temptation in florence 03 - bankers death (26 page)

Garini sighed and got up. “It would have been too good to be true.” He shot the bolt to the side.

Before he could open the door, Rafaele pushed it so hard that it banged against the wall. He jumped into the room. With a swift movement, he held both his wrists out to Garini and said. “It was me. I killed the bastard. You can handcuff me now.”

“What?” Sofia jumped up. “Have you gone crazy?”

Garini watched the siblings like a hawk, noting every expression, every move.

“I'm sorry, Sofia.” After his unprecedented burst of action, Rafaele seemed shaken. “I can't change what I've done, but I won't let you take the blame for it.”

“Me? What blame?” Sofia stared at her brother. “You can't have done it! You have an alibi, don't you?”

Garini lifted an eyebrow. If he remembered correctly, Ernesto had tried to pick up Rafaele at his house during the crucial time, but Rafaele had not been at home.

Rafaele shook his head. “No alibi. I was here. I killed him.”

“But why?” Sofia threw up her hands. “Why should you do that? I don't believe it!”

He gave her a long look, full of pity and tenderness.

She choked. “Oh, my God. You mean you did it because of . . . me? But I never told you about . . . about . . .” Her voice petered out.

“I knew.” His voice was low.

Her mouth fell open. “You knew? You never let on.”

“I'm not blind, Sofia.” He swallowed. “However, I realized you wanted to keep it a secret. I hated him for what he did to you.” Rafaele clenched his fists.

Sofia's eyes grew wide. “So you . . . killed him? Just like that?”

He clenched his teeth. “He deserved it.”

“Can you describe how it happened?” Garini cut in.

Rafaele turned to him as if he had forgotten that he was there. “Well, I . . . I went in.”

“Why?”

Rafaele gave a start. “What do you mean, why?”

“Why did you go into Carlina's apartment?”

He blushed. “I . . . I can't recall. I thought I'd heard Ernesto up here. Must have been mistaken.”

Garini frowned. “And then?”

“He was standing there.” Rafaele pointed at the spot where the ugly rug still covered the blood stained floor.

“Did he have his back to you?”

Rafaele blinked. “Yes. No. I can't remember.”

“Go on.”

“I saw him. Silk boxer shorts. Bottle of champagne.”

“What color were the boxer shorts?” Garini's questions came hard and fast.

“White?” He shrugged. “I don't know. It all happened so quick.”

The boxer shorts were dark gray.
“Where was the bottle of champagne?”

Rafaele hesitated. “There.” He pointed at the low table in front of the sofa.

“To the left? To the right?”

“In the middle, sort of.” Sweat formed on Rafaele's brow.

It must have been at the far left to be spattered with blood.
“What happened then?”

“I saw red.” Rafaele shrugged. “Took a knife,--”

“Where did you get it from?”

“What?”

“The knife. You didn't walk up here with a knife in your hand, did you?”

“Em. No. I . . . I took it from Carlina's kitchen.”

“But it was Benedetta's knife.”

He shrugged. “Stuff wanders about in this house.”

That much at least is true.
Garini frowned. “Why did you see red?”

“I knew what he had done to my sister.”

“But he was not threatening your sister at this moment.”

“He was. I had expected him to come back and make amends. He would have ruined her life. Again.”

Sofia gasped. “Make amends? I would not have taken him back if he had begged me.”

Rafaele gave her an uncertain look. “You sure?”

“Positive.” She crossed her arms in front of her chest.

“Besides--” Rafaele shuffled his feet.

“Spit it out,” Garini said.

“Besides, Ernesto told me Carlina didn't like his cousin, and that she only had eyes for you. I didn't think that the surprise Valentino had staged would make her happy.”

Something hot and comforting rushed through Garini, but he suppressed the feeling. “So you decided to kill him?” His voice was full of irony.

Rafaele shrugged. “It was done on the spur of the moment.”

“You never do anything on the spur of the moment!” Sofia shook her head.

He glared at her. “I did.”

Sofia got up and stopped so close to him that her nose almost touched his chest. “You stupid idiot.” Her voice was soft. “I didn't do it.”

Rafaele's face turned a fiery red, then he blanched. His eyes widened, and his chest pumped up and down as if he had been running. “I never thought so.” His voice sounded strangled.

