Free Bosom Bodies (Mina's Adventures) by Maria Grazia Swan Page A

good.”
    “It’s Diego, the cook Diego.”
    “The who? What? Oh, got it. A nice man, you can trust him.”
    “How do you know that?”
    “It’s a long story.”
    “I have all night.”
    “You’re sounding like Paola again. Got to go. Don’t call that phone number. And trust Diego. Listen to me, and you may get your car back sooner. Goodnight.” He hung up.
    She turned her head, phone in her hand, and saw Diego leaning against her open bedroom door. “How long have you been standing there?”
    “Not long enough, I’d say.” He had that abstract smile that didn’t match the piercing look in his eyes, and Mina felt like he was mentally gulping down every detail in her room, every detail in her life.
    “How do you know DeFiore ?”
    “Why do you always call him by his last name?”
    How clever, answer a question with a question.
    “It’s very Italian, easy to pronounce, and it means ‘of the flower.’ Why am I telling you this? You speak Italian.”
    Diego shrugged . “ O h, I don’t speak that well, just the basics.” This time his smile was unabridged.
    Mina remembered she was in her robe, sitting on her bed. She felt … exposed. She dropped the phone, stood and said, “How about a glass of Prosecco?”
    “So that’s what you were working so hard to uncork.”
    He had been watching her . How long?
    G oose bumps cre pt over her arms. DeFiore ’s remark , ‘ a nice man, you can trust him,’ lost some of its persuasion. Might as well go with the flow, offer him a drink and send him home through the front door.
    They sat sipping wine. Diego read the label, Gambellara, province of Vicenza. “Is that where you are from? Vicenza?”
    “The province, yes, but I’m from a smaller town . Y ou probably never heard of it.”
    “Try me.”
    “Why? You know Vicenza?”
    “The birthplace of Palladio? And Caserma Ederle, home of the 173 r d Airborne Brigade in Vicenza?” His expression changed, his eyes focused on something Mina couldn’t see.
    “When did you move in?” S he wanted to lift the mood. The man was more temperamental than she was. Not an easy feat.
    “Must have been right after your magic evening with Angelina.” His sarcasm was back with a vengeance. “Anyway, I didn’t see your car in the assigned parking, so, yes, must have been Tuesday .”
    He knew about Angelina? And where she parked her car?
    Mina had to keep talking. The silence made her feel awkward. “Did you get a new job?”
    “No, I’m spending my kid’s inheritance.”
    “You have kids?”
    Diego laughed, a hearty laugh but not loud, sort of intimate . “No . N o kids, no wife, just wanted to see your expression. Totally worth it.” He patted her knee . H is hand didn’t linger, but Mina felt a surge and hoped he didn’t notice.
    “How come I didn’t see movers, some kind of commotion?”
    “Maybe you were still under the influence. I don’t know. I’m renting the condo furnished and I travel light.” He glanced at the stacked boxes against her walls.
    He knew about Angelina and the drug. What else did he know? Who told him? Had he been speaking to DeFiore ? What if he were a spy? If so , he was in the wrong place, she thought. Nothing to spy on t here.
    “Are you sure Angelina didn’t take anything from you? Why would she go through all that set up if she wasn’t looking for something?”
    “I had a hundred dollars cash in my purse. She didn’t take it. She can’t wear most of my clothes or shoes . T hey won’t fit her. What else is there? My old TV?”
    “You know that saying , one man’s trash is another man’s treasure?”
    “I didn’t have any trash either.” Accusing her of bad housekeeping? None of his business. “The only remarkable thing is the scent of perfume.”
    “You mean in your bedroom?”
    “See, you noticed too. It was my mother’s perfume. I packed it when I moved, and I haven’t opened the box yet.”
    “Maybe Angelina did. Let’s go check.”
    “What? I don’t know