Delayed Death (Temptation in Florence Book 1)

by boeker, beate

  Fabbiola frowned and shook her head. "How unkind."

  "Pirates are never kind." Carlina made her voice gruff to make it sound like a game while underneath, she felt sick with fear. Who can I trust? How can I protect Lilly?

  Lilly giggled.

  "Oh, well." Fabbiola shrugged. "Sleep well, then."

  "Good night." Carlina closed the door as soon as her mother had moved away from the doorstep and sank against it. Through the door, she heard Fabbiola muttering something and let out a sigh of relief. "Gosh. That was close."

  "Carlina." Lilly looked at her aunt with troubled eyes. "I think it's a bit scary, our game."

  Very scary. And no game at all. "But no!" Carlina hugged her niece and continued in a conspiratorial whisper. "We'll only wait until grandma has closed her door, then we'll try to escape again. We're pirates!"

  Lilly didn't look convinced.

  "Okay, I'm a pirate," Carlina improvised. "You're a princess and my prisoner. I'm taking you away."

  Lilly nodded. "Okay. But we'll take Lollo."

  "Of course." Carlina clenched her teeth.

  They descended the stairs a second time. The second they hurried down the last steps, the door to Uncle Teo's apartment opened a crack.

  "Good night, then," Angela's voice came through the opening.

  Carlina jumped a foot. She grabbed the front door of the house, pulled it open and rushed through side by side with Lilly, then turned to the right and ran along the street toward her Vespa. "We have to hide here." She pulled Lilly into a crouching position behind the Vespa's seat.

  "Carlina?" Lilly shivered. "Is this really a game?"

  "Shh." Carlina put her finger on her lips and looked around the back of the Vespa.

  At this instant, the bells of Santa Croce started to peal. Carlina shivered. They used to sound so comforting, so familiar. Tonight, they seemed to herald danger, spoke of death and fear. She narrowed her eyes to see better though the dark.

  In the light shining from above the entrance to their house, Angela appeared, followed by her husband Marco, Uncle Ugo, and Ernesto. Ernesto's red hair shone in the light. They turned to the left and walked down the street, their loud voices ringing with echoes, their steps hollow sounds between the ancient walls.

  Carlina felt limp with relief. She waited until the voices had disappeared in the distance, then straightened. "All right. Let's go." She put on her helmet, fixed Lilly's, mounted the Vespa, placed the suitcase where she usually put her feet, placed Lollo's cage on top, and helped Lilly sit behind her. "Hold on tight." With care, she accelerated, her feet held high because she had no space to put them. One last glance over her shoulder assured her nobody was following them from the house.

  Her hands trembled. The panic inside her, held at bay by the need to act, now threatened to surge over her like an all-engulfing wave. Driven by the urge to flee, she flicked her right wrist to push the Vespa to maximum speed.

  They roared away from her home, from the place that used to be her shelter. Sudden tears blurred her vision.

  Two tugs at her midriff stopped her mid-thought. She slowed.

  "What's up?" she shouted loud enough to be heard by Lilly.

  Two more tugs. "I'm afraid, Carlina. You're going too fast!"

  "Sorry." Carlina forced herself to return to her normal speed and looked over her shoulder. Nobody pursued them, but the move of her head made the overloaded vehicle wobble. Damn. Her left leg hurt with a sudden cramp. She had to figure out where to go. Now. Lilly wouldn't last much longer, and if the police discovered the canary on her Vespa, they would become even nastier than Garini at his worst.

  Garini.

  Carlina frowned. He had told her where he lived. Next to the hotel Porta Rossa. It wasn't far. If he wasn't at work on a Sunday night, maybe he was at home. She could go and see him, ask his advice. Even if he wasn't at home, she could check into a room at the hotel next door. It would be as safe as any other hotel. She only had to hide the Vespa.

  At the next street light, she did a U-turn and roared into the other direction. Five minutes later, they arrived at the end of Via Porta Rossa. Carlina knew it became a one-way street at the end, so she went part of the way, then stopped the Vespa at the intersection with Via de Sassetti. They had to walk a few minutes, but on the other hand, nobody would find them easily, even if they discovered the Vespa.

