Worth Dying For (29 page)

“You think it’s suicide?” Edwards asked.

“It looks that way right now. From what I’m guessing, he put the rope around his neck and just stepped over the rail. So far, we’ve found no evidence to suggest otherwise.”

The three of them stepped back to allow the Medical Examiner Technicians into the room.

“Was there a note or any indication that he might have been depressed?” Laura asked as she watched the technicians set a ladder up in preparation of cutting the body down.

Wilks flipped through his notepad. “Nope, nothing at all. I talked to a couple of his neighbors, and they seemed genuinely shocked. The Super downstairs actually referred to Mancini as a very nice young man, if you can believe that one.”

“We got a T.O.D. yet?” Edwards asked.

“The ME put time of death around twenty four hours ago.”

Edwards looked around the room “Who found him?”

Wilks glanced at his notes. “His sister.”
 

Laura shook her head. “That must have been awful for her.”

Wilks nodded. “Yeah, she’s taking it pretty hard. Said she dropped by when he didn’t show up to meet her for breakfast this morning. She tried calling, but kept getting his answering machine. She said it wasn’t like him not to call and decided to check in on him.” He turned to Edwards. “This isn’t the only reason I called you. Seeing that Mancini here is tied to Anthony Castrucci, I thought you’d also be interested to know that we pulled a badly decomposed body out of the bay a couple months ago.” He flipped back through his note pad. “The woman had been strangled. Her name was Charlene Sommers.”

Edwards and Laura both shook their head. The name meant nothing to them.

Wilks smiled. “Ms. Sommers was … had been Castrucci’s mistress.”

Edwards’ eyebrows shot up. “I didn’t know he had one.”

“Oh yeah, and something about this one just plain pissed me off. Yeah, what some people do is beyond comprehension.”

Edwards shifted irritably from one foot to the other as Wilks continued to drag it out.
 

“Ms. Sommers was two months pregnant,” Wilks said finally.

“Think it was Castrucci’s?” Edwards asked.

“Who else’s could it be? From what I gathered from her neighbors, he was the only one they ever saw coming and going from her apartment, and Sonny Valachi’s name was on the lease agreement. I’m guessing that she and the baby were too much baggage for him.”

“Can we prove the baby was his?” Laura asked.

Wilks nodded. “The ME ran a DNA test on the fetus and the mother. We just need a sample from Castrucci to confirm one way or the other.”

“I’ll see what I can do about getting that for you,” Edwards said as his cell rang. “Excuse me,” he said, turning to answer it. “Yeah, Ron ... Are you sure?” The color drained from his face. “Oh, Ron. I’m so sorry. Is there anything I can do ...
 
All right, you take all the time you need.” He hung up and turned to Laura. “Lynn passed away this morning.”

Laura’s breath caught in her throat. “Oh no,” she said, half choking on the words.

Edwards put his arm around her shoulders. “Let’s get out of here.”

They started down the steps, and Edwards stopped to look at her. “I think you were right about Artie, Laura. Ron said the surveillance video clearly shows that Artie definitely had a chance encounter with Mancini. I think he was setup to throw us off the trail.”

Chapter 20

Rheyna was about to open the closet door when the phone rang. She ran down the hall to answer it.

“When are you leaving for Phil and Jesse’s?” Caroline asked.

“Probably around eight. What about you?”

“Somewhere between eight and eight thirty, I think.”

“Okay, I guess I’ll see you later, then, and don’t forget to have your dancing shoes ready.”

“We’ll have to see about that,” Caroline laughed and then hung up the phone.

Tonight was the big party. Rheyna couldn’t believe how quickly the time had flown by. It seemed like only yesterday when she had first met Caroline and her family. She hadn’t spoken with Laura since she installed the software and wondered how it was going. She pushed the thought aside and went back to her bedroom closet to figure out what she would wear.

She tried on several outfits before settling on a black, ankle-length gown with a slit up the side and plunging neckline. She had the perfect pair of two-inch pumps to set it off. She wondered what Caroline would wear, and knew she would like it, no matter what it was. “Caroline could wear a nap sack and still look ravenous,” she said to herself as she tried to think of what to do next.

She had several hours to kill, and decided to fix some lunch. Afterward, she would have Annie take her for a long walk on the beach.

###

Caroline held the gold gown up in front of the full-length mirror. She wondered if Rheyna would like the dress and then wondered why her opinion was so important to her. She knew why it mattered. Because deep down, she wanted Rheyna to like it, but more importantly, she wanted Rheyna to like what would be in it. The thought was shocking. She would be lying if she said she didn’t find Rheyna attractive, but after all, who wouldn’t? Not only was she gorgeous, she had a great personality as well. She justified the thought by thinking that it was normal for women to check each other out.

After all, most women dress for each other and not for the men in their lives. She had never thought of herself as gay and had never been into women. She didn’t know why she didn’t have a boyfriend, or why she hadn’t been on a date since high school. Those were the million dollar questions, and she didn’t have answers. God knows her father had tried to answer it for her by fixing her up with several men in his employ. He finally gave up when he saw that his attempts were fruitless.