“Oh, yes, you did.” She tapped her index finger against his chest with every single word. “And that's why you concocted this stupid story. I bet you made any number of mistakes in blaming yourself, didn't he Commissario?”

Garini had to admire her astuteness, but at the same time, he couldn't rid himself of the feeling that the siblings were enacting an elaborate hoax for his sole benefit. He wanted to get some distance, some time to himself, to evaluate and weigh all the different pieces of information he had collected in the past hours. Were the two murders not related after all? Who was Alana? He hadn't finished asking all the questions, and he was not going to be distracted by the siblings and whatever it was they were doing.

“Sit down, both of you.” He made sure his voice sounded curt. “I need to ask you some more questions.”

Sofia shrugged and fell back onto the armchair.

Rafaele sat on the armrest of the same chair, one hand on her shoulder, his face set.

Garini took a seat on the sofa and bent forward. “Do you know the Bellini Circus?”

They looked at each other, surprise written large upon their faces. “The what?” Sofia asked.

“The Bellini Circus.”

“Never heard of it.” Rafaele shook his head in slow motion.

Sofia shook her head. “Ditto.”

“How about Alana? A trapeze artist named Alana?”

They stared at him as if he had gone crazy right in front of their eyes.

“No.” Sofia frowned. “Alana? Wasn't that the last word the newspaperman said, the one who was also stabbed?”

“Yes.” Impossible to keep any secret in this house.

“No idea.” Rafaele shrugged.

They were convincing.
Damn.
Garini felt as if he was turning in circles.

“Where were you when Valentino Canderini was stabbed?”

Sofia looked at her hands. “I was at home, in my room.”

Garini suppressed an exasperated sigh. Difficult to prove the opposite, unless someone had seen her.

“And you, Rafaele?”

Rafaele shrugged. “I wanted to check if a new computer game had arrived, but the store didn't have it. I didn't ask and didn't buy anything. I just looked at the shelves with the new releases. The store was full. I doubt anyone will remember me.”

“What is the name of the computer game?”

This time, Rafaele didn't hesitate. The answer came like a shot. “It's the latest version of Monster. Monster V.”

“Do you still uphold your previous statement that you stabbed Valentino Canderini?”

Rafaele gave a sheepish grin and glanced sideways at his sister.

She rolled her eyes. “Of course not, Commissario. Rafaele is a lamb. He'd never hurt anybody.”

“Rafaele? Can I have your answer, please?”

Rafaele shook his head in slow motion. “I don't know what to say anymore.”

I bet.
Garini got up. “For the time being, I reserve my judgment. Until then, I ask you not to leave town and to hold yourselves ready for further questioning.”

“Of course.” Rafaele looked relieved. “C'mon, Sofia.”

When they had gone, Garini leaned back and closed his eyes in concentration. Something was bothering him. Valentino was killed here, in this very room. He had plenty of suspects, but their alibis were all over the place, impossible to prove or disprove, and half of them were lying for a multitude of stupid reasons. For the moment, he had to stick to motivation. Why was Valentino killed? He had given everybody around him plenty of reasons to want him dead. Benedetta to protect her son Ernesto from his bad influence and to stop the bungee jumping. A weak motive, but added to the danger of being thrown out of the house, it might be viable. Uncle Teo, to save his family from humiliation. The rest of the family to avoid losing their home. This included the Frenchman, Leopold Morin, who was now practically a member of the family. Carlina had the added reason of self defense, if she had lied and had come home earlier, surprising Valentino during the set-up of his seduction. He found it hard to believe that Carlina had lied to him, but if he was honest, he had to consider it a possibility.
Damn.
Rafaele's motive was to protect his sister. Sofia could have done it for revenge that he had left her and the baby. Simonetta didn't have a motive because she didn't live in the house permanently. Neither did Maria, who came here to clean. However, these two were the only ones with direct links to the circus. Simonetta had worked in a circus. She might have met the clown Giorgio Pulo during her career there, even if he was employed at another circus. Roberto, the pathologist, had said the thrust had come from above, with great strength. That pointed to Simonetta who was built like a man. But how to prove it? And what was her motive to kill Valentino? He frowned. He was getting nowhere fast.

