Page 32 of Wolf Hunter's Moon

“What? He said what,” Caroline pressed.

Mrs. Fiore glanced at Ryland before taking a step closer to Caroline. She whispered, “He said the lands were cursed.”

“Cursed?” Caroline gasped. “Why would he think his land was cursed if it made so much money?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t know my grandfather well.”

“Is there anyone else we can speak to? Someone who would know? Your sister?”

“My sister isn’t in any state to talk to anyone. Her health is failing her, and her mind is going.”

“Oh, I’m very sorry. Thanks for answering all of our questions.”

“Just a last one, if you don’t mind,” Ryland asked, finally joining the conversation.

Mrs. Fiore wrung her hands together nervously. For whatever reason, she didn’t like Ryland. She was scared of him. Caroline didn’t understand, however. Ryland was speaking kindly, and his body language didn’t screamI’m the bad cop in this duo.

“Are there any more of your family members in Italy?”

“Yes, yes, of course. They live in the same village. Some of them tried to buy enough of the olive groves to keep Bonetti Olives alive, but they …” She hesitated. “They couldn’t manage it …”

“They thought it was cursed, too, didn’t they?” Ryland guessed.

Mrs. Fiore nodded.

“A curse?” Caroline failed to keep all her disbelief from her tone. Mrs. Fiore shot her a pitying look, but Ryland was thanking the florist and dragging Caroline out before she could address it.

“You can’t tell people you don’t believe in curses when they clearly do.”

“You pulled me out of there before I could ask about the vases.”

“She wasn’t going to talk about them. Don’t you get it?” Ryland asked.

Her eyes went wide. “Holy shit! The vases. Luigi thought thevaseswere cursed.”

Ryland nodded. “That’s what I’m gathering from our little chat in there with Mrs. Fiore. She didn’t want to talk about it. She was nervous.” They settled in the car, but Ryland didn’t pull away immediately. He made a call on the car speakers.

“Sir?” a voice asked.

“Hey, Bryce. I need an undercover guard at Flowers by Fiore.” He rattled off the address. “A few Fiore family members live here. I just want an eye kept on the shop. It’s possibly a target in a series of break-ins turned murders.”

“I’ll send Dante right over,” Bryce replied.

“Thanks.”

“Yes sir,” Bryce replied before the call ended, and the car was silent for a beat.

Caroline shook her head. “Whoareyou?”

“I told you. I work for a protection company.”

“I didn’t realize that made you Batman.”

He laughed. “No, I’m cooler than that.” He winked, and they drove off.

“There is no mention of a curse on the vases, is there?” she asked when they were nearly back to his home.

“No,” he replied. “But two owners of the three known vases were killed. If that’s not cursed, I don’t know what is.” And then, just as he parked his car, he turned to her and said, “I’ll have to go to Rome.”

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