Talking Italian

By Jane Zimmermann

Best friends Erin and Audrey are thrilled when they travel with Audrey’s parents on a business trip to Italy, but the real excitement starts when they return to the States and discover that their Italian adventure is not yet over. Chance meetings and odd coincidences entangle the teenagers in a mystery that spans continents and centuries.
Together with their friends—and of course, Erin’s brother Dakota—the teenagers unravel the threads of an international plot that literally lands on their doorstep in the sleepy little town of Dunellon. Our teenage protagonists prove once again that friendship and integrity are a winning combination every time.
Inspired by Nancy Drew and the beautiful countryside of central Virginia,
Talking Italian is a young adult story of history, mystery, friendship & more...
It is the third book in the Talking series by the author.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jane Zimmermann
• Release date: Jul 25, 2015
• ISBN: 9781311611307

Jane Zimmermann

I am fortunate that my life is filled with wonderful people and I am grateful that I have been able to experience many wonderful things. Whether it is visiting the Tiger's Nest in Bhutan, kayaking on the Rivanna River, or simply walking my dog, Fred, around the block, I am amazed by the world around me and I want to share this amazement with my readers. I also love a good mystery! So my stories are a combination of my wonder and joy of life with a plot that thickens...I have been a teacher, a stock broker, an accountant, a property manager, and a technical writer, among other things. I spent 13 years in Germany and I have lived in New York, Pennsylvania, Missouri, California, Vermont, Georgia, Tennessee and now Virginia. I embrace different people and ideas and I love to be outside. I now live in Central Virginia and I spend my days writing, gardening, cooking, walking my dog (who is very old now) and paddle boarding. The stand-up paddleboard is my new favorite.

Book preview

Talking Italian

a young adult mystery

written by Jane Zimmermann

cover art by Allison Johnson

Copyright © 2014 Jane Zimmermann

All rights reserved.

Smashwords edition.

ISBN-13: 978-1502380401

ISBN-10: 1502380404

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014951850

Talking Italian is a work of fiction.

Discover other titles by Jane Zimmermann:

Talking Leaves

Talking Waters

Visit www.patchespublishing.com for more information.

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Table of Contents

Chapter One Florence

Chapter Two David

Chapter Three The Duomo

Chapter Four Michelangelo’s Florence

Chapter Five Dinner and History

Chapter Six The Farmhouse

Chapter Seven Rome

Chapter Eight Last Day

Chapter Nine Arrividerci Firenze

Chapter Ten School, Hannah, and the Emma Saga

Chapter Eleven Surprises

Chapter Twelve What?

Chapter Thirteen Happy Birthday

Chapter Fourteen More Surprises

Chapter Fifteen TV

Chapter Sixteen Hot Stuff

Chapter Seventeen Busted

Chapter Eighteen Crimes and Punishment

Chapter Nineteen The Smithsonian

Chapter Twenty The Letter

Chapter Twenty-One Dilemma

Chapter One

Florence

The line to the Uffizi Gallery Museum was long, but Erin and Audrey could have spent hours watching people while they waited in the piazza in the center of Florence, Italy.

How do they walk in those heels and still manage to look gorgeous? Audrey asked. She was totally in awe of the Italian women. I mean, they’re walking on cobblestones in six-inch heels—I can barely manage to walk on these streets in sneakers without tripping! The funny thing was, Audrey was prettier than most of the women she was admiring, but the sophisticated clothes, and especially the shoes, really impressed her.

It does take some practice to walk in those shoes, commented her mother matter-of-factly. She looked young enough to be one of Audrey’s girlfriends, and with their long brown hair and long slender figures, mother and daughter both looked like models.

But Alecia Conroy was actually much more of a businesswoman than a model. She had spent years building her real estate firm, and her professional attitude was evident in everything she did, including educating her daughter about the art and architecture of the Renaissance in Florence, Italy. She pointed to the massive statues in the Piazza della Signoria, and started reading to the girls from her guide book. For her, this was a serious matter.

Audrey paid polite attention to her mother, but people watching and taking pictures were far more interesting to her than listening to a history lesson. She had already decided to leave the education part to her best friend, who was fascinated with everything in Florence—including the history. Erin was insanely grateful to the Conroys for inviting her along because her family could never have afforded this trip on their own. As their guest, she had only been responsible for her airfare, which her father gladly paid for his fourteen year-old daughter.

Audrey leaned back and pointed her camera skyward to capture the magnificent façade of the Uffizi. Eeewww, she said immediately. There’s a man in that upstairs window who is giving me the creeps, she explained with a shudder.

"He probably works in the gallery,’’ said Mrs. Conroy, who usually had an explanation for everything.

