A bit of butter, a half-empty jar of Nutella chocolate spread, and a loaf of bread had appeared on the table overnight. Next to the bread, she found the key to her apartment. Bless him. Carlina hunted for a knife and some plates, made herself a cup of coffee and a glass of milk for Lilly, then called her niece.
As Carlina sipped her coffee and watched her niece eat, she analyzed her feelings. It felt strange to be in his apartment. Then again, everything felt strange right now. She still couldn't believe what had happened last night. It felt like a dream. A scary dream.
"Why are you shaking your head, Carlina?"
"No special reason." Carlina got up. "Are you done? I have to drive you to school."
When they arrived in front of the school, Carlina parked the Vespa. "I have to talk to your teacher, so I'll go in with you."
Lilly's eyes widened. "Why? Is anything wrong?"
Carlina glanced at her. How much should she tell her? She knelt and looked at her niece. "You have done everything right, Lilly. However, I believe you are in some danger right now.” She swallowed. “Promise me not to leave the school today with anybody but me, no matter who comes to get you."
Lilly's eyes grew wide. "No matter who?"
"Yes. Don't go with anybody, not even grandma, no uncle, no aunt. Nobody at all, no matter what they say. Even if they say I'm in hospital and that I have sent them. All right?"
Lilly swallowed. "But . . . if you don't come?"
Carlina took a deep breath. "If I can't come, I will send Stefano."
"I can go with Stefano?"
"Yes."
Lilly nodded. "All right."
Carlina straightened. "Good. I'll tell your teacher the same." She led Lilly to the entrance of the ancient school building. Lilly walked by her side like a grown-up. No hopping, no singing today. Carlina bit her lips. We will catch the murderer, and then life can be carefree again.
She brought Lilly through the busy halls to her class. A boy ran past them, shouting. A group of girls giggled as they came into the building. It smelled of industrial detergent. A feeling of nostalgia gripped Carlina. It seemed so normal, so safe. How deceptive.
The teacher had not yet arrived, so Carlina left Lilly with her friends in the classroom and went to find the school secretary. A helpful boy pointed out the way. As Carlina pushed open the door, a wave of heat came out to her. Somebody had turned on the radiator to the max. The room smelled of cheap perfume. Carlina wrinkled her nose and advanced toward the desk at the side of the room, where a woman with a mop of brown curls was busy typing.
Carlina smiled at her. "Good morning. I'm Caroline Ashley, the aunt of Lilly Lombardi. I'd like to speak to the headmaster, please."
The secretary shook her head. "I'm afraid the headmaster isn't in today."
Damn. "Then I need to speak to Lilly's teacher. He's not yet in the classroom."
"Which class is she in?"
Carlina swallowed. "I don't know."
The secretary frowned. "I'll look it up." She continued clicking for what seemed an eternity.
Carlina checked her watch. She still had two hours before Temptation opened, but she expected a delivery early this morning. The carrier had already missed her last week and had left a message that he would return on Monday morning. Too bad.
Finally, the secretary lifted her head. "Lilly's teacher is Signor Arredi, but he's ill today. His replacement is Signorina Biffi." She looked at a big clock above the door frame. "She should be in the class room by now."
Carlina suppressed a sigh. She should have stayed with Lilly. "Thank you."
By now, the halls were empty, and her steps echoed with a hollow sound from the walls. Carlina knocked on the closed classroom door and peeked inside. Lilly waved at her from the third row. Carlina smiled back.
"Buongiorno, Signorina Biffi." Carlina looked at the woman in front of the class. She was small and round and reminded her of a rubber ball.
Dressed in jeans and a pink sweater, the young teacher responded with a vague smile. "Yes?"
"Could you step out with me for a minute?"
The teacher lifted her plucked eyebrows, but she joined Carlina outside the classroom.
Carlina waited until she had closed the door. Only then did she realize that she had no idea how to bring across her message. "I'm Caroline Ashley, the aunt of Lilly Lombardi."
