For Love of Livvy Read Online Free PDF Page B

waiting coffee pot on and turned to find Richmond still absent. With a shrug, I rifled the fridge for leftovers and tossed rolls, a dish with a couple of meatballs, and the milk container onto the counter. As I straightened up, I noticed Richmond had entered the room with a gleam in his eyes. At the smirk on his face, I figured he'd enjoyed the rear view.
    "The coffee's ready, the cups are up there.” I pointed to the overhead cupboard next to the coffeepot. “You want to share a sandwich?"
    With two cups in his hands, he turned those intense eyes back to me.
    "No thanks, do you feed everyone who walks in?"
    "It's a thing I learned from my mother. If she's not feeding someone, she's not happy. Pass me that bag of rolls, will you?"
    He handed me the bag and watched while I slathered a roll with sauce and flipped the meatballs inside. I popped it into the microwave above the stove and set the timer.
    After Marcus proffered the coffee, I sipped the strong liquid and peered at him over the rim of my cup. Tension thickened the air and I wondered if my over active imagination had kicked in again. The silence lengthened and I tried to think of what to say.
    He stared back at me, cleared his throat and said, “Your sandwich is done, I think."
    My eyes cut to the microwave and sure enough, the timer was off. As I withdrew the dish, juicy meatballs flopped out of the roll, bounced across my shirt and tumbled onto the floor.
    The grin that stretched across Richmond's face was more than I could bear. Man, embarrassed in front of two good looking men in one day was too much to handle. Disgust weighed me down.
    In one swift motion, the empty sandwich hit the trash basket and I stooped to pick up the meatballs.
    "Gosh, sometimes it doesn't pay to get out of bed in the morning. My day started out on a low note and it looks like I'm going to starve to death before it's over.” I grinned, but was miffed about the sandwich all the same. A clean towel sat nearby, and I swiped at the sauce on the already cruddy shirt.
    Wide shoulders heaved with silent laughter and he shook his head.
    "You are a disaster waiting to happen, aren't you, Vinnie? I can call you Vinnie?” he asked between chuckles.
    "Sure, why not, everyone else does."
    "So tell me about the jewels and the note. You must have some idea of what it's about. You and your aunt were quite close, weren't you?"
    The day was nearly a complete disaster and now he'd pinned me to the wall with this question. I'd thought about it on and off all afternoon since I'd learned about the package contents. I hadn't a clue as to what it was about, but plainly this Five-O thought I did.
    With a sigh, I sat on the stool at the counter and toyed with the coffee cup. My notes from the night before came to mind. I slid off the seat and went into the bedroom, bringing them back.
    I flipped the pad down in front of him and said, “I tried to make some notes last night about Aunt Livvy's life. For the life of me, I can't come up with a reasonable idea that would account for the package.” I glanced at his interested stare. “If there was something odd going on, she didn't share it with me. Livvy's personal papers are in a trunk in the bedroom though. I've gone through a box full of things stored in the closet, but there wasn't any information in it about gems. The contents consist mainly of photographs of the family. If I find any clues in the trunk you'll be the first to know, I promise."
    The skeptical glance he shot me put already frayed nerves on edge. What the hell was he after, a full confession about something I knew nothing of? Tired and hungry, my Italian attitude slipped into place. I stared at him for a long moment.
    "What do you want from me anyway? I don't know what this is about, and I have no clue why that stupid package was left for a woman who's been dead for months. Give me a break Richmond, will ya?"
    "Call me Marcus,” he said in an even tone. “I'm sure you know something, even if