Well, he’s staring at us, Audrey insisted. And it makes me feel very uncomfortable.

Where? asked Erin, her eyes following her friend’s outstretched arm. Oh, I see him now. Definitely creepy.

Come on, girls. The doors are opening, Mrs. Conroy nudged her daughter and Erin forward into the magnificent Uffizi Gallery. None of them thought any more about the man in the upstairs window.

Audrey’s father was a prominent investment advisor to several wealthy families and because of his wife’s success too, the family was quite well off financially. At the request of one of his biggest clients who was purchasing a farmhouse in Tuscany, Mr. Conroy had arranged the trip to Italy, but he been reluctant to travel alone so he decided to bring his wife and daughter with him.

Of course, as soon as Audrey found out about the trip, she started begging her parents to invite Erin along. Her father had booked a luxurious two-bedroom suite in Florence with plenty of room, and everybody knew Audrey would be much happier (which meant that Mr. and Mrs. Conroy would be much happier, too) if her best friend went with them.

Even though the airfare was a substantial amount of money for Erin’s family, her father realized what a great opportunity this was, and he encouraged her to go. Erin’s brother Dakota had also been all for it, but that was a no-brainer because the seventeen year-old was obsessed with history. For him, a trip to Italy was all about ruins and artifacts and the Renaissance and the history of the Roman Empire—that was his idea of fun. He was genuinely happy for his sister and he kept telling her about cool historic monuments and buildings that she just had to see.

Of course, the trip turned out to be better than anything Erin could have possibly imagined. She had been amazed from the moment they got off the plane, and she already had a headful of new impressions and memories. She loved the fact that they rarely heard English spoken on the streets, and she loved listening to the children speak Italian. She loved the differences between Italy and home—and she loved the similarities, too—but she especially loved the people watching. The slight, blonde, blue-eyed soon-to-be fifteen- year-old, with a shy, self-conscious personality was fascinated with everything she saw, and she was perfectly content to just watch the people of Florence from the sidelines.

They had all been jet-lagged the first day, and even the excitement of being in Italy hadn’t been enough for them to overcome the time difference. They had struggled to stay awake while they wandered around Florence like zombies, too exhausted to appreciate most of what they saw. But they could eat—after devouring heaping plates of divine pasta, unlike anything Erin had ever eaten in the States, it had been easy to go to bed early.

Florence looked even better after a good night’s sleep. Mr. Conroy left early to meet with his client, and Erin and Mrs. Conroy took off to explore the city on foot, but Audrey stayed in bed for a little more sleep. Even in Italy, she was not an early riser, though she did manage to catch up with her mother and Erin for breakfast in the hotel before they walked across the piazza to the Uffizi Gallery.

Audrey, you would have loved the little dog in the café this morning! Erin exclaimed while they waited in line at the museum. It’s so cool that they allow dogs in restaurants here. There was this old man standing at the counter with his cappuccino and a newspaper, and his scruffy old dog patrolled the floor for pastry crumbs. You know how people and their dogs look alike? Well, these guys were a perfect match.

You should consider joining us tomorrow morning, Audrey, said Mrs. Conroy in a maternal tone. As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she must have realized that she sounded patronizing, because her voice softened when she continued. You get such a different feel for a city when you see it come alive in the morning. And wait till you see the shops on the Ponte Vecchio…I haven’t been there in years, but I am sure it’s still incredible… There was genuine awe in her voice as she described the famous bridge lined with jewelry stores to the girls.

Well, I just had to sleep this morning, Audrey replied, with a bit of an edge to her voice. She was not always open to her mother’s suggestions. And now I am so ready to see some art, especially Botticelli.

Me, too, said Erin with unabashed enthusiasm. When we studied him in school, I never thought I’d actually see his paintings in real life, especially so soon. Which one’s your favorite, Audrey?

Springtime, hands down, answered Audrey as the line started to move. But I want to see them all, she added, handing her ticket to the man at the entrance to the museum. Before they were swept away in the wave of visitors heading up the massive marble staircase to the galleries, Mrs. Conroy pulled them aside.

Girls, let’s try to stay together. If we do get separated, we’ll meet in the gift shop, okay? This place is huge, she continued seriously. If you get bored or tired, just sit down and wait, but do not leave the building. Understood? I don’t want to lose either of you in a foreign country. She looked directly at both Audrey and Erin, and waited for a response from each of them before continuing. This is one place where I want to take my time, so we may be here a while, she explained.

