Angelina Bonaparte Mysteries Box Set Nanci Rathbun (i love reading books txt) 📖

I’d start getting ready to leave around nine-ten. I ran a quick check of Professor Kolar’s curriculum vitae. She earned a B.S. in biological science at Oxford (1986), a master’s in chemistry at Princeton (1988) and a Ph.D. in biochemical engineering at Stanford (1991). They were all top-rated schools in those majors. Based on the years when her degrees were awarded, she went lockstep through the higher education process. She then returned to the former Yugoslavia and taught at the University of Belgrade, another school that was in the top world ratings. I flipped back to my notes. Petrovitch was a graduate of the Belgrade Law School. Interesting, but it was a large university and there was every chance they’d never met.

There was still plenty of time until meeting with Lily and Kolar. It made no sense to keep putting it off, so I called Aunt Terry.

“Angelina, how nice that you called,” she said.

Huh? Aunt Terry had caller ID? Since when? “Hi, Aunt Terry. Last time I checked, you still had an old rotary dial phone. How’d you know it was me?”

“Well, um, Fausto convinced me to get a smartphone. For safety. And it has a lot of features. I like the GPS thingie a lot. He transferred my regular phone to this one. I’ll probably get rid of the old number, as soon as I notify everyone.”

It appeared that Fausto convinced Aunt Terry that it was all right to spend money on herself. This made me think more kindly of him. “Did he show you how to set up a ringtone, so you know who the call is from without looking?”

She giggled. “Yes.”

“Okay, give. What’s mine?”

“‘Private Eyes Are Watching You.’”

I laughed. “Good one. What about Papa?”

“‘I’ll Get Even with You.’ But it’s not what you think. It’s a really nice song about paying back someone who’s done a lot for you.”

“Aw, Aunt Terry, that’s sweet.” I took a deep breath. “I called to ask about Thanksgiving. What can I bring?”

“Besides your guy and his mother?”

Uh-oh. She wasted no time. “I’m talking about food!” Maybe if I turned the interrogation tables on her, I might escape. “And by the way, is Fausto joining us?”

“Yes.” There was a slight hesitation. “He doesn’t have family. Of course I asked him to join us.”

“Out of pity?”

“Well…no. I like him, Angie. He seems to like me. We’re just playing it by ear, you know?”

I knew only too well. “That’s all any of us can do. You can talk to me anytime you have concerns or just want to vent.”

“Same for you, la mia nipotina.”

My little niece. How many times had Aunt Terry consoled me or encouraged me or expressed her pride in me with those words? “La mia dolce zia”—my sweet aunt—“there must be something else I can contribute for the meal. Vino? Dessert? Appetizers?”

“Wine would be good. You know I’m hopeless with wine. And an appetizer. But don’t go overboard, okay?”

Aunt Terry never wanted anyone else to go to any trouble, despite the fact that she went to great lengths to care for others. “I’ll keep it simple. And don’t be surprised if Wukowski’s mother brings a Polish dish. She’s a great cook—I’ve tasted her pierogi.”

“Oh, I hope she likes Italian food. Maybe I can find a recipe for something Polish…”

“Don’t you dare! Just make what you always do. If she’s not fond of pasta, there’s still the turkey and dressing, cranberries, rolls, green bean casserole—all the things that every other American household will serve on Thanksgiving. There’ll be plenty for her to choose from.” Thanksgiving was a week away. I promised to phone Aunt Terry on Monday and we ended the call.

After that, I printed the pictures of the attic items and the Interpol listing for the stolen book. I hoped Professor Kolar would divulge any information she had at the meeting, but she might need time to think about what Lily and I would tell her. She could take the pictures with her. I tucked them away in my briefcase.

Barring an epiphany or a sudden break, it looked like my Friday afternoon and evening would be free until Wukowski joined me. The background check was still pending and I couldn’t afford to lose a good client by delay. I could manage it from home, but I wanted Bobbie to get his feet wet on the computer side of the job, so I called and arranged to meet him at my office at one-thirty. I wished we could have lunch together, but being in a public place was no guarantee of safety when dealing with an evil conspiracy.

The thought stopped me in my tracks. I wasn’t up to the challenge of dealing with that caliber of criminal, but having Bram’s team on our side gave me some reassurance. I wasn’t a quitter. I’d take extra precautions, follow all the security rules and do my best. Chin up, I told myself. I started to dress for the meeting.

Spider waited for me at the elevator, as planned. When I opened the front passenger door, he said, “Better if you sit in back, Angie. The tinted glass will conceal who’s in the car. I called the library and spoke to Lily. She’ll be waiting at the loading dock so we can pull right in.”

“Does she know the password?”

He laughed. “I forgot to give that to her.”

It broke the tension a bit, but I was still on edge and didn’t want to communicate that to Professor Kolar. I relaxed back into the seat, closed my eyes and did some yoga breathing, not opening my eyes until Spider said, “We’re here.”

Lily greeted me with a brief hug and looked at me closely. “You’re recovered from the bash on the head?”

“I’m fine—no headache since Tuesday. Lily, this is Spider Mulcahey. Spider, Lily March.”

Lily made no bones about giving Spider the once-over as they shook hands. “Well, you look like you can handle yourself.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

She nodded once. “Good. Let’s get to the meeting room. Professor Kolar seems spooked enough