«Was she looking at me with binoculars, is this what it means?».
«It would seem obvious, don’t you think?».
«It is not?».
«Unfortunately in that street there are only two girls of your age. One was still on vacation with her parents, she came back a week later. The other has an alibi, the day you moved she had a competition. She is passionate about swimming, and many people have seen her in the pool».
«So she’s not a neighbor, then?».
«I checked, your garden is only visible from a few specific places. Anyone who wrote that diary should be close by».
«She didn’t live there, she was just passing through».
«We also considered this hypothesis, but apparently there was no girl on your arrival. At least there is no one who has seen her».
The boy considered the diary with other eyes. «Maybe she is not a girl».
The strange smile returned. «Do you think it was Giò to write it down? It can’t be, his death is also described».
«How did you get it?».
This time he answered. «We didn’t get it, it was shipped to you. We just intercepted it».
He wasn’t expecting that. «To me?».
«Someone wanted you to know. What happened and why. I guess it was not easy for her to make that decision, but she did it. She sent it».
He winked at him. «That’s why you can read it. It’s no longer about spying, she has opened her heart to you».
«I don’t like it anyway».
«Are you afraid that it will be a foolish reading? Unfortunately no, I would have preferred it. Embarrassment will soon go when you realize what’s in your hand».
«She… knows what happened? She saw it?». He didn’t dare to ask for it. «Did she kill them?».
A long silence, then Delfi crossed his hands. Finally he sat down. «She says no. That she was not. She clearly says who killed them».
It was the wrong question, but he couldn’t avoid it. «She accuses me?».
The cop sighed. «No, she doesn’t accuse you. It clears you for what is worth. Can we go ahead. Now?».
The boy picked up the diary again.
3
Dear Libby,
today I’ve been to school. And Justin was there.
They call him so, they gave him that nickname. He heard them but he didn’t say anything. He doesn’t mind.
I have decided, I will call it so too. It’s better not to use his real name.
Five hours with him, it was wonderful!
As much as I wanted to sit by his side, unfortunately the place was already occupied. No matter, I could look at him better, with no fear of being noticed.
It’s getting better and I’m getting more and more crazy about him.
Justin is perfect. He’s alone, he has no friends, he just moved. He is kind to everyone, he even liked the professors. And the girls! Damn, that ruthless competition.
How much I want to touch him, feel his hands on me, touch his lips. I would be happy with him, if it was possible.
Giò got close to him. Even this was foreseeable, he wasn’t insensitive to his charm.
Poor Giò, his life is not easy. Not in our school. They all know what he is like, he doesn’t hide it. He’s always extreme, in everything he does.
Justin likes him, I wouldn’t have expected it. He accepted him soon, perhaps because he was the first one to step forward. I’m sure he would have accepted even me if I had the courage to talk to him.
I thank God who invented the school, finally I can stand beside him without fear. I can have it all for me.
That’s enough for me, to worship him, I can’t ask for more.
No, no, Libby is enough! Stop licking me, I’m all wet now! You’re the most naughty cat in the world! Yes, I come back to you, let’s just forget about Justin for now.
Tomorrow I’ll see him again anyway.
The boy moved his eyes from the diary to Delfi.
The policeman must have read it and read it again several times, he knew very well what was he reading now.
He didn’t wait for questions. «Nine girls. There are nine girls in classroom with you, and eleven boys. No one of them lives in your street».
«Apart from Giò», said the boy. «He lived there».
«Yes, Giò lived at the bottom of the road. Two hundred meters from you. But he was not a girl».
«He was gay, I don’t see what’s wrong with it. He never hidden it».
«Have you talked about it?».
«About what? There was no need to talk about it, I immediately realized it».
«So there were no problems?».
«About what? I expected you to be less bigoted».
«It’s not about me here. You guys are intolerant, much more than we are. Giò’s life was not easy at school».
«No, it wasn’t», he admitted.
«Until you came here».
«Giò was a friend. The best friend I’ve ever had. If you don’t want to believe it it’s fine for me».
«I believe it. What I don’t understand is why him. Why just him».
«Because…». He had always tried to hide his feelings, but if Delfi didn’t lie soon there would have been no need for it. «I don’t know why. It was the first one I met. He invited me to his desk. He was also my neighbor, I had already noticed him. But that doesn’t matter. Giò was… expansive. There are those who consider it a bad thing, but not me. In my family… we have always been too careful. Not to catch my mother’s attention, for… It was nice to be next to Giò, but you can’t understand it».
«I’m trying».
«Who is she, then?».
«Are you talking about the author of the diary?».
«Who else?».
«You tell me».
He shook his head. «I can’t tell you. Me and Giò were in the front row. If anyone looked at me the whole time I couldn’t notice it. She didn’t talk to me, but I think I didn’t talk to anyone, the first day, except for Giò. I admit it, I felt a bit uncomfortable. New school, new friends. Even Giò saw it, he did everything to make me comfortable».
