Delayed Death (Temptation in Florence Book 1) (19 page)

"And then she jumped onto the sofa, and all the fish landed on top of her." As Carlina finished her story, everybody laughed. Carlina looked at the smiling faces around her. Maybe it was the familiar routine of celebrating together, maybe it was the rich glass of Gallo Nero Chianti wine, but she felt much better tonight. It was good she had decided to come after all.

Benedetta's kitchen was crammed full with guests for the birthday party, sitting all around the big table. Everybody from the house was there, plus Gabriella, Bernando, and Lilly, Angela and Marco, Uncle Ugo and Alberta, and even their neighbor Electra.

Benedetta placed a new cake onto the table and took her seat. "What fell on top of her? Fish?”

"Yes, you know the mobile I bought on vacation in Venezuela years ago, the one with the wooden fish, painted red and white? They're all fixed onto a black branch with nylon strings."

Benedetta frowned. "I don't know it."

"Yes, you do." Carlina smiled. "It hangs on a rafter above the sofa in the living room."

"Oh, that one." Benedetta nodded. "But why did it fall off?"

"Because, whenever Lilly comes to stay with me, she jumps into bed, which happens to be my sofa."

"She always jumps into bed," Gabriella emphasized the second word, "not only when she stays with you."

Lilly giggled.

"Anyway, when she jumped onto the sofa the first time she stayed with me," Carlina said, "the sofa moved against the wall with a bang, and the rafter shook so hard that the nail dropped out, and the whole thing fell onto Lilly's back." Carlina grinned. "We couldn't stop laughing."

Uncle Teo frowned. "I can't believe this little girl shakes the walls so hard that nails fall out." He gently pulled Lilly's curls.

"Oh, it doesn't take much to make that nail come down," Carlina said. "For some reason, it never really holds, but I've always been too lazy to get a larger one, so I simply push it back in whenever it has fallen out."

Ernesto bent forward and took a piece of cake. "Does it fall very often?"

Carlina grinned. "Only whenever Lilly jumps into bed. It's a little ritual by now." She winked at Lilly. "Lilly says she can't sleep anymore when the fish haven't kissed her good-night on the back."

"You can be glad it's only a small mobile." Fabbiola lifted her glass of wine. "Otherwise, it could have hurt her."

"Oh, Mama, stop seeing dangers for your grandchild everywhere.” Gabriella clinked her glass against Fabbiola's. “She's leading a charmed life. Nothing can hurt her."

Carlina felt a cold shiver run along her spine.
I hope the gods don't listen.
But the moment of fear passed, and as the evening wore on, she felt the dark worries slip from her shoulders.
I'm happy. I'm exactly where I want to be.
She spread a creamy bit of goat's cheese with sweet fig filling onto a toasted crust of white bread and popped it into her mouth.
Delicious.
The babble of voices from her family surrounded her, smiling faces everywhere. Her mother stood with Marco in a corner, their heads together. Carlina suppressed a grin. Fabbiola always had a soft spot for a good-looking man. Marco looked a bit pale. Probably he worked too much. Lilly ran to her grandmother and jumped into Fabbiola's arms with so much momentum, Fabbiola almost lost her balance. They all laughed. Carlina lifted her glass and took another sip of wine. The combination of cheese and wine was a match made in heaven.
Savor the moment. This is the essence of life, little sparks of happiness that make life worthwhile.

Angela took the empty chair next to Carlina and crossed her elegant legs. "What's this I hear about you and the Commissario?"

Carlina frowned. Of course.
Just as I have forgotten the Commissario and everything connected with him, Angela has to haul me right back to reality
. She didn't reply, instead, she picked up the next piece of bread and eyed it.
Maybe I should not eat it until she's gone. She'll destroy the taste.

"Are you playing deaf, Caroline?"

"No." Carlina shrugged. "I just don't have to say anything."

"So it's not true that the Commissario is going all dove-eyed over you?"

Carlina glanced at her beautiful cousin. "Dove-eyed? The Commissario? You mixed up birds. You mean a hawk."

