Rheyna told her she would be there, and Esther then proceeded to give her directions to the Castrucci estate.
She loaded up her camera equipment and tossed it in the back of the Jeep. She knew her way to the house from one of her driving ventures earlier in the week, making a point to drive over to the Castrucci estate to familiarize herself with the surroundings. She figured she had time to grab a quick lunch before her appointment with Mrs. Castrucci and stopped and picked up a turkey club sandwich from a little sub shop on Magellan.
After finishing the sandwich, she headed for the Kelly Avenue exit. A half mile later, she turned into the Castrucci driveway.
The estate itself sat far back on the property, making it invisible from the street below. There was no doubt in her mind that it had been a calculated move by Castrucci when he built the house. She continued up and around the blacktopped drive and stopped in front of a large gate. She rolled down the window and pressed the intercom button. She glanced at the large row of trees in front of her. She recalled from the estate photos that the house sat just on the other side of the tree line.
“Yeah, what business do you have?” A deep male voice barked through the speaker.
“My name is Rheyna Moretti. I have an appointment with Mrs. Castrucci.”
“Just a minute,” the voice barked again.
After several seconds, the gate opened. She drove through the tree line and felt her breath catch in her throat when the house came into view. It was more beautiful than she imagined. Just as in the pictures she had seen, the only diminishing factor was the two heavily armed men walking toward her. She pulled the Jeep next to a blue Jaguar and turned off the engine. She had just unhooked her seatbelt when the driver’s door was flung open.
The taller of the two men yanked the camera bag from her hands and rummaged through it while the other one proceeded to push her against the car and pat her down. Satisfied that she was okay, he nodded to the taller man to give her camera bag back. The shorter one motioned for her to follow him. Rheyna turned to see the other man inside her Jeep, searching through the glove box.
Without looking at her, the shorter one said, “Mrs. Castrucci is expecting you.”
As if on cue, the front door opened and Rheyna instantly recognized Terasa Castrucci from the photos. She held out her hand to Rheyna and smiled warmly.
“Hello, Ms. Moretti. I’m Terasa Castrucci and I would like to start by saying thank you for changing our appointment on such short notice and,” she nodded at the retreating figure walking down the driveway, “please accept my apology for their behavior. Personally, I think they’re uncalled for.”
Rheyna took Terasa’s hand in hers and was pleasantly surprised by the firm grip. “You’re welcome, Mrs. Castrucci; please call me Rheyna, and there is no need to apologize.” Again, Terasa smiled warmly at her and Rheyna thought she was every bit as lovely as her photo.
She was dressed exquisitely in a lavender floral print skirt suit. A few stray tendrils of hair had escaped from the perfectly coifed hair and hung loosely down around her ears and shoulders. The pearl necklace and earrings she wore added to her beauty. Rheyna had no doubt they were the real thing and very expensive. Terasa Castrucci was regal, yet personable.
Rheyna followed her into the sunken entryway and let out a gasp. She then proceeded to trip up the stairs leading into the foyer, nearly falling on her face. Terasa reached out to steady her and chuckled. Rheyna looked up, feeling like a complete idiot. All this time, she had been so impressed by the outside of the house that she hadn’t given the inside a second thought. She hated to admit it, but she was awestruck.
Windows surrounded the entryway, covering the entire area from floor to ceiling. At the base of the entryway steps, a spiraling black wrought-iron staircase wound its way down
She loaded up her camera equipment and tossed it in the back of the Jeep. She knew her way to the house from one of her driving ventures earlier in the week, making a point to drive over to the Castrucci estate to familiarize herself with the surroundings. She figured she had time to grab a quick lunch before her appointment with Mrs. Castrucci and stopped and picked up a turkey club sandwich from a little sub shop on Magellan.
After finishing the sandwich, she headed for the Kelly Avenue exit. A half mile later, she turned into the Castrucci driveway.
The estate itself sat far back on the property, making it invisible from the street below. There was no doubt in her mind that it had been a calculated move by Castrucci when he built the house. She continued up and around the blacktopped drive and stopped in front of a large gate. She rolled down the window and pressed the intercom button. She glanced at the large row of trees in front of her. She recalled from the estate photos that the house sat just on the other side of the tree line.
“Yeah, what business do you have?” A deep male voice barked through the speaker.
“My name is Rheyna Moretti. I have an appointment with Mrs. Castrucci.”
“Just a minute,” the voice barked again.
After several seconds, the gate opened. She drove through the tree line and felt her breath catch in her throat when the house came into view. It was more beautiful than she imagined. Just as in the pictures she had seen, the only diminishing factor was the two heavily armed men walking toward her. She pulled the Jeep next to a blue Jaguar and turned off the engine. She had just unhooked her seatbelt when the driver’s door was flung open.
The taller of the two men yanked the camera bag from her hands and rummaged through it while the other one proceeded to push her against the car and pat her down. Satisfied that she was okay, he nodded to the taller man to give her camera bag back. The shorter one motioned for her to follow him. Rheyna turned to see the other man inside her Jeep, searching through the glove box.
Without looking at her, the shorter one said, “Mrs. Castrucci is expecting you.”
As if on cue, the front door opened and Rheyna instantly recognized Terasa Castrucci from the photos. She held out her hand to Rheyna and smiled warmly.
“Hello, Ms. Moretti. I’m Terasa Castrucci and I would like to start by saying thank you for changing our appointment on such short notice and,” she nodded at the retreating figure walking down the driveway, “please accept my apology for their behavior. Personally, I think they’re uncalled for.”
Rheyna took Terasa’s hand in hers and was pleasantly surprised by the firm grip. “You’re welcome, Mrs. Castrucci; please call me Rheyna, and there is no need to apologize.” Again, Terasa smiled warmly at her and Rheyna thought she was every bit as lovely as her photo.
She was dressed exquisitely in a lavender floral print skirt suit. A few stray tendrils of hair had escaped from the perfectly coifed hair and hung loosely down around her ears and shoulders. The pearl necklace and earrings she wore added to her beauty. Rheyna had no doubt they were the real thing and very expensive. Terasa Castrucci was regal, yet personable.
Rheyna followed her into the sunken entryway and let out a gasp. She then proceeded to trip up the stairs leading into the foyer, nearly falling on her face. Terasa reached out to steady her and chuckled. Rheyna looked up, feeling like a complete idiot. All this time, she had been so impressed by the outside of the house that she hadn’t given the inside a second thought. She hated to admit it, but she was awestruck.
Windows surrounded the entryway, covering the entire area from floor to ceiling. At the base of the entryway steps, a spiraling black wrought-iron staircase wound its way down
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