  By now, Lilly was so tired, she stumbled over her feet, but Carlina dragged her on, carrying the suitcase under her arm and the canary with her free hand. When they came to the hotel, Carlina first checked the name plates to the left. No mention of a Garini. Maybe he hadn't told her the truth. Maybe it had been a fib so she wouldn't wonder why he came so often to Temptation. The thought hit her like a fist. Carlina swallowed. She hadn't realized how much she had counted on finding Garini. I can always check-in at the hotel. The thought gave her some stability.

  "Let's check the other side." She persuaded Lilly to go the few steps to the right of the hotel and checked the name plates. Shiny brass bells in two rows blinked at her in the light from the street lamp. There! S. Garini. If only he's at home. Maybe he has returned to the station. Maybe--

  The door opened and a young woman with a ponytail came out. She held the door open for Carlina who went inside without hesitating. At least nobody could find them now, hidden behind the doors.

  "Carlina, I don't want to go on." Lilly's face was pale. "Can we go home now?"

  "Not yet, love." Carlina hated to push her forward. "We first have to see if we can meet someone."

  "Why? Who do you need to meet?"

  "A . . . a friend." Carlina stopped dead on the words. She had run to Garini as if he was a friend, someone she trusted. Nonsense. You've run to him because he's not connected with your family, because he's the investigating Commissario, and you know he has to be informed. That's why.

  On the third floor, she found his name on the door. Exhausted from her flight and the ascent with the canary, child and suitcase, emotionally drained and shaking, she pressed the bell. Then she bit her lips so hard they hurt. Please. Let him be at home. Please.

  Footsteps came closer. The door swished open, and Garini stood in front of them. He wore a white t-shirt, molded over his chest, and a pair of black jeans. His feet were bare. When he saw her, his mouth went slack. "Carlina?"

  "Ciao." Her voice cracked. To her dismay, tears sprang out of her eyes and ran down her cheeks.

  He took in Lilly's tired face, the canary, the suitcase, her tears, and opened the door wide. "Come in."

  Lilly stared at him. "Are you Carlina's friend?"

  He didn't miss a beat. "I am. My name is Stefano. And yours?"

  "Lilly."

  He took the canary cage from Carlina's hand and looked underneath the shawl. "And who's that?"

  "His name is Lollo." Lilly came closer as if she was used to visiting men in the middle of the night. "He's tired."

  "I see." The Commissario led the way to a small living room and placed the cage on a low bookshelf that stood next to a leather sofa all in black. "I think he will be happy to sleep here."

  Carlina followed them into the room, glad for the moment to recover her equilibrium. She unearthed a tissue from her jeans and blew her nose. Garini's living room smelled of coffee. Now that she was inside, she realized how cold the wind outside had been. The tension in her shoulders eased. She looked around. It seemed Garini didn't spend much time here. The sofa, the TV, and the low bookshelf represented all the furniture. A blue carpet covered most of the room, but he didn't have curtains at the windows, nothing on the window sills. To enhance the sterile atmosphere, the walls were painted stark white. One was dominated by a framed picture of modern art. Carlina couldn't make out what it showed, but it had huge blotches of yellow, red, and blue paint, as if the artist had thrown whole pots of paint at the canvas in a temper. She averted her eyes with a shudder.

  Lilly had discovered a new reserve of energy and tested the sofa for its flexibility. "It'
s not a good sofa to hop." Her tone sounded disapproving.

  "I'm sorry." Garini smiled at her. "I forgot to check that point when I bought it. It won't happen again."

  Lilly gave him a forgiving smile. "It doesn't matter. Is that where we'll sleep? Carlina said we're staying the night."

  Garini lifted his eyebrows and shot Carlina a look, but he replied without hesitation. "Yes. The sofa is very comfy. Let me get you a blanket."

  He disappeared through a door to the left.

  Carlina opened the suitcase and got out the tiger with one ear. "Here's tiger."

  Lilly took the stuffed animal and buried her face in it. "Will you sleep on the sofa too, Carlina?"

  Anything to reassure her. "Yes." Carlina didn't hesitate, even though the sofa was much too slim and short to allow the two of them to sleep on it together. "I'll help you undress."

  Garini returned a minute later and covered Lilly with a thick blanket. "Are you warm enough?"

  "Yes." Her eyes were drooping.