«You miss him?».
«You can’t understand».
«You are getting boring, you just repeat the same things over and over. I understand, even more than you would like. Even what you refuse to accept».
«I’m not gay».
«Is that what you’re afraid of? You are afraid that they think this of you? Why Giò then? Why did you become best friends?».
«You didn’t tell me who is she. Who wrote this diary?».
«Don’t you want to reply? Do not do that then. The diary, right. None of them, I guess. It hasn’t been none of your friend girl in you classroom».
«Are you kidding me?».
«We checked. Checked about every moment of their life. We excluded them, one after the other. At the end there was not even one left».
The boy was about to talk, but his mouth dropped open. The obvious question was replaced by another. «How long did you have this diary?».
The cop smiled. «Good consideration. How long, right. I can say we’ve had it for a while».
«And you did nothing?».
«You’re wrong. We drew it out point by point. We have analyzed it in every detail. We checked every narrated event».
«You didn’t arrest the assassin».
«Because there is no killer that can be stopped. At least to give credit to the diary».
«Do you think it’s a fake?».
«We summoned you to establish it. That’s why you’re here».
«A fake… of whom?».
«We start from the assumption that it is not, instead. That the narrated events are the truth. What does this bring us to?».
The boy tried it. It was easy, the past for him was not a foreign land. It had been in every direction in those last weeks. «I don’t remember who was in the classroom. In fact, I think I have not even looked at them well. I was… I was a
ngry, yes. I didn’t want to be there. Start over again, one more time».
«It shouldn’t have been difficult for you».
«Not about the school, I was used to it».
«People, I believe».
«I don’t make friend easily, I can’t. I can be sociable, but friendship is another thing».
«Here’s how Giò succeeded».
«Yes, I think so».
«Well, you’re wrong. There was no stranger in your class, as far as we could determine. And she has come back. The next day and the next. She was always there, along with you».
«And is not any of my classmates?».
«How do you explain it to yourself?».
The boy shrugged. «Giò must not be the only one to feel that way of my boy friends».
«Do you think we didn’t even control the males? No, who wrote this diary couldn’t be there, you will notice by yourself reading on».
«Are you saying… she is a ghost?».
«It’s a possibility, though I don’t believe in ghosts. And then the ghosts wouldn’t do certain things, even if they existed. Let’s say you’re the key, you can confirm whether it’s true or not. It brings everything down to you in more than one occasion».
«So she was in that class, but she couldn’t be there. She spied on me but I couldn’t see her. Did I get it right?».
«That’s right».
«It’s not a nonsense?».
«It is in your interest that it is not. If the diary were to prove true, you would be free from any accusation».
«But how can this be true?».
He smiled again. «Do you already ask this question? The worst still has to come. After that, you’ll wonder if it’s not all madness. Go ahead, go ahead».
The boy turned the page.
4
Dear Libby,
no one more than you can understand me. I hate Spike!
I hate it, I hate it! I wish it didn’t exist!
The boy stopped, not expecting it. He looked up the policeman. «Spike?».
«Continue reading, let’s talk about it later».
There is always him, I can not get close to him. It’s a torture!
The days pass and Justin is getting farther away. I talked to him, yes, but I didn’t go any further. It wasn’t possible.
No, the class is not the right place. I need to meet him out when he is alone. It’s my only chance.
I can’t make it.
When it’s not with Giò, there’s Spike. I know how to handle Giò, I know him from a lot of time, but Spike is different. He will never allow me to approach him.
Today I’ve been to the park. Justin was there, sitting on the lawn with a book in his hand. God, how I dreamed that moment! It was perfect!
But there was Spike. There is always Spike when he goes out, he doesn’t stay one second without that dog. It takes him everywhere except in school. But there I can’t do anything.
It feels like I’m going crazy. He is there, but I can’t approach him. I look at him, I want him, but it’s in another dimension. A dimension I can’t reach.
Damn Spike.
He closed the diary again. The boy was puzzled. Indignant at first, then annoyed and finally puzzled. «What’s this have to do with my dog?».
Delfi sighed. «I think it’s the cause of everything».
«Spike is… Spike was the best dog in the world. He was friend with everyone. He never bothered anyone».
«You told me. A golden retriever, it seems to me».
«Yup».
«Did you always take him with you?».
He remain uncertain one moment. «My mother had to rest, she couldn’t take care of him».
«And it was your dog, of course. Strange that she has allowed you to keep it».
«My mother doesn’t…». He was sick of embellishing the truth. «He’s been with me for a long time, he grew up with me. When he died he was eight years old. When they gave him to me my mother’s conditions had not been worsened yet. She then tried to take him to the kennel, but Daddy stood up. So Spike stayed with me».
«Interesting. You never said that to me».
«You never asked me».
