temptation in florence 03 - bankers death (12 page)

“When did you last see Valentino alive?”

Benedetta didn't have to think about that one. “That must have been around five o'clock or so. I was just coming back from work, and I met him at the foot of the stairs, here, in our house.”

“Five o'clock? Teodoro Mantoni said it was around six.”

Benedetta opened her eyes wide. “Six? I usually come home from work at five at the latest.” She put her head to the side. “Let me think.”

Leopold turned to her with an alarmed look on his face, as if he was afraid of what her thinking might produce.

No wonder. He has gotten used by now to what a Mantoni woman can come up with when under pressure.
Garini kept his face impassive and waited for Benedetta to finish her musings.

“Ah, I've got it.” Benedetta sat up straight. “I spent longer than planned at the mesticheria Mazzanti.”

“Where?”

“The hardware store for household accessories. There was a line, and I had to wait. I met Sofia Altori, one of Rafaele's sisters. You remember Rafaele, don't you, Stefano? You met him on Sunday. Rafaele is Ernesto's best friend, and they practically grew up together. Sofia is a very pretty girl, and we started to chat a bit, but when I asked her a bit about her private life, she clammed up. Such a sad story.” Benedetta shook her head. “She lost her baby when it was only two months old. I have a strange feeling--”

Garini wasn't in the mood to listen to Benedetta's strange feelings. “So in fact, you think it's possible that you returned around six after all?”

Benedetta gave him a beaming smile. “After all, yes.”

He wasn't supposed to ask leading questions, so he tried again. “Or maybe you came back around five thirty?”

“No, no, Stefano.” Benedetta stood her ground. “I remember everything now. After my chat with Sofia, I decided I still needed cheese. I wanted to buy some scamorza, and there's only one shop that has the right kind, but I had to walk some time to get there.”

“Can you give me the name of the store?”

“Of course.” Benedetta shrugged. “It's on Via Vincenzo Gioberti, and the owner is Geronimo. He personally served me.”

I'll have to send Piedro to check this out
. So far, Benedetta had the strongest motive to wish her nephew out of the way - if she had really felt that the safety of her son was threatened by the bungee jumping. Garini checked his watch. If he needed to talk with every member of the family for five minutes just to establish when they had last seen the famous Valentino alive, he would have to spend the night. “Did you notice anything unusual about Valentino?”

“Unusual?” Benedetta frowned. “No, I don't think so. He was joking. He didn't offer to carry my bags upstairs. Not that my bag was very heavy, but still . . .” She shook her head. “He wasn't a gentleman.”

“Did you notice anything else?”

“He was carrying a black leather briefcase.”

“Was that unusual?”

Benedetta hesitated. “I think so. I had never seen him with such a big leather briefcase before.” She turned to Leopold. “Have you ever seen Valentino with a black leather briefcase, Leo?”

Leopold Morin shook his head.

Teo mentioned the leather briefcase too.
Garini frowned. It had been nowhere near the body. “Do you know what was inside?”

Benedetta shrugged. “How should I know that?”

“Did you see it again later?”

A flash of panic crossed her face. “No.”

Why did that make her so uncomfortable? Could it be that the leather briefcase had been left at the scene of the murder, forgotten by the enterprising Mantonis? “Have you seen this leather briefcase anywhere since the death of Valentino?”

“Oh, no!” Benedetta shook her head with emphasis.

“Can you imagine any reason why Valentino should have been killed?”

Benedetta shrