temptation in florence 03 - bankers death (8 page)

“Who found the body?”

“I did.” Simonetta's voice filled the hall with deep resonance.

“When was that?”

Simonetta hesitated and threw a helpless glance at Fabbiola.

Fabbiola jumped in as if on cue. “Somewhere around eight, isn't that right, Carlina?”

Carlina gave her mother a strange look.

Stefano frowned. He couldn't read that look. Was it anger?

Carlina shrugged. “I don't recall.”

Garini noted the time with a question mark in his little book. “What did you do when you found the body?” He looked at Simonetta.

“She screamed,” Fabbiola said before Simonetta could open her mouth. “You've never heard such a scream in your life, Commissario. They train them well at the opera; I have to say that.”

Garini suppressed a sigh. “I guess. Next question: Is there anything unusual, anything urgent that I need to know right now, that can't wait until tomorrow?”

They looked at him like children after you've asked who has eaten the forbidden cookies. Garini narrowed his eyes.
Something's afoot here.
“Nothing? If you don't want to say it in front of everybody, you can talk to me later.” Once again, he looked over the assembled family.

For an instant, his gaze met Carlina's. She was pale and looked as if she was ready to drop.
I don't want her to be involved in any of this.
He closed his notebook with a snap.
Failing that, I'll make sure I won't be involved with this case.

III

“Psss, psss!”

Carlina stopped on the landing, on her way up to her apartment. She had just said good-bye to Garini, feeling like a murderess herself.

Her mother looked through the door of Benedetta's apartment and beckoned to her. “Come in, Carlina; we need your help.”

“My help?” Carlina only wanted to go to bed. She was so tired that every step upstairs was a conscious effort. At the same time, she dreaded going back to her apartment, the scene of the crime. Simonetta had told her that they had re-arranged everything and that she would be fine, but she still felt like a dog that had its basket taken away without replacement. “Can't it wait until tomorrow?”

“No.” Fabbiola shook her head. “We're busy constructing our alibis, and you need to learn yours.”

Oh, Madonna.
Carlina shook her head. “No way.”

“Yes!” Fabbiola grabbed her arm and pulled her inside. “Don't prevaricate.”

Carlina decided that it took less energy to go along and followed her mother to Benedetta's kitchen, where the rest of the family, including Simonetta and Maria, were assembled. It smelled heavenly of fresh focaccia bread with black olives and bits of spicy pepperoni. Carlina saw the bread wrapped up in fresh towels in a corner of the kitchen. Obviously, Benedetta had decided to start a counter-offensive on the battlefield of bread.

Fabbiola, who wisely ignored her sister's mouth-watering bread, pulled up a sheet of paper, sharpened a pencil with the air of someone who's about to do an act of major importance, and lifted her head. “We'll burn this paper later. Let's start with Leo.”

Benedetta jumped. “Why should you start with Leo? Why not with yourself, or Carlina, or . . . ?”

Carlina blinked. What on earth was happening to Benedetta? Had Fabbiola's health food period, combined with Ernesto's bungee-jumping, destroyed all her usual equilibrium? She had never seen Benedetta so out of kilter.

“I was going through the house apartment by apartment,” Fabbiola said with dignity. “And I was starting on the ground floor, that's all. We can also start with Teo, if you should prefer that.”

“No, no, that's fine.” Leopold Morin gave Fabbiola a soothing smile and laid a placating hand on Benedetta's arm. “I was at the library.”

“When?”

Leopold opened his eyes wide. “When? Well, when the murder was done, of course.”

Fabbiola frowned at the slight Frenchman. “But how do you know when the murder was done?”

“I object to this.” Benedetta snapped. “You are behaving as if you're the boss in this family, and it sounds as if you're all accusing us of murder. Thanks, but no thanks. I won't have anything to do with it.” She jumped up and left the room. Leo shrugged and followed her with an apologetic look.

“Well, I say . . .” Fabbiola shook her head. “Now how are we going to arrange our alibis?”

Carlina felt a headache coming on. “I don't want to make up an alibi. I want to tell Garini the truth.”

“Have you gone crazy?” Her mother stared at her. “You want to tell him there was a half-naked man in your room, together with a bottle of champagne? Any lie is better than that!”