The teacher looked as if she had never heard Lilly's name.
"I understand you're not the usual teacher."
"That's right." Signorina Biffy looked offended.
"But you know the class, don't you? You know who Lilly is?" God, she was making total hash of this. No wonder the teacher was looking at her watch. Carlina hurried on. "Em . . . there's a bit of trouble at home."
"Trouble? What do you mean?"
Someone is trying to kill her. "We have reason to believe that someone is trying to harm Lilly."
Signorina Biffi's eyebrows rose until they almost reached the hairline.
"Please don't mention it to Lilly, but keep a close eye on her. Make sure she doesn't go with anybody, no one but me or Commissario Garini."
"How about her parents?"
"Her parents are not in town right now."
"I'm afraid I can't accept the responsibility in such a case." Signorina Biffy shook her head with a little snorting sound that showed Carlina what she thought of her request. "You'd have to talk to the headmaster."
"He's out of town."
Signorina Biffi shrugged. "Then talk to his replacement."
Carlina clenched her teeth. "Who is responsible when the headmaster is away?"
"It's Signor Arredi."
"But he's not in today, either!" Carlina wanted to shake the teacher. "Please. I've told you about it, and I rely on you."
Signorina Biffi pressed her lips together. "I'm not--"
Desperate, Carlina interrupted her. "It is a request from Commissario Stefano Garini. He's a police Commissario." Better not mention the homicide department. "If you wish, I can get him on the phone, so he can tell you personally about it."
Signorina Biffi opened the door. "I have no time to talk to anybody right now. I have a class to teach. And I certainly can't take over the responsibility for a child that's involved in domestic fights. Arrivederci." She nodded at Carlina and disappeared inside the classroom.
II
His phone rang. Garini checked the display. It read Carlina. Finally. His heartbeat accelerated. "Ciao."
"This stupid teacher didn't believe me. She said she couldn't take the responsibility. She said--"
"Hold on." Garini leaned against his desk. "Where are you?"
"I've just left school. The headmaster is away today, and so is her normal teacher. She has a substitute, a stupid teacher who doesn't listen and doesn't want to take over any responsibility. I wonder if she has a clue who Lilly is! Maybe she mistakes her for some other girl, and--"
He frowned. "Carlina. Stop talking for a minute."
"What?" She sounded out of breath.
"Did you leave Lilly in class?"
"Yes." Carlina sighed. "But I wonder if that was a good decision. Should I go back and get her? Maybe she's safer with me. Maybe--"
"Where are you going?"
"First home to get a change of clothes, then to Temptation. I'm expecting a delivery this morning, but I could keep Lilly with me at the store. Only, she would be so bored, and she would like to go outside to play, but I couldn't allow that, and she would be so upset."
He blinked. It wasn't like Carlina to be so rattled, but he concentrated on the gist of what she was saying and revised the possibilities in his mind. "For the moment, I think she's safest at school."
"Do you think so?"
"Yes. The further she's away from the family, the better."
A silence told him she was digesting his words. Had he offended her? He couldn't help it.
She cleared her throat. "I need to tell you something else."
"Go ahead."
&nb
sp; "Lilly had a nightmare last night. She kept saying 'I didn't tell the secret.' I tried to pry more information out of her, but she said she had promised him not to reveal anything. I asked her who 'he' was, and she said, Uncle--"
Stefano held his breath. "Uncle who?"
"She didn't say. At that point, she woke up, and she was so terrified that I didn't dare to question her further. I wasn't sure how far I could push her without hurting her."
"At least we know it's a man." If I believe what you say. The thought made him swallow. He had lost his detachment a long time ago.
"It could be any man of the family." Carlina said. "She calls them all Uncle."
"I need to talk to Lilly."
"Yes."
Her willingness surprised and touched him. "We have a psychologist on the force, a woman, who would be with me."
"Good. Do you want to talk to her right now?"
