Il Pane Della Vita (31 page)

“Good morning, Nico,” said the nun. “I’d like to buy a cannoli and an espresso for myself and something that you pick out for yourself. Then we can sit and talk while it isn’t busy.”

“Not to worry, Sister. My assistant has been trained, and I let him do all the work. He’s very talented. He showed me a few things to improve my pastries. Try your cannoli and tell me what you think.” Nico carried the pastries and coffee to the table.

“You know what I’m going to talk with you about, don’t you, Nico?”

“No, what?” He was staring at his coffee and looking thoroughly despondent.

“The picture of Gina. You knew this picture was Gina when I showed it to you the first time, didn’t you?”

“I wasn’t sure. The hair isn’t right.”

“So I now have a witness who says that he saw Gina with Brother Pietro recently. The doorman and Mr. Neri both thought the woman who visited Brother Pietro regularly was his niece and didn’t require her to sign in.”

“I guess I knew she was going there. I could have used her here, but she insisted she had to visit the
eremo
.”

“Did she discuss her relationship with him?”

“No, and I didn’t ask. I was surprised she wanted to marry me and move here. She could have gone anywhere, but she came here with me. Our village is so small. What’s there to do for a woman who’s well educated? Did I tell you she wasn’t trained to be a pastry chef? She came here to help me make my business decisions. But I thought she would also like to learn to be a chef so I taught her, and she does a great job.”

“About the explosion…”

“I think I told you she went out with friends.”

“Which friends?”

“I don’t ask her where she goes. She would be angry if she had to report to me every time she went out.”

“Did she go to the hermitage?”

“No. She didn’t know about the explosion that morning. I swear. She looked so surprised and worried.”

“Who were her friends? Her visit with others is her alibi, Nico. Without my verifying that she was with them, she becomes a suspect.”

“I don’t know which friends she was with. I was thrilled she had friends here. I thought if she made friends, she might stay longer.”

“Did she have some in Avalle?”

“I didn’t ask, Sister. I love her so much. I didn’t want her to get bored and take off.”

“You told me she went to stay with relatives.”

“Yes, her grandfather outside of Roma was ill.”

“And this was right after the explosion?”

“Yes, a few days later.”

“Have you talked to her since she left?”

“Yes, once or twice.”

“When i
s she coming back?”

“She’
s still deciding what to sell.”

“Why does she need to sell something? Do
n’t you have enough money?”

“That’s not it
. Her grandfather died shortly after she got there. She has to make sure his house and such is sold. I didn’t push her because I’m still afraid she’ll decide to live in the house.”

“Have you been to Fabri’s
mansion?”

“No. I never met the old man. She spoke highly of him—like he was important.”

“Okay. You give me the address, Nico. I’ll talk to her.”

“But she’ll be upset that I gave you the address.”

“If Brother Pietro was a relative and she’s innocent of the crime, she’ll have no reason to be angry with you. I’ll tell her you assumed she was innocent, but that I needed her alibi since you don’t know the people she spent the night with.”

“She’s innocent. I’
m certain of that, Sister. Please don’t push her. She has just lost two people she loved.” He wrote down the address and number.

The nun took the last sip of coffee and rose t
o leave. “You shouldn’t worry so much, Nico. The only thing worse for you than eating your pastries is too much worry. I’ll call you from Roma to let you know how she’s doing.”

“Hello, Brother Salvatore,” she said cheerfully.
“How are you coming with
your
part of the investigation?”

“
Monte is picking me up first thing in the morning. We’ll go to the
eremo
and talk to Bauer or Costa—whoever is on duty. I checked Valente’s doors while he was at church. He goes to that afternoon service called None and then skips Compline. I guess he feels that he does his best work in the evening.”

“Okay, you checked the doors to his studio, and…”

“And both the front entrance and the back were locked. I knew he’d pull something like that. I wonder if the abbot knows.”

“That’
s really none of our business, Brother Salvatore. But you have narrowed down the number of visitors who could have stolen the knife. Good work.”

“What did
you
do this morning?”

“I went to the power company and learned that the Brother Pietro’s niece was indeed
Gina Pastore.”

