He pulled up his chair and settled next to her, his body turned so he could see both her and the book at one glance.
She could feel his presence beside her, could even get a whiff of that typical Garini smell, a mixture of leather and soap. I won't be able to concentrate. She focused on the book and leafed through the first two pages. “What is this?”
“It's a gallery of Trevor Accanto's conquests.”
Her chin dropped. “You're kidding.” She shook her head and looked at the book with her nose wrinkled in disgust. “How . . . demeaning.”
“Care to explain?” His gaze never left her face.
“I knew he had a different lover every year, but I liked him nevertheless. However, to imagine that he put them up in a gallery like some sort of weird hunting trophy . . . that's,” she shrugged. “I don't know, sick, somehow.”
“I agree.”
Carlina turned back to the book which now lay closed in her hand. “And you say you know some of these women?”
“Yes.” His voice was sober. “And so do you.”
Their gaze met.
“Shocking?” she asked.
“I'm afraid so.”
Carlina took a deep breath. “All right.” She opened the book by touching it with her thumb and her index finger only, as if it contained some highly infectious bacteria.
“So that's the first one.” Carlina studied the picture. “It was taken quite some time ago, wasn't it?”
“Twenty to twenty-five years ago, I'd say.”
“Hmm.” Carlina stared at the woman. “What amazing black hair. I have a feeling I've seen her before, but very faint, as if I'd known her superficially. But I can't place her.” She looked up. “Do you know her?”
“No. I've dubbed her Snow White.” He shrugged. “I have to keep them all apart somehow.”
She nodded. “I see. It fits.” She turned to the next page. “Wow. She has amazing eyes.”
“I call her Laughing Eyes.”
“Sounds quite fanciful.” She grinned. “I'd have expected you to give them numbers.”
Garini's mouth twisted. “Numbers don't conjure up pictures in your mind. I need to place them quickly.”
She nodded and looked at the picture again, then wrinkled her forehead in thought. “I have the same feeling with her. Somehow, she seems familiar.” She looked up. “Do you think it's wishful thinking?”
“I think it's quite natural. You've lived all your life in Florence, and you've probably seen most of the female population in your store at some point or other.”
She smiled. “That's true. But I haven't lived all my life in Florence. We only came back from the US when I was thirteen.”
“I know.” He sounded unperturbed.
He remembers everything. Carlina returned to the little book and studied the next picture. Then she looked up. “It's not wishful thinking. This one, here,” she pointed at the picture, “I don't know her at all.”
“I do.” Garini's mouth tightened. “She's likely to cost me my job.”
“What? Why?” She stared at him.
“She's the wife of my boss.”
Carlina covered her mouth with one hand, her eyes wide. “Oh, no. Does he know?”
“Not yet.” Garini looked grim. “I'll tell him as late as possible. I've even been tempted to remove the picture.” He shrugged. “My assistant Piedro, the one who stood watch at your door all day long. He's Cervi's son.”
“Ugh.”
“Exactly.” Garini's voice was dry. “I've left the copy at the office, but I locked it into the safe.”
“Good.” Carlina turned the next page.
“We're now jumping ahead a few years,” Garini said. “This one was taken only five years ago.”
“I know her.” Carlina nodded. “She's a famous musician. A violinist, isn't she?”
“Yes. Her name is Akemi Hateyama. I've already asked Piedro to find out where she was at the time of the murder. If we're lucky, she spent the whole day with friends in Tokyo, so we can cross her off the list.”
Carlina turned the next page and gasped. “Ileana! I'd forgotten her.”
“Ileana?”
“Yes, Ileana Marani. We went to school together. She always was a stunner.” Carlina frowned as she looked at the picture. “You know, I resent being in there, among all those other women. It makes me feel . . . dirty.” She frowned. “I guess he couldn't get any other picture with her. She hates cameras, always turned away. I believe I still have a class picture of our graduation where she only shows her back.” She shook her head. “I can't even recall when this picture was taken.”
