Still half asleep, Vanessa picked up the phone and called Kevin at his Toronto apartment. "Kevin, I just wanted to wish you a safe journey," she said, stifling a yawn. "And I wanted to tell you about a friend of mine who might be interested in investing some money in your new laboratory."
"Do I know this friend of yours?" Kevin asked.
Vanessa turned her face from the phone and gave a deep yawn, then wrinkled her nose at Luigi Amedeo. "No, I don't think so. His name is Luigi Amedeo di Monteturro. He'll be in Europe next week," she replied. She waited a moment, then continued, "I could give him your address at the Riviera, if you're interested."
"Of course, I'm interested. Give him my phone number." She heard him draw a deep breath. "Thank you, Vanessa. Thank you for thinking of me."
"Oh, you're very welcome. Goodnight, Kevin."
"Did he bite?" Luigi Amedeo asked.
"Yes," she replied. "With no hesitation. You'll have no trouble seeing Mr. Matwin, but I doubt if you'll be able to see Tanya. She avoids strangers, and Kevin is very protective, very mysterious, about her."
"Don't worry, I'll find a way to see her." He smiled and took Vanessa's hand. "You could get the Academy Award for your acting, divina. And 'divina' is the appropriate word for you." He kissed her hand, then turned and handed her jacket and purse to her. "Now let's go to the library and get some information on compact disk technology as applied to artistic reproduction. I don't have a clue about any of it."