Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 96641 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 483(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 322(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96641 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 483(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 322(@300wpm)
She waved her hand in the air. “Don’t you be silly. We all know you didn’t kill your father and that twit. You’ll be cleared in no time. Anna is the best attorney around, you know.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Nick said wisely.
“Well, then, you go ahead and propose. Valentine’s Day is Thursday,” she said.
Nick nodded. “I do know that.” He began to edge toward the door. “Anna, since your grandma is here, you must have an appointment. I hope you ladies have a lovely day.”
She frowned. “Nick, I would like to know your plans. Perhaps I can help.”
“Oh, no,” he said quickly. “I’d very much like to surprise Tessa.” He pushed Ricky toward Nonna. “Ricky was just talking about asking Donna out. Wouldn’t that be nice?”
Nonna lit up like a Christmas tree. “Nice? Why, Ricky, you good Italian boy, you! I think you’d be lovely for our Donna. It appears you’ve been working out, and aren’t you the tallest of all the Basanellis?”
Ricky gulped but didn’t have the guts to give his brother a dirty look. “Yes, ma’am,” he said, edging toward his brother with his smile in place and his gaze averted from the dangerous purse.
Dominick grinned. “Mrs. Albertini, it was lovely to see you today. I hope you have a nice time with your granddaughter.”
“You’re a sweet one, Dominick Basanelli,” she said, patting his arm. “I have several nieces I think you should meet.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, his eyes wide. “It is so kind of you to think of me, and I know my mother would appreciate any advice you may give. However, why don’t we get Nick and Tessa engaged first?”
Nonna turned back toward Nick, who had made it to the door. “Oh, that’s right. We should start there.”
Nick nodded and shuffled out of sight. I could almost hear his sigh of relief. His brothers followed.
Nonna clapped her hands together and focused on me. “All right. Are you ready to solve this case and find this mutinous Cupid who dared to shoot you with an arrow?”
Chapter 35
I took a deep breath. “I’d love to solve this case, but chances are, the main Cupid has left town.” I hoped.
Nonna appeared to be every inch the gumshoe in her beige trench coat, lace-up brown boots, and scarf over her salt-and-pepper hair. The sunglasses had been tucked into her right pocket. “Did you bring your trench coat?”
“My gray coat,” I said.
She sighed. “I brought you glasses. We really do have to get going, Anna. Daylight is wasting, and I’d like to get this taken care of before lunch.” She turned and led the way down the hall, pausing at the reception area. “Oliver, I hope you have a wonderful day.”
Oliver stood and beamed. “You, too, Nonna.”
Apparently, she had given him the instruction to call her Nonna.
He cleared his throat. “I’ll order in lunch today, Anna. I know I’ve been buying a lot of protein lately and thought you might want to choose.”
It also seemed as if Nonna had reminded him to use his manners. “How about something from Margo’s Thai?”
“You’ve got it. I’ll have it here by noon,” he said, half-bowing to my grandmother. “Would you like to join us?”
She patted his muscled arm. “You’re a sweetie, Oliver, but I’ll need to work through the lunch hour. We don’t have much time to solve this case, you know.”
Bud sighed, not so quietly.
She moved toward him, and he hastily opened the door. “I’m so glad you’ll be accompanying us today, Officer Orlov.” She gifted him with a dazzling smile.
He shuffled his feet. “Of course. I’m more than happy to help out.”
How did she do that? I followed them out of the office and into the parking area behind the building.
Nonna easily won the argument with Bud, and we took her Cadillac to the Sunnyside Retirement Community, with Bud driving and Nonna in the passenger side seat, her glasses in place.
I sat in the back, secretly gleeful that she had won, and we weren’t arriving in a marked police car. Bud had given in gracefully because he didn’t have a choice. There was no way he was going to haul my grandmother into a police car.
“There you go. Turn left,” she said. We drove by Thelma and Georgiana’s duplex, and I noted that their sidewalk hadn’t been shoveled in quite a while. They weren’t due home for about a week, but I made a mental note to get that ice and snow off with some de-icer before they returned.
When they traveled, they sometimes hired me to water their plants, yet they hadn’t done so this time. I may have killed one or two last time, so I kind of understood.
“Another left,” Nonna said. Bud obliged. “There you go. That little house right there.” Nonna pointed to a cute ranch-style home painted a light purple with bright white trim. I blinked. That purple was something. It was kind of pretty, considering it was close to Valentine’s Day.