Northern Moonlight (7 page)

Listening closely, Bert Shanty’s gaze was direct, and Gio realized he had never looked into the man’s eyes before.  They were a pale shade of blue and appeared kind in the warm sunlight peeking through the heavy drapes. 

“Giovanni, I’m so sorry for your loss.  I don’t believe I’ve ever had the chance to utter those simple words.  It would be my fondest wish to be useful and able to help you, but the truth is I’ve nothing to tell.  Mrs. Shanty and I awoke that night to the booming sound of an explosion and…”

“An explosion?!” Gio cried, astonished.

“Yes, an explosion.  That’s what the misses and I conveyed to the fire department when we called.  You didn’t know there was an explosion?” Mr. Shanty was incredulous.

“No!” Gio rasped, at a loss for words.  This new information changed everything---changed the past decade and a half of his life that he had spent naively believing his mother’s candles had caused the fire.  How could he have been so complacent?  This was his line of work for goodness sake!  He served as professional witness to arson investigations on a regular basis.  Yet he had neglected to delve into an investigation concerning his own flesh and blood.  In an effort to block the trauma from his consciousness, Gio had likely let a vile criminal go unpunished for setting off some kind of explosion in the house.  Still, it could have been an electrical failure of some sort.  Maybe the hot water heater in the basement?  But that couldn’t possibly have caused the house and its poor, helpless residents to splinter into a million unrecognizable pieces. Gio felt his mouth go dry and wished he had a glass of water in front of him.

Sabrina, equally disturbed by Mr. Shanty’s consequential revelation, put her hand over Gio’s and spoke up.  “Mr. Shanty, please tell us exactly what happened after you heard the explosion.”

“My wife and I rushed over to the window and saw there was nothing left of the house, and the land itself was still burning.  I remember the flames engulfing a putrid blackness, obstructing our vision because the polluted air was so thick and hot.  Mrs. Shanty was nearly hysterical at the sight.  Poor woman.  She already had agoraphobia…you know a fear of leaving her house.  This nearly sent her into cardiac arrest.  But I’m sorry, let me not digress.  It’s just that I miss her so terribly.  Anyway, I had my wife sit down while I hastened to telephone the fire department.”

“Who did you speak to at the fire department?” Sabrina asked.

“Oh dear, it was a man of course.  What was his name?  Uh…Hooper?  No, it was Cooper.  Chief Cooper if my memory serves.”

That’s the bastard who interrogated me
, Gio thought wildly, his heart racing erratically.  He was a detective.  Why in the world would he answer the phone?  That’s the dispatcher’s job.  With his head and heart both pounding, Gio asked, “If there was a loud boom, wouldn’t other people have heard?  Was there some sort of cover-up involved?  But why?  I don’t understand any of this.” He shook his head, brain still a breeding ground of frantic questions that neither Sabrina nor Mr. Shanty could resolve. 

Mr. Shanty was greatly dismayed.  “Good Lord, I didn’t realize that there could have been a cover-up.”

Gio interrupted, “Mr. Shanty, is there anything you could have left out?  Anything?”

Bert Shanty narrowed his eyes and looked as though he were earnestly scouring the vault of his aging memory for some morsel of information that could be pertinent.  But he could recall nothing more.  “Truly, son, that’s all I have to share.  It was so many years ago, and everything seemed such a blur that night.  It was just utter mayhem.” He shook his head sadly.

“I know.” Gio said glumly.

“I’m sorry.” The old man said despairingly, wanting so much to be useful.

“No need to apologize, Mr. Shanty.  You’ve been extremely informative.  Sabrina and I won’t take up any more of your time.”

“Oh, you haven’t taken my time.  When you get to be my age, time is what you have the most of---and the least of.  Strange, this life.”  The old man spoke quietly, and Sabrina’s heart ached for him.  He was so lonely!  No one should live in such isolation.  Moments later, they were shaking Mr. Shanty’s hand and thanking him sincerely.

“Come back anytime!”  Mr. Shanty called after them as they departed, and they promised to keep him abreast of the situation.  In Gio’s mind, this was now a full-fledged vigilante investigation, and he was going to get to the bottom of it.  The dignity of the memory of Marcello, Laura, and Carlo Salvatore demanded justice.

Gio and Sabrina drove in silence for several miles.  Both were stunned with the information Mr. Shanty had unwittingly been keeping to himself for fourteen years.  As Gio drove, Sabrina tried to concentrate on the scenic view.  Sprawling dairy farms and grazing cattle lined the country roads.  Trees were beginning to regain their leaves, no
longer appearing skeletal as they had since November when the vacationing “leaf peepers” went home for the season. 

She smiled, thinking of the thousands of tourists from all over the Northeast and other regions who made a pilgrimage to Vermont each autumn, hoping to glimpse the brilliant reds, shimmery golds, and heather greens of the leaves in peak season.  Then in winter, snow sport enthusiasts would crowd inns and lodges, eager to hit the slopes, enjoy outdoor ice-skating, or simply bask in the pure white glow of the powder puffed mountains.  Now that spring was in the air, Sabrina was calmed, happy that tourists would not be returning in such large droves until September when the leaves began once again to fall.

