Neighbors and More (High Rise Series) (15 page)

“No, I’ve decided not to let anyone upset me. I’ll see you
at the church. Dante is here.”

“Dante? What? But—”

“Don’t worry, Greg.” She giggled. “He’ll drive me.”

“Oh...”

“I’ll see you there. Bye.” She shut the phone. “That wasn’t
too bad.”

“That was great.” Dante’s big smile applauded her bravado. “Keep
putting him in his place. It’ll become a habit, and he’ll stop bothering you.”

“For a change, Greg was speechless.” She ate her last bite
and took her plate to the sink. Nothing could dim the happiness simmering in
her heart. Last night, Dante had lavished her with kisses and caresses and made
love to her several times.

Following his advice, she’d decided to live in the
present—her precious present with Dante—and ignore the rest of the world and
her nasty neighbors.

“Leave everything to me and get ready.”

He set the dishes in the dishwasher, as she went to her
bedroom to find a pair of black pumps. She opened her safe and chose a pearl
necklace, matching bracelet and earrings she’d inherited from her grandmother. Today
she’d rather not wear a ring.

The thought worried her that if Steve had managed to have
access to her condo key, others could do it too. The locked room where the
building association hid the apartments’ spare keys wasn’t as secure as in the
past. Unfortunately, yesterday she hadn’t been able to call a security company
to install an alarm system. She closed the safe and double-checked that her
heavy coats covered the area, remembering her promise to her dad never to
reveal the secret cache to anyone.

When she joined Dante, a black purse dangling from her
shoulder, her kitchen was spotless. “You know what? I’m keeping you. You’re a godsent
gift in the kitchen.”

He sent her a wolfish gaze. “In the kitchen only? How about
the bedroom?”

Her cheeks flamed. “That too.” His gaze skimmed her from the
tip of her shoes all the way to her head. “Do I pass inspection?” She twitched
her mouth in a grimace. “I mean for this occasion?”

“You’re very classy. Perfect. I’m glad you’re not wearing
Greg’s big rocks.” Dante slipped on his suit jacket.

Dashing
. She bit her lip not to blurt her admiration.

“Now, let’s assume a serious expression. For the crowd,” Dante
added as he closed her door behind them.

Her heart sank. The next hour would be hell with all the
neighbors gathered at the church. Her nice neighbors who wouldn’t hesitate to incriminate
her. But with Dante next to her, the hell with the neighbors, dead or alive.

****

Dante strolled next to Alexa and they crossed the parking
lot toward the Assumption Church. He caught her elbow as she faltered at the
sight of the black hearse already parked at the curb in front of the entrance.
Two men in black suits approached them with deference. “Are you relatives or
close friends?” the tall blond one asked.

More like close enemies
. Dante swallowed the words
and offered a blank smile. “Neighbors.”

“Would you like to wait here and enter behind the coffin
cortege after the family?”

“We’ll sit in the back row. Thank you.” He ushered Alexa into
one of the pews and slid to the right side as far as possible from the aisle.

“I’m glad we came early and chose our seats,” she muttered.
“You won’t see me joining the procession behind the coffin.” In spite of her
make-up, pallor invaded her cheeks. Vulnerable yet holding her own.

“Good thing Julia decided against a wake to save money. But
Ladd told me they will open the coffin for people to pay their respect.”

“Oh dear. Looking at him is like living again the nightmares
of the past few days.” Torment swirled in her eyes, two green pools lined with
long charcoaled eyelashes.

“You can do it. I’ll be next to you.” Dante furtively
clasped her fingers, ice cold in spite of the warm weather. “There won’t be a
burial. Julia has opted for cremation.”

“You guys are already here?” Detective Ladd sat next to Dante.
“Before I forget, I want you to wait for me at the end of the ceremony. I’m
bringing a police officer. The one who’s investigating your complaint. He wants
to talk to you. He’s an expert at collecting evidence.”

Music filled the big church and covered the din emanating
from the entry hall where people gathered.

“They are starting,” Ladd said.

“Here are Julia and Katy.” Pretty in a black suit that
enhanced her blonde complexion, Julia held the hand of a twelve-year old,
dressed in white. “Poor thing, she’s obviously been crying a lot. She’s the
only one I feel sorry for,” Alexa mumbled. “She spends a lot of time at her
grandmother’s. Her parents didn’t seem to pay much attention to her.”