Now to Maria. He didn't know enough about her. What had Carlina said? Daughter of a rich father who cleaned other people's houses for fun. A likely story, if he ever heard one. Mother died when she was twelve. Maria didn't like to talk about herself. Where had she lived between two and twelve? Those were decisive years for a child. It must have been hard to return to a strict father she didn't know at all. One who lived for his company. The fat neighbor of Signora Pulo crossed his mind. Hadn't he mentioned a slim man who was at the apartment at the crucial time, someone who moved in a strange way? A slim woman like Maria could easily disguise like a boy. That would fit to Orfeo's story of the small Russian who had bought the knife. But what possible motive could Maria have for killing Valentino? Garini rubbed his forehead. Maria was an attractive young woman. In fact, she looked a lot like Sofia, and they knew that Valentino had had an affair with Sofia. Knowing Valentino's character, it would not be surprising if he had dated several girls at the same time. Suppose, just for the moment, that Valentino had dated Maria. Suppose she had waited for his return with hope in her heart. And suppose that Sofia had shared the information about her baby's father with Maria, unwittingly disclosing that he was two-timing Maria. Was this enough to make her kill Valentino? He couldn't imagine it. Maria had seemed so subdued, so cowed. It seemed totally out of character. Still, he'd better talk to her right away.

He got up from the sofa and stretched. It was too hot inside the apartment. He felt stifled, as if no oxygen was left. Well, no wonder, with all the pent-up emotions from Rafaele and Sofia. He went to Carlina's window seat and threw open the window. The fresh spring air blew in. It smelled of rain and wet earth. Garini took a deep breath, then turned around and froze.

As if conjured up by his imagination, Maria stood at the door and stared at him. She was pale, and her hands were clasped so tightly that her knuckles were white.

“Hi Maria. It's good that you've come. I've been wanting to talk to you.”

Her eyes widened. “Why?”

“Please come in and close the door.”

Maria obeyed, but she stayed close to the door, as if unprepared to give up her way of escape.

Garini went to the table. “Unfortunately, my assistant is ill. May I tape your statement?”

“Yes.” Her lips were white.

“Would you like to have some legal counsel with you?”

“No.” Her eyes widened until she looked terrified.

He scrutinized her face. She looked as if she was ready to drop any minute. Compared to Simonetta with her formidable voice and aggressive demeanor, he found it hard to cast her in the role of murderess. “Please sit down.”

She shook her head. “I'd rather stand.”

“All right.” If it made her feel better. Garini leaned against the window sill. “Please tell me about your friendship with Sofia.”

Maria flinched. “What's wrong with our friendship? What did she say?”

“She didn't say anything bad at all.” Garini was afraid that she would faint at any moment now. What on earth made her so nervous? “But I'd like to hear a bit more about her from you.”

She looked around Carlina's apartment as if he had stowed her away. “Did you arrest her?”

“No, of course not.” Garini made sure his voice sounded soothing. “Didn't you see her going down with Rafaele?”

She shook her head.

So they left the house immediately, without talking to the family.
“When did you get to know Sofia?”

“I don't know. Years ago.”

“So you've been friends for a long time?”

“Not really. We got closer after I started working here. Just after Christmas, that was.”

“So would you say you're really close friends now?”

Maria shrugged. “Kind of.”

“Would you share a secret with her?”

She cast a wild glance around her. “Did she say that?”

“I'm asking you.” Garini was getting exasperated. It was like talking to a shivering rabbit.

“No. I don't share my secrets.” She winced. “I mean, I have none to share.”

“And Sofia? Does she share secrets with you?”

“No.” Maria looked toward the door. “Can I go now?”

Garini frowned. Something was wrong, but he had no clue what it was. “Why did you come upstairs in the first place?”

Maria looked toward the kitchen. “We need more pans. To roast the corn. I'll just check if there are any.” She disappeared into Carlina's small kitchen with the speed of a chased hare.

He heard her rummaging around and shook his head.

She came back into the room and went toward the door with a determined step, her gaze fixed on the door. Her hands were empty. “None left.”

“Alana.” He didn't know why he said it at that moment. It came out from somewhere deep in his subconscious, testing her reaction.