Angela laughed. "Oh, come on. I know what a man looks like when he's interested. It showed right from the first time he met you."

"And I know when my cousin is trying to make me admit feelings I don't have."

Angela opened her beautiful eyes wide. "You don't like him?"

Carlina sighed. "If the way he looks at me is an indication that he likes me, then I never want to meet his gaze when he doesn't."

"Hi, Carlina. It's me, Rosanna."

"Rosanna!" Carlina put her phone on loudspeaker and dropped into her armchair. Rosanna owned the flower shop at the bottom of Piazza di San Firenze. They had been friends ever since school, and the friendship had intensified when they both started up their own retail stores. She placed the phone on her lap and stretched. "I've just come in."

"I know. I've been trying to reach you for hours, and you've switched off your cell phone."

"It ran out of power." Carlina wriggled her feet. They ached from standing too much. "Why do you need me so urgently? Is anything the matter?"

"Well, you remember your order for one basket of rose petals, to decorate Emma's apartment upon her return from the honeymoon?"

Carlina shot up. "Oh, no. Don't tell me it's the fifteenth today?"

"It is." Rosanna chuckled. "It's not like you to be forgetful. What rattled you?"

"Oh, it's a long story." Carlina ran to the kitchen to find the shoes she had dropped somewhere when she had come in. "What's the time?"

"Half past seven."

"Damn." Carlina found her first sneaker and slipped into it. "Emma landed at the airport at seven. Thank you so much for calling! Where are you? Are you still at your store? Do you have the rose petals with you?"

"Too many questions at once," Rosanna said. "I'm at home, but I took the basket with me, so you can come and collect it."

"You're fantastic!" Carlina found her second sneaker and put it on. "I'll be with you in two seconds."

She raced her Vespa across the Arno via Ponte Vecchio to Rosanna's apartment on Piazza Santo Spirito, conscious of an uneasy feeling that it wouldn't help her case if Garini saw her now, rushing through town way above the speed limit, the motor of her Vespa roaring like an angry lion, the sound magnified by being thrown back from the ancient walls.

A quarter of an hour later, she arrived out of breath on the landing to Emma's door and opened it with her key. The white tiles in the entrance area were too clinical for her taste, but at least they wouldn't stain if she left a trail of rose petals that led straight to the bedroom. Carlina hummed to herself as she sprinkled the fragrant rose petals on the floor. She knew Emma would be delighted. Hopefully Lucio would feel the same.

She stopped the trail of rose petals at the door to the bedroom and eyed the white carpet with a frown. Maybe she shouldn't risk it. Suppose someone stepped on a rose petal by mistake. Emma would throw a fit if her carpet ended up with red rose stains. No, she had a better idea. She dropped the basket, ran upstairs to her apartment and retrieved a pile of white saucers from the cupboard. Back in Emma's bedroom, she placed the saucers in a long row and put four rose petals on each. Carlina smiled at the uninterrupted trail of roses from the door to the bed. Perfect.

Then she checked the basket. Rosanna had given her more than enough. Maybe she could also cover the bed. Now that would look nice. But the pristine white bed cover didn't look as if it would be happy about crushed rose petals either. Carlina frowned. Then she remembered the plastic sheets Emma had put on the floor when her bathroom had been redone. She went to the kitchen and rummaged underneath the sink. Yes. Trust Emma to keep that roll of plastic. With her treasure under her arm, she went back to the bedroom and checked the alarm clock next to the bed.
I'd better hurry. They could arrive any minute now.
Carlina placed several sheets of plastic next to each other and sprinkled the rose petals on top. It looked great. She was just emptying the last rose petals from the basket when she heard a key in the lock of the apartment door.

Carlina jumped.
Damn.
She didn't want Emma to see her; it was supposed to be an anonymous surprise. Her eyes darted through the room. Maybe she could hide somewhere and slip out later, when they went downstairs again to collect their suitcases. Emma never traveled with less than four suitcases and hated to leave them on the curb as one had been stolen years ago.