Was Alexa comparing Katy to herself? Dante pressed her hand.

Four men wheeled the casket down the aisle. The scent of
roses wafted from the wreaths adorning the coffin. The congregation stood as
the mourners lined up. Julia and Katy led the cortege, the girl sobbing, and
her mother dabbing the corner of her eyes with a tissue.

A few family members walked by, and then Greg strolled by
himself. Where was Dianna?

Dante surveyed the church. The beautiful Brazilian sat on
the opposite side, in a back row next to the secretary of the building and some
neighbors.  

“I’m going to the front.” Ladd squeezed past them to stride along
the side alley and position himself not far from the altar behind a column.

“I bet he wants to examine the mourners’ behavior as they
approach the casket,” Dante mused. “Look, he’s raising his head and signaling
to someone up on the organ balcony. Wait. I have to check that myself.” Dante
left the pew and walked to the front, then suddenly turned and glanced upward.
Sure enough, a photographer was hiding next to the organ, his camera zooming-in
on the front of the church.

“What’s going on up there?” Alexa asked when he returned to
her side.

“Ladd has a photographer videotaping the ceremony. Smart.”

The music stopped. The pallbearers opened the coffin, and
the priest started the prayers that hardly lasted fifteen minutes. An organist
sang. Julia walked to the open coffin, her arm around Katy.

“Here is Carter.” Dante gestured toward the altar.

“He wasn’t in the procession,” Alexa noted. “But now he’s
going to the casket right after the widow and daughter.”

“I didn’t see him enter. Has he just arrived?” Damn, how had
he missed Carter’s arrival? “I should have stayed in the front to see his
expression when he bids farewell to his good friend Steve.”

“Oh my God, he’s standing next to Julia to receive the
condolences. Imagine his guts.” Next to Dante, Alexa shuddered, her fingers
entwined in her lap.

“Let’s go right away and mingle with the mourners. I’d
rather we’re not the last people to salute the departed.” And be scrutinized by
Ladd and each person present.

In fact on the right side of the casket, Julia was busy
shaking hands and receiving hugs. Dante kept close tabs on Alexa. Her chin
straight, she projected a calm demeanor, although her lips trembled as she
glanced at the body. “I’m with you,” Dante murmured. She shot him a sideways
look and subtly nodded.

They paused at the coffin, crossed themselves, and continued
toward the widow and her daughter.

“My condolences,” Alexa muttered as she nodded to Julia, and
immediately kissed Katy on the cheek. They ignored Carter and the rest of the
official line, and stood next to Ladd.

“Any interesting observations?” Dante asked.

“Not until I look at the video, my cop took.” Ladd raised
his chin to the balcony at the rear of the church where the man with the video
camera stood.

Dante arched an eyebrow. “I hope you’ll share your findings.”
With a gentle touch on Alexa’s arm, he signaled they should go back to their
places.

“Wait for me outside,” Ladd muttered. “I’ll follow you with Officer
Raines.”

Just at that moment, Dante’s phone vibrated against his
side. He marched toward the hall of the church and opened his cell to read a
text message from his colleague. “
Got news for you. Call me, Jay
.”

Chapter Eleven

Thunder roared, and dark clouds greeted them outside the
church. “Perfect weather for a funeral,” Alexa snorted.

“Hurry before we get soaked.” Dante clasped her hand, and they
rushed through the parking lot. As they left the church grounds, the rain
pelted the car and obscured their vision. A police car whizzed by. The
passenger window lowered. “We’ll clear the traffic. Follow us,” Detective Ladd
said.

“What the heck. We’ll speed after them.” Dante chuckled and
pressed on the accelerator.

Alexa shivered. “I used to love my condo so much. Now it gives
me the creeps.”

He frowned, and glanced at her, then he grinned, a big silly
grin. “I know how to erase your willies. Imagine your apartment, your splendid
room with a large comfortable bed. Can you see it?”

“Of course. So?”

“In your bed, there are two people, rolling on your satin
sheets. You, cuddled in my arms. Me, kissing you, caressing you, holding you
and—”

“Enough.” A blush heated her cheeks, and she squirmed.

