Ripper by Allende Isabel

Author:Allende, Isabel [Allende, Isabel]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, azw3
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2014-01-28T00:00:00+00:00

Saturday, 18

At 8:30 p.m. sharp on Saturday, Pedro Alarcón and Ryan Miller, with Attila at his heels, rang Indiana’s doorbell. They were quickly followed by Matheus Pereira, Yumiko Sato, and her life partner Nana Sasaki. Indiana, having invited them on behalf of Danny D’Angelo, greeted her guests wearing a slim black silk dress and heels—gifts from Alan Keller back when he had been trying to turn her into a lady—which drew wolf whistles from the men. They had never seen her look so elegant—in fact they’d never seen her wear black, a color she believed attracted negative energy and hence avoided. Attila delightedly sniffed the combination of essential oils that pervaded the apartment. The dog hated artificial smells but was a sucker for natural aromas, which explained his fondness for Indiana, whom he cherished among human beings. Ryan grabbed Indiana and kissed her full on the lips, while the other guests pretended not to notice. Then the hostess uncorked a bottle of Primus, a delicate blend of carménère and cabernet grapes—another gift from Alan, who knew that Indiana could not afford to buy a bottle of wine that cost more than her winter coat—and poured Ryan a glass of his favorite soda. There had been a time when the Navy SEAL prided himself on being a wine buff, but after he gave up alcohol he became a connoisseur of Coca-Cola: he preferred it served in small bottles, never cans, and liked his Coke imported from Mexico—where they added more sugar—and always without ice.

The day before, Danny had invited Indiana to his Saturday performance. It was a special occasion, since it was his birthday, and the owner of the club, as a tribute to his years on the stage, had given him a starring role that Danny had carefully rehearsed. “What’s the point of being the star of the show if no one cares? Come watch me, Indi, and bring your friends—I could do with an ovation.” Since Danny hadn’t given her much notice, Indiana didn’t have time to rally the sort of crowd he would have liked and had to make do with these five loyal friends. They all dressed up for the occasion—even Matheus, who, over his usual paint-splattered jeans, was wearing a striped, neatly pressed shirt and a bandanna around his neck. There was a general consensus in North Beach that Matheus Pereira was the most handsome man in the area, and he knew it. Tall and slim, his face chiseled with deep lines, he had the yellow-green eyes of a cat, full, sensual lips, and wore his hair in dreadlocks. He was so striking that people would often stop to have their picture taken with him, as though he were a tourist attraction.

Yumiko and Nana had known each other as children in the Iwate Prefecture back in Japan, and emigrated together to the United States; they lived together, worked together, even dressed alike. That evening, they were wearing their going-out uniform: black pantsuits with white silk Mao-collar blouses.

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