Gabriel's Promise (Gabriel's Inferno 4)

Graham lifted a shoulder. “Francis is unsuccessful in saving Guido, as I recall.”

“If Francis is a saint, he would agree with Dante that justice structures Hell, which means he wouldn’t be second-guessing God. So either Francis didn’t appear at all, or he appeared for a different purpose. And Guido is lying in either case.”

Professor Todd chuckled. “Ah, you must be the young lady who needled Don into taking a second look at Guido. He’s become obsessed with him.”

Julia reddened. “Oh, no, I didn’t needle him. But he came to hear my Guido paper at a conference and he argued with me a little.”

Graham’s eyes grew knowing. “The last time I saw Wodehouse argue with a graduate student, the student abandoned his graduate program and became a shepherd.”

“Oh, dear.” Julia was horrified.

“I don’t think you’re in danger of quitting Harvard and becoming a shepherd?” Professor Todd gently teased.

“Um, no.” Julia sipped her tea. “I’m just trying to finish my coursework so I can take my area examinations.”

Graham looked at her thoughtfully. “Let me introduce you to some of the other faculty in Italian studies and especially to my department head. We may have some courses that would be appropriate.”

He stretched out his arm, indicating that Julia should precede him.

With a grateful smile, she walked into the breach, catching Gabriel’s eye as she moved.

When he saw her being welcomed by colleagues from the university, he beamed with pride.

Chapter Twenty-Three

It was raining.

Professor Emerson had come to the conclusion that the residents of Edinburgh were greatly in need of an ark. It had done nothing but pour since he and Julianne arrived at the castle for dinner.

He turned up the collar of his Burberry raincoat and adjusted his tweed cap, switching his umbrella to his left hand. After he and Julia arrived back at their hotel, Julia had realized they’d run out of diaper cream. And, as she was quick to remind him, diaper cream was essential to the baby’s health.

Gabriel went downstairs to the lobby in search of the concierge but was d

ismayed to discover she was not on duty.

“This would never happen at the Plaza,” he’d grumbled to himself as he queried the front desk staff. Indeed, the Plaza Hotel in New York had never left him or Julianne wanting, no matter the hour.

The Professor was further dismayed to learn that there wasn’t a twenty-four-hour pharmacy or supermarket close to the hotel. Even the Marks & Spencer at Waverley Station was closed. And that was how he’d found himself in the back of his hired car, being chauffeured through the rain to a large twenty-four-hour supermarket in Leith, some twenty minutes away.

Arriving at the supermarket was one thing; finding diaper cream was quite another, especially since the supermarket didn’t seem to carry any of the brands they used back in America. Gabriel called Julianne three times as he walked the aisles trying in vain to discover the correct item. After being told in no uncertain terms by his wife that she was going to bed and that she would speak to him when she woke up for Clare’s next feeding, he purchased four different products, hoping at least one of them would suffice.

When he finally returned to the Caledonian he was in a very bad humor. He scowled up at the brightly lit Edinburgh Castle as he exited the hired car. The doorman greeted him with an open umbrella and escorted him into the hotel.

It was at that moment Gabriel received an incoming text from Jack Mitchell.

He shook the rain from his coat and cap and walked straight to the Caley Bar so he could read the text privately. He ordered a double espresso from the bartender, grousing internally about his inability to order Scotch.

It’s a crime against hospitality, he thought. All that beautiful Scotch, just waiting for the right palate to appreciate it. With this rain, I’ll probably catch pneumonia and die. All Sage Lecturers should be issued antibiotics on arrival. Perhaps as part of the welcoming fruit basket.

As the bartender made his espresso, the Professor withdrew his cell phone from his pocket and read the text.

Nothing on the Nissan.

If you see it again, take a photo.

Will check in on J’s roommate and the senator’s son.

The text was clear enough. Looking for a black Nissan without a license plate number in the Boston area was next to impossible. Still, Jack was nothing if not thorough. He was going to look into Natalie Lundy, Julia’s former roommate, and Simon Talbot, her ex-boyfriend.