Page 82 of Enduring Caine
She came close enough to give me a peck on the lips and returned to the spot where I’d found her. “There’s something odd next to these barrels. Scratch marks on the floor that you can’t see unless you—” She knelt and brushed away some of the sand by the barrels. “—look closely enough.”
The cellar was carved from the rock the estate sat upon, so scratches would be reasonable if the room weren’t centuries old. I sank to my knees beside her, running a hand over the grooves. “Interesting. Are there marks like this anywhere else?”
“Not in this room.” She sat back on her haunches and pointed to where two barrels sat on their ends nearby. “He was next to those, against the wall, and I didn’t see any drag marks in the sand yesterday. Three options: That’s where he was killed and the killer had a short distance to cover their tracks; it happened somewhere else and they did a lot of tidying; or they carried him.”
Johann was a large man, easily passing two hundred and fifty pounds. “Not likely to carry Johann very far?”
“Nope.”
“So you didn’t search the first room?”
She frowned and shook her head. “I didn’t want to be on camera if I wasn’t sure what I was looking for.”
This was one more thing we had in common—too much pride.
Last night, Giovanni and I had seen Cristian and Leonardo arrive in the wine cellar via the security displays, but lost sight of them when they entered the back room. “I don’t think there are cameras in here.”
“Yeah. I couldn’t see any, and Henri was under the same impression.” She ran her fingers over the scratch marks in the floor. “They feel fresh. Everything else down here is worn down and has soft edges.”
“Do you want me to check the other room?”
Her eyes traveled to my bad arm. I’d forgone the sling again, choosing to brace the arm against my abdomen or stretch it out far enough to keep the hand in my pocket for support. “No mention of—”
“I know.” She winked at me. “My big, tough boyfriend is invulnerable.”
“You’re one to talk.” I dropped my voice. “Who’s insisting she return to the scene of a murder?”
“Could have been natural causes.” She flicked the flashlight on. “Plus, it’s no different from investigating insurance fraud. Something wrong happened and you can either try to set things right or sit back and watch someone else do it.”
“What’s wrong with watching?”
She cocked an eyebrow at me.
“I know, bella. Who would trust anyone to do as good a job as you’ll do?” I chuckled as she swung her hand at my chest. “But it is different. Your fraud investigations involve people stealing money. This is life and death.”
“Vincenzo said they don’t know why Johann would be a target. Until we’re certain of that, everyone’s at risk. This isn’t just a fortress, it’s a home. What if Cesca’s the next one who’s in the wrong place at the wrong time?”
I smiled at my lovely girlfriend. There she was, protecting the world again. “I admire your conviction, bella.”
She gave me a tight-lipped smile, always uneasy under genuine praise. “Don’t admire me too much, yet. I haven’t found anything conclusive.”
“I’ll go out to the other room and look for more scratch marks. Then we can figure out the rest.”
Samantha pushed up to standing and held out a hand to help me up, which I waved away. Vincenzo didn’t need that help from her. He could have picked her up and carried her anywhere.
Stop it, you fool.
I was not less a man than Vincenzo. But I continued to experience the petty pangs of jealousy. Samantha had warned me that I had to let it go. Surely she’d feel the same if Faith, my former fiancée, was the one whose face was everywhere.
“If there are no cameras…” Once I was standing, I drew closer to her. “How about you get back down on the floor and…”
Her cheeks flushed crimson and she sucked in her bottom lip.Stop, she mouthed.
I blew a raspberry and rolled my eyes. “Get your mind out of the gutter. I was going to say you should get down and finish inspecting those marks.”
She laughed and smacked me again, this time connecting with my bad arm. I bit back a grimace and she bit back an apology I could tell she was about to offer.
I crawled on my knees to the next batch of casks and leaned toward the floor. Che cazzo, this would have been easier with two good arms. One to hold me up, the other to check the floor. Crawl forward. Continue.