Blue Smoke

owner?”
    “Firefighters who responded reported the doors were all locked. Dead bolts. They had to break them in. The riot bars upstairs? Who puts bars on second-floor windows? And they’re new. They look pretty new. Owner does that. Owner locks the place up tight to keep the riffraff out. Owner’s got the keys.”
    “Finish up, write it up. You might do, Hale.”
    “Oh yeah, I’ll do. I’ve been waiting for this since I was eleven.”
    T hat night, still revved up, Reena sat across from Fran at Sirico’s and shoveled in angel hair marinara.
    “So, we can’t locate the owner of the building, who’s got three separate loans on the place and a boatload of insurance. People we talked to said he’s been complaining about how the homeless and the junkies ruined his investment. How he couldn’t unload the property. Figure the ME’s going to ID our CC as the owner, or the owner’s in the wind, gone under after the torch job went wrong. Still got a lot of work to do on-site, but it’s piecing together. Textbook.”
    “Listen to you.” Fran laughed, sipped mineral water. “My little sister, the investigator. Wait until Mama and Dad hear you solved your first case.”
    “Closed—and not yet. Still have some reconstructing to do, some interviews to conduct, some background to check. But I was hoping they’d call while I was in here.”

    “Reena, it’s after one in the morning in Florence.”
    “Right.” Reena shook her head. “Right.”
    “They called this afternoon. They’re having the best time. Dad talked Mom into renting one of those little scooters. Can’t you see them, zipping around Florence like a couple of kids?”
    “I can.” Reena grabbed her wine, lifted the glass in toast, drank. “They wouldn’t be able to do this without you.”
    “Not true.”
    “Absolutely true. You’re the one carrying on. The one taking over so much of the responsibility and work here so they can have a little time to travel. Bella, well, she hasn’t picked up so much as a glass in here unless it was to drink out of it on the rare occasions she comes by. I’m not much better.”
    “You waited tables last Sunday, and pitched in for more than an hour on Tuesday after working a full day.”
    “I live right upstairs, so it’s no big.” Still, she smiled, a bit wickedly. “I notice you didn’t mention Bella.”
    “Bella is what Bella is. And she does have three kids to deal with.”
    “And a nanny, a housekeeper, a gardener—oh, I forgot, a groundskeeper. ” Reena waved at Fran’s frown. “Okay, don’t put the look on me. I’ll ease off. I’m not really mad at her. I guess I feel a little guilty that you take the lion’s share. And Xander’s right behind you, even with the load he carries in med school.”
    “Forget the guilt. We’re all doing what’s most important to us.” She glanced over and smiled at the man tossing dough at the work counter.
    He had big hands, and a sweet face just this side of homely. His bright red hair fell over his forehead like little licks of flame. And when he looked at his wife, as he did now, his eyes lit with fun.
    “Well, who knew you’d fall for an Irishman who likes to cook Italian.” Amused, Reena ate more pasta. “You know, you and Jack still have that glow, even though you’re working on what, three years now.”
    “Two last fall. But it might be a little something extra causing the glow.” Fran reached out, gripped both of Reena’s hands. “I can’t wait. I wasgoing to wait until you’d eaten, and Jack and I could tell you together, but I can’t stand it another minute.”
    “Oh my God, you’re pregnant!”
    “Four weeks.” Her cheeks went rosy. “It’s early, I should shut up, keep it to myself. But I can’t, and—”
    She broke off as Reena leaped up, caught her around the neck. “Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! Wait!” She rushed away, around the worktable and jumped onto Jack’s back. “Daddy!”
    His face turned the same color as his hair as she pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Champagne for the house! On me.”
    “We were going to keep it to the family for now.” Jack grinned foolishly when she bounced down.
    Reena looked over, at the applause, at the people who hurried over to congratulate Fran. “Too late. I’ll get the wine.”
    F ran’s news and her own solid first day had Reena drinking a little more than was wise. But she enjoyed the buzz as she walked around to the back stairs leading to her apartment.
    Gina and