Carlina's gaze fell on the built-in wardrobe with the large mirror.
That's it.
She threw the basket underneath the bed, dived into the wardrobe, and pulled the door shut behind her the very instant Emma said, "Oh, look at this! How sweet . . ."

Garini said, "Would you please step with me into the living room, Signora Mantoni-Casanuova?"

Carlina stiffened. Garini? What was he doing here? Where was Lucio? Her slight movement made the door crack open and a thin sliver of light fell into the wardrobe.
Darn. It's too tight in here.
If Garini finds me now, he'll cart me straight off to the next loony bin.
Carlina curled into a ball below Emma's clothes and pulled the door shut from the inside with her fingernails.
Better.

"In a minute, Commissario. I first want to check out the trail of roses. You have to admit it's irresistible." Emma's voice came closer.

Carlina suppressed a smile. Trust Emma not to let herself be intimidated by Garini. Their voices became louder now. She heard the door open, then they stood right next to her.

Emma clapped her hands together. "How pretty!"

"Quite." Garini sounded impatient. "However, I would appreciate if you could answer my questions now without any further delay."

"Let me just go upstairs and say hello to Carlina." Emma sounded a bit nervous.

"I'm afraid you can't do that." Garini said.

Carlina pictured him leaning against the wall, his hands in his pockets. No doubt he had already asked her if he could record the conversation.

"When did you last see your grandfather alive?" Garini asked.

"Alive? What do you mean?"

Carlina had to hand it to Emma. The astonishment in her voice sounded genuine.

"Your great-uncle Nicolò Mantoni died on your wedding day, Mrs. Mantoni-Casanuova." Garini's voice seemed gentle.

Carlina winced. She knew the voice was misleading. He was coiled up like a panther, ready to pounce.

"No! I had no idea!"

Maybe Emma overdid it a bit. Was she going to pretend to cry? Carlina tried to shift her weight without making a sound. Her left leg was falling asleep.

"Could you please answer my question?" Garini said.

"I'd like to wait until Lucio comes." Emma stood right in front of the wardrobe now. "His plane must have landed by now." She sighed. "I really had no idea that he would take that article about the royal family so much to heart. Though it's quite flattering that he doesn't want me to die if his plane crashes, but it's also a bit complicated."

Carlina didn't trust her ears. Lucio had decided he couldn't share the same flight with his wife because it was too risky? She suppressed a giggle. The Commissario wouldn't find it comforting to discover another member of the Mantoni family with a strange habit. She shook her head. It wasn't clever of Emma to talk about her husband's flying policies right now. She should have pretended to be a bit more astonished about Nico's death, should have asked some questions.
Damn.
The Commissario would have noticed her mistake too. He was playing her.

"We can't wait for your husband, I'm afraid." The Commissario's voice didn't sound as if he regretted it. "I need to talk to you alone."

Emma sighed. "What do you want to know, Commissario?"

From Emma's voice, Carlina knew her cousin now pulled a pretty mouth and fluttered her eyelashes at him.
Don't overdo it, Emma. This guy is made of granite.

"When did you last see your grandfather alive?" The Commissario repeated his question as if he was speaking to a child.

"When Carlina and I asked him to join us for the wedding."

"What did he say?"

Carlina cringed. How he led her on.

"He said he didn't feel like going because he could feel bad vibes. My grandfather sometimes felt vibes that prevented him from doing things, you see, and he--"

"I know about that," Garini interrupted. "Did he say anything else? Did he mention any pain?"

"No. He . . . he felt fine." Emma's voice faltered.

"Absolutely fine?" Garini insisted.

"Well, he . . . he said he felt a bit stiff."

Emma!
Carlina clasped her hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle.

"Stiff? How do you mean, stiff?" No trace of laughter crept into Garini's voice.

"Well, sort of like a wooden board." Emma was in full fairytale mode now. "He said he had a bit of a problem with his muscles."

