  A loud hissing came from the cat room, and Millie rushed to check it out. Mina looked at Zeus, now spread out on hi
s sumptuous pillow, munching on the last few fake fish treats, his bow tie perfectly balanced on his neck, his coat as smooth as hours ago. He raised his head from the crumbs and looked at her with the same eyes as Houdini. “You too? You’re judging me? Hey, I’m the good person; you should be on my side.”

  “Mina?” Millie called from the cat room. “Who are you talking to? I didn’t hear the phone ring.”

  “It’s all good, Millie. It’s all good. I’m going home. I think the Cordero brothers may come by after school. Yell if you need me.” She turned to Zeus. “See you later, partner.” Talking to a cat… really.

  No new messages on her land line. Not even from Margo? Now, that was not normal. On impulse she called her former roommate’s cell.

  “What’s going on, did you hear from Gino?”

  “Yes, yes. He got home last night, well this morning really because the flight landed in Los Angeles, and then he waited to get picked up. Wait... is this a prank? Your boyfriend’s limo drove him home, and I’m sure your man was in the car. You don’t know about it? How come? Now that I think about it, maybe they flew in together? I have to ask him. He was very tired, and he has to work tonight. But you were right; he met his sisters in Venice and...” Mina heard a man’s voice in the background. “I’m talking to Mina,” Margo said. “Mina, wait, Gino wants to say hi.”

  “Ciao, Mina, come stai? Che c’e di nuovo?” Gino suddenly speaking Italian couldn’t be a good sign, unless…

  “Gino, I do the same thing when I come back from Italy, I find myself speaking Italian without meaning to do that. What news are you talking about?”

  He went on in her native tongue. “I’m speaking to you in Italian for good reason, no need to get you-know-who all worked up, at least not yet.”

  “Why would she be upset? What are you up to?”

  A long silence. Then he spoke in a much lower tone, which was funny because unless Margo had taken a crash course in Italian, she couldn’t have the first clue what he was telling Mina. “It’s my kid sister. She would like to visit, spend some time in California, you know… Los Angeles, Hollywood.”