“Nico’s wife? I
really didn’t recognize her face as the one in the sketch.”

“So I went to Nico and demanded he give me the address of the relative she visited. I learned that it was her grandfather and that he died after Brother Pietro did.”

“Did he give you the address?”

“Yes. I must get dinner. I’m starving. And then I have to make train reservations to get to a little town outside of Roma. If she has an alibi, I’ll get it firsthand.”

“You think she may have murdered him? But how?”

“If he was her uncle, she wouldn’t have had to kill him and drag him down the hill. She could have lured him to the waterfall and then killed him.”

“But who would kill her own uncle? How did she get the knife?”

“That’s your jo
b to find out,” she said, turning to open the door to the stairs. “By the way, are you serving tonight?”

“Yes, Father Rafaello wants me to go back to learning to cook until the coast is clear. That Father Sergio is intimidating. He’s making everyone miserable.”

“I didn’t notice that. I wouldn’t worry. He blusters and threatens everyone around him, but he has no power to carry any of it out. That said, I do have the power. Since you’re serving, please let me have a double portion of the main dish. I’ll need energy for the trip.”

As the train approached the train station in Florence, Sister Angela stood to get her bag, holding onto a bar when the brakes were applied. She stepped down and ran around to another track to catch the fast train to Rome. The Trenitalia was sleek and new, poised to take off before everyone boarded.

In the hour and a half it took to reach the station
in Rome, she snoozed. Recharged, she boarded a slower train that hit several of the smaller towns and villages outside of city. She actually arrived in Campofiore before lunch and was delighted to find a seat in a sidewalk café just a block from the station.

Sister Angela sat back to enjoy the view. Shoppers gathered around
a nearby cart of produce, picking out ingredients to go into their pasta. She sipped her espresso slowly and took a bite out of the small cookie that came with it. Campofiore felt much like Montriano, though not so old and the roads not so steep as in her village. She was beginning to miss Montriano. She had been away too long. Perhaps they would solve this crime soon so she could get back to her students before everyone took time for vacation.

When the waiter
handed her the bill, she showed him the address.

“Ah, Sister, you’
ve been invited to the grandest house in Campofiore. It’s up the road about five blocks and to the left a couple of kilometers. Would you like me to call you a taxi?”

“That’
s very kind of you, yes.”

The
taxi drove through a gate onto the large grounds. The drive circled a fountain and stopped in front of some steps.

“Please wait here, sir. I’
ll pay you as soon as I know she’s here.” The nun waddled up the steps and rang the bell.

“Hello, how may I help you?”

“I’m looking for Gina Pastore.”

“Regina
Vicari?”

“Yes.”

“I’m here,” said a voice behind her. “Ah, Sister Angela, please come in. Nico mentioned that you might come here.”

As soo
n as she dismissed the taxi, Sister Angela walked into the air-conditioned hallway. Gina stood in front of a line of windows that overlooked a large garden. Her outfit was chic—silky fabric, iridescent in the light from the windows.”

The nun stopped before stepping onto the plushy carpet.

“Please sit down. Nella, would you bring us something cool. Would you like some limoncello, Sister?”

“Yes, please. It’
s one of my favorites. Do you mind if I call you Gina?”

“No, that’
s what Nico calls me. I have grown accustomed to hearing it.”

“Perhaps
we should start at the end. I think that might lead us to the beginning.”

“I don’t
want to bore you, Sister. It isn’t that interesting.”

The nun scanned the luxurious room with her eyes.

“This isn’t mine. I didn’t build it or buy it,” said Gina. “This home belonged to my grandfather whom I have recently buried.”

“But you did
n’t live here. For the last few years you lived in Collinaterra with Nico.”

Gina smiled. “Yes. I’m quite content to return to Collinate
rra. It’s just that suddenly I’m responsible for all that my grandfather left when he passed.”

“And you
r uncle died too.”

“Let me get this straight, Sister. He was not my uncle.”

“Didn’t you tell the doorman at the
eremo
that you were a relative so no one would record you comings and goings? I’m afraid that lie could get you into a lot of trouble. You’re the prime suspect in the death of Brother Pietro.”

