Will adopted a no-nonsense expression. “Never, Lav. My sister is the model in this family, and that’s fine with me.”
Sarah laughed. “Lav’s right. You’d rake it in. But I’m not encouraging you. Having my big brother around all the time would be… suffocating.”
I shook my head. “Lav, you can’t have him. If he’s swanning around with a whole lot of gorgeous models, he’ll probably leave me, and then I’ll blame you, and we won’t be able to be friends.”
“Lovie, Will knows what he’s got. I don’t think any of those ladies would be enough to tempt him.” Maybe Lavender was right, but maybe he wasn’t, and I didn’t want to take that chance.
Will bumped his shoulder against mine. “Don’t worry, Lily. You’ve got me forever, and I am never modelling anything.” He picked up my hand and waved it around. “This ring proves it.” I was being so stupid, but I couldn’t help it. Since we’d rescued my mother and shut down RP, I was waiting for something to go wrong. We’d never had proper peace. I could even wander up to Costa by myself or just with Liv and have a meal without worrying someone would kill me. It was a novel experience for sure. But how long would it last? The watercraft shuddered to a halt, interrupting my waste-of-time-and-energy thoughts.
The water bus docked, and we stood. We filed off onto Murano and followed Angelica. She might not be leading the investigation, but she was leading our expedition. Whatever made her happy was fine with me. Not having to organise stuff made my life easier.
The cobbled path had lagoon on one side and a brick wall and buildings on the other. The sun shone and sparkled off the water, and a crowd of tourists ambled along the pathway. We couldn’t have asked for nicer weather.
We passed a factory-looking building with a front courtyard behind the tall brick fence and iron gates. It advertised glass-blowing demonstrations for five euros a person. “Why aren’t we stopping here?”
“She probably knows somewhere better,” said Imani.
“Of course she does.” I should know not to ask. Angelica had a reason for everything. Maybe she was friends with whoever we were going to visit? It wouldn’t surprise me—she had connections everywhere.
We bypassed another glass-blowing place that had demonstrations advertised for four euros. We finally stopped at a third. I narrowed my eyes. The building looked similar to the others we’d passed. “This one’s ten euros a visitor.”
Will looked at me. “Since when did you become a cheapskate?”
“I’m not. I’m just wondering. Maybe they’re better than the others?”
“What do you mean, love?” Imani asked as we followed Angelica through the front courtyard and to the door.
“The others were way cheaper than this. It’s probably because this one’s the best. I’m sure there’s a reason we’re here and not there.” I shrugged. Will and Imani shared a look. I raised a brow and lowered my voice. “Do you think this is part of the investigation?” The guy had been turned to glass after all. Maybe a glass-blowing professional had a vendetta against the victim?
Imani shrugged. “She could still be questioning someone even if she wasn’t giving up her holiday and leading the investigation.”
“How are we supposed to find out?” Gah! I should’ve spent time listening in on her conversation with those agents. They hadn’t used a bubble of silence. Oh, but they’d been speaking in Italian. I really was in holiday mode. And who could blame me? I’d spent over twelve months in constant panic mode. Now my brain was like, oh, a crime? I can’t hear you. La, la, la, la, la.
Liv, who was in front of me with Beren, stopped walking and turned to me. “Just chill, lady. Enjoy the holiday. Angelica’s going to let those agents handle this, and you should too. Don’t give it a second thought.”
Will nodded. “Listen to Liv. We’re here to see the sights. It’s not our circus, not our monkeys.”
Angelica turned to Will and smiled. “Will’s right. Now, who’s ready to watch some artisans at work?” She turned away from us before we answered, then addressed a young woman who’d approached her. Angelica went with the woman to the cash register and took out her credit card.
“She can’t pay for everyone!” I stepped forward to pay for Will and myself, but Will grabbed my wrist, stopping me.
“Don’t worry. She can afford it, and I’m pretty sure she wants to. We’ll buy her a drink later.”
I gave up. “Okay.” It was nice of her, but I hated owing people things. I was more than happy to pay for her, but not the other way around. Yes, it was hypocritical, but that was how I rolled. Fending for myself over the years had made me self-reliant. Asking for favours went against the grain, and Angelica had done so much for me already—letting me live in her home rent-free and risking her life to help find out what happened to my parents. I could hardly ask for more.
While Angelica chatted to the woman serving her, I wandered around the showroom. So many gorgeous things. Multi-coloured sea creatures—fish, octopus, and starfish—lined the shelves. There were glasses and goblets, and, um, look at those prices. It was cool if you wanted one glass, but to get a set would cost a fortune. And then I’d be too scared to use them in case I smashed one. Ooh, pussy cats. Oh my God! Was that a tiny squirrel? The little squirrel standing on his hind legs was about an inch high. Orange, blue, yellow, and black swathes of colour swept from his feet to his head and the tip of his tail. His little friend next to him was on all fours, its tail high in the air. They were only ten euros each. I picked them up, just in case someone else grabbed them.
Amusement laced Imani’s voice. “Oh, what a surprise that you
