Free Legacy of the Highlands by Harriet Schultz Page A

never would have guessed.”
    John continued as if he hadn’t heard her.
“Because of the sgian dubh and my own involvement with the
cause, I asked Tom to quietly check into Will’s murder. The only
thing he’s come up with so far is this connection to Mackinnon. It
might not mean anything, but I promise you I won’t stop until we
have answers.” His final plea, “so you’ll stop blaming me” was
unspoken.
     

Chapter 9
    Alex poured coffee into a large mug as she nibbled
the crisp edges of one of the sweet Argentine croissants called medialunas that the Navarros’ cook baked each morning. She’d
slept well after last night’s talk with Francie and she was glad to
feel a bit more human. But should she? Was it too soon to start to
feel a tiny bit normal? Then she pushed this internal conflict
aside to be examined later. First things first she ordered
herself.
    “I need to go shopping today,” Alex announced
as she put her cup in the sink before the ever-attentive Luisa
could do it for her.
    “Of course, of course,” the housekeeper
replied, shaking her head. “I knew that you arrived with no
luggage…”
    Alex cut her off mid-sentence. “Don’t worry
about it. Can I use one of the cars? And I hope it’s all right if I
borrow some jeans and a T-shirt from Mrs. Navarro since I don’t
think a swimsuit is appropriate for the mall, even in Florida.”
    “I will have the car brought around in about
an hour. That should give us time to find some clothes for you in Señora Navarro’s closet. Miguel will take you wherever you
want to go. You’re not familiar with Miami and they drive like
crazy people here.”
    “Tell Miguel I don’t need him to take me
anywhere. I’m from Boston so I’m used to crazy drivers.”
    “Please, Señora , allow us to spoil
you. I insist.”
    “Fine,” Alex shrugged, bowing to Luisa’s
determination.
    The staff was under orders from Diego to
protect his guest, but Luisa recognized that under her grief Alex
was an independent woman. She wasn’t surprised that Alex balked at
Diego’s very masculine need to take care of her.
    A half hour later, Alex checked herself out
in the mirror. The black pants that would have been a perfect
length on Giovanna Navarro were capris on her longer legs, but at
least she’d found something simple in Diego’s mother’s somewhat
flamboyant, colorful wardrobe. It would be good to wear her own
things and she looked forward to buying everything from underwear
to makeup.
    Luisa instructed Miguel to take their guest
to the Bal Harbour Shops, an open-air mall with Saks, Neiman’s and
smaller stores ranging from Prada to the Gap. “I’m sure you can
find whatever you need there,” Luisa assured her as she gave Alex’s
hand a reassuring squeeze.
    A few minutes after the elegant vehicle began
to crawl up congested Collins Avenue, past South Beach’s Art Deco
trendiness, mega-hotels, and innumerable white, high-rise condos
that crowded every inch of beachfront space, Miguel’s cell phone
chirped. Alex understood enough of his rapid Spanish to know that
he was talking to Diego and wasn’t surprised when Miguel passed the
phone to her. The handsome Argentine was still her strongest link
to Will, despite the lingering unease about the men’s
estrangement.
    “Diego,” was all she managed to utter before
her composure cracked.
    “Shhh, hush, please don’t cry,” he crooned.
“God, I’m so far away. I feel helpless.”
    Alex hadn’t realized how lonely she was for a
familiar face until that moment, but she pulled herself together.
“You, Diego Navarro, are the least helpless man I know,” she said
then quickly changed the subject. “How come no one knows where you
are or when you’re coming back to Miami?”
    “I’m not used to giving my schedule to the
household staff, but I should have left a note for you. Can you
forgive me for being so thoughtless?”
    “You whisked me out of Boston, so I’ll give
you a pass this time. Where are