Now let’s go see some of the greatest artwork in the entire world! Mrs. Conroy put an arm around each girl and guided them towards the crowded staircase. I can’t believe it’s been thirty years since the first time I came here, she added, as if speaking to herself. It feels like yesterday…

The museum was huge and the artwork in the galleries really was some of the best in the world. The girls soon understood what Mrs. Conroy had meant by taking her time, and it wasn’t long before they left her behind to explore the galleries at their own much faster pace. The amount of artwork was overwhelming, and it was impossible to do justice to masterpiece after masterpiece, but some pieces just drew them in and captivated the teens, leaving them in awe.

Let’s just go find Botticelli, suggested Audrey after about ten galleries full of famous paintings, many of which they had studied in school.

Yeah, my head’s already spinning and I feel like my eyes are bulging out of my head, Erin laughed. I want to see Venus before I can’t focus anymore.

The whole Botticelli Gallery was packed, but by far the biggest crowds were around The Birth of Venus and Primavera. Erin and Audrey shimmied their way through the room, trying to find spots where they wouldn’t be jostled too much while they studied the beautiful paintings. It took forever because people lingered so long in front of the most popular paintings, reluctant to leave the presence of something so inspiring.

The girls separated to admire their favorite pieces on their own, but they still made eye contact and exchanged excited grins through the crowds. Both of them were just as reluctant to leave the gallery as the other museum visitors, but after what seemed like an hour in front of The Birth of Venus, Erin tore her eyes away from the painting and scanned the room, looking for Audrey. The Botticelli Gallery was even more crowded than when they had arrived, and when Erin did not find her friend at first glance, she started a thorough search of the room with her eyes.

Erin gasped when she saw the creepy-looking man from earlier standing by the door that led into the next gallery. Everything about the man looked suspicious. He was wearing a frayed suit jacket, jeans, and sunglasses (inside!) and he was slouched against the doorway like some bad actor in a corny old spy movie. He was pretending to stare at the floor, but Erin felt like he was staring at someone in the room. The thought made her shudder, but at least he wasn’t staring at her.

Where was Audrey? Erin methodically searched the room again, trying to curb the feeling of panic welling up inside her. Forcing herself to remain calm, she scanned the room for a third time, but again without any luck. She turned to see if the man was still there, but he was gone—and Audrey was still nowhere in sight.

Erin succumbed to her rising panic at last, and pushed her way through the crowded room to the exit where the creepy man had stood just a moment ago. The next gallery was not as crowded, and it only took Erin a minute to realize that Audrey was not in the room. Neither was the creepy man.

Erin couldn’t stop from freaking out as she ran through two more galleries with no sign of her friend—or the strange man. Her imagination got the better of her and awful thoughts started to creep into her mind. She tried to block them out by thinking logically. Maybe Audrey headed back the way we came…Maybe I’m going in the wrong direction…I need to find Mrs. Conroy…Where did that man go? Her attempt at being logical did not last long and she felt herself becoming frantic, losing more of her usual level-headedness with every passing second.

Erin literally stopped dead in her tracks when she burst into the Michelangelo Gallery and discovered Audrey, alive and well—and flirting with some young man. Erin took a deep breath and tried to calm down. She realized Audrey had not intentionally tried to upset her, but she had a hard time convincing herself that Audrey hadn’t done anything wrong. Best friends did not wander off from each other in foreign countries!

Audrey smiled and waved when she saw her friend, oblivious to the agitated look on Erin’s face.

I guess I’m pretty lucky, Erin heard the good-looking young man explain as she got closer. My mother is Italian and my father is American, and since they got divorced, I have the best of both worlds because I can go back and forth between Florence and D.C.

This is my friend, Erin, Audrey said, but she barely gave Erin a brief glance before turning her attention back to her handsome companion. Audrey seemed as captivated by the attractive young man as she had been by Botticelli’s paintings, perhaps even more so.

The object of Audrey’s attention flashed Erin a brilliant, disarming smile. Nice to meet you, Erin, he said, I’m Jesse.

Erin was so taken with his good looks that she almost didn’t notice the hand he held out for her to shake. Of course, she wasn’t really used to shaking hands with people her own age, anyway—it was so European.

Nice to meet you, too, said Erin politely, shaking the hand offered to her before turning back to Audrey. I looked all over for you, she said, trying to keep the edge out of her voice. I was getting worried. Have you seen your mother?

No, Audrey answered, ignoring the concern in her friend’s voice and quickly changing the subject. Jesse’s father works at the Museum of Natural History in the Smithsonian, which is probably my favorite museum in D.C. Audrey explained. She was talking to Erin, but she didn’t take her eyes off Jesse for a second.

There you are, said Mrs. Conroy, walking up to the girls with a huge smile on her face that slowly disintegrated when she saw the young man talking to her daughter. I see you’ve already made an acquaintance, Audrey, she added