Death Under the Venice Moon Read Free Page B

my head. But my grandfather's cellar had a floor. This place? Several steps down from the threshold, dark water slapped against the walls.
    "Come on." Cruz stood on the lower step, prodding me to join him. The instant I moved away, the door shut behind me. What have I gotten myself into?
    Water dripped somewhere in this cavernous place, resonating loudly. Precise and relentless.
    "Watch where you step." His voice was as calm as if he were taking a stroll in the park. He must have pulled a flashlight from his pocket. The light beam showed the way.
    He seemed to be walking on solid ground, so I followed him closely. Our footsteps echoed in the vaulted space. We turned a corner and found ourselves at a moonlit underground dock. The moonbeams poured in from a large skylight, bleaching the walls and the boat to a ghostly pallor. A boat!
    "Where are we? What's above us?" I listened for dock sounds—voices, engines of other boats. But the only sound was the water slapping against the walls and moorings.
    "The skylight is part of the garden terrace. We are under the palazzo . Think of this place as a basement with seawater." His laugh was filled with affection. "And this is my Gemelli ."
    " Gemelli ? You are a twin? You have a twin brother?"
    "Lella, Lella, pay attention— Gemelli , as in astrology. I named my boat after my birth sign."
    That explained the affectionate tone. The man was in love with his boat.
    "Got it. This is your beloved speedboat you named Gemini because you are a Gemini. Correct?"
    " Brava! "
    Maybe it was the chill of the underground canal or the jet lag that finally caught up with me, but the tingling that crept up my spine when he mentioned Gemini wasn't pleasurable. More like bad memories and an urge to get out of there.
    Cruz's flashlight had a limited but powerful beam. He pointed it and examined the ropes anchoring the Gemelli .
    "Don't you have any electricity?" I stomped my feet. The humidity from the slippery stones dampened my ankle boots.
    "Of course I do, but I don't want to attract attention."
    "Attract attention? Whose attention? The sewer rats?" I can't believe I said that.
    He grabbed my elbow and forced me to walk the length of the boat past the bow. A few meters ahead, the underground boat slip opened into a wide canal dripping in moonlight. Cruz pointed across the water at a few lit windows. "The stores are closed, but people live above the businesses." He smiled. "Like you say in America, I like to keep a low profile."
    "Is below sea level low enough? How about we go back to the condo?"
    "Not yet. I want you to understand how free I feel to be myself. No agents, no paparazzi, just me and my boat." He rubbed his hand against the side of the speedboat the same way I ran my hands over Flash's back, except my cat purred. "My boat is my magic door. Once we leave the slip, I enter a different world, a world where I can choose who I want to be and where I want to go. No one questions me. I spend days on one of the small islands, just painting."
    "You paint?"
    "Painting is my passion. When I'm no longer, um, effective on the screen, I will paint every day. Augusta stores all my painting material when I'm gone for long periods of time. I don't leave anything personal in the condo. You never know who may stop by."
    "You mean you are not the only one with the keys?"
    "I'm told I am, and I give keys to my guests, but I trust no one. And you are right, Lella, I do wear wigs and glasses when I roam around town. Here." He climbed aboard the boat and was immediately coated in that ghostly, washed-out color. "Take my hand; come aboard."
    "No, that's okay. Really. I'm fine." My stomach gurgled loudly. Cruz kept his arm stretched out to me. Damn! He helped me up. The saying "a fish out of water" took on a whole new meaning. All I wanted was to get out of that drippy, stinky place.
    The boat actually smelled of new paint or something. Cruz stood there like a king assessing his domain. If a simple boat gave him