A Mystery in Bloom by Grace Fiona

Author:Grace, Fiona [Grace, Fiona]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781094384900
Google: MJv8EAAAQBAJ
Publisher: Fiona Grace
Published: 2024-04-27T08:24:57+00:00

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Alice twirled a lock of hair around her finger and tugged at it as she walked. Scott had always been all about profit. He wasn’t alone in that, though. It was how a lot of the world operated. People looked at every situation through a lens of what might benefit them financially. Hadn’t that been some of how she’d been enticed to Villa Belladonna? The promise that Fieldstone Landscaping’s and her own profile would be given a boost that could lead to even more important commissions? She let go of her lock of hair as she pushed through the swinging kitchen doors, the scent of rosemary and thyme wrapping around her like a comforting shawl. Marco was there, his back turned to her, chopping herbs with an easy grace that made even this simple task seem artistic.

"Marco," Alice began, her words slicing through the rhythmic chopping, "Scott... he got me thinking earlier."

Before she could continue with her thoughts, Marco asked. “Who exactly is Scott Thorne?”

“Just someone I know from the plant world.” It wasn’t exactly a lie. It was where she and Scott knew each other from.

“So only a friend?” Marco asked.

“Not even that.” She hesitated before changing the topic, but only for a beat. "Who stands to gain from Anastasia’s untimely departure?"

Without missing a chop, Marco slid the herbs aside and turned to face her. His eyes, the color of rich soil, held hers with an earnest warmth. "Financially, you mean?" He wiped his hands on a striped towel and leaned against the counter, giving Alice his full attention.

"Yes," she confirmed, sliding onto one of the stool at the counter. "It's crass, I know, but it can’t be helped. Motives are often tied to money, especially with a woman like Anastasia and where a lot of money is involved."

"Understandable." Marco nodded thoughtfully, the corners of his mouth turning down just slightly. "Only one relative comes to mind—Bianca Rossi, her cousin. She's the closest living kin I'm aware of. Certainly, she’s the only one who ever visited since I started here."

Alice pondered this, the mention of Bianca twisting her insides with suspicion. "Bianca, huh?" she murmured, weighing the name on her tongue, the implications heavy in the air between them. “The same Bianca who was here the afternoon Anastasia died?”

His eyebrows rose slightly. "She was here?"

"Yes. Right before dinner.” The timing of Bianca’s visit could work with the time it would take for the poison in the oleanders to work. It would be a little quick, but Alice didn’t know how long Bianca had been there before Alice had overheard Bianca and Anastasia arguing on the terrace. “She was... angry, to put it mildly." Alice's gaze drifted to the window and the kitchen garden she’d might never plant, but she wasn't really seeing it. "She told Anastasia she’d make her pay."

"A threat?" Marco straightened up, his usual easy demeanor shifting into something more focused.

"Maybe just words spilled in anger. At least, that’s what Anastasia seemed to think." She turned to him, her eyes searching his.

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