AGED FOR ACRIMONY by Fiona Grace

Author:Fiona Grace [Grace, Fiona]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-03-02T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

“There’s a problem behind us.” Leaning toward Charlotte, Olivia hissed the warning.

“I’ve been watching your face. Are those men talking about you?”

“Yes, they are.”

“From their tone of voice and that word ‘Americano,’ I suspected it. We’d better go.”

They drained their wineglasses, and Olivia chugged back the rest of the water. Urgently though they had to leave, there was no need to waste perfectly good drinks.

“Let’s go see if there’s a secluded table in the restaurant where we can hide out,” Olivia muttered, as they sidled out of the bar trying not to make eye contact with any of the patrons. “If not, it’s to-go pizza on our laps in the hotel room.”

They hustled down the cobbled street to the restaurant. As they strode along in the misty rain, hunger and anxiety warred inside Olivia. Would there be a suitable table? She didn’t want to unwittingly cause a scene by being recognized. Even though none of what happened had been her fault, she was feeling mortified, as if she were the pariah of the festival.

Peeking hopefully into the warmly lit restaurant, Olivia saw it was still only partway full. Better yet, she spied a secluded table for two in a small annex.

“May we sit over there?” she asked the waiter who greeted them at the door. Fortunately, he nodded and escorted them to it immediately.

The restaurant’s welcoming interior featured attractive window arches painted in ocher, and bright tapestries on the walls displaying local highlights. As they passed the artworks, Olivia gazed admiringly at the depictions of the Piazza del Campo and Torre del Mangia, which brought back such great memories of their day in central Siena.

Thinking back to that happy, carefree outing made Olivia even more determined to extricate herself from the awful situation she’d ended up in.

Breathing in the delicious aroma of baking cheese and fresh seafood, overlaid with the fragrance of wine, she sat down with her back to the room.

“We need to plan,” she stated emphatically.

“Who could have killed Cadenza? I don’t understand it,” Charlotte said.

Olivia nodded. “It’s boggling my mind, too.”

The waiter brought menus, which they perused hungrily.

“This food looks amazing,” Olivia said, glad to change the topic to a happier one for a moment.

“We’d better order quickly before this place gets too full. I’m going to have the crab linguine with chili and parsley. And a glass of sangiovese. And I think we need to share the house special salad, with parmesan and pancetta.” Clearly just as starving as Olivia, Charlotte was devouring the menu with her eyes.

“I’ll go for the creamy lemon and shrimp risotto, and the same wine.”

With their orders placed, they returned to the important discussion of the crime.

“I just can’t believe the timing of it,” Olivia lamented. “Why did I have to find her body? And why was my wine used as a weapon?”

Quickly, Olivia checked behind her, worried that someone might have overheard her words. She didn’t want to fuel the fires of gossip any further. Luckily, the closest table was still empty.

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