Carlina closed her eyes. “I know, but I'm bushed. Whatever we agree on tonight, I'll forget it anyway until tomorrow. So don't count me in. Good night.” She got up and left the room as fast as she could, before anybody could stop her. Let them figure out how to do this. She'd had enough.

Chapter 5

I

Stefano Garini clenched his teeth. He knew he was not going to relish the conversation with his boss, but it had to be done. He lifted his hand and knocked on the door.

“Come in.” Cervi's voice sounded half-asleep, as usual in the early morning.

Stefano opened the door and went in. “Buongiorno, Signor Cervi.”

“Buongiorno, buongiorno.” Cervi waved at the chair opposite his desk and frowned. “Take a seat and make it short. I have an important meeting in half an hour.”

That suits me.
“Yesterday evening, I was alerted by a member of the Mantoni family that Valentino Canderini, a cousin, had been stabbed. He was found in front of the family home on Via delle Pinzochere.”

Cervi narrowed his eyes. “Did you say Mantoni? Not that same family again?”

Stefano suppressed his irritation. “The same. Which is why I'm here. I did everything that had to be done immediately, but now, I'd like to be taken off the case.”

Cervi frowned. “Impossible.”

“It's impossible to continue.” Stefano made sure his voice didn't show his feelings. “I have too many links to the family.”

His boss grunted. “What kind of links?”

“I'm going out with Carlina Ashley, one of the Mantoni clan. She lives in the family home.”

“Hmm.” Cervi frowned. “She's the owner of that expensive lingerie store, isn't she?”

“Yes.”

“Just how much of a friend are you?”

“Excuse me?”

“Is it serious?”

Garini clenched his teeth.
This is none of your business.
“Yes.”

Cervi shook his head from left to right like a bored turtle. He gave Garini a malevolent glance. “Can Paolo take your place?”

“He's on vacation.”

“Far away?”

“Too far to come back. A safari in South Africa.”

“Damn.” Cervi frowned. “I have the impression he does it on purpose. Every time we want him, he's at the other end of the globe. How about Sergio? Is he ill at the moment?”

“Not right now.”

Garini's boss picked up the receiver and bellowed a short command into it.

A minute later, Sergio moved his massive bulk through the door. His wheezing breath and pale face showed that he had not yet quite recovered from his last angina. “Buongiorno, Signor Cervi, Stefano.” He gave Garini a quick glance, a question in it.

Stefano shrugged.

“Garini here says he can't take a case because he's biased.” Cervi made it sound like a major shortcoming. “You have to take over.”

Sergio's eyebrows climbed up. “I'm in the middle of the Maccari Case.”

Cervi made an impatient movement with his hand. “Hand it over to Garini. No doubt he'll solve it quicker.”

Garini winced. He knew that Sergio wasn't always the quickest on the uptake, but he was thorough and reliable - if he wasn't ill.

Sergio stiffened. “What is this case?”

“A man was stabbed yesterday evening in front of the Mantoni family home.”

“Mantoni?” Sergio's gaze flitted to Garini's and away again. “I see.”

Garini knew that Sergio remembered the evening when he had met him with Carlina at the restaurant Gallo Nero.

“All right.” Sergio nodded. “I'll take over.”

A weight fell from Garini's shoulders.
If only everything would be so easy.
He smiled at his colleague. “Thank you. I do appreciate it.”

Sergio put his head to one side. “Just one more question: If the victim was found in front of the family house, that may have been a coincidence. Maybe the family is not involved at all.”

“The family is involved all right.” Garini's voice was grim. “Valentino Canderini is half a Mantoni by birth, and he--”

Sergio gasped. “Valentino Canderini? He's dead?” His round face lit up as if he had just heard the most wonderful news. “Brilliant.”

Cervi cleared his throat. “Can you explain yourself, please?”

Sergio beamed at his boss. “Oh, he was a good-for-nothing, that one.” He gave Garini an apologetic glance. “I'm sorry, but . . . “

“I agree.” Garini said.

“It still seems to be a bit exaggerated to jump with joy when he's found dead.” Cervi's voice was dry.

Sergio shrugged. “He once tried to get my sister in trouble. He didn't get anywhere, because my brothers and I, we saw through him just in time and managed to step in.”

