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"Who's Sam Beringer?"Isabella asked."I haven't heard that name before."
"He's a renowned art thief," he told her."And he's the father of my boss, Flynn MacKenzie."
Her eyebrows shot up in surprise."Seriously?Your FBI agent boss has a father who's an art thief?"
"Yes.They work on opposite sides of the law."
"If Sam Beringer was involved in The Black Hand, maybe your boss has information that could help us."
"Flynn doesn't know where his father is.That's a dead end."
"But—"
"Trust me," he said, cutting Isabella off.He turned to Francesca."There's one more thing I wanted to ask you."He reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring."Do you recognize this ring or the design?"
She took it out of his hand and studied it for a moment."No, but I don't study jewelry.You should talk to a jeweler about it.Did it belong to Tomas?"
"I believe so.It was tucked away in a safe deposit box, so it makes me think it's important."
"I can't help you on that, but I will continue to look into the art, and I'll let you know if I find anything."
"I'm happy to pay you for your time."
"That's not necessary.I like to do my part to bring stolen art back to its rightful owners, so I will try to make that happen."
"Thank you.We'll let you enjoy the rest of your Saturday."
"It was lovely to meet you," she said as they all stood up."I hope I have more answers when we speak again."
They said their goodbyes and then headed downstairs.When they got to the lobby, Isabella paused, giving him an annoyed look, "I can't believe your father's boss is an international art thief, and you don't want to use the connection.I get that it's a little complicated?—"
"More than a little.Flynn runs my unit."
"I understand that, but?—"
"There's no but," he interrupted again."And you, of all people, should understand why Flynn would want nothing to do with his father.Your mother participated in criminal activity, and you don't want anything to do with her.You don't even want to talk to her about the painting she had in her possession for a very long time.So don't you think you're being a little hypocritical demanding that I ask my boss to just get over his complex relationship with his criminal father in order to help us?"
She frowned as he made his point."You're right, Nick.I don't want to talk to my mother, and I guess I can understand why Flynn wants nothing to do with his father.I just have a hard time not following a lead that's right in front of me."
"Flynn doesn't know where his father is.He's made a point not to know.So, he wouldn't be able to help us even if I asked."
"Okay."She tucked her hair behind her ears, then quickly kicked into fighting mode once more."We'll find another way to get information.I know we need to go to the school to talk to Louisa Del Vecchio about Frederico's painting.But why don't I call Joelle first?My cousin is a jewelry designer.She might know if the design on the ring has any meaning."
"It's worth a shot.But the ring may not be as important as the paintings."
"It feels like they're connected, and we're not getting very far on the art, so we might as well try the ring," she said as she sent Joelle a text."Hopefully, she gets back to us quickly.We can either meet her before we go to the school or after.Wait a second, she's writing back."She paused as she read the text."She's showing her jewelry in a booth at Campo 'de Fiori today with another designer if we want to come by.She'll be there for another hour."
"Then we'll go there first."
ChapterThirteen
Campo 'de Fiori was a popular square in the historic district, with outdoor cafes running around the edges and an open-air market in the middle of the plaza.One half was dedicated to food and produce, while the other half was filled with artisan booths.She'd come here with her grandmother several times when she was a teenager, and she'd loved it.They'd have lunch and then get gelato at one of her grandmother's favorite stands.It had been a nice escape from her grandmother's house, which felt so quiet and somber, especially when her grandfather, Paolo, was around.Gloria's personality had certainly been stifled by her husband's insistence on neat and clean.Now that she was living with Anna, it was like she was back in a world of color.
Of course, she didn't want to be happy that her grandfather had died.That was wrong.Even if they hadn't had a good relationship, her grandmother had loved him, so there must have been something about him that was good; she'd just never seen it.
Shoving those old, dark memories out of her head, she turned to Nick."Did you come here when you were a kid?"
"Lots of times.It hasn't changed all that much."
