Northern Moonlight (23 page)

“The fact that one of the suspects is a family member makes the motive even more difficult to pinpoint, yet the suspect is more obvious.  Everyone knows that family members are the first ones to be questioned in homicide mysteries.  Was there some kind of sibling rivalry between the uncle and Gio’s dad?” Cara wondered aloud as Sabrina shrugged, pouring ingredients into a measuring cup.  Cara went on, “Then there’s the wild card in all of this and that’s Cooper.  As a former staff member of the fire department, the reason for his involvement is even more foggy.” 

“It’s too early in the morning for this, Cara.  Let’s just have some breakfast and let go of the investigation for a while,” Sabrina said, beginning to understand how Gio must have felt those times when she pushed the topic.

“OK, fine with me.” Cara said.  “Do you have any maple syrup?” She joked, bursting into laughter on the last two words.

In spite of her troubled mood, Sabrina laughed along with her sister and quipped, “If there’s anything I’ve got around here, it’s maple syrup!” 

The sisters were soaking up their pancakes with the last bit of melty butter and sticky syrup when the phone rang.  Sabrina answered it and moments later gestured for Cara to come to the phone. 

“Is it Max?” Cara asked, putting her head down on the table.

“Who else would be calling you here?” Sabrina asked testily, shoving the phone at her sister. 

While they talked, Sabrina cleared away the plates and refilled Softy’s bowl with cool tap water.  A few moments later, Cara set down the receiver as Sabrina commented, “That was fast.”

“Well, it didn’t take long for him to make his move.  We’re going out to dinner tonight.  I asked him if he wanted you and Gio to come along, but he said that Gio was working.” The mention of Gio made Sabrina feel feverish and set her heart to palpitating, but she said nothing.

Wringing her wet hands with a dishtowel, Sabrina advised, “Be nice to him, Cara.  Even if you don’t like him, at least have a pleasant dinner.  And don’t drink too much wine.”

“You’re very insulting, Sabrina.  I don’t need to a how-to course in having dinner with a man!” 

With that, Cara stormed into the living room and turned on the television.  The sisters spent the rest of the day without communicating, and when evening descended, Max was at the door with a bouquet of daffodils for Cara, claiming that they reminded him of her yellow dress.  Cara accepted the flowers graciously and handed them to Sabrina to put in water.  Then, the two were off, leaving Sabrina to brainstorm about how to spend her Saturday night.  Gio still hadn’t called, and she alternated between irritated and concerned based on what had transpired at the gallery. 

Daring to venture out on her own, Sabrina went to see a double feature at the local movie theater.  She bought an obscenely large tub of buttered popcorn and munched through the movies, ever mindful that couples surrounded her.  By the time the movies finished, she felt numb from having spent four hours in front of a screen and drove home yawning.

Walking through the front door, she expected to see Cara curled up on the couch, waiting to tell her about her date with Max.  Instead, the house was empty, and Sabrina frowned, looking at the clock and seeing that it was after midnight.  In Sabrina’s estimation, Max should have already brought her sister home.  It was inappropriate for him to keep her out so late on a first date, especially when she was staying with family.  After an hour of checking by the window and tapping her fingernails on the coffee table, Sabrina was becoming very worried.

The only person she could contact was Gio, as she did not have Max’s phone number.  Swallowing notions of pride that pleaded with her not to call, she reached for the receiver and dialed Gio’s number.  He answered on the first ring, sounding wide awake, likely having just returned from his shift.

“Gio, it’s Sabrina.” She said with as much friendliness as she could muster.

“Hi, is everything alright?” Gio replied.

“I’m fine, but I’m a little worried about my sister.  Max had a dinner date with her and hasn’t brought her home yet.” Sabrina said and was promptly outraged when she detected low, breathy laughter from the other line.  “Is there something amusing about what I just said?”

“Slightly, yes.  You’re acting like a mother hen.  There’s no need to worry about Cara.  She’s not a teenager.  I would consider the lengthiness of their date as a sign that they’re getting along.”

“And I would consider it a sign that Max is disrespectful of boundaries and propriety!” Sabrina screeched.

“Propriety? Calm down, Primrose.  I can see that night isn’t your best time.  Perhaps there’s a full moon?” More laughter could be heard from his end.

“I’m sorry I called you.  You’re ridiculous.” Sabrina said, shaking her head.

“Primrose, can’t you ever laugh at yourself?  You’re so much fun to tease, it’s too bad you don’t enjoy it as much as I do.” Gio said good-humoredly.  When Sabrina didn’t respond, he said, more seriously, “I’m glad you called in any case.  I just got in from work and was going to hit the sack since I’m on the schedule tomorrow as well.  Could I see you Monday, after your sister goes back to New York?”