Garini checked his wristwatch. "No. My boss has asked for an urgent meeting. I need to talk to him first, see what he wants. Then I'll work out a plan."
"Right." Carlina swallowed so hard, he could hear it. "But let me be with her when you talk to her."
"If you promise you won't influence her."
"I promise." It sounded reckless.
Yes, she would promise anything to help her family. Anything. He felt cold.
"You still have Lollo," she said.
"Who?"
"The canary. We introduced you last night."
"Oh. I'd forgotten about him."
"I told Lilly he couldn't go to school with her, so we left him at your apartment. I took your keys, so I can collect him later. Was that all right?"
"Sure." He checked his feelings. It did feel all right. Odd. "How's the shoulder?"
"Okay."
He didn't want to hang up. "Managed to sleep?"
"Sort of. And you?"
"Too short. I came in at three and left at six."
"What did you do all night?" she asked.
"I went dancing."
She laughed. "Sure."
"Well, if you want to know, I searched every inch of your apartment, talked to an amazing number of Mantoni family members, bullied the lab people to give me the results double-quick, went over every bit of information again and again, and prepared a report."
"Sounds like fun."
"It was." His voice matched hers, dry, ironic. He waited for the inevitable question, but she didn't ask about his results. Probably she knew he couldn't tell her anything, even if he had found a definite trace of the murderer. Which he hadn't. Now he had to go and tell Cervi all about it. He wished the interview was already over.
"What did the innumerable members of my family say?"
"Your mother caught us when we left your apartment. Apparently, she had heard funny noises."
"Yes, the walls in our house are thin."
He had to ask it. "Does it never get on your nerves?"
"What?"
"Being so close to your family all the time. Having them meddle with everything."
"I . . . no, not really. I do my thing, and block them out if I don't want to listen. Besides, I always thought they were funny."
"I see." Funny. She thought they were funny. A bunch of lunatics, they were.
"What happened then?"
"Well, when she saw me, she screamed loud enough to wake half Florence. The rest of the family stormed out of their apartments."
Carlina chuckled. "Wow."
"You really think that's funny, don't you?"
"I do." Her voice was full of suppressed laughter.
In spite of himself, he had to smile. "They said I had spirited you away, put you into prison, killed you."
"Wow, how creative. In that order?" She still sounded as if she found it all amusing. "What did you say?"
"I said you were at a safe, but undisclosed, place, together with Lilly, and showed them the knife."
She gasped. "No."
"Yes. It belongs to Benedetta."
Silence. "Had she missed it for long?"
"No. She had used it the evening before."
"Damn."
He heard her swallow.
"What happened then?" she asked.
"I told them they were all under surveillance and that you would return the next day, so they could stop trying to lynch me."
"Oh. So they'll wait for me?"
"I should think so."
"Damn. I don't want to talk to them."
He grinned. "I seem to remember you said they were funny."
"Ha. I'm not going to discuss my family with you."
"Too late. We've never done anything else." He stopped himself short. Their tone had changed after last night. He'd lost his distance for good, but since last night, he had gone one step further. Now he had even lost the ability to hide it. It felt like a flirtation, something he could ill afford. All at once, he remembered his conversation with Roberto at the restaurant, eons ago. He had not understood how anybody could spend time with a mother-in-law they didn't like. How naive he'd been. If I start anything with Carlina, I have to deal with the whole family. She only comes as a package deal. The thought chilled him. He swallowed. "I have to go."
"Yes." She sounded reluctant to hang up.
"Be careful. Don't eat anything at home. Anything. You hear me?"
"Yes, Commissario."
He bit back a smile. "Talk to you later."
III
"What's this I hear about an attempted murder? A child?" Cervi leaned across his desk and glowered at Garini. "I got several calls this morning. Just what is going on here?"
Stefano nodded. "The attempt was made last night. A knife rigged up, so it would pierce the victim. She was lucky."