“Can you see the picture of—”

“Yes. Yes, I see it too well.” One more word, one more vivid
description, and she’d have to fan herself.

He chuckled. “Me too. Visualize this picture every time you
think about your apartment.”

“No need to say more, or I’ll ask you to stop the car and
kiss me.”

“My pleasure, but our friendly detective won’t appreciate
the delay.”

With a blaring siren clearing the way, they covered the
distance to the Blue Waves in half the time they took to get to the church.
They met with the detective and his officer in the lobby.

“Ms. Alexa, this is Officer Raines. He studied your report
about the attack and started an investigation. He wants to ask you a few
questions.”

The tall blond police officer shook their hands. His kind,
understanding smile reassured her that he’d do his best to help her. In spite
of their cheerful banter in the elevator, a lousy feeling of doom crept along
Alexa’s spine as they stopped at her floor. She handed her key to Dante. He
opened the door and let her pass.

“Oh my God.” She froze in her tracks. Her heart sank at the
sight welcoming her.

“What happened?” The three men’s voices echoed in the
silence.

Shreds of glass carpeted the marble tiles of the floor. Her
valuable Chinese centerpiece lay broken in a hundred pieces. Pushed by the wind
blowing from the balcony, the Venetian-glass vase usually decorating the
cocktail table rolled on the Persian rug.

“Ms. Alexa, did you forget to close the sliding door to the
balcony?” Detective Ladd grumbled with the voice of a stern teacher.

“No.” She shook her head, stunned by the disaster ravaging
her own home. Wrapping her arms around herself, she prayed not to collapse. Had
someone jumped onto her balcony? On the twenty-first floor? No way. Staring at
the rolling vase, Alexa couldn’t take a step forward if her life depended on
it.

“Everything was closed and locked,” Dante answered with a
scowl at the insensitive detective. “I verified this particular door myself.”

 “A break-in?” Ladd examined the doorknob.

“Someone entered her condo and opened the balcony. Someone
who has a key,” Dante suggested.

“The same way Steve had a key when he entered my condo
uninvited,” Alexa blurted.

 “Officer Raines, we take a look around,” Ladd called to his
young colleague. Both pulled their guns.

The officer gave her a sympathetic look. “Ms. Alexa, please step
out of the apartment. You too, Mr. Cantari. We need to check it, make sure no
one is hidden, and dust for fingerprints.”

Sending a look of dismay at her living room, Alexa spun
around and left her apartment, without protest. Her cherished condo was now a
violated place. By who? And for what reason? Dante followed on her steps as
quietly.

Silence hovered over them as they concentrated on their
thoughts. On and off, the sound of cabinets opening and closing reached them. As
she paced the length of the twenty-first floor corridor, her companion leaned against
the wall facing the elevator, a deep scowl wrinkling his forehead. From time to
time, he checked his watch, glanced at the closed door, and cursed.

No gunshots erupted. No heavy thump or loud bellow. Her
heart heavy, Alexa sighed.

Raines reappeared after an eternity. “We cleared the place. No
one is here. You can come back, but watch where you step.”

The detective exited from her bedroom and walked toward her.
“Ms. Alexa, your bedroom has been ransacked. But you can go in now.”

Alexa didn’t wait to rush into her room. Dante had already
entered behind Ladd. The mess of the room rooted her at the door. “Oh my God.
They threw everything on the floor.”

The drawers were wide-open, her clothes thrown in heaps, on
the bed, the tiles, and the rug. The dressing closet offered the same chaos. Raines
swiped a flashlight on every corner and every wall, and Detective Ladd took
pictures of the mess.

Her stomach clenched. Had they found the secret safe? The
officers would have said something if the safe had been opened. Wouldn’t they?

“Ms. Alexa, go through your things and see if something is
missing,” Ladd said with a knowing look. “Anything of value.”

“Yes.” Unable to withstand the suspense, she gathered the
garments from the floor and spread them on the bed. Moving to the closet, she
collected some discarded clothes. Her fur jacket lay on the floor but the other
heavy coats still hung. With a sigh of relief, she pushed aside her gray coat
and examined the hot-pink spot. As far as she could tell, the burglars—or whoever
had been in her condo— hadn’t discovered her safe. Of course, she’d have to
open the safe and reassure herself her jewelry was still there.