“So in fact, nothing happened at all.” Cervi sighed. “Can we please forget your private feelings and approach this case in a professional manner?”

His subordinate flushed. “I'm always professional. That's why I didn't kill him myself. However, I can only applaud the murderer. Canderini had it coming.”

Cervi pressed his lips together. “I think you have to consider where your loyalties are. You are, after all, a policeman, and you shouldn't condone murder as a solution to any problem.” He drew himself up as he spoke.

Garini suppressed the urge to roll his eyes.
Madonna, what a pompous ass Cervi is.

Sergio gave his boss a glance that spoke volumes. “When a man is rotten, he has a lot of potential to destroy other lives. I think it's better if he's stopped before he spends his life spreading evil.”

Garini fought down an uneasy feeling. He could understand Sergio's feelings; in fact, he had often thought the same, but at the same time, it wasn't their job to judge. It was their job to find evidence so that the rules of society could apply. If everybody started to kill the people who deserved it - according to their own estimation - pandemonium would break out. Garini knew that Sergio had the same firm belief in his role. So why was he having this conversation with Cervi? The incident with his sister must have rattled him to the core; there was no other explanation.

Cervi heaved himself to his feet. “Are you telling me that you are too biased to take this case?”

Garini snapped to attention. He exchanged a look with Sergio whose mouth had assumed a mutinous shape.

“I can take the case,” Sergio said with dignity.

“But you still think the murderer did a good job?”

Sergio inclined his head. “I do.”

Cervi banged a fist onto the table. “This will not do! I can't give the case to someone who secretly approves of the murderer.” He turned to Garini. “You will have to do the job after all.”

No way.
“I met Valentino Canderini the day before his death at a family party, and I can only confirm what Sergio says. He seems to have been a thoroughly unsavory specimen.”

A pulse started to beat in Cervi's neck. “Don't tell me too that you think the murderer did a great job.”

Garini shrugged. If he mentioned his firm belief in the rules of society now, he would not only have the job but would make Sergio look bad in comparison. “From the little I've seen so far, it looks like it.”

Now Cervi banged both fists onto the table. “I have three specialists in this department! Three! And not one can do the job! One always seems to be on vacation in unreachable areas of the world when I need him, the other is either ill or approves of the murderer, and now even the third one claims he likes the concept of killing people whenever it seems to fit.” He narrowed his eyes at Garini. “I'm ordering you to take the job, Garini. Stay professional; keep your distance. You're not engaged to the lady, so that shouldn't be too difficult. Don't I remember that some weeks ago, you said you weren't even involved with that woman?”

Garini clenched his fists. “It would not look good. As soon as the news gets out that the investigating officer is directly linked to the family, there will be a scandal.” Usually, the word 'scandal' was enough to make Cervi back down.

Cervi's face turned an alarming shade of raspberry red. “It's your responsibility to keep the truth to yourself! Stop the relationship for the duration of the investigation!”

Cold rage gripped Garini. “I will do no such thing.”

His boss made an impatient move with his arm. “Whatever. I don't care as long as the result is all right.”

“We could work on the case together.” Sergio looked at Garini with another apologetic glance and wiped sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. “Then we can keep an eye on each other. As there's nobody in the police department who's not linked to the case, this might be the best solution to avoid a scandal.”

Cervi lifted both fists to heaven. “Have you gone mad? I've been asking for months for reinforcement, to no avail, and if I now put two people on the same job, they'll say I don't know how to manage my resources.” He pressed his lips together and glared at Stefano. “You will investigate the Mantoni family, Garini.” He narrowed his eyes. “And if you botch it up, I'll make sure that you'll be transferred to Milano.”

II

“Cervi forced me to take on the case of your cousin.” Stefano Garini tapped his fingers onto the cash counter of Temptation.

Carlina had never seen Stefano so angry. His lips with the interesting scar at one side were pressed into a thin line, and his light eyes reminded her of a glacier.
I'm glad he's not angry at me - so far.
She cleared her throat. “But why? Isn't Cervi always afraid that the press will create a scandal if there's a personal connection?”
I don't want him to investigate this case. The family will try to lead him in circles, and I'll be torn in two. I don't want it!