  Carlina sat on the sofa next to her niece and took her hand. "Sleep well, my love." She kissed her smooth forehead. Lilly's hair smelled of the flowery shampoo Gabriella always bought for her. Tenderness pulled Carlina's throat tight. Lilly had been so close to death. Thank God they were here, safe.

  Lilly grabbed her hand tight. "You won't go away?"

  "No. I won't go anywhere without you."

  "You're still wearing your coat."

  "So I am." Carlina laughed a little. "But if you keep on holding my hand, I can't take it off."

  Lilly released the hand and Carlina slipped out of her coat.

  Garini had watched them without a sound. "I'll hang it up." He took the coat from her. They heard him go to the entrance of the apartment, then he went to the kitchen and rummaged around.

  "He's nice." Lilly said.

  "Hmm."

  "Can you sing me a song, Carlina?"

  "Sure."

  Carlina sang the familiar lullaby she always sang when Lilly came to visit her. "Fa la ninna, fa la nanna, nella braccia della mamma.” When she came to the part where it said “Sleep well in the arm of your mamma”, she sang the word zia, aunt, instead, because she knew it would make Lilly chuckle. The familiar song soothed Lilly into sleep.

  When Garini came back several minutes later, Lilly's breath came deep and regular, and her tight hold on Carlina's hand had relaxed.

  He placed a box with a red cross on its cover upon the table and turned to Carlina.

  "Take off your blouse."

  Carlina blinked. "What?" Wild thoughts tumbled through her brain. I'm having a nightmare. He's the murderer himself, and now he's going to finish us off. Why the blouse?

  "You needn't look like that; I'm not going to attack you." His voice was dry. "You're bleeding." He pointed at her shoulder. "It has soaked through. I saw the blood on your coat. We need to stop the bleeding. Does it hurt?"

  Carlina turned her head. The sleeve of her blouse hung limp, wet with blood. Her mouth fell open. "I don't feel a thing." The knife must have slid along my shoulder before it hit the sofa.

  "You're in shock." He opened the box, picked up a bandage, and removed the plastic cover. "I suggest you start to take off that blouse now." He looked at her without emotion. "Alternatively, I could cut off the sleeve, but to do so, I would have to move your arm, and I'd rather not do it before I've seen the damage."

  Carlina shot a look at Lilly. Her eyes were closed, her mouth half open. "I'll take it off." She dropped Lilly's hand and started to undo the buttons. Her fingers shook. She'd never felt so clumsy.

  He watched her for an instant, then he caught her hands and pulled them to the sides. His hands felt warm and firm. "Let me do this." In no time at all, he had undone the buttons.

  Carlina's mouth went dry. She was wearing her favorite bra, the one with the imitation leopard fur. Great.

  He pushed the blouse from her shoulders without touching her skin. "Damn."

  Carlina looked at him. That wasn't the reaction she had expected.

  But Garini was looking at the cut on her arm, just off her shoulder. "It's a deep cut."

  Carlina craned her neck. "Does it need suturing?"

  He frowned. "I'm no physician."

  She swallowed. "Just bind it up real tight. I'm not going anywhere tonight."

  A smile appeared in one corner of his mouth. "Aren't you?"

  Carlina bit her lips. "No. I . . . there's a reason."

  His light eyes focused on her face for an instant. "I thought as much. Don't talk now. Let's first stop that bleeding." He lifted her arm and looked at the wound again, then took a spray from the box. "This might burn, but I prefer to disinfect the wound." He applied the spray.

  Carlina clenched her teeth and suppressed the urge to flinch away from his hands. The spray first felt cool, then it burned like hot pepper on her open wound.

  Garini frowned. "Was the knife clean?" He placed a pad on top of the wound and pressed it down.

  "How do you know it was a knife?"

  He looked at her. His face was so close, she could see the small scar next to his mouth, the flecks of dark color in his light eyes. "I'm a policeman, Carlina. I know a knife wound when I see one." With surprising speed, he started to bind up her arm. "Well? Was it clean?"

  "I--" a funny feeling had taken possession of Carlina. She felt light and floaty. What would he do if she leaned against his chest now? Would he hold her tight? It was a tempting thought. "It looked clean to me. But I didn't go very close."