She lowered her voice.
“Sister,” she said, placing her hand on the nun’s. “Ah, here’s the libation. Please take a sip before I continue.” She waited for Nella to leave the room.

“I didn’t lie. I
am
a relative. I couldn’t tell the doorman the truth because it could get Brother Pietro into trouble. Brother Pietro was my father.”

The nun nearly choked on a cookie. Gina handed her a cup of water.

“I’m sorry,” the nun finally said. “I should have come to that conclusion but I really didn’t think of that. Being the daughter of a celibate hermit could cause you problems in your youth. You’re more likely to remain the prime suspect because crime of the murder is often done by one of the family.”

“You’
re correct. I came to Avalle looking for him. I wanted to hurt him from the moment I found out where he was. I started searching for him as soon as my mother died. He cheated us out of a life, forcing my mother to beg her father for money and respect. My grandfather made my mother’s life hell.”

“You say
‘searching’ for him. You didn’t know him before you came here?”

“I knew him only through my mother.”

“But Nico has a picture of you with your mother. He said it was taken in Vincoli, but I think it was Salvi. You were the blond the parishioners at San Mattia described, weren’t you?”

“I must have been
, but it goes back farther. Let me tell you the story as I know it. My father was a young man when my grandfather promoted him to senior vice president of his company.”

The nun put up a finger. “Was the company Busto S
istemi?”

“Yes. My father was a talented engineer and programmer. My mother, Ciana Fabri, was the only daughter of Lauro Fabri, chief executive officer of Busto Sistemi, the company that he founded. My mother said she fell in love with Dante Russo the minute her father brought him home to interview
him. She was studying at university to become a doctor, and my grandfather saw the look in her eye and told my father that the most important rule was to stay away from her. A few years after they met, they made love one night in the garden. My mother insisted that they only made love once, but she thought about him and wrote to him all the time. It only took that one time for her to become pregnant. She insisted that my father do the right thing, but the right thing caused him to lose his job at Busto Sistemi and for her to be disowned by her strict father.”

“Oh my.”

“Her father managed to see that they were married in a church a distance from here, and then they were on their own. With the money Mother had saved, they got a tiny apartment in another village, and Papà began to look for work. The church in that village gave him a job, but it didn’t pay much. My mother was very bored at home. She had so much education but could do nothing with it. My father was afraid if everyone knew he was married, he would lose his meager job at the church. I didn’t believe that part. It may be because the priest there liked him so much, he told Papà that he could get a stipend for him to attend seminary in Roma. A priest would make more money, and any bishop would easily find a parish for a handsome charismatic priest like Papà. My father, used to getting whatever he wanted, saw it as an opportunity. The priest had no idea his protégé was married. My mother gave birth to me at the hospital, and my father announced his intention to go to seminary. He advised my mother to go home to my grandfather because her father would only forgive her if she renounced the marriage. My mother refused to leave. She got a job as a doctor’s assistance and tried to bring me up in the same village my father had just left. Unfortunately, she lost her job, and we were in trouble again.”

“That’s awful, Gina. So your mother raised you until your father graduated from seminary.”

“Yes, I was two when my mother announced that we were going to stay with Papà in Salvi. Again she had saved some money, and when we got there, we stayed in a little hotel off the piazza. My father was actually the vicar of a big old church on the other side of the piazza. He was no longer Dante Russo. Now he was Father Teo, and I never heard my mother use his former name again. Of course, she introduced herself as Mrs. Russo. Every day she would take me in a stroller for walks around town.”

“Do you remember this time?”

“No, only through pictures my mother took. I looked at them so often that the corners were all frayed. But our walks would always end at the rectory where she had made appointments to meet Papà.”

“Did they
act married when she was in his office?”

“I don’t know because I don’t remember. She would take hours fixing herself up every day. I can remember her perfum
e. She had bright red lips and wore light dresses that were almost see through. I know that she wanted to seduce him, but I don’t know if she succeeded. When I spoke to Papà at the
eremo
, he never criticized my mother. He actually looked sad when we talked about her death years earlier. I didn’t have the heart to make him detail what they did behind closed doors. I was a married woman by the time I found him and understood that everything was complicated in marriage.”