«Wasn’t it a problem always having a dog with you? For your social life, I mean».
«I wouldn’t say so. In fact, it facilitated me. Spike was really a magnificent dog, everyone loved him. Even the girls. Even Giò adored him».
«Even? What do you mean?».
He made a half smile. «Giò was more a cat person. He never had a dog. I don’t think he liked them. But Spike did, he had conquered him too».
The boy pointed again to the diary. «She didn’t, she couldn’t stand him». That was what he couldn’t understand. «Why?».
«Oh, there may be so many reasons».
«There are allergic people to dogs, I know. But she could just tell me…».
«I don’t think it’s that easy. It remains the fact that as long as Spike was with you, she didn’t dare to approach».
He made his conclusions. «She couldn’t be completely normal also».
The officer chuckled. «Great deduction».
The boy frowned. «Spike is been by my side as long as…».
He finally clicked. «As long as he died», said the cop.
«But…».
«That morning was not with you. He was home».
«It doesn’t make any sense! Spike had nothing to do with it. He’s just…».
«A collateral damage? Is this the word you can’t find? Continue reading, then it will be clearer».
The boy stiffened. «It was she, then? Did she kill them all?».
«Stop making suppositions. For that I’m enough. Keep reading».
Still uncertain, the boy turned the page. The next record was in October. She didn’t write often on the diary, a couple of times a week, at most.
On October 5th.
«The day they killed her», he murmured.
Delfi nodded. «The day your mother died, yes».
«I’m afraid», he admitted. «I’m afraid to know».
«Do you feel guilty, somehow? Do you think it was your fault?».
He hated being psychoanalyzed that way, but in the end it was the truth. «She wanted to hit me, didn’t she? Somehow I have a role in this play. It all happened because of me».
«Not as you think. But yes, if you didn’t come to this city your parents would still be alive. And also Spike, and Giò. But you didn’t make any decisions, you didn’t choose to come. I imagine that this will absolve you from anything».
«You… you said it wasn’t her. How is it possible?».
«Read, don’t make me insist every time! Looks like you’re trying to waste time. You can’t avoid it».
The boy continued.
5
Dear Libby,
today something horrible happened!
Justin’s mother was killed!
A thief, they say, it’s a robbery ended badly, but they still don’t know much about that.
I was in school when I knew it.
I was just waiting for Justin but never came. Stupid! I was even angry at him, and instead his mother was dead!
How bad I was feeling! How bad I am feeling even now!
I didn’t know her, I only seen her few times, but it didn’t matter: she was Justin’s mother!
He’s going to suffer. He must be devastated, I know. He will be desperate! How much I would like to comfort him, embrace him, stay at his side. Give him a shoulder to cry on.
It’s terrible to be separated, to be unable to step forward. Can’t tell him how I feel about him.
Oh Justin, my love. Try to make it, move forward. Come back to school. I need you!
The boy was surprised. «It was’t her!».
«Of course it wasn’t her, I told you right away».
«But… she didn’t know anything. He had no idea what had happened!».
«She’ll find out, just go ahead».
&nb
sp; The shock returned. «Find out what? Will she also think it was me?».
«But you were not, didn’t you? You’ve always denied it».
«It’s horrible to just think of it!».
«You gave us the opportunity. You were not in school, that day, there is even this diary to confirm it. You didn’t go to school for the first time since classes started».
«I needed to be alone», he murmured.
«Aren’t you too big to ditch school? No one has seen you, you have no alibi. You didn’t even bring the dog with you».
«How could I take him with me?», he shouted. «I had to go to school! It was a last minute decision. I didn’t want to get myself in there».
«Why?».
«Because…».
«You don’t want to say it? Even your father admitted it, in the end. You had a fight with your mother. You called that a perfect family!».
«It was not a fight». He would not understand, but this time he refused to let him know. «It was difficult, I needed my space. She refused to accept it».
«You were growing, yes. She couldn’t admit it. Parents never get it. In your case, then, it was even worse».
«That’s right».
«What could she not accept? That you could have a girlfriend? Is this what she didn’t like?».
«There was no girl».
«That was the problem then. You would have liked it, but she wouldn’t allow you to».
«Something like that», he admitted.
«And Giò?».
«What about Giò?».
«Did they know that you were see him?».
«What kind of question is that? You know it well, you have already asked that question a hundred times. Of course they knew it! He always came to my house».
«Was it okay for them?».
«Of course she was okay! Giò won her over. He always did, with their mothers. It was with the other guys who…». He couldn’t go on. «Giò is not a part of it».
Delfi waited for him to continue and finally was forced to do so. «We’ve been fighting for Spike».
The policeman was silent, and it was good, so he continued.
«She wanted him to leave. He threatened me to take him to the kennel. She said that one day, coming back from school, I wouldn’t find him anymore».
«What was her problem with the dog?».
Lizzi Bizzi and the Red Witch Page 86