Sabrina thought about his offer and sighed as she gave her reply.  “Yes, Gio, you can see me Monday.”

“Great.  I’ll be there around six.  Wear whatever you like and bring a picnic basket.  You pack the food, I’ll provide the champagne.  And as for Max, I’ve known him since high school, and your sister is perfectly safe with him.  I can’t vouch for what they’re doing, or not doing, but I can tell you that he wouldn’t harm her.  Goodnight.  Sweet dreams, Primrose.”

The telephone clicked, leaving Sabrina listening to an abrasive dial tone.  Maddened by his irreverence, Sabrina slammed the phone down and jumped off the couch.  As she was walking towards the stairs, the door swung open and in floated Cara looking radiant.

“Cara, where have you been?  I was worried about you.” Sabrina walked over to her sister and swatted her on the arm.

“I know it’s late, and you probably didn’t expect me to be out for so long.  But Max and I had a wonderful time.  He took me to a French restaurant.  It was so romantic, it even had a piano player.  And we ordered four courses! Oh, the food was sumptuous.  And conversation flowed so easily. We have so much in common.” Cara gushed as Sabrina stood there, trying to reserve her opinion.  “After we stuffed ourselves, he took me to the waterfront, and we walked for hours along Lake Champlain.  We didn’t even realize what time it was.  Then, my feet started to hurt from all the walking.” She explained, pointing to her high-heeled shoes.  “So we went back to his car and he drove me home.”

“I’m glad you had such a good time, but he does know you’re going back to New York tomorrow night, doesn’t he?”

“Yes,” Cara said dreamily, “and he’s coming to visit me next weekend!”

“But I thought you couldn’t stand the man!  Just last night you called him an oaf!” Sabrina argued.

“I did say that, didn’t I?  That just goes to show how dangerous snap judgments are.  Max is wonderful.”

“Don’t you think it’s a little too soon after Bruce to become involved with another man?” Sabrina persisted, though she sensed her opinion meant nothing to Cara.

“There are no rules in love, Sabrina.  And I’m not saying I’m in love…yet.  But I definitely want to see Max again.  Now, if you’ve asked all the questions on your mental checklist, I would like to get some sleep…and on a bed tonight, not a couch!” Cara raised her voice deliberately.

“The guest room is prepared for you upstairs.  I’m exhausted too, so good night.  See you in the morning.”  Turning out the lights, Sabrina climbed the stairs for bed. 

In the morning, the sisters awoke late and decided to go out for brunch.  When Cara left before sundown, Sabrina was relieved to have her house to herself again.  The weekend had brought with it many surprises, and she was not sure if she liked any of them.

Chapter 12

Monday was an unlikely night for a romantic picnic, but
the sultriness of the spring air made
fireworks ripple
through
Sabrina’s
system
as she waited for Gio to arrive.
 
She shuddered excitedly
thinking how Gio would react when he saw her in her sundress.
 
The cotton frock was a cool shade of blue,
a
turquoise
hue
evocative of the sky.
 
The hue complemented her dark hair and eyes, contrasting strikingly with her pal
e skin
.
 
The dress
plunged scandalously into the valley of her cleavage.
 
The hem was cut several inches above the knee, and dipped even lower in the back.
 
High-heeled white sandals and a black tortoiseshell clip to hold her gleaming cascade of wavy hair com
pleted the outfit.
 
S
he applied one last touch of mauve lipstick and jumped as the doorbell rang.
 
Straightening her posture to a confident stance, Sabrina glided down the staircase and opened the door.

Standing there, with a single white rose, was the man who haunted her every waking moment and
nighttime
dream, the epitome of manhoo
d with his raven hair freshly ch
opped into a near crew cut, the musky smell of aftershave emanating from his handsome face, and his eyes alight with instantly piqued desire at the sight of her in the revealing blue dress.
 
He swallowed visibly as he drank in the creaminess of her skin, wanting to forgo the picnic and carry her upstairs to her bedroom for a vigorous night of lovemaking.
 
Gio tried to suppress that impulse as he looked for a long mom
ent at her glowing face.  H
er deep brown gaze focused on the flower he still held between his fingers.

“You look so beautiful.” He said, handing her the rose.

“Thank you,” she accepted the flower, lowering her eyes demurely, still absurdly affected by his compliments to the point of a crimson blush.
 
 

“Uh, are you ready to go?” He asked awkwardly.
 
Her eyes sparkled with amusement as she realized that her appearance made him not only enchanted, but
nervous
.