“But he didn’t stay at San Mattia, did he?”

“No, I don’t know what happened but after two years, he was suddenly left the place. I remember Mother being angry. Accusations were flying about. Did she tell anyone her secret? I suspect she did, but whatever happened to cause it, my father, handsome and charismatic, chose to move to a monastery and become a monk.”

“And what happened to you and your mother?”

“We stayed in Salvi for a few more months, hoping the bishop would see that he had made an error. The new priest tried to help her, but out of money, she retreated to Grandfather’s estate, begging forgiveness. Before she knew it, Grandfather had procured an annulment from the Catholic Church for her and told her he would again disown the both of us unless she married a man his age, his good friend, Martinus Vicari. I was five and according to my mother, he had plans to send me off to boarding school as soon as we were settled. The marriage last only a few months. My mother caught him performing ‘unspeakable acts’ on me, and she got me out of there. With little clothing, we walked the ten kilometers back to my grandfather’s house. He was shocked to see us, but when my mother fainted in the front hall, he relented. My mother was in and out of hospitals and sanitariums for several more years, but she never regained her strength. She died away from home when I was fourteen. I only heard about it after the quick burial Grandfather had organized.”

“Oh, Gina. You must have been angry with both your father and grandfather.”

Gina leaned forward to vomit the words. “Yes, yes, I hated them both! I took the name Vicari because I loathed to two men closest to me.”

“But Martinus Vicari committed horrible crimes too, Gina.”

“I know, but Papa and Grandfather allowed it to happen.”

“And then you met Nico. Do you still love him
or are you running from him too?”

Gina wipe
d the tears from her face with the handkerchief Sister Angela handed her. Then she took another sip from her glass. “Yes, I love Nico. He’s so gentle. I told Papà about him, and as expected, Nico wasn’t good enough for me.”

“Did your grandfather try to stop your marriage to Nico too?”

“Yes. At first he told me he would disown me too. He said he had a friend he would give this house and money to. But that was another lie. I told him I didn’t care. I promised I would graduate from university, but beyond that, my life was my own. He could see that I would renounce his money just like my mother did. Then I reminded him of the evil he had wrought on my parents. He told me that Ciana failed because she loved a man who couldn’t take orders. I said, ‘Whose orders? You took away any means they had to make money. You made sure Papà couldn’t work and pay for a family and that my mother could not get funds either.’ Then he said, ‘How can you think that? Your father left both you and your mother to starve. He wanted to follow God. He took away my daughter just to leave her.’ Then I announced that Nico and I were going to marry and that he could do as he liked with his evil money.”

“I’m so sorry, Gina.”

“Well, as you can see, he mellowed. I have both the big house and the money. I think it would be nice to make some good out of it, don’t you? My mother would have approved. I’m positive of that.”

“About those visits with Brother Pietro…”

Gina put her hand on the nun’s arm to stop her. “When I saw him for the first time, though we know it wasn’t really the first time, I was still angry. I don’t know how Nico saw through all that hate. I had planned to hurt my father, yes. I held so much back that first day. I was looking for words he used that proved my point, and when he talked about Mother, he said a few. I don’t remember them now, but I got angry and threw a glass of red wine at him. He ducked, and the wine went all over his room. I ran out crying, but he let me come back. Nico told me that I was wrong to do that unless I didn’t want to have a relationship with him. I did, so I went back. My conversations with him were the best talks I ever had with someone who was considered family. I began to love him and wanted to create the bond that was missing most of my life.”

“Let’s go back to the night of the explosion. You told Nico that you were with friends. Can you tell me who they were?”

“I was drinking a lot at that time. I went to a bar in Avalle and met some acquaintances there. When I drank too much, one of them took me home and let me sleep it off. I returned to the bakery in the morning. I didn’t drink because of Nico. I drank because Papà managed to bring my past to the forefront. He wanted to pray with me. But I didn’t believe. I thought praying was a waste of time. I didn’t realize that it was a waste of time because I refused to ask God for help. I needed time to heal. Papà was helping me, and then he wasn’t there to help me anymore.”