If the truth were told, all he really wanted was a grandson. Her thoughts drifted back to Rheyna. She thought about how her life had changed for the better, and that it all started when she met Rheyna. She looked forward to the time they spent together, even when it was something as trivial as taking a walk along the beach with Annie.

She smiled as she thought about Annie. She really loved the dog. What about Rheyna, the little voice inside her head asked. She wasn’t sure exactly how she felt about Rheyna. When she did take the time to think about it, she always came to the same conclusion. Her feelings, whatever they might be, were a moot point. Rheyna was a gorgeous woman and could have any man she wanted. There was no way that she would want Caroline with all her baggage.

“This is ridiculous,” she said aloud, trying to shake herself out of her daydream. Why could she not just admit that she liked her as more than a friend and that deep down, she wished that Rheyna liked her the same way? She thought about how she found herself basking in the slightest of touches when Rheyna would lay her hand on her shoulder or her leg when she was trying to make a point or explain something to her. She felt her face flush and the heat rise in her feet before working its way up her body. She was attracted to Rheyna, and the thought shocked her—not the thought of being with Rheyna, but the thought of actually being attracted to another woman.

She pushed the thoughts out of her head and decided that what she needed right now was a shower—a very cold one, at that.

###

The party was in full swing by the time Rheyna arrived at Phil and Jesse’s place. At the front door, she grabbed a glass of wine offered by a waiter and made her way to the party room. She took a position against the wall near the stage and surveyed the room to look for Caroline, in case she had arrived early.

She recognized several faces from the local newspaper’s business section and could see that anyone who was anyone in Half Moon Bay and Palo Alto was there. She spotted Jesse and Phil across the room. They were engaged in an animated conversation with the mayor and four of the five members of the city council. She thought they made a handsome couple in their matching tuxedos.

Jesse looked up and smiled at her. He held up his glass in a mock salute and then made his way over to her. He threw his arms around her shoulders and hugged her.

“You look fabulous. Girl, I swear if I wasn’t gay, I’d go after you in a heartbeat.”

Rheyna laughed and hugged him back. “You’re too kind and thank you, I think,” she said.

“Where’s Caroline? I thought the two of you would come together,” he asked, and then proceeded to pull her onto the dance floor.

“She should be here anytime.”

They hadn’t been dancing long when Rheyna felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to see Phil standing next to them.
 

“You look ravishing,” he said, grinning from ear to ear.

Rheyna felt the color rise in her cheeks. “I have to say, you look rather handsome yourself.”

Jesse smiled and winked at her, and then wrapped his arms around Phil’s shoulders. “Down, girl … he’s all mine.”

“Where’s Caroline?” Phil asked.

“She’s on her way,” Rheyna answered as the band started up with a new song.

###

Caroline fidgeted in the backseat, tearing a paper napkin to shreds without realizing it. She wadded it up and stuffed it in the ashtray. Joey pulled into the driveway and stopped the limo in front of the entryway.

Caroline waited for him to come around and open the rear car door. She swung her legs gracefully out the side and stepped out of the car. She smiled at the sound of cat whistles coming from a group of young men huddled near the doorway.

Several tendrils had escaped from her upswept hair and hung down around her neck. Her make-up was flawless. She had gone all out and the result was breathtaking. She had chosen to wear a gold, low-cut lame’ gown with slits up the sides. It hung seductively across her breasts, revealing the lush curves of her body, leaving very little to the imagination.

Her thoughts immediately turned to Rheyna, hoping that she liked how she looked, too. She passed through the door and smiled at the waiter. She took the drink he offered and stopped in the entryway. She needed to calm her nerves. She downed the drink and quickly selected another from a different waiter’s tray. She could hear the music coming from the adjoining room and slowly made her way toward the large crowd.

She scanned the throngs of people dancing. It didn’t take her long to spot Rheyna. She was up by the stage, sandwiched between Phil and Jesse, dancing seductively. She was seeing a new side to Rheyna and smiled. She liked what she saw.

###

Rheyna knew Caroline was there before she saw her. She felt her presence.
I have died and gone to heaven, surely I have
, she thought as their eyes met. Jesse turned to see where Rheyna was looking and nudged his lover.

Phil grinned and wrapped his arm tight around Jesse’s waist. He bent to whisper in his ear. “Do you think they’ll ever admit to having feelings for each other?”

Jesse nodded and took Phil’s hand in his. “Yeah, in their own time and in their own way,” he said, turning to Rheyna. “Will you excuse us for a few minutes, Rheyna, while we address our guests?” he asked, pulling Phil up on the stage.

The crowd erupted in loud cheers and whistles as Jesse and Phil stood beside the gorgeous lead singer, dressed in tight ripped up jeans. Phil bowed toward her and then took the microphone.

“Let’s hear it for Sienna and Evening Shade, ladies and gentleman.”

Rheyna took the opportunity to make her way through the crowd over to where Caroline was standing.

Caroline smiled at her. “You sure looked like you were enjoying yourself.”