He didn't reply.
She looked up and found his gaze on her with an expression she couldn't read. “What?”
He took her hand and lifted it to his lips. “Thank you.”
Her throat turned dry, and her heart-beat accelerated. She could feel the warmth of his fingers around hers, and it stirred something deep inside her. “What for?” It sounded like a croak.
“For reacting as you did.” He released her hand.
The warm feeling didn't go away. “Oh.” I want you to touch me. The thought darted through her brain and left her breathless.
“Does Ileana still live in Florence?” He focused on the task at hand as if he kissed hands all the time. His face showed no emotion.
“Oh, no.” Carlina shook her head and forced other thoughts away. “She moved to Rome several years ago.”
“Does she sometimes return, for Christmas, to see her family?”
Carlina shrugged. “I don't know. I've never seen her.”
“I'll find out. Now that I have her name, it'll be easy.” He pulled out a small notebook and wrote down Ileana's name. “Can you tell me something else about her?”
“She was great at sports,” Carlina said. “Clever, too. We all thought she would go very far.” She smiled. “I think she has, actually. She now works for the government, if I'm not mistaken.”
“Great.” Garini frowned, his voice dry.
“Why does that sound so ironic?”
“Government means politics, and dealing with them is a bit like holding a firecracker in your hand. It's likely to jump into your face.”
Carlina nodded and turned the next page. Her hand stilled in mid-movement. Her breath caught. For an instant, nothing but the sound of the fridge humming in the quiet kitchen filled the room, then she found her voice. “I don't believe for one second that this is Emma.” She lifted the book to study the picture in every detail.”It must be a fake!”
He didn't say anything.
“Don't tell me it's true!” Carlina stared at Garini. “It can't be Emma! I don't believe this!” She looked up and stared at him with wide eyes.
His face turned more wooden than usual.
She swallowed and took a deep breath. “So it IS her.”
“I'm afraid so.”
Carlina shook her head. “When was this taken? She wasn't two-timing Lucio, was she? He's so jealous; he'll throw a fit.”
“We know he had the Japanese girl-friend exactly five years ago, and it looks as if the album continues with one picture per year. If that is the right assumption, it was exactly three years ago.”
“Three years ago.” Carlina did a quick calculation in her head. “I believe she wasn't going out with Lucio then . . . “ she frowned. “I'm not sure, though. I can't recall when she started to date him; I'll have to ask her.” She turned on him with wide eyes. “Don't tell Lucio anything. Promise me that.”
He held her gaze. “I can't promise anything.”
She could feel her face going red with anger. “But don't you see that this might destroy her marriage? She was only married some months ago!”
“I'll not talk to Lucio if I can avoid it. But I need to talk to her.”
“Of course!” She shot him a quick glance. “Stefano . . . can I be with you?”
He made a strangled sound in his throat. “I knew you would ask that.”
“If you promise to stay in the background and not to answer for her or to influence what she says, then you can stay. But no hidden messages. Is that clear?” His face looked stern.
“Perfectly clear, Commissario.” She said it in an exaggerated way, as if making fun of him, but she meant it. He could still be rather frightening if he looked like that.
“Why don't you ask her to come to Temptation tomorrow?” Stefano said. “We could go to the café across the street. It shouldn't take more than half an hour.”
“All right.” Carlina nodded. “I can ask her to have lunch with me.”
“But remember, not a word about this.”
Carlina swallowed. “I feel like I'm trapping her.”
“You're not. I can also accompany you home right now and ask Emma to talk to me right away.”
“Madonna, no! Lucio will have a fit if he ever learns about this.” She made a weak move with her hand toward the notebook.
“So you'll arrange the meeting and won't say a word?”
She took a deep breath. “I will.”
He bent forward. “I'm not sure if you're aware that this is absolutely irregular. I have no guarantee that you won't go and tell Emma everything. Then you have the whole night to concoct a perfect alibi.”
