Zodiac Story

Let The Golden Orange Rays Guide You To Your Destiny Part 2

Dawn broke, sending a small golden ray into Chiara's bedroom. Chiara was always the first to wake up, so she shoved open the curtains letting the sunlight spill into the bedroom.

"Rise and shine, cuore mio!" Chiara clapped her hands loudly. "Today we are catching a most devious thief! Where may this foul and nefarious scoundrel lie? We may never know until we seize the day and shine a most unwanted spotlight on this deed!"

Dana covered the blanket over her face to shield herself from the sunlight. "Chiara, it's only seven in the morning. Let me have my beauty sleep."

Someone knocked on the door. "Good news! The person who gave me a list of buyers gave me the bank account of the Italian buyer, their name, the exact branch of their bank, and how much they have in their bank account! Which is much more than I have in my bank account!" It was one of the twins.

Chiara replied, "I'll meet you in the hallway."

Once she closed the door softly behind her, she noticed that Clytemnestra was struggling to balance a laptop in her hands.

"The buyer from Italy has an account at BNL, and the last purchase was an eleven thousand euro purchase a few weeks ago at a private auction in Geneva, Switzerland," Clytemnestra flipped the laptop. "This person was nice enough to throw in a picture of the man!"

Chiara tried to not let her jaw drop as the name 'ANTONIO QUATTROCCHI" and the face of her boss stared at her from the laptop screen.

"...I'm sorry, but I don't think he is your Italian buyer." Antonio rarely travelled outside Rome, let alone Italy. "He's a homebody. I know that his family members use his bank account for miscellaneous shopping. Maybe it's one of his family?"

Clytemnestra shrugged. "It wouldn't pick up on that, only that the bank account under his name made a payment at a private auction held soon after a man died. Do you know where he lives?"

"He won't be at his house. Antonio always leaves last, he's probably looking over the footage shot." That was an odd quirk of Antonio's, using film stock instead of digital cameras. "Give Dana a few minutes, she needs her beauty sleep."

One beauty sleep for Dana later, Helen was hitting the white bus.

"We should take this! I doubt the Vespa could fit everyone," she exclaimed.

Chiara, Dana, and Augustus exchanged looks between them. Neither of them was getting inside a bus probably wanted by the Carabinieri.

"Wait, Chiara's neighbour just left work...wow, he has a van." Clytemnestra started eying the white van with 'GIORGIO'S FINEST MEATS' plastered in bright green letters. Dana smacked her head while Augustus nodded approvingly. Amalia nervously smiled.

After cramming everyone into the van, Chiara parked the van just outside the studio lot. The twins were the first to disembark, followed by Augustus and Amalia side by side. Chiara and Dana entered the building first after forbidding Augustus even thinking of coming with them and letting Chiara detransform.

"I don't think Antonio would stoop that low. Yes, he had numerous issues mostly because his auteur vision trumped everything including performing animal ethics, but to steal a dead man's belongings? No, that's not like him," Chiara vouched.

"I've only known Antonio for a few months and I wholeheartedly agree with you, but that computer wasn't lying. The twins are crazy, but I think they're being sane here." Dana knocked on Antonio's door. "Signor Quattrocchi? It's me, Dana Divata and Chiara Agosti? We need to ask you about something."

The doorknob jiggled and Antonio appeared. "Ah Signora Divata, it's my pleasure to be graced by your presence." He nodded. "Signora Agosti."

"Likewise," responded Chiara.