The Florentine Cypher: Kate Benedict Paranormal Mystery #3 (The Kate Benedict Series) by Carrie Bedford

Dad, I smiled and promised to keep him updated on how the project went. He insisted on serving me a second helping of the delicious risotto and we stopped just short of licking our plates clean.
    Over espressos and thimble-sized glasses of grappa, he raised the dreaded subject. “Do you still see those aura things?” he asked.
    “Sometimes.”
    He frowned. When I’d first told him about them, he’d been distraught, unwilling to accept something so bizarre and abnormal. It didn’t fit with his worldview at all.
    “You feel well?” he pressed. “Physically, I mean? No headaches, nothing like that?”
    I poured us both another centimeter of grappa. “I’m completely healthy, I promise. Anita measures my blood pressure practically every time I see her.” I laughed at his skeptical expression. “Honestly, you wouldn’t believe how embarrassing it is when she takes my pulse in public.” She’d only actually done that once, but I wanted to jolly Dad out of being worried about me. “If I have a zero point one percent uptick on my cholesterol count, Anita will catch it. There are perks to having a doctor as your best friend.”
    He smiled. “That’s good then. You know I worry…”
    “But you don’t need to.” I finished my coffee. “It’s getting late. Do you mind if I go up?”
    With Bianca panting alongside me, I climbed the stone stairs. My bedroom was cozy and familiar, with sunny yellow walls and white curtains that fell in silken cascades to the tiled floor. When I rummaged in the drawers for an old T-shirt to sleep in I was glad to see I had a small stash of underwear, socks, a cream shirt and a clean sweater stored there too. I was still upset that my bag had been taken, and the loss of the book bothered me.
    Silence settled around me. The only sound was of Bianca snoring softly as she lay on the floor next to my bed. Usually I slept blissfully in the comforting embrace of the old house, but tonight I lay awake, rehashing the events of the last twenty-four hours. By one in the morning, I was up and pacing the room, jittery and apprehensive. What if the thief had in fact been after the book? What if he realized he didn’t have the key and came looking for it? What if I’d led a criminal to my father’s house? I glanced at Bianca, who was snuffling in her sleep. She wasn’t exactly a fierce guard dog. The best she could do would be to lick an intruder into submission.
    A noise outside made me jump. My heart pounded. Was someone breaking in? The dog raised her head. She’d heard it too. With the lights still off, I eased open my balcony door and peered out. Bianca trotted over to stand beside me, her nose wrinkling as she sniffed the air. The moon was high, glazing the gardens with silver. And, in the center of the lawn, a robber in a mask looked up at us.
    The raccoon was squatting on the bird table, chewing on birdseed. Using his long-fingered forepaws, he scraped the seed into a neat pile before eating it. Our presence didn’t seem to bother him until Bianca gave a low growl. Then, with one last bite, the little thief jumped down to the grass and ran into the shrubs.

CHAPTER SIX
    I slept sporadically for the rest of the night and jumped out of bed as soon as dawn lightened the room. I showered and dressed, and by the time I’d dried my hair, the fragrance of coffee drifted up the stairs. With Bianca following close behind, I hurried down to join Dad in the kitchen.
    Over breakfast, we made plans for Easter weekend. Josh and I planned to come, as did Leo, with Olivia and the boys.
    “Invite Ethan and Claire,” Dad said. “I’d like to see them again.”
    I would, I decided, assuming that Ethan ever called me back.
    Dad stood and took a pair of secateurs from a drawer. “The camellias are blooming. I thought you could take some over to Claire’s.”
    Just after ten thirty, I knelt to hug Bianca before getting into Dad’s car. Her shining brown eyes gazed into mine as though she’d known