Cervi pressed his lips together. "You know how the press loves a crime that involves a child. Anything to create crocodile tears. What do you have to say to them?"
Garini kept his face impassive. "We're working on it."
"Ha. Doesn't sound convincing enough. Can't you give details?"
Garini shrugged. "Sure I can. The child's aunt, Caroline Ashley, dislodged the knife before it could do any damage." Well, almost. I wonder if her shoulder is all right. "She decided to run for it and managed to get her niece away from the house without being seen."
His boss narrowed his eyes. "Where did she go?"
"She came to me." Garini faced Cervi without batting an eyelid. "She first tried to call me, but the operator told her I was at home." He clenched his teeth, waiting for the comment he knew would come.
Cervi's mouth slackened. "She did what? How did she know where you lived? Are you involved with the suspect?"
"I had mentioned my address to her before, when she wondered why I was passing by her store so often. It's around the corner. And no, we're not involved." He clenched his teeth. I'd better not say anything else. I'll only regret it.
A sharp glance made him feel uneasy. "You'll remain professional, won't you? Or should I put somebody else onto that case?"
It was an empty threat, and Stefano knew it. Nobody had time to enter into all the details at this point of the investigation, but still, the idea chilled him. "I'll manage." He tried to make his voice dry and unemotional, bored even.
"Did you consider that she might have rigged up the whole show to make herself seem innocent?"
"Yes."
Cervi lifted both hands. "Yes, he says. Nothing else but yes. Come on, man, tell me more. Our reputation is at stake."
And a child's life. Stefano suppressed a sigh. "Believe me, I'm doing all I can. I typed a report last night, knowing that you and the mayor would need to be informed." He pointed at the sheaf of papers he had placed onto Cervi's desk.
"Tonight, Garini." Cervi narrowed his eyes. "I want a result tonight. Have I made myself clear?"
"Crystal clear."
Chapter 18
I
Carlina opened the door and tiptoed into the hall. If she was lucky, nobody would see her. She lifted her foot onto th
e first step and decided to run up the steps as fast as she could when the door to Uncle Teo's apartment flew open.
"Carlina! There you are!" Uncle Teo came toward her with outstretched arms. He looked pale. "I was so worried about you."
Her heart melted, and she hugged him. How frail he felt. "I'm sorry, Uncle Teo. I had no other choice."
"Where's Lilly?"
"She's--" Carlina caught herself mid-sentence. She couldn't tell anybody. "She's safe."
His sharp eyes focused on her, then he nodded. "I see."
The sound of quick steps came from upstairs, then Fabbiola arrived on the landing with the speed of a cannonball. With her left arm, she pressed the ubiquitous cushion against her side. The henna-colored strand of hair fell into her face.
I've never seen her so upset. Carlina smiled at her mother to show she was fine.
Fabbiola pulled her daughter with her left arm against her chest. "Carlina! My darling! How are you?"
Carlina winced. Her shoulder hurt from the hug, and her face got pressed into the velvety cushion. It smelled of her mother's perfume, lily of the valley. She managed to break away from her mother's firm grip. "I'm all right, Mama. Really."
"What did he do to you?"
Carlina blinked "Who?"
"That policeman! The dark one. What did he do to you?"
He saved me. "Nothing."
"Where is he?" Fabbiola looked around her as if Garini had hidden in a corner beneath the staircase.
Carlina wondered if her mother had taken leave of her senses. "Garini? I don't know. I guess he's at the police station. Why?"
Fabbiola put her arms akimbo. "He said he would protect you. Where is he, I ask? How can he protect you if he isn't here?"
Something warm shot through Carlina, but she hid her feelings. "Maybe he ordered an invisible angel."
Uncle Teo chuckled, but Fabbiola threw her daughter a dark glance. "I don't think that's funny, Carlina."
"No?" Carlina started to ascend the stairs. "I do."
"Where are you going?" Fabbiola demanded.
Delayed Death (Temptation in Florence Book 1) Page 26
