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relent and gently reached out her hand to clasp his across the table as he softened his expression.  “I don’t mean to pry, Gio.  I just find it unconscionable on the part of the authorities to have given up so easily on this case.”
     
“It’s not a case.” Gio ground out.  “It’s my life.  My family!  What are you anyway?  A travel photographer or a tabloid journalist?”
     
Refusing to take umbrage at his rude comment, Sabrina said softly, “I’m certainly not a journalist.  And I’m sorry if I’ve overstepped my bounds.  You don’t have to discuss this with me, but at least for yourself---for the memory of your family---you must have some theories about how this happened.”
     
“I do.” Gio admitted slowly.  “I’ve always had suspicions about our neighbors, Bert and Cathryn Shanty.  They hardly ever left their house, and when they did, they were miserable.  Didn’t want to talk to anyone.  In all honesty, I’ve always wanted to question them, but I’ve never looked back.  Besides, they were pretty old back when I was growing up, and I don’t even know if they’re still alive.”
     
“But what if they are alive? Would you consider going back there?  To question them and maybe get some degree of closure?”
     
Closure .  The word and alien concept reverberated in Gio’s mind.  The mystery behind his family’s deaths and fall of his childhood home had never allowed him any closure.  Perhaps Sabrina was right.  Even Max had told him dozens of times to sleuth for answers.  It had been so many years since the loss.  If he wasn’t ready to face it now, when would he ever be? Gio’s next statement surprised even himself.  “I guess I might consider it.  But we can’t just show up at their door and accuse an elderly couple of arson and murder.” 
     
“We?” Sabrina repeated.
     
“Yes, you and me.  And maybe Max if he’s not out of town on assignment.  Since it was your idea, wouldn’t you be willing to go?”
     
Sabrina was taken aback by his changed attitude and suddenly felt uncertain about what he was proposing.  “Well…if you feel comfortable with my being there.  But I’m just a stranger.”
     
“We can change that.” Gio murmured in a low, intimate voice as Sabrina wondered what his intentions were.  “Are you free Saturday afternoon?  Afterwards we could spend the evening together, maybe take a drive through the mountains.”
     
His offer caught her off guard and she said, “OK---but before we go to Mount Hollow, we’ll need to figure out our strategy.”
     
“You leave that to me.  I’ll do some brainstorming, see if Max can trail us in his car, and we’ll drive over in my photogenic truck.” He winked on those last words, and the pair spent the remainder of the evening in much lighter discourse. 
     
They ordered a dessert sampler of tartufo, mini cannolis, and biscotti---perfect for dipping in their extra frothy double cappuccinos.  Before they headed to their cars, Gio kissed Sabrina’s hand, detecting the pleasant scent of lilies or some other sweet flower on her skin.  This romantic gesture was very out of character for the surly, sometimes chauvinistic fireman who courted women mechanically.  But this whole evening had been out of character for him.  Grimly, he shoved his hands in his pockets, trying to ignore Sabrina’s lingering scent on his skin.
     

 
Chapter 3
     
 
     
An invigorating breeze drifted into the bay window as sun rays created a blinding glare in Sabrina’s living room.  The air outside was crisp and beckoning, a natural tonic to Sabrina as she slid brown suede boots over her favorite pair of stonewashed denims.  Gio would be at her door any moment to embark on the hour-long drive southeast to Mount Hollow.  She had felt comfortable enough by the end of Thursday’s dinner to give him both her home address and phone number. 
     
Disappointingly, he hadn’t called her at all since their date,