Death in the Dolomites by David Wagner (people reading books TXT) 📗

to Rick, who checked it, counted out some euros, and thanked the man. As he walked back to the table he saw a familiar figure standing at a table near the door. He was chuckling as he slipped Cat’s coat over her shoulders.

“What’s funny Rick?”

“That man over there is the mayor of this wonderful town. As you may be able to tell, he is up for re-election.” He watched Grandi work the room like a pro, shaking hands with the tourists but giving more familial hugs to the locals. It reminded him of his father showing the flag at a diplomatic reception. “Wait a second, Cat, I am curious about something.” She pulled out a small mirror from somewhere and checked her makeup while Rick watched Grandi shake hands with Bruno after giving his ex-wife a peck on each cheek.

Cat took Rick’s arm as they walked toward the door. “You know the mayor, Rick?”

“You’re the one who said it’s a small town, Cat.” He pushed open the door to let her pass. Leaving the heat and stuffiness of the bar, the crisp outside air felt good. Rick pulled down his hat and looked up to see Flavio, with Lori Shafer in tow, coming across the snow-covered porch, heads bent against the wind.

“Out for a night on the town, Flavio?”

His friend’s head popped up. “Rick, what a nice surprise.”

“Ciao, Rick,” said Lori. “Hi, Cat. I don’t think you’ve met Flavio Caldaro. Flavio, this is Cat Taylor.”

Flavio pulled off his glove and took Cat’s hand. “It is my pleasure, Caterina. I only wish we were meeting under better circumstances. I am so sorry for your loss.”

“That’s kind of you. And I am so glad to meet Rick’s friend. He has told me about you.”

“Only things that put me in a good light, I hope.”

Rick watched his friend work his magic. He had always been good at making a first impression, especially when it involved beautiful women. Lori held Flavio’s arm tightly.

“You are just leaving?” Flavio asked. “Can we talk you into going back in and joining us for something?”

Rick was about to beg off, but Cat spoke first. “Thank you, Flavio, but I really need some sleep. I’ve had a difficult day.”

“Of course, Caterina. We will do it another time. Right, Lori?”

“Yes, another time,” said Lori. “Cat, I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

Cat shivered, and Rick wondered if it was the cold. “You know, Lori, I think I need to rest in the morning. Make some calls back to the States.”

“Certainly. I’ll be over after lunch.”

Cat glanced at Rick, who was watching the exchange. He wondered who she would be getting out of bed by calling the States in the morning.

“Actually, Lori,” Cat continued, “Rick has been nice enough to invite me to go skiing in the afternoon. He thought it would be good to get my mind off things. So maybe I’ll see you around, say, four?”

“Sure, four o’clock is fine.”

Rick thought he noticed Lori squeezing Flavio’s arm, but it could have been his imagination. Air kisses were exchanged and Rick and Cat descended into the square, now virtually deserted. When he heard the door of the bar close he stopped and put his hands on Cat’s shoulders.

“The two beers may have clouded my memory, Cat, but I don’t recall asking you to join me on the slopes tomorrow.”

She took one of his arms and folded it over her shoulder while she pushed against him. “I said it without thinking, but you don’t mind, do you? I couldn’t face another whole day with that woman.”

Rick had to admit that he wouldn’t mind, as long as it didn’t interfere with assisting Luca in the morning. He kept the arm around Cat’s shoulder as they crossed the plaza, their footprints beginning to fill with snow as soon as they stepped out of them. It was going to be another good night for skiers.

Chapter Nine

After a night of heavy snowfall the morning had arrived with clear skies. The first rays of sun cut between the eastern peaks and exploded into bright prisms on every white surface they hit. A snowy night followed by a sunny morning; nothing could have made the skiers—or the tourist office—more pleased. Skiers in small streams clomped along the town’s sidewalks toward various impianti, eventually converging into rivers of jostling bodies as they neared the lift lines. Everyone knew this would be a perfect day, and they wanted to get the most of it.

Rick, with no skis over his shoulder, walked against the current. The pointed footprints of his boots contrasted with the snub-toed marks of the skiers he passed heading in the opposite direction. If he hadn’t known it already, their faces told him he would be missing an ideal morning on the mountain. But the excitement of the investigation easily made up for it, and the snow would still be there in the afternoon when he took to the mountain with Cat.

He was becoming an accepted member of the station team, despite his quasi-official status with the Polizia dello Stato. The uniformed policeman at the front desk barely looked up when Rick pushed through the front door and made his way to Luca’s office. The door was ajar, and he tapped lightly.

“Avanti.”

“We missed you at breakfast, Luca.” Rick took his usual seat opposite the inspector.

“That’s because you came down at a much later hour. I had to eat early since…” He spread his arms over the papers. “Since I had all this waiting for me. It’s been so long since I had my coffee I am ready for another, but let me first bring you up to speed on what is happening in the investigation.”

“Some developments?”

“You could say that. One of the men who helped search the field yesterday was talking with his wife about it, and she told her cousin, who happens to work in a real estate office.”

“Melograno’s?”

“No, a competing one. Anyway, the cousin is sure that the field where the cap and blood were found