  "Hmm." He finished the bandage and fixed it with a broad stretch of band-aid. "We need to watch this. If the bleeding doesn't stop, I might have to take you to hospital."

  "I won't go." Carlina lifted her chin.

  "You won't, eh?" For an instant, a smile softened his face. It looked tender, and amused, not like Garini at all. He had never smiled like that before. He got up. "I'll get you a shirt."

  He returned with a checkered flannel shirt and helped her to put it on, then he started to do up the buttons, relaxed, easy, as if he did it every day.

  Carlina held her breath. He was so close. She could smell his aftershave, could feel the heat coming from his body. It took all her willpower not to topple into his arms. She concentrated on his t-shirt, avoiding his eyes.

  "There. Warm enough?"

  She cleared her throat. "Yes." Hot, rather. She dared to lift her head and looked at him. "Thank you." She meant more than the first aid help, and she knew he would understand that.

  Their eyes locked. Nothing moved. Lilly's quiet breathing was the only sound in the silent apartment. For an instant, she thought he would bend down and kiss her, but just as she leaned forward, he took a step backwards, moved a few books from the low shelf at the side, pushed Lollo's cage to the edge, and perched on the shelf. "Now tell me what happened."

  It felt like theft not to have him close anymore. Did he think she was coming on to him? How embarrassing. Carlina could feel her face going red. She'd better concentrate on telling him her story. He needed to know everything, and fast. Who knew what was going on at home. Maybe some well-meaning person had come up to the apartment and found the knife. Carlina looked around. Lilly occupied the better part of the sofa, but the carpet was thick, so she slid to the floor, folded her legs, and leaned her back against the sofa. "Do you speak English?"

  He lifted his eyebrows. "I do." He said it with a British accent.

  "Good." Carlina continued in English. "Because I don't want Lilly to understand a single word."

  He looked at the sleeping girl. "She's fast asleep."

  "You never know with Lilly." Carlina shook her head. "You should get out your tape recorder before I start."

  He shook his head. "You might not believe it, but in my spare time, I don't tend to walk around with a recorder."

  "Of course." She felt silly. "First, I wanted to thank you for taking us in. I didn't know where to go. When I tried to call you, the operator told me you weren't in the o
ffice."

  He frowned. "She has my private number. I routed my cell phone to her, so I could catch some much-needed sleep this afternoon, but I told her she should wake me if anything urgent came up."

  Carlina shrugged, then winced.

  "You shouldn't move that shoulder." Garini said. "It might start to bleed again."

  "I forgot." Carlina took Lilly's hand. "Someone tried to kill her tonight."

  His eyes narrowed. "Tell me."

  "To make you understand, I have to go back to Benedetta's birthday party last week. We were having fun, and we were talking about Lilly's odd habit of jumping into my bed whenever she stays with me." She explained the connection to the wall and the falling fish mobile.

  He nodded. "Got it. Who was at the party?"

  Carlina stroked Lilly's soft hand. "Everybody who lives in the house. Then my sister Gabriella and her husband Bernando, Lilly herself, Angela and Marco, Uncle Ugo and his mother, Augusta. Even Electra from across the street came over to celebrate with us."

  Garini shook his head. "Of course. Too much to hope that the field would narrow down at some point."

  She looked at him. "They might have talked about it after the party. It was a funny story, one you might repeat somewhere else when in a good mood."

  He grimaced. "Good point. Go on."

  "Someone rigged up a knife together with the fish mobile." Carlina's mouth went dry. "It was sharp and thin and long. A butcher's knife." She swallowed. "If Lilly had jumped into bed as usual, it would have gone straight through her back."

  He didn't take his eyes off her. "What happened instead?"

  "She took a bath, and I wanted to get her pajama, but I stumbled against the sofa. I heard the sound of something falling through the air and started to laugh, thinking of the fish mobile, but then I saw the knife." She felt sick remembering it.

  "Did you touch it?" He was back to interviewing mode; his questions came hard and fast.

  "No."

  "Hold on a second." He jumped up and left the room. A moment later, she heard him speak.

  To whom is he speaking? Carlina slid lower against the sofa. Every bone hurt, and she felt a trembling deep inside her, telling her without mistake she was still far from her usual self.