La Rosa Del Sur (The Rose of the south)

Chapter 9

Chapter 9
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The conversation lasted an hour. Lorenzo and I filled Rafael, Zoella, and Diego in on all we had discovered. When we had finished, they sat there, all looking a bit stunned and impressed. Zoella picked up the letter from Lorenzo's desk and read it over once. She passed to Rafael, who flipped it over and studied the date on the back.

"So, you believe this is a bank account number?" Rafael asked me.

"Yeah," I replied, taking the letter from his outstretched hand and passing it on to Diego. "I mean, it's only a theory, but it makes sense."

"Her skills of deduction are quite impressive," Luca said enthusiastically. "I mean, you heard how she came up with it. Your sister's very smart." I blushed at his praise. Rafael rolled his eyes.

"Well, she's not very smart when it comes to leaving with a guy she just met in a bar," He glared pointedly at me.

"Excuse me, but if I hadn't done that then I wouldn't have found out all this valuable information," I retorted.

Rafael held up his hands. "I'm just saying, you're not very smart when it comes to picking guys."

"If we could stay on topic, please," Lorenzo cleared his throat to break the tension.

"Sorry," Rafael grunted. He sat up a bit straighter. "Roseina is right. Our abuelo did create a bank account in her name." He shifted his feet. "In fact, I know where it is."

"You do?" I asked, surprised.

"Yeah," He replied. "When I took over for father as the new Don, I gained access to a lot of information like that. That bank is here in Sicily. Banca Carige."

"That's quite near here," Lorenzo mused. "Only a few hours' trip."

"Perfect!" Luca said gleefully. "We can go tomorrow."

"Hold your horses, esperate," Rafael stood up. "We still need to figure out a few things. Like who's going and who's not going."

"What do you mean?" Luca asked, standing up as well.

Rafel took a step very close to Luca. "I mean that I don't trust some people around mi hermanita-"

"Ok!" I said, very loudly, standing up and walking between them. "Let's just sit down and work it out like civilized people." I looked at Rafael. "Now," I growled. He gave one final disdainful look at Luca and flopped back into his chair.

"I think it would be best if only a few people went with you, Roseina," Lorenzo said. "It wouldn't draw a lot of attention and wouldn't be such a hassle."

"I agree," I replied. I looked around. "So, who wants to come?"

"I'll go," Rafael and Luca said at the same time. They stared daggers at each other.

"Ay dios mio," I rubbed my forehead in exasperation.

"Well, we have a team!" Lorenzo rubbed his hands together and stood up.

"I suppose we do," Rafael said through gritted teeth. He looked at Lorenzo. "What time should we meet up tomorrow?"

"Actually, I had a different idea," Lorenzo began hesitantly. He paused for a moment, then continued. "Since this could be an ongoing investigation, it could be easier for you all to stay here in my house. You wouldn't have to get up at any certain time, we have plenty of room, you would be quite comfortable." He looked hopefully around at all of us.

"Um, that's a very kind offer, but we wouldn't want to intrude on your home," I said. "We're here for only two weeks, and we wouldn't-"

"Oh nonsense," Lorenzo waved his hands. "I would be quite happy to have you here. An old bachelor can get lonely at times. Luca and Giovanni have been great company, but having a few more people around would be so much better. It would remind me of my youth when the house was hopping with people. What do you say?"