A Face to Die For (Forensic Instincts 6)

“I know.” Casey pulled away from the curb and pressed the touchpad numbers as she drove. The Bluetooth would put them on speakerphone.

“Hello?” Gia had obviously pounced on her burn phone the minute it gave its first chirp.

“It’s me,” Casey said. She could hear Dani’s and Emma’s voices in the background—voices that stilled the minute Gia started to speak. “Claire and I just left your parents’ house.”

“How did they take it?”

“With emotion and strength.” Casey laid out the bare-bones bullet points of the meeting, holding off on informational details so Gia’s parents could have first crack at sharing them with their daughter—and so the FI team could weave their stories together before having a choreographed discussion with the girls. “They have a lot to tell you. Once they do, and once Patrick has reached out to Dani after his meeting with her parents, you and the FI team will get together and field any questions you have—probably tomorrow, given your plans for today and tonight. But you need to call them now. They’re good people and good parents who’ve been thrown for a loop. They’re waiting on pins and needles—to see you and later to meet Dani.”

“I’ll call them right away.” Gia’s voice was strung tight, and she was clearly struggling with a question. “Is there anything I should be prepared for?” she finally blurted out.

“Not in the way you mean.” Casey read between the lines, understanding fully what Gia was terrified to ask. “They had no knowledge of Dani’s existence or of any illegalities. All they wanted was their daughter. That hasn’t changed.”

“Thank you,” Gia said, her relief coming through loud and clear. “I’ll go call them.”

The minute Casey ended that conversation, she called Ryan.

“Hey, boss, how did it go?” he answered.

“Difficult but productive.” Casey handed her cell phone to Claire as she continued to speak on Bluetooth. “I’m driving back to the office now, so I’ll bring you up to speed there. In the meantime, Claire is about to email you Gia’s adoption papers. It was a closed adoption. The Russos confirmed that, to their knowledge, Gia was born in Manhattan. Constantin Farro was the attorney who handled the adoption. That’s C-O-N-S-T-A-N-T-I-N F-A-R-R-O. Both those facts should give you a leg up. Start digging.”

Ryan whistled. “Nice job, ladies. I’ll get on it ASAP.”

“Any word from Patrick or Marc?”

“Not yet. And not a surprise. It’s barely eight o’clock in Minneapolis. Their meeting with the Muranos isn’t scheduled until nine o’clock central, ten o’clock our time. I’ll text you if anything changes and they call in. Otherwise, let’s see what I can accomplish in the next hour while you two brave rush hour.”

* * *

Tactfully, Emma excused herself from Gia’s living room. Gia and Dani needed a few moments together, and Gia needed privacy to call her parents.

It was the perfect time for Emma to make her own phone call.

She walked to the rear of the townhouse, eased open the sliding glass door, and stepped out onto the patio, making sure to close the slider behind her.

Pulling out her iPhone, she scanned her contact info and tapped the necessary name.

“Hello?” Lina sounded a little sleepy.

“Hi, Lina. It’s Emma. Did I wake you?”

“Emma!” All the fatigue vanished from Lina’s voice. “It’s so good to hear from you!”

“I left you a message last night. Didn’t you get it?”

“What? Oh, no, I’m so sorry. I was doing some work for my independent study. I researched until I couldn’t keep my eyes open. Then I crawled into bed and collapsed. I never checked my messages.”

“No problem,” Emma said. “I’ve been thinking about you, and I decided to see if you had any time today or tonight to get together and catch up. Drinks, dinner, whatever works for you.”

“I’d love that!” Bubbly Lina was back in full force. “Why don’t you come over to my place? We’ll order in and have a girls’ night.”

Emma couldn’t contain her grin. People told her she was exuberant? Lina was like a burst of colorful fireworks. “Sounds great. What time?”

“Does six thirty work?”

“I’ll be there,” Emma replied. “With a bottle of red and a bottle of white, so we’re covered no matter what food we order.”

“Perfect. See you then.”