“I gave you my word.” Her voice was small.
His light eyes fixed hers. “That's why I'm going along with this crazy scheme.”
Their eyes met. She could hear herself breathe, could hear her jeans rustling as she made a small move. He trusted her. She had a feeling he didn't do that very often.
He nodded at the notebook. “Continue, please.”
She turned the next page. When she glanced at the face of the woman in the picture, instant recognition pulsed through her. She jumped up. “I know her!”
He gave her a sharp glance. “You do?”
“Yes! Yes!” Carlina's voice was high and loud. “She's the one. She killed Trevor! I'm sure of it!” The case was solved. Relief made her feel light and happy.
He reached out his hand and pulled her back onto her chair. “Calm down. Why on earth do you think she's the murderer?”
Carlina turned to him, her cheeks hot. “Because she's the unknown woman who bought the pair of tights this morning! The one who paid cash.”
His eyes narrowed. “Are you sure?”
“Positive.” She beamed at him. “Isn't it perfect? We have it all! A motive - she was Trevor's lover. The weapon - she bought the nylons a few hours before. The place - she was on the spot. Temptation is just around the corner from the Basilica.”
He shook his head. “It sounds a bit too perfect to be true.”
“Hey, this is no mystery book!” Carlina grinned. “I think it's great. Now you can stop suspecting my family.”
Stefano frowned. “If we find her - and that's a big if, mind you - then it's still possible that she has an unbreakable alibi for the time of the murder.”
Carlina waved the unbreakable alibi away. “It'll be fake, and we'll crack it.”
“Yeah, sure.” He looked at her picture. “I have to find out her name.”
“What is your nickname for this one?”
“Mona Lisa.”
“Right.” Carlina nodded. “Mona Lisa did it.”
“I admit everything points in her direction, but I can't drop all the other leads, Carlina.”
“Oh, I know.” Her good mood didn't abate. “But it'll be routine more than anything else.”
“Hmm.” He looked back at the book. “There's one last picture you haven't seen.”
Carlina turned the page.
“Do you know her?”
Carlina shook her head. “No.”
“She's French, from Paris, and her first name is Suzanne.”
“I remember that Trevor talked about her last year.” Carlina looked at the picture again. “But I never met her.”
“Did he say anything that might give us a clue about her last name?”
“No. He only said general things, that she had light-brown hair and clear skin. I remember that.”
“She seems to be the only one who couldn't cope with being dropped. She returned to Florence last January.”
Carlina frowned. “What did she do?”
“She went to the management of the Garibaldi Hotel and made a scene, trying to get his address, but of course they didn't disclose it.”
“Wow.” She made a face. “I have to say it's a bit much to change your lover every year and to return to the same hotel. Trevor made himself a sitting target.”
“It worked for a long time.” His voice was dry.
“Yes. Maybe the women felt too embarrassed to come back. Or maybe they knew it was hopeless?”
Stefano shrugged. “I still find the whole concept hard to believe. He must have been very full of himself.”
She put her head to the side, considering. “Yes, he was conceited. But he got away with it because of his charm.”
“Annalisa would not have accepted it.”
Carlina shuddered. “Oh, no. It would have been dreadful.”
“How is she coping now?”
Carlina looked at him. Was this a private question or did it belong to the investigation? She decided it didn't matter. She would say what she thought. “She's very upset. I think it helps her to work at the store.”
Stefano reared back. “She does WHAT?”
Carlina lifted her eyebrows. “She helps at the store. The Christmas season is one thing, being featured in the newspaper is another. They almost trampled us to death today.” She grinned. “At least most of them felt they had to buy something, even if it was only an espresso cup.”
Stefano got up, put his hands into the pockets of his jeans and took a swift turn around the kitchen. “I don't like it.”
She stiffened. “What do you mean?”
