to examine her too closely when she returned, but smiled a little when he noticed she was wearing her combat boots with her slim black skirt.
“Thank you, Beatrice,” he murmured as she set down the grey box. She paused for a moment, as if she had something to say, but then he heard a small sigh.
“You’re welcome, Dr. Vecchio. Please let me know if there are any other library materials you need.”
He gritted his teeth when he heard her address him formally, but remained silent and began his careful work. He heard Beatrice sit down at her desk again and pick up the small note he had left near the keyboard. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye and saw her fold the note and slip it in her bag. He hid a small smile and went back to writing.
For the next two weeks, they continued their near silent interaction, each week she brought him the document he requested, paused as if she wanted to tell him something, and then returned to her desk without speaking. Each week he worked on transcribing the ancient characters, took careful stock of her appearance and left afterward with scarcely a word exchanged with the stubborn girl.
He was trying to be patient, but he’d heard nothing about Stephen De Novo from Livia’s people in Rome and was beginning to feel as if the first lead he’d had in five years was dangling just out of his grasp.
It was a Friday night, and Giovanni was preparing to go out for the evening when he heard the buzz from the phone in the kitchen, signaling a car was at the gate. He frowned and walked quickly down the stairs just in time to hear Caspar hit the intercom.
“Yes?”
“It’s Beatrice De Novo.”
Caspar immediately buzzed her in before turning to look at Giovanni.
“It’s Friday. Will you be all right?”
Giovanni shrugged and walked upstairs to hang up his jacket. He paused to check his appearance in the mirror, wishing he wasn’t wearing black as it accentuated his pale skin, but also feeling a perverse pleasure that he had no need to hide his true nature any longer.
He’d never doubted she was trustworthy. Maybe it was her careful handling of the rare texts that contained so much elusive knowledge, or maybe it was the guarded expression in the girl’s dark eyes, but he knew Beatrice was someone who could keep secrets, including her own.
He walked downstairs to hear Caspar opening the door for her.
“Miss De Novo, what a pleasure to see you again.”
“Thanks, Caspar. How’ve you been?”
“Very well, thank you. I was able to catch that showing of Night of the Living Dead you told me about. It was wonderful.”
“Cool! Glad you saw it. I never got out to the theater. No one does zombies like Romero.”
Giovanni turned the corner and paused in the doorway of the kitchen.
She was wearing black, of course, but nothing about it made her seem inhuman. Her smooth skin practically pulsed with life, and his eyes were drawn to the graceful column of her neck. Her long hair was pulled back, and his fingers itched to release it from the band at the nape of her neck.
She saw him, and for the first time since the night in the elevator, she called him by his name.
“Hi, Gio.”
“Hello.”
Caspar interjected, “Beatrice, can I get you something to drink?”
She turned to the older man. “A Coke? Do you have…Coke?”
Giovanni chuckled. “Yes, we have Coke. Caspar’s quite fond of it.”
She blushed. “Just that, thanks.”
“And I’ll fix myself a drink in the living room, Caspar.” He looked at Beatrice. “If you’ll join me?”
She nodded and allowed him to usher her into the brightly lit living room, filled with comfortable furniture and a large flat screen television which hung on the wall.
“Oh, wow. That T.V. is huge,” Beatrice mused as she walked over to observe the large screen. “The picture’s probably really good, right?”
He chuckled. “Yes, Caspar
“Thank you, Beatrice,” he murmured as she set down the grey box. She paused for a moment, as if she had something to say, but then he heard a small sigh.
“You’re welcome, Dr. Vecchio. Please let me know if there are any other library materials you need.”
He gritted his teeth when he heard her address him formally, but remained silent and began his careful work. He heard Beatrice sit down at her desk again and pick up the small note he had left near the keyboard. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye and saw her fold the note and slip it in her bag. He hid a small smile and went back to writing.
For the next two weeks, they continued their near silent interaction, each week she brought him the document he requested, paused as if she wanted to tell him something, and then returned to her desk without speaking. Each week he worked on transcribing the ancient characters, took careful stock of her appearance and left afterward with scarcely a word exchanged with the stubborn girl.
He was trying to be patient, but he’d heard nothing about Stephen De Novo from Livia’s people in Rome and was beginning to feel as if the first lead he’d had in five years was dangling just out of his grasp.
It was a Friday night, and Giovanni was preparing to go out for the evening when he heard the buzz from the phone in the kitchen, signaling a car was at the gate. He frowned and walked quickly down the stairs just in time to hear Caspar hit the intercom.
“Yes?”
“It’s Beatrice De Novo.”
Caspar immediately buzzed her in before turning to look at Giovanni.
“It’s Friday. Will you be all right?”
Giovanni shrugged and walked upstairs to hang up his jacket. He paused to check his appearance in the mirror, wishing he wasn’t wearing black as it accentuated his pale skin, but also feeling a perverse pleasure that he had no need to hide his true nature any longer.
He’d never doubted she was trustworthy. Maybe it was her careful handling of the rare texts that contained so much elusive knowledge, or maybe it was the guarded expression in the girl’s dark eyes, but he knew Beatrice was someone who could keep secrets, including her own.
He walked downstairs to hear Caspar opening the door for her.
“Miss De Novo, what a pleasure to see you again.”
“Thanks, Caspar. How’ve you been?”
“Very well, thank you. I was able to catch that showing of Night of the Living Dead you told me about. It was wonderful.”
“Cool! Glad you saw it. I never got out to the theater. No one does zombies like Romero.”
Giovanni turned the corner and paused in the doorway of the kitchen.
She was wearing black, of course, but nothing about it made her seem inhuman. Her smooth skin practically pulsed with life, and his eyes were drawn to the graceful column of her neck. Her long hair was pulled back, and his fingers itched to release it from the band at the nape of her neck.
She saw him, and for the first time since the night in the elevator, she called him by his name.
“Hi, Gio.”
“Hello.”
Caspar interjected, “Beatrice, can I get you something to drink?”
She turned to the older man. “A Coke? Do you have…Coke?”
Giovanni chuckled. “Yes, we have Coke. Caspar’s quite fond of it.”
She blushed. “Just that, thanks.”
“And I’ll fix myself a drink in the living room, Caspar.” He looked at Beatrice. “If you’ll join me?”
She nodded and allowed him to usher her into the brightly lit living room, filled with comfortable furniture and a large flat screen television which hung on the wall.
“Oh, wow. That T.V. is huge,” Beatrice mused as she walked over to observe the large screen. “The picture’s probably really good, right?”
He chuckled. “Yes, Caspar
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