The Italian Inheritance (8 page)

“Will she agree to that?”

“She’ll have to. Otherwise I can’t confirm she really is Giovanni’s daughter. No DNA, no money. It’s as simple as that.” He sipped his espresso thoughtfully. “If she doesn’t want to do the test, she’s got something to hide.”

“It will be a good way to find out,” agreed
Rico
. “Perhaps you should suggest that now and get the ball rolling.”

“I’m not going to waste everyone’s time until you’ve given her the all-clear. The last four girls we
re eliminated after basic check
s remember? Let’s not jump the gun here.”

“Up to you my friend. What’s this mystery girl
’
s name, anyway?”

“Anna. Anna Crawford.”

“
Anna?
Mm...
A very Italian name for an English girl.”

Rafael grimaced. “Don’t start,
Rico
. I’m not in the mood.”

The smiled faded from
Rico
’s face. “Fill me in on the shelter, Rafa. Did you have much luck
stopping that bastard
?”

“No, I only managed to get a week’s respite. Mancini must have the district attorney in his pocket. There’s no other explanation.”

“I didn’t pick anything up,” shrugged
Rico
. “But I agree. It seems like the only
answer
”

At Rafael’s taut expression he asked, “What are you going to do about Streetwise now?”

“Look for new premises, of course. What else can I do?
In a week the shelter will be bulldozed to smithereens.” He ran a hand through his hair. “It’s the kids I’m worried about. Finding a new place, setting it up and getting everything ready will take months, which means they’ll be homeless for months.” He gave Rico a sideways glance, “And that means trouble for a lot of them. School work suffers. Jobs get lost.” He shook his head. “You know what it’s like for many of these kids, you’ve been there. We both have.”

Rico frowned. “What about a temporary shelter?”

“I thought of that, but where? You want to do it at your place?”

Rico grimaced. “I’ll look around, see what I can find.”

“Yeah, thanks.”
The best he could hope for was to make a deal with one of the other street shelters in the district.
Even then, it would be impossible to get the word out to everyone.

“What happens to the staff, while all this is going on? Don’t you have a teacher there, as well?”

“A house mother, a cook, a teacher, an admin assistant, handyman... they all have to be paid. I’m not going to risk losing them.”

“What a bastard,” muttered Rico, with uncharacteristic viciousness. “If only he knew what an effect his building work is having.”

“Oh, he knows,”
confirmed Rafael
. “I’m sure he did his homework before he moved his crew in. He just doesn’t care. What do a few homeless kids matter when there
are
millions to be made?”

“Pity
he didn’t give you more warning
.” Rico looked very concerned
. “The bastard sprung it on you with the finesse of a steam train.”

“Less time for me to react,” spat R
afael bitterly. “And it worked. Now I’m scrambling... just like he wanted.”

They finished their coffees and said goodbye. Rafael got back on the phone and rang up some old contacts in the real estate business. His mind was focused. He needed to find premises for the shelter and he had to do it as soon as possible.

It was almost five when
a decidedly weary Rafael
clambered on board his motorboat
and headed for home
. The cabin cruiser had a powerful motor and made short work of the forty minute crossing to Capri.

Rafael was hungry. He debated popping in at his local tratoria.
It had been a long day and a plate full of pasta and a cold beer would go down really well.

Should he ring
Christina
?
She was always available for him
whenever
he needed her.
He liked that she didn’t complain about their casual alliance or push for something deeper, more committed. He suspected that she’d like something more, but she knew it was never going to happen. As she’d once said to him, it was better to have him this way,
than
not at all. That suited him
down to the ground
.

But
strangely enough,
tonight he
wasn’t
in the mood for Christina.

His thoughts turned to the tall, willowy blond that had
a
woken him early that morning. What had she been up to, breaking into his premises like that? Was it really to see if Giovanni lived in the villa or was there more to her story that met the eye?

A vision of her soft, slender body in that figure hugging black outfit came to mind. Rafael inhaled sharply. She was a beautiful woman, there was no denying it. He was suddenly hit by an urge to see her again. Sure she was coming to his office in the morning, but what was she doing tonight? Would she be alone at the hotel?

A sneaky thought popped into his head. What if he went to see her? Invited her out for dinner.
She probably didn’t know anyone in Capri.
They could engage in some light conversation, drink a little vino
..
. Her guard would be down. Maybe she’d divulge something about herself that would make his job of verifying her easier. Some personal
titbit
of information that would rule her out
as a legitimate candidate
.
S
he could
let something slip that would incriminate her
, show her up as a fake and a fraud
.

The more he thought about it, the better the idea seemed.
Before he knew it he was heading down the rambling cobblestoned pathway to the Bella Vista Hotel.

It was a warm evening, typical of mid-summer
on the continent
and the air was fragrant with the pungent scent of hibiscus flowers and frangipani.
It was an evening to be enjoyed with good food, wine and the
company of a beautiful woman—e
ven if his motives weren’
t entirely
honest. 

Anna was perched at the garden bar, sipping a glass of white wine and admiring the sunset when Rafael came in. She started when she saw him. “What are you doing here?”

“I was in the neighbourhood and I thought you might like to
go out
to dinner?”