Indeed, the roads were empty as Gio raced out of Mount Hollow, very impatient to break away from his home town and the visit that had been informative yet devastating.  But as he looked over at Sabrina, so enraptured by her surroundings, he wanted to show her a lighthearted, memorable evening, so he vowed silently not to let her drag him into any conversation about their visit with Mr. Shanty and what it meant for the future.  Gio wished he could experience the delightful simplicity through Sabrina’s eyes, twinkling as they passed yet another farm, this one with a stable of horses drinking from buckets. 

Apparently reading his thoughts, Sabrina marveled, “Isn’t this all so beautiful, Gio?  I could never move back to the city after having this slice of paradise.  My sister Cara thinks I’m crazy for living here, but I think she’s nuts for living
there
.”

“Yes, I agree.  The only time I was ever out of Vermont was for those few months in New York after…well, you know.”

Sabrina looked at him gently and asked, “So you haven’t really traveled?”

“No, but I would like to.  If I can get some time off, I’d like to go to Italy…or Greece….or Peru.”

“I’ve been to Italy and Greece for work, but not to Peru.  My boss, Darlene, has taken some photos there of the ancient ruins.”

“You mean Machu Picchu?”

“Yes, that’s right!” Sabrina was surprised that he knew this, and it showed.

“Don’t be so shocked.  Just because I didn’t graduate from high school doesn’t mean that I’m an ignoramus.  I enjoy reading, especially about history and cultures.” His tone was mildly defensive.

“I’m sorry if I seemed surprised, Gio.  Actually, I’m impressed.” There was an awkward silence for a few moments until Gio spoke again.

“I also enjoy the finer things in life.  Like the Chianti Classico we drank the other night.  And going to art museums.  And maple candy.”  This last part was uttered with a disarming grin that made Sabrina bite her lip coyly.

“Maple candy?  Mmmm.  That’s my favorite.  Somehow I can never get enough of maple treats even though I have access to them all the time.”

“Well, you can never get enough of something good.” Gio said suggestively.

“I suppose not,” she evaded.  “Maybe we can get some maple candy on the way home.”

“And spoil our appetites?  No, I’m taking you to dinner in Stowe.  Then after we’ve filled our bellies, I’ll get you some maple candy for dessert.”

Sabrina was perceptive about people’s emotions, and it was clear to her that he was making an extreme effort to hide his anguish over the afternoon they had just spent.  She felt uneasy about going to dinner when he probably needed some time to absorb the startling news revealed to them.

“Gio,” she began.  “Why don’t we take a raincheck on dinner?  It’s been a stressful afternoon, and I don’t want you to feel that you have to put on a cheerful face.”

“I want to do this, Sabrina. Please.  What I found out today does change a lot of things for me.  But I can’t let my past rule my present.”

“No, Gio, but this
is
your present.  You have a lot of decisions to make now.  I for one would want to get in touch with that investigator, Chief Cooper.  It sounds like he could be a key person to talk to about this case.  I wonder if he still works for the fire department.”  Sabrina’s tangent was agitating Gio.

“You’ve read too many Agatha Christie novels, Sabrina.  I’m going to say this for the second and final time.  This is not a case.  This is…”

“It’s your life, I know.  I’m just trying to help.”

“But why?” Gio wondered aloud.  Suddenly it seemed odd to him that this woman whom he hardly knew would take such a keen interest in his personal tragedy.  The cynic in him who had hidden so long from intimate relationships could not believe she or anyone would want to help unless they had a selfish secret motive.  “Why do you want to help me Sabrina?”

She understood the implication in his words and sighed.  “I’m just sensitive to other people’s pain.  And what you’ve gone through is unthinkable.  So I want to help.  Is that so unbelievable?  On the practical side of things, my sister is a law student and might be able to help too…and what about your friend Max?  Don’t you think we’d all make a good team?”

To Gio’s ears, Sabrina sounded well-meaning, but naïve.  And she still seemed to think of his life as an open case that she wanted to neatly and craftily seal shut.  Yet, he wanted to solve this haunting mystery as well.  It was hard for him to admit to himself that he needed her help, but he knew he did. 

“OK, Sabrina, I’ll think about it.”  He conceded.  “For now, let’s enjoy the rest of this day and get something to eat because I’m starved.”  Sabrina nodded happily, starting to feel a rumble in her stomach.

The ambience was bright and welcoming
inside the Mountainside Inn.  After such a morose day, Sabrina was relieved to be inside a public place bustling with happy diners.  The walls were made from genuine tree logs, giving the restaurant the appearance of a cabin nestled in the woods. 

“This is a nice place, Gio.” She said as a waitress seated them in a corner booth. 

“I think you’ll like the food too.  This is a good place to come after you’ve gone hiking and need to refuel.”  At that moment his beeper went off, startling them both.  “That’s strange,” he muttered.  “I’m not on call…Sabrina, would you excuse me, I have to go phone the firehouse and see why they’re paging me.”