temptation in florence 05 - seaside in death (26 page)

The door had barely closed behind him when Stefano looked at Carlina. “You can take that hat off now.”

“I'm not sure you want to see my new hair-do.”

He lifted his eyebrows. “That bad?”

“That bad.” Carlina sighed. “I'm afraid you'll have to pay me for a second visit to the hairdresser.”

“No problem.”

“Promise you won't laugh?”

“Promise.”

Carlina took the hat and threw it to the side with one quick move.

“Wow.” A smile played around Stefano's mouth. “I am beginning to appreciate your sacrifice.”

“You should.” Carlina gave him an eloquent look. “Aunt Violetta asked if I was preparing for suicide.”

“You should ignore your family. I've told you often enough.”

Carlina nodded. “Yeah, I know. But honestly now, Stefano, what do you think?”

He cupped her chin in his hand. “I say it's a good thing that your kiss hasn't changed. At least . . . I hope so. Let's test it to make sure.”

“I like that idea.” Carlina smiled and put her arms around his neck, but they only had a few seconds until the door flew open and banged against the wall with so much force that a cloud of dust flew up.

Benedetta ran in, her red mouth wide open. “Annalisa has vanished!”

Chapter 17

Stefano and Carlina jumped apart and stared at her.

Carlina cleared her throat. “What did you say?”
I must have misunderstood her.

“Annalisa has vanished!” Benedetta's voice rose to breaking point. “And you're standing around in the police station, kissing each other! Don't you have anything better to do? First my youngest child, my baby, is accused of being a murderer, and now my beautiful daughter has gone missing, and all you can do is stand around and kiss?”

Garini looked past her at the Frenchman Leopold who had followed Benedetta into the room. He now stood behind her and patted her shoulder with an awkward movement, even though she didn't take any notice of him. “What happened, Leo?”

“We were wondering where Annalisa had gone to when she didn't appear for lunch. At first, we weren't worried because she's often late. But when she didn't show up at all, we started to ask each other who'd seen her last, and we realized that nobody had seen her since last night.”

“Last night?” Carlina's breath quickened. “Are you sure she didn't come down for breakfast?”

“Of course we are sure!” Benedetta shouted. “We asked everybody in the hotel! Nora was serving breakfast the whole morning, and she says that Annalisa didn't come down at all!”

Something cold crawled down Carlina's back. What possible connection could Annalisa have with the murder? “Did you check her room?”

“Her room looks normal.” Benedetta said. “Nora asked the maid. By normal I mean that the room was in utter chaos. The bed had been slept in, but we don't know when she got up or where she went.” She wrung her hands. “Maybe she didn't go voluntarily. Maybe she was kidnapped!”

Stefano frowned. “Do you know if any clothes are missing?”

Benedetta narrowed her eyes. “You really should know better than to ask such a question. Nobody, not even Annalisa herself, would be able to answer this question. She packs a suitcase like some people pack a punch – it only takes a second, and later, nobody knows what happened.”

“Have you checked the bars down at the beach?” Carlina asked. She knew her beautiful cousin well. Sitting at a bar and dangling her long legs was a perfect way to enjoy a nice flirt and get a free drink or two.

“Ernesto did that,” Leopold answered in his quiet voice. “But nobody saw her at all.”

Carlina frowned. “Was Annalisa any different these last days? Do you remember?”

Benedetta shook her head. “I don't think so, but I was really too distracted to pay much attention to her. First, there was this terrible fear that Ernesto would be arrested, and then, the good news about Emma being pregnant . . .”

Carlina nodded. Annalisa had definitely kept herself in the background these last days. Hadn't Stefano even mentioned that this fact in itself was already highly suspicious? She turned her head to him.

Their gaze met.

So he thinks the same.
Something strange was going on here. “Let's comb the city,” she said. “If we split up the areas between us, and if everyone joins in, we'll have a much better chance of finding her.”

“Unless the murderer has already killed her and thrown her body into the sea.” Benedetta covered her face with her hands and started to sob.

Leopold gave her a hug.

“Nonsense,” Carlina spoke sharply to cover her own fear. “I doubt that anyone would find it that easy to kill Annalisa.”

Benedetta lifted her tear-stained face. “But if he--”

“No buts,” Carlina cut in. She didn't want to know. “Let's start. We'll all stay in touch via our cell phones.”

“All right.” Benedetta turned to Garini. “Will you call in the police, Stefano? Make sure they know about her everywhere? Maybe we can give out the information on the radio and call in the neighboring police.” She looked around the dusty office. “This seems to be a very small police station.”

Garini swallowed. “I'll help with the search,” he said. “I'll also inform Signor Lampone, who's the head of the police station, so he'll be alerted. However, I can't yet give out the call.”

Benedetta's eyes widened. “You can't . . . ? But why not?”

“Because Annalisa is an adult. She's twenty years old.”

“But she's been missing since last night!”

“And she might very well have decided to go somewhere of her own free will.”

Benedetta drew herself up. “Without telling me?”

Garini spread his hands. “I don't know. Let's just say that I'll do everything possible.”

Benedetta's face turned red.

Garini went up to her and put his hand on her shoulder. “Benedetta, please listen. I want to clear up this case just as much as you do. I don't believe that Ernesto killed Rosari. I also don't want to see Annalisa in danger. Please trust me. I promise to do all I can.”

She caught her breath and stared at him. Then she took his hand and clung to it. “All right, Stefano. I'll trust you.”

Carlina let out the breath she'd been holding.

Stefano smiled at Benedetta. “I don't think that anything has happened to Annalisa.” His voice was deep and soothing. “Carlina is right. Your daughter is a resourceful young woman.”

Half an hour later, the Mantoni family was organized. Carlina had bought a big map and had installed Uncle Teo as head of operations in the lobby of the hotel. He had all cell phone numbers at his fingertips and knew exactly where everyone was going.

Aunt Violetta was seated at a strategic corner in the trattoria across from the little fort, in the center of town. Here, she had a good view of all the people going past.

Benedetta and Leopold were on patrol at the beach. Carlina had decided to give them the exhausting job of walking in the sand and searching the packed beaches because she wanted Benedetta to be tired at night. It would help her sleep. They had the stretch from Forte dei Marmi toward the North. The other direction was covered by Fabbiola and Lucio. Lucio had vetoed Emma's participation in the search action, so they had instead installed her at the Caffè Stretto, another strategic place where many people flowed past. He knew that she was in good hands with Agatha close by, so he left her with only twelve admonishments to take it easy and not to endanger either herself or the baby.

Omar and Ernesto had taken the car with the plan to drive up and down the long promenade, looking for Annalisa's distinctive red head while Stefano was doing the same further inland with the police car.

Nora had offered to accompany Carlina downtown, to comb the luxury boutiques.

“I won't be able to help for very long,” Nora said as they went into the first shoe shop, “because I have to return to work after my lunch break, but at least I can help a bit.”

Carlina smiled at her. “I appreciate it.” She was happy that Nora had chosen to help her. It was a lot easier to stay focused with two people, besides, four eyes saw more than two. She also hoped to get to know Nora a little bit better. But going through the stores without being able to stop and admire or try on anything was a tedious job. Besides, with the necessity to look around and getting the shop owners into conversation, any real talk between Nora and herself turned out to be impossible.

In spite of all their efforts, they got no result. Several people remembered a distinctive redhead coming into the store a day or two before, but nobody had seen an attractive redhead today. It took much longer than Carlina had expected, and after two hours, she wished she had chosen the beach for herself. At least her feet wouldn't be so hot. She looked at Nora. “You know what, I think we deserve a short rest. Let's go to the
gelateria
over there and sit down for a moment. My feet are killing me, and I'd love a nice ice-cream now.”

Nora gave her an anxious look. “Do you think we should? We promised to check everywhere.”

“We've been into almost every store already,” Carlina said. “Besides, you'll have to return to the hotel soon, and you'll work late tonight again. I don't want to drive you to exhaustion.”

“All right, then.” Nora smiled at her, and together, they went down the sidewalk toward the
gelateria
. However, before they could reach it, a van overtook them and came to an abrupt stop a few meters in front of them. The van had a battered look and writing in faded blue that proclaimed the driver's profession as an electrician.

The driver, a young man, put his head out the window and waved at them.

Carlina thought she'd seen him before, but she couldn't quite place him.

“That's my brother Flavio.” Nora said with a voice that markedly lacked enthusiasm.

“Flavio.” Carlina nodded. “He's the one who stayed with us in Florence some years ago, didn't he?”

“Yes.” Nora nodded.

He's also the one who made a scene the day after the murder.
Carlina didn't voice her thoughts, but she still remembered how Flavio had rushed into the breakfast room, and how quickly Nora had whipped him out again. It had taken quite some time until she'd returned to the breakfast room.
If I remember correctly, he wanted Nora to stop working at the hotel immediately.
No wonder she's so reluctant to greet him.

Nora threw Carlina an apologetic look and said in a low voice, “He's the most overprotective of my brothers, even though he's the youngest. Please don't be offended if he's rude.”

Carlina smiled at her. “Don't worry. I'm used to the Mantoni family, remember?”

Nora gave her a grateful smile.

Flavio waved again. “Ciao!” He nodded a greeting at Carlina, then turned to his younger sister. “What are you doing here at this time of the day, Nora?”

Nora stiffened. “I have a right to be wherever I want to be. It's my midday break, remember?”

He rolled his eyes. “Gosh, don't jump down my throat just because I'm asking a normal question. You don't usually go to town during your break, do you?”

“No, I don't.” Nora held her head high. “But today is different. We're looking for Carlina's cousin Annalisa. She's gone missing.”

His eyebrows climbed. “The redhead? What's happened to her?”

“We don't know,” Carlina said. “We only know that she hasn't been seen anywhere since last night.”

Flavio blinked. He was larger and stronger than his sister, but his eyes and nose had exactly the same shape. “I saw her going into the Club Cinque Stelle d'Oro this morning at ten o'clock while I was driving past, on my way to a customer.”

“The Cinque Stelle d'Oro?” Carlina and Nora looked at each other.

“But that's--” Nora broke off.

“The most expensive beach club in town,” Carlina completed her sentence.

They stared at each other. “She wouldn't go and spend the day there without letting anybody know, would she?” Nora asked.

Carlina's feet were so hot, they seemed to boil. She was tired and hungry and cranky and the underlying fear that had accompanied her for hours exploded into a burst of irritation. “If she's done that, I'm going to kill her with my own hands!”

Nora gave her a startled look. “Let's first see if she's there. I can't believe she would do such a thing when she must have known that the family would go out of their minds with worry, knowing that a murderer is on the loose.”

Her brother flinched. “Talking about that, I'm going to pick you up tonight after work.”

Carlina already felt ashamed about her outburst. What a way to behave in front of Nora and her brother! She smiled at Flavio to show him that she wasn't always a red-faced fury. “I'm sure Ernesto will be more than happy to accompany her home. You probably have to get up early in the mornings if you work as an electrician.” She turned to Nora. “Nora, would you mind very much if I left you now and headed straight to the Club? I'll call Stefano.”

Nora looked at her for a moment as if she hadn't taken in her words, then she nodded.

“Thank you!
Ciao!
” Carlina almost ran down the street, her cell phone already at her ear. “Stefano? It's me. We've got a lead. Flavio saw her going into the Club Cinque Stelle d'Oro this morning at ten. Can you meet me there?”

“Who's Flavio?”

“He's one of Nora's brothers. The one who burst into the breakfast room after the murder. Remember him?”

“Yes, I do. And he saw Annalisa?”

“Yes.”

“I'm already on my way. Shall I pick you up?”

“It's just a short walk down to the Club. I'll be there before you can reach me.”

“Good. I'll see you there. But don't do anything before I arrive!”

“Promise,
Commissario
.”

“Oh, and Carlina?”

“Yes?”

“Have you informed the family?”

“Not yet. I didn't want to create a Mantoni jam at the entrance.”

“Good. Let's keep this under our hats until we know more.”

When Carlina arrived at the Club, the guard at the entrance – in a black uniform with golden decorations – eyed her with disfavor, though she was still on the other side of the street.