Anna
stared at him. He looked more rugged than when he’d pounced on her first thing this morning, thanks to a generous smattering of five o’ clock shadow around his jaw. She liked it. It made him seem less smooth, less controlling somehow. More human.

“You haven’t eaten yet, have you?”

She
didn’t know what to say. “Er...no, I haven’t eaten yet. But why would you want to take me out for dinner?
You don’t even like me.”

Blunt, sure, but it was the truth. What was he doing here? They had a scheduled appointment tomorrow morning. Couldn’t he wait until then to harangue her about her background?
She searched his face for a clue
,
but the
dark brown eyes just crinkled at the corners.

“I thought it was the charitable thing to do,” he replied, a half-smile teasing his lips. “You are new in town and I am the only person you know in Capri, right?”

Anna thought for a minute. Perhaps it was time to make amends.
After
his suspicions about her identity and her subsequent stunt this morning there was plenty of distrust between them. Maybe they could finally set the record straight.
At the very least, she might learn something about her father.
Rafael had obviously known him pretty well. Well enough to give her some clues as to his personality and his life here on Capri.

“Okay, dinner would be lovely,” she conceded, offering a small smile in return. “We didn’t get off to a very good start, did we?”

“No. You are right about that,” he chortled. “I know a local tratoria which is run by a friend of mine. Luigi makes the best pasta on the island. How does that sound?”

“It sounds perfect.”

Anna stood up and pulled her shawl around her shoulders. She was wearing
a beautiful floral summer dress that she’d bought in London at the beginning of the season. It flattered her in all the right places. Being cut above the knee it broke her long, tall silhouette and the floral pattern made her seem less of a bean pole. This was the first chance she’d had to wear it.

She stood up, careful to make sure the dress didn’t’ ride up in the process. Rafael gazed not-so-surreptitiously at her bare legs while she finished her wine
.
She wasn’t so sure she liked his attention, although admittedly he was being rather gentlemanly tonight.
What a change from his previous
uptight
attitude.

“Right, I’m ready when you are,” she told him, picking her clutch bag off the bar and giving the forlorn bartender a brief wave.

The tratoria was situated in a quiet street off the main tourist routes. As her heels clicked on the pavement, Anna thought
once again
how different Rafael seemed tonight. Gone was the cold, cynical demeanour and suspicious frown. Instead, his broad shoulders looked more relaxed and he walked with a casual gait, like they had all night to get to their destination.
Even his clothing
were
different. Instead of the power suit from the day before, he wore a white shirt which showed off his dark Mediterranean tan, and a pair of jeans.
Even that looked glamorous on him.

Anna felt like she should say something, but
she didn’t know what and
he didn’t seem
perturbed by
the silence.
So she gave up thinking what to say and thought instead of her behaviour over the last two days. She’d been in turns pushy, frantic, angry and desperate. Not to forget foolish! Her stunt this morning was embarrassing in
its
stupidity. But it did have one positive outcome.
S
he knew about her father’s death now. If she hadn’t climbed over that wall this mo
rning, she’d still be ignorantly trying to track him down.

At least now she could be herself. She didn’t need to solicit his help to find Giovanni anymore.

“This is it,” said Rafael, coming to a stop outside a rustic looking restaurant with a low wooden
entrance
and ‘Luigi’s’ printed in red neon lighting above the door. 

The sound of laugher and incessant chatter radiated from inside. Rafael opened the door and stood back to let Anna enter.

The restaurant was warm and inviting. Tables were filled with laughing families or animated groups of men, eating pizza or slurping up spaghetti. Everyone seemed to be having
a good time. No sooner had they walked in when a short, stocky man in a dirty apron came rushing forwards to greet them.

“Rafael, bona serra,” he enthused and then turned to Anna.

“
Signorina
, welcome to my tavern.” He took her hand and kissed it. Anna gave him one of her best smiles causing him to blush and stammer, “Please come this way. I give you my
personal
table.”

Rafael went to pull out Anna’s chair, but Luigi beat him to it.

“Luigi is quite taken with you, I think,” teased Rafael as they sat down.

“He’s very sweet.” Anna looked around her. Luigi had seated them in front of a big archway that opened up into a picturesque courtyard filled with even more tables and laughing guests.

“Gosh, Luigi is a busy man,” commented Anna, as waiters rushed from
table
to table carrying large plates piled high with food, decanters of wine and jugs of water.

“
Its
simple fare, but it’s good and the service is fast.”

“The atmosphere is great in here
,
too,” Anna remarked as the table next to them burst into hysterical laughter. “Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves immensely.”

“Ah, Italians always talk loudly and laugh even louder,” remarked Rafael with a grin. “We like to enjoy ourselves.”

“I can see that.
”

There was a pause. “I
s that why you brought me here tonight?”
Anna asked softly
. “So we could enjoy ourselves? Or was there another reason?”

“Purely enjoyment,” lied Rafael, signalling for the waiter. “You
must
eat and you may as well see something of Capri while you’re here.”

A sweating waiter appeared. Anna’s mouth watered as Rafael ordered a carafe of wine for them to share and a starter of Parma ham, olives and a small salad.