He turned and looked at her. “Annalisa is one of the top suspects. She had a motive; she had a pair of the unbreakable nylons; they have disappeared without a trace, and she has no alibi for the relevant time. I don't like her being close to you all day long. I don't trust her.”
“She had no motive at all!” Carlina jumped to her feet. “I keep telling you, she wanted him alive! She wanted to marry Trevor.”
He didn't budge. “What if they met, Annalisa proposed to him, and he said in unmistakable terms that he would never consider marrying her?”
Carlina rolled her eyes. “Then she would have pouted and would have made a plan to seduce him into changing his mind. She would not have strangled him!”
“Still.” Stefano shook his head. “I don't like it. She's the most self-centered person I've ever met.”
Carlina crossed her arms in front of her chest. “I do not need to be protected from my family, Stefano!”
He pressed his lips together. “Fine.”
Carlina grabbed her handbag and pointed at the little book on the table. “I really don't know why you harp on about Annalisa. The suspects in there should keep you busy for weeks. Start with Mona Lisa.” She went to the door. “I have to go.”
He followed her. “Carlina.”
“What?” When he said her name like that, her knees turned soft like Tiramisu. He stood right beside her, so close, she could get a whiff of his scent. How can I feel so attracted to him even while he makes me angry?
“Be careful.”
“I always am.”
He stood in the small entry hall of his apartment long after she had hurried down the stairs. I shouldn't have said that. He shrugged and returned to the kitchen. It's not like me to treat her so wrong - I should have known that any reference to her family would raise her hackles. But to keep Annalisa at Temptation all day long, and to say at the same time that she was always careful! He shook his head. Carlina was never careful. She took sudden notions into her head and stuck to them, no matter what facts came up.
With a grim
mouth, he picked up the book. I'll make a list. It'll help me to clear my head. He sat down at the table, took a sheet of paper and started to write. Then he rearranged the lines so that he first listed the women with access to the unbreakable nylons. If only that one pair of nylons hadn't been stolen. Theoretically, every single suspect could have been the thief. Well, maybe not. The morning of Trevor's murder had been quiet, and Carlina would have recognized the face if that person had been inside the store, even if the theft had not been discovered. He hesitated, then decided that Carlina might not have recognized the older pictures, but would definitely have recognized the women of the last five years, so it was safe to cross them out.
Unless several people had worked together. He shook his head, dismayed by the wide range of possibilities that thought conjured up. For the beginning, he would start with the assumption that the murder had been done by one person only, and that it had been unplanned. If that didn't bring any results, he could still rearrange the facts later.
When he leaned back half an hour later, he felt better, even though he winced every time he looked at the first name. He had put it there on purpose, to prove to himself how open-minded he was, but his fingers itched to cross it out with a big stroke.
Suspect / Access to Nylons / unclear Alibi
Carlina Ashley / YES / YES
Annalisa Santorini / YES / YES
Ricciarda Fazzolari / YES / NO
Emma Trentini / YES / ?
“Mona Lisa” / YES / ?
X (the thief who had stolen a pair of nylons) / YES / ?
Leopold Morin / NO / YES
Gertrude Asseli / NO / YES
“Snow White” / NO / ?
“Laughing Eyes” / NO / ?
Marcella Cervi / NO / ?
Akemi Hateyama / NO / ?
Ileana Marani / NO / ?
Suzanne X / NO / ?
For Carlina, the case was already solved. She knew how many people had access to the nylons, and of the six possibilities, four belonged to her family. He knew her well enough to count Ricciarda as family though technically, she was only her employee - but that didn't stop Carline's fierce loyalty. That left him with Mona Lisa and X. Just great.
He stretched and got up. Tomorrow, he would arrange for Mona Lisa's photo to appear in all newspapers. Then he would interview Emma. He also had to show the pictures to Ricciarda, to confirm Carlina's statement. As to X, he could only hope for luck.
Charmer's Death (Temptation in Florence Book 2) Page 16
