The International Balloon Fiesta begins a week from today. I'll try to post the next chapter on Friday, because once fiesta begins, my time is not my own for nine days.

Meanwhile, enjoy this chapter and if you feel inclined, leave me a few words.

Chapter 131.

I left Custom Cars convinced I was getting closer to filling in the pieces of this puzzle. Jess insisted on coming with me to the meeting with Marcello. I don't know whether she was afraid I'd say the wrong thing, or she just wanted to be in on the action. We stopped for lunch at a diner, typical diner food, then continued on to his office.

The same receptionist greeted us. This time she was much friendlier, offering us coffee before letting Marcello know we were there. We met with him in the same conference room as the first time.

"What brings you back to Locarno and Locarno? Ricky found you a good location for your business, didn't he?"

Jess nodded. "This isn't about properties."

"Ricky told you about his run in with Giancarlo?" I got right to the point.

Marcello stiffened and sat back in his chair. "Yes. He didn't tell me any details but he was pretty shook up by the ordeal. I suppose he was lucky it wasn't worse."

"You could say that. Giancarlo was sent by Carlo Molino. I may have mentioned before that we don't know why Molino is targeting your family. Perhaps you have some idea."

"No." Marcello relaxed slightly. "If anyone knows, it's my father."

"Ricky said the same, but we have no way of asking him." I rubbed my palms together.

"And you expect me to?" His brow furrowed. "He's not the easiest man to talk to, my father."

"Is there any way we can approach him?" Jess leaned toward him. "You seem reluctant to broach the subject with him."

"Technically, he doesn't work here, but he still pulls the strings, so it would put me in a precarious position to approach him." He stroked his cheek. "You know he's involved in many charities and civic organizations in the state. Maybe you can use that." He pursed his lips. "I'm sorry I can't help you any more."

"You've already been a big help." Jess flashed one of her million dollar smiles at him. "Thanks for your time."

"You're being careful here, aren't you?" I hadn't seen any armed guards or anything on their floor.

"Ricky and I have taken precautions." He smiled at my narrowed eyes. "You might not have noticed, but we have. Among other things, that gorgeous young woman who greeted you has a black belt in karate. She screens everyone who goes in and out."

"Good to know."

Jess and I stood and she held out a delicate hand to him. He shook it and smiled at her. "Good luck with your business, Miss Giordano. I'm sure it'll be a success."

He ushered us out, past the martial arts expert who looked like she couldn't hurt a flea.

As we rode down in the elevator, Jess turned to me. "I wonder why he's so afraid of his father."

I nodded. "So you noticed. I get the feeling that he's more of a tyrant than your father ever was."

"But isn't he supposed to be this paragon, this civic-minded individual who's above reproach?"

"That doesn't preclude being a dictatorial father. Ricky once said he micromanaged the firm."

We'd reached the lobby. As we left the building, I noticed a man loitering near the doors. If I wasn't seeing things, his jacket hung as if he had a shoulder holster underneath. That made me smile. Marcello was telling the truth about the precautions he was taking.

"Where are we headed now?" Jess asked, slipping her arm through mine.

"I'm afraid I'll have to make an appearance at the hospital. Should I drop you home or at your sister's?"

"Better make it Nina's. We still have a few details to complete before we start operations next week. Every time I think we've done everything we have to, one or the other of us realizes something else that we have to take do."

I chuckled. "At least you know you'll have dotted every 'i' and crossed every 't' when you open for business."

She nodded. "We even have our first job next weekend, a sweet sixteen party."

"Do they still do those?"

She nodded.

"Most of your work will be on weekends, won't it?" That was something I hadn't thought about, but I wondered how it would affect our lives.

"Well, not all, but yes, most."

I drove her to Nina's, then continued on to the hospital. The team sat at the conference room table, going through files. I joined them and shuffled through the folders, looking for a case that would challenge me, but my mind was still on the puzzles surrounding Francesca Molino.

Still, one case stood out of the rest, a woman who'd never been sick before in her life and recently began to develop a variety of ailments, a few quite serious. I held up the file. "This one. Marisa Wells, thirty-two, with assorted unrelated symptoms. Go do your thing and let me know what the tests show."

They stood, scraping back their chairs and left the room, mumbling to each other. I hoped this case was as interesting as it looked on the surface. It was time to have another patient I could torture into revealing what was really wrong with her.

While my minions were off gathering body fluids, I went online to see if there were other patients with the same plethora of symptoms. After an hour, I hadn't found anything remotely like this case. I grinned as I limped back to the conference room and listed everything that had been in her file.

I'd almost finished when Chase and Hadley returned. "Her initial blood panels verify the anemia." Chase placed the printout on the table. "Taub is running an ultrasound on her kidneys and intestines right now."

"We put her on oxygen, because her sats were low and she was having trouble breathing," Hadley reported.

I put a check mark next to the symptoms that were confirmed. "You do a lung x-ray?"

"Not yet, but that's next." Chase pointed to one item on the board. "We also should do a nerve conduction test to see what's causing the numbness in her feet."

I considered that, then nodded. "I suppose it's time for me to see the patient."

"That would be nice." He had a twinkle in his eyes that made me curious.

"Chase? Is there something about her that's not in the file, and you're not telling me?"

He grinned. "You'll see." He walked out and I followed, leaving Hadley contemplating the white board.

The patient was back from her ultrasound and sitting up, flipping through a fashion magazine. She looked up as Chase slid the door open and grinned. "Back again, Dr. Chase." Her voice was deep with a slight rasp.

I couldn't take my eyes off her face, a cross between a young Bacall and Charlize Theron. Her red-gold hair fanned out behind her on the white pillow.

"This is Dr. House, my boss." Chase smiled back at her.

I cleared my throat. "Good afternoon, Miss Wells. Are Dr. Chase and the others treating you well?"

"If I have to be poked and pricked, it might as well be by a handsome, young doctor." She flashed a bright smile in Chase's direction.

His face reddened.

I almost didn't hear her. I was too intent on her luscious deep pink lips. "I'm afraid there are still a few tests we'll have to do."

She licked her lips. "If they're necessary to learn what's wrong with me."

"When did your symptoms begin?" I tried to concentrate on doctor-like questions.

"I think the numbness of the feet was first." She scrunched up her straight and perfect nose. "Then, whenever I ran, I ran out of breath quickly."

"There was nothing on your intake form about the kind of work you do." I left it open, although I knew I hadn't phrased it as a question.

Marisa grinned. "Let's just say I'm in the entertainment business."

Chase and I exchanged matching grins.

"Were any of your, um, customers sick?" Chase had to swallow hard.

"How would I know? They're usually in the dark."

"I'm sure." I smirked at her.

"Hey! What are the two of you thinking? I'm not – that is, I'm a singer in a piano bar!"

Why was I disappointed? "Oh."

"Which one?" Chase asked.

"The Black Keys, over on Maple."

I knew it, and I could see Chase did too. I couldn't think of anything she could have been exposed to at a bar, but maybe Chase was onto something. "How about the piano player? Has he been sick? Maybe a cold or the flu?"

"Not that I know of. In fact, he's been worried about me. He kept feeding me vitamins and herbal teas every time I lost my voice."

"Did you lose your voice frequently?" Chase had her open her mouth to look at her throat.

"Maybe once or twice a month."

"You must have worked in the same place for a while," I said.

"The owner told me I was a big draw." She shrugged.

"I'd like to do a test on your vocal chords." Chase made a note on her file. "Meanwhile, I think we'll check with the piano player to find out what he's given you. Some of your symptoms could have been a reaction to those remedies of his."

"What's his name?" I asked.

"Manny Collins, or at least that's the name he uses. I think it's really something else." She smirked. "Mine isn't really Marisa Wells, it's Marlene Windermaker."

We left Marisa AKA Marlene and went to see whether the others found anything serious, but my bet was on our songstress having the superficial side-effects of too many vitamins and too much herbal tea. "Who should we send to talk to the piano player?"

"Actually, I wouldn't mind doing that myself," Chase said. "I'd love to know what he gave her."

"I'll have Thirteen do an MRI of her throat."

Chase nodded. "I didn't see anything abnormal. It may just be vocal cord strain that singers often get." He glanced at his watch. "I don't know if the piano player is there this early in the day, but it's not far. I'll be back before long."

I returned to the conference room alone.

Hadley was still there and Taub had returned with his initial results. "No problem with the kidneys."

I told him and Hadley what we'd learned from the patient and he rolled his eyes. I think he learned that from Foreman.

"That would explain all of these." Hadley indicated several of the symptoms. "But what about the sore throat?"

I grinned at her. "How would you like to find out?"