“If the thief was the true owner, he’d implicate himself when reporting it stolen. If the true owner was robbed, hopefully Dottor Vitali will find him or her.”
“You’re screwing with the thief.”
“A little,” Gabriel admitted. He stopped moving. “Do you think I should give the sculpture to the police?”
“I think it’s better for humanity as a whole for it to be in a museum. It belongs with the original chaplet. They may not accept it given how we found it.”
Gabriel brought Clare over to her mother. “They have no proof of prior ownership. It disappeared after Alessandro’s assassination. It could have changed hands dozens of times after that.”
Julia tasted the salt on the rim of her margarita glass. “We might have been thinking about this the wrong way.”
“What do you mean?”
“The thief may not know we have it. If it was dropped by accident, he can’t be sure where it landed. It could be in the yard or on the street. He could have lost it in his car. He may come back to look for it, or he may decide it’s too risky to return.”
Gabriel sat next to her, holding Clare securely on his lap. “You and I are both eyewitnesses. We have a sketch of him. That, by itself, may give him pause.”
“True.” Julia finished her drink. “If we keep the sculpture’s discovery a secret, he can’t be sure we have it. Since we’ve upgraded the security system and we are both eyewitnesses, he may decide to target someone else. I think you should ask for the carving back and we should bind Dottor Vitali to secrecy, at least for a while. Let the thief search for the object elsewhere.”
“That’s a good idea.” Gabriel reached over to take her lips. His gaze dropped to her indigo bathing suit. “You look beautiful, by the way.”
Julia patted her abdomen self-consciously. “You don’t think the bikini is too much?”
“I picked it out. I love it.”
A warm glow suffused over her face, for his admiration pleased her.
“Enough talk of unhappy things,” he whispered. “We’re in a beautiful city, enjoying beautiful weather. I have plans for you tonight.”
Julia leaned her head on his shoulder. “What kind of plans?”
“Adult plans.”
He took her lips again and all thought of black spots and memento mori flew out of her head.
* * *
“This is lovely.” Julia gazed in wonder at the elegant dining room on the main floor of the SLS Hotel.
Gabriel had brought her to José Andrés’s new restaurant, The Bazaar, which was located inside the hotel. The décor was airy and fresh, the staff numerous, and the music Latin inspired and sultry.
Clare sat in her baby carrier next to Julia on a love seat, dozing after a day outside. Gabriel sat across from the pair, his attention entirely fixated on his wife.
“I really like Miami. My entire mood has changed.” Julia admired the golden cast to her skin that she’d earned over multiple mornings at the pool.
The sun had kissed her hair, lightening some strands of chestnut to golden brown and honey. She’d been letting her hair grow out and now it hung in sexy waves to her shoulders. On this evening, she wore a tangerine sundress that fell to her knees and bronze-colored sandals that laced up her lower legs.
Gabriel bought her a glass of champagne, which she sipped slowly, savoring the tiny bubbles. Despite all that was unknown and ominous in their lives, at that moment, Julia felt light.
Miami seemed to agree with Gabriel, as well. His tanned skin contrasted with the white shirt he wore unbuttoned at his neck. His hair was wavy from the Florida heat and his smiles were easy.
Julia fairly glowed as she drank her champagne and spoke enthusiastically with the waiter, who told her the history of the chef and his passion for food.
“We need to spend more time here.” Julia gazed at the array of Spanish and Cuban tapas that were spread across the table.
“We can. We don’t have anywhere to be until April.” Gabriel served Julia some octopus cooked à la plancha.
“You can’t be serious.”
He served himself and chewed reflectively. “Why not? I’d need someone to courier some of my books and files, so I could work on my lectures. I’m sure Rachel wouldn’t mind.”
“It’s tempting.” Julia sampled the octopus and rolled her eyes heavenward. It was perfectly cooked and seasoned. Delicious. “It would be expensive to stay so long at the hotel.”
Gabriel shrugged. “We’re comfortable. I suppose if we decide to stay into February, we should rent a place.”
“So you’re still working on your lectures?” Julia posed her question nonchalantly.
“Yes.” Gabriel’s eyebrows knitted together. “Did you think I wasn’t?”
“Oh no, not that. You know Katherine is worried you’ll decline.”
Gabriel rearranged the napkin on his lap. “Yes, she mentioned something of the sort.
“What about you? You’d need your books.”
“I should be working through Wodehouse’s reading list. It’s been slow going.”
“Bring your books to the pool. Or pull up the articles on the iPad.” Gabriel lifted the chef’s homage to a Cuban sandwich and took a bite. He paused, his eyes darting to Julia’s. Without speaking, he passed the plate to her and gestured for her to take a bite. “It’s incredible.”
Julia sampled the sandwich and quickly agreed. “This reminds me, I want you to take me to Little Havana. I want to eat at the Versailles restaurant.”
“Done. We’ll go tomorrow.”
“When would we go back to Massachusetts?”
Gabriel wiped his mouth with his napkin. He sipped his sparkling water and helped himself to some of the endive salad.
“Darling?” She waited.
“Let’s give it a month for now. After that, I think the possibility that the thief will return becomes even more remote. If he’s keeping an eye on the house, he’ll see it’s empty.” Gabriel reached across the table to take her hand. “Besides, our anniversary is January twenty-first. Why don’t we celebrate here?”
“When we go home, we’ll return to our house?”
“If it’s safe.”
“I miss the house,” Julia blurted. “I miss sleeping in my own bed. I miss the nursery and all of Clare’s things.”