VI – Killing Time
Caterina hung up the phone and ran her fingers over the collection of DVDs. She selected one that promised a good-looking actor in the main role, nice landscapes, possibly awesome music, and action. She turned on the large TV and ordered a bowl of dark cherries in her room while lying on her bed with phone in hand and the remote by her side.
As the film was about to start, she sent the typical 'Hi. What's up?' message to Light's number.
'Nothing much. You?' followed a few seconds as the girl's phone vibrated silently.
'Home, waiting.'
'For who, may I ask?'
'You may…'
'But you won't answer.' He replied along with a laughing emoticon.
'I will, this time.' She replied with a smiling face. 'Waiting for daddy.'
'I see. Is he at work?' Light tried to get some information.
'Maybe.'
'Maybe?'
'I'm not sure. I don't care either.' Caterina clarified her answer.
Vincent knocked on the door.
"Signorina-?"
"Yes, I ordered these." She cut his questions and gestured for the butler to leave the bowl of cherries on the bed, by her side. The film was eventually starting, so she didn't bother looking at the servant.
"Anything-?"
"I want a lemonade with raspberries, oranges, and honey."
The man hated being interrupted, but swallowed his anger and just nodded.
"Go!" She shooed him away, clearly annoyed by his angry stare. The butler left the room.
She looked at her phone again while playing with a freshly washed cherry between her lips.
'How so?' the first text read. Immediately after, there was another. 'Do I bother you?'
'No, you don't. V. does.'
'V.?'
'Vincent. The butler, remember? Tall, half-bald, grumpy.'
Light took a moment to reply. 'I remember him.'
'He's feeling important,' the girl commented.
'What did he do?' At the other end of the line, Light was growing curious about what the girl's standards were. He was at his desk, solving some math exercises just to make sure he was not going to forget anything during summer break. His phone's screen lit up with a 'Ding!' so he picked it up.
'Staring at me in anger. I'm good at reading people. He doesn't respect me,' he read from the screen.
'Maybe he's having a bad day.' Light didn't really feel like protecting the old man, but he wanted a better reason that would actually explain Caterina's personality.
'He's been having these for years.'
'How can you be so sure?'
'I heard him.' Now this was getting somewhere… He put down the pen and began typing with both hands.
At the other end of the line, Vincent was back with the girl's lemonade. She took a sip and shooed him away again.
'You did?' Light sent.
After a few seconds of waiting, he received her answer. 'He was talking to the driver. Called me a spoiled brat, I'm sorry I didn't record him. He would have gone down in flames.' After that, a grinning devil emoticon.
'You know more about these fires than most people, don't you?' His detective intuition wasn't lying, but Light still needed to hear the truth confirmed.
'I read the news from time to time.'
'So you don't like your butler. Why not ask your father to fire him?' This time, Light used the word on purpose.
'Literally…?' she sent back along with a laughing icon.
'Could you?' Light texted in return, still trying to corner her.
'I have no evidence. I didn't record that conversation, remember?'
But you had a witness, Light thought to himself. 'Why not ask the driver to confirm it?'
'Daddy works with solid evidence, not claims and accusations. Otherwise V. would be gone by now.'
'So you're not as powerful as I thought.' If cornering wasn't going to work, perhaps a tease would do.
'Never said I am. Only that I will be.'
'Is that so…?'
'It is. Want to bet?'
'On what?' Light asked. He wasn't much of a gambler, but he wanted to use any opportunity to find more about the girl.
'You choose. But V. will be out of this house by New Year's.'
'That's a long time.'
'I need evidence, remember? So what do I get when I win?' she sent with a winking face.
Light took a moment to think about it. What could a girl like her want? She seemed to have everything she asked for and claimed she had the world at her feet. 'What do you want?'
'You. My pet. One week.'
The Japanese boy read that twice. 'What do you mean?'
'You'll come on a vacation with me and keep me company. Next year, in summer.'
'Doesn't sound much like a lost bet punishment.'
'We'll see about that. Servants refuse this and daddy is usually busy.'
'How about your mother?' Light remembered the girl didn't seem very excited when asked about her mother, so he assumed they were not close.
'I'd rather not.'
'Ah, I see…' As soon as he saw the opportunity, he took it.
'Mm?'
'You're lonely. Your prize would be company.'
'Am not.'
'Are so.'
'I don't need a bet for that. I can have someone taking your place any moment.'
'Even here in Japan?' he asked, already knowing the answer. Caterina had seen the text, but didn't seem eager to reply. 'And what if I win?'
'You choose.'
He thought about it for a bit. What would she hate and love at the same time? He already figured out her weak spot was loneliness, and he knew she loved to be spoiled with attention. He remembered her trying to get his attention back on her if he happened to be eyeing other girls when they met.
'You will spend a week living with me. I'll talk to my family about it.'
'No.'
'You can share the room with my sister.'
'No. Way. No. I refuse.'
'Why?'
'I want my own bedroom and room service.'
'You will get company all day long. My sister is an extrovert and very into fashion and celebrities. You should get along fine, don't you think?' He couldn't help a wide grin from spreading on his face as he waited for the girl's reply.
'She would get along with my mother. And I. Am. Not. Sharing.'
'I thought you liked the superficial side of the world,' he continued.
'What an insult.'
'Is it?'
'If you're done insulting me, I have a meeting to attend.'
That text surprised him. 'Already into business?'
'It doesn't concern you.'
'Is it with your father?'
'No money, no trust, no details.'
Light laughed quietly to himself and shook his head. This girl was different. He found it interesting… If usually success was much too easy for him, with her it was clearly not going to be that easy.
'Be safe, then.'
'I have bodyguards for that.'
Caterina was clearly mad, which amused him. He tried to imagine her doll face angry and pouting. 'Text me when you're back?'
'Good night.'
'You too. Nice dreams.'
Caterina fumed when she read his reply. She hated how ironic he could get when talking to her and how he seemed to guess some things without even seeing her facial expression or listening to her intonation. He was annoying and scary in a very new way… How did he know she was lonely when she still had trouble admitting that to herself?! Who was this guy? Little did she know he had inherited these abilities from the Police Chief.
But that matter could wait, because she had just received a text from her father.
Author's Note:
Because of some future scenes in the next to chapters, the rating will be changed to Mature once the seventh chapter is published. I am aware I can't really stop younger readers from accessing the story, but if you do, you are reading it at your own risk. There are no explicit sex scenes, but some moments of high emotional and sexual tension that I doubt teens (under 15-16 at least) should read.
The story is being proofread by the beta reader Eat4Fun.
If you have any feedback to send, that would really help motivate me to write more. That being said, please follow, review, and/or PM me. Thanks for reading and hopefully I'll hear from you soon.
