lady’s guests.
My phone rang. ‘Hey, Crystal, I’m home.’ Diamond’s voice sounded crackly on the line.
‘Diamond! Good flight?’ I flicked a sequin off my nail but it kept getting stuck to another finger. I moved to the window overlooking the little bridge and canal in the back street. Light rippled across the ceiling like a veil of billowing watered silk.
‘Very good. No delays, thank the gods of air travel. I’ve brought Trace with me. He’s decided to hold his stag party here as I’ve roped his brothers’ soulfinders in to mine. They’re all going to fly over next week. His employers have been great; they’ve given him a whole month off—can you believe it?’
I imagined that the Denver police department were clever enough to realize the benefit of having one of their top cops married to a first class peacemaker. ‘That’s really nice for you both.’
‘Only two weeks to go till the big day! So we thought parties next Friday. Will that be OK?’
‘Sure. What do you want to do for yours?’
There was a brief pause. ‘I thought you were organizing it for me.’ Diamond sounded a little aggrieved that I hadn’t made any preparations. Should I have done? I’d imagined we would book a table nearer the time.
‘Of course I will; it’s just that we’ve been really busy. I’ve had some ideas though.’ Or I was going to make sure that I had by the time I got home.
‘Humph.’ I could hear Diamond thinking that it was just as well that she hadn’t asked me to do anything more serious towards the wedding. I hadn’t meant to disappoint, but again I had been proved a waste of space in our family of high achievers. My beautiful dreams of success and new hope took on a little tarnish. Who was I fooling? I couldn’t even manage to arrange a party for my lovely sister without making a muck of the whole thing.
‘Well, if you need any help, just ask Xav.’ Diamond couldn’t hide the tone of reprimand. ‘He’s here to organize Trace’s night out and is full of really amazing ideas. He was telling me on the flight—a champagne cruise, the casino, water skiing down the Grand Canal.’
‘Oh really? Xav’s arranging water skiing for his brothers?’ Crumbs, I had been thinking more on the lines of a meal out and all of us going to a club wearing those daft hen night outfits. I’d have to up my game.
‘He should be with you any moment. I sent him over with Rocco—that dog needs to get out more—you should’ve heard the racket he was making when we got in. Anyway, I gave him a map and the dog-lead so hopefully he and Rocco should be with you in about half an hour if they only get lost once or twice.’
Xav hot footing it to see me the moment he arrived? ‘Why’s he coming all the way over here?’
‘Oh, he said he wanted to see where you worked. Trace and I will cook supper. See you soon. Love you.’
‘Love you too.’
I put my phone in my pocket and noticed that the two signoras were watching me with interest. ‘Diamond’s back,’ I explained.
‘So we heard. You are arranging her chicken night, yes?’ asked Contessa Nicoletta.
‘Hen night,’ corrected Signora Carriera.
I nodded glumly.
The old lady clucked at my expression. ‘Do not worry, Crystal, I will help. We will make sure she has a night to remember. Better than the water skiing arranged by this Xav Benedict, I promise.’
She had heard that, had she? ‘Better than that?’
‘Oh yes. These Americans can do action but only we Venetians know how to do true sophistication.’ She tapped the side of her nose. ‘Your sister will adore it.’
‘Thank you. You might just be a lifesaver—at least as far as Diamond not killing me for messing up.’
My boss looked surprised to hear that we were on such close terms with Contessa Nicoletta. ‘I didn’t know you knew Diamond so well, Contessa.’
‘Oh, we have ties.’ The old lady waved her hand vaguely in the air. She meant through the Savant network but it
My phone rang. ‘Hey, Crystal, I’m home.’ Diamond’s voice sounded crackly on the line.
‘Diamond! Good flight?’ I flicked a sequin off my nail but it kept getting stuck to another finger. I moved to the window overlooking the little bridge and canal in the back street. Light rippled across the ceiling like a veil of billowing watered silk.
‘Very good. No delays, thank the gods of air travel. I’ve brought Trace with me. He’s decided to hold his stag party here as I’ve roped his brothers’ soulfinders in to mine. They’re all going to fly over next week. His employers have been great; they’ve given him a whole month off—can you believe it?’
I imagined that the Denver police department were clever enough to realize the benefit of having one of their top cops married to a first class peacemaker. ‘That’s really nice for you both.’
‘Only two weeks to go till the big day! So we thought parties next Friday. Will that be OK?’
‘Sure. What do you want to do for yours?’
There was a brief pause. ‘I thought you were organizing it for me.’ Diamond sounded a little aggrieved that I hadn’t made any preparations. Should I have done? I’d imagined we would book a table nearer the time.
‘Of course I will; it’s just that we’ve been really busy. I’ve had some ideas though.’ Or I was going to make sure that I had by the time I got home.
‘Humph.’ I could hear Diamond thinking that it was just as well that she hadn’t asked me to do anything more serious towards the wedding. I hadn’t meant to disappoint, but again I had been proved a waste of space in our family of high achievers. My beautiful dreams of success and new hope took on a little tarnish. Who was I fooling? I couldn’t even manage to arrange a party for my lovely sister without making a muck of the whole thing.
‘Well, if you need any help, just ask Xav.’ Diamond couldn’t hide the tone of reprimand. ‘He’s here to organize Trace’s night out and is full of really amazing ideas. He was telling me on the flight—a champagne cruise, the casino, water skiing down the Grand Canal.’
‘Oh really? Xav’s arranging water skiing for his brothers?’ Crumbs, I had been thinking more on the lines of a meal out and all of us going to a club wearing those daft hen night outfits. I’d have to up my game.
‘He should be with you any moment. I sent him over with Rocco—that dog needs to get out more—you should’ve heard the racket he was making when we got in. Anyway, I gave him a map and the dog-lead so hopefully he and Rocco should be with you in about half an hour if they only get lost once or twice.’
Xav hot footing it to see me the moment he arrived? ‘Why’s he coming all the way over here?’
‘Oh, he said he wanted to see where you worked. Trace and I will cook supper. See you soon. Love you.’
‘Love you too.’
I put my phone in my pocket and noticed that the two signoras were watching me with interest. ‘Diamond’s back,’ I explained.
‘So we heard. You are arranging her chicken night, yes?’ asked Contessa Nicoletta.
‘Hen night,’ corrected Signora Carriera.
I nodded glumly.
The old lady clucked at my expression. ‘Do not worry, Crystal, I will help. We will make sure she has a night to remember. Better than the water skiing arranged by this Xav Benedict, I promise.’
She had heard that, had she? ‘Better than that?’
‘Oh yes. These Americans can do action but only we Venetians know how to do true sophistication.’ She tapped the side of her nose. ‘Your sister will adore it.’
‘Thank you. You might just be a lifesaver—at least as far as Diamond not killing me for messing up.’
My boss looked surprised to hear that we were on such close terms with Contessa Nicoletta. ‘I didn’t know you knew Diamond so well, Contessa.’
‘Oh, we have ties.’ The old lady waved her hand vaguely in the air. She meant through the Savant network but it
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