Carlina gasped for breath without making a sound. Her left leg was numb from top to toe. She clutched at a long dress on a hanger to stop herself from toppling forward.

"Did you touch your grandfather when you saw him the last time?"

"Oh, no!" Emma sounded revolted.

"Then how did you know he felt like a wooden board?"

"Because he said so!" Emma's voice moved away. "I really don't understand these nonsensical questions."

"One moment, please." The Commissario's voice was hard. "Didn't you worry about his illness? Why didn't you drive him to a doctor?"

Carlina held her breath. What would Emma say now?

"We didn't think it was serious." Emma seemed upset.

"Not serious? When he had claimed he felt stiff like a wooden board? It sounds pretty serious to me."

"We knew it wasn't serious." Emma gained confidence.

"How could you know?"

Emma took a deep breath. "Because Uncle Nico was dabbling with self-hypnosis."

"What?" The Commissario almost shouted the word.

Carlina hugged her knees and hid her face, but she couldn't suppress her muffled laughter. Her whole body started to shake. The door of the wardrobe trembled with every suppressed giggle, but she couldn't stop herself.

"Everybody in the family knew Uncle Nico was trying new methods of self-hypnosis. He was becoming quite professional at it." Emma's brand-new explanation was delivered in a nonchalant tone. "We assumed he went a bit over the top this time."

That did it. Carlina lost her balance, toppled forward and fell out of the wardrobe, right in front of Garini's feet. She laughed so hard, her breath came in shallow gasps. Her eyes streamed, and she tried to gain control, but she couldn't stop.

"Carlina!" Emma, tanned and well-groomed as always, started forward. "What are you doing in my wardrobe?"

"Who is that man?" Lucio's voice came from the door. "Emma! What are you doing with this man in our bedroom?"

Carlina lifted her head, but she couldn't see Lucio as she was still sitting on the floor, hidden behind the bed.

Garini took a step forward. "I can explain--"

"I don't want you to explain!" Lucio interrupted him, his voice fierce, and turned on his wife. "What is going on here? How dare you cheat on me the very day our honeymoon is over? How--"

"Lucio!" Emma darted to his side and shook his arm. "This man is a Commissario!"

"I don't care what he is! I want to know what he's doing in my bedroom, all alone with you, all covered with roses!"

Emma threw up her hands. "Oh!" She hissed in her breath. "How can you even start to think I would cheat on you!" She bent forward and stabbed at his chest with her forefinger. "I would never have thought that you have so little trust in me."

"Trust in you?" Lucio shouted so loud, the door of the wardrobe rattled. "How can you talk about trust when I find you with another man in the bedroom, all alone?"

"They're not all alone," Carlina raised herself on her knees and looked over the bed. "I'm here, too."

Lucio's jaw dropped. "Carlina! What are you doing here?"

Carlina got up and brushed off her trousers. "Not what you think," she said. "I suggest you apologize to Emma. This guy," she pointed with her chin at Garini, "is Commissario Stefano Garini of the homicide department, and he is trying to find out who poisoned grandpa."

Lucio paled. "Poisoned Uncle Nico?"

"What?" Emma's hands flew to her throat. "Grandpa was murdered?"

"Yes."

Emma's eyes were huge. "But . . ."

Carlina put an arm around her cousin's shoulders. "You didn't take off grandpa's socks, and that's why Uncle Teo called the police."

"What?" Emma blinked.

Carlina nodded. "When they came, they not only found that grandpa had been dead too long to have chatted with you about stiff muscles or anything else, but that he had been poisoned with morphine."

"I don't believe this." Lucio shook his head.

"You'd better start," Garini cut in. "That's why I needed to talk to your wife right after her return. I had to hear her story before anybody else could tell her what to say." His eyes narrowed as he glanced at Carlina. "So I asked an officer to bring her to the police station after the plane landed, but she insisted on going home because she didn't want you to worry when you arrived home and found her not here. Stupid enough of me, I agreed to meet her at the apartment, and that's when that trail of roses led us to the bedroom." He gestured at the saucers on the floor.