The Florentine Cypher: Kate Benedict Paranormal Mystery #3 (The Kate Benedict Series) by Carrie Bedford Read Free Book Online Page B

right?”
    “Yeah. He nabbed my bag and drove off.” I didn’t say anything about him hitting the taxi driver.
    Dad shook his head. “It’s sad that we have to be so careful. You think someone’s trying to help you, but they’re not. I’ve heard of this happening before.” He peered at me. “Sure you’re okay?”
    “Absolutely, I promise. I was upset and then I was angry. The police don’t think I’ll ever see my bag again.”
    I decided not to mention the book or my increasing suspicion that the robber had targeted me. Had he known the book was in my bag?
    “So what’s the business thing you have to deal with?” Dad asked. He poured tea and handed me the plate of biscotti. They were pistachio, my favorite.
    I’d considered this on the flight over and now settled for parts of the truth. “Ethan Hamilton needed to get some papers to his sister in a hurry so I volunteered. It gave me a chance to see you.”
    “His father’s accident was a terrible thing,” Dad said. “I sent my condolences. I haven’t seen Ethan for years, not since he went to the States. How’s he doing?”
    “He’s doing fine. Considering.”
    “I saw Claire recently though. When I was buying vegetables at the Mercato Centrale. She recognized me and came over to say hello. Says she’s got a job in the restoration department at the Uffizi.” He broke a piece off his biscotti. “Didn’t you two have a falling out once?”
    “Hmm.”
    I didn’t really want to rehash all that. Claire and I had comported ourselves well at her father’s funeral, both of us willing to forget our old quarrel.
    “It was a silly teenage girl drama,” I said. “Perhaps we can take Bianca for a walk?”
    The dog’s eyes flew open when I uttered the magic word. Dad must have been training her in English. It was good to stroll through the narrow streets of the village, with its white stuccoed houses and red tile roofs. I caught up with the local news and chatted to neighbors, who all made a fuss of Bianca. When we got home, we made a mess in the big kitchen, chopping vegetables for salad and cooking risotto
ai frutti de mare
.
    Just as we sat down to dinner, Claire called. It sounded as though she was in a restaurant or at a party. Glasses clinked over a loud hum of voices. I was relieved to hear from her and happy when she said she’d be home the next morning. She gave me her address.
    “What is it that Ethan gave you to bring over?” she asked.
    “A book…” I trailed off. I didn’t have the book any longer. “Some papers,” I said, deciding not to go into it on the phone. “Has Ethan been in touch with you?”
    “Not since, let me think, Thursday. We spoke then. Why?”
    “He told me he’s coming to Florence, but I don’t know when.”
    “Oh, okay. I’m sure he’ll call before he turns up.”
    It worried me that Ethan hadn’t contacted her, but she didn’t seem very curious about why he was coming to see her. We agreed to meet at her flat in the city center at eleven in the morning. After that, I’d get a shuttle to Pisa for my afternoon flight to London.
    Over dinner, Dad asked me about my job and how things were with Josh. He liked my boyfriend, which made family get-togethers easy.
    “I’m glad you’re back at work,” he said. “I was worried when you took that time off. Your boss isn’t the most understanding type.”
    “It’s going well,” I assured him. “Alan’s being quite decent, and I’ve been promoted to the sustainable design team. We have a major proposal out to a company called Randall Development. It’s my dream come true, Dad, to collaborate on a project with a developer who’s as highly regarded as Randall is. So keep your fingers crossed that they accept our proposal. We should hear in a week or two.”
    Dad patted my hand. “Your mum would have been proud of you, sweetheart. I know I am.”
    For a few seconds, my voice caught in my throat. I missed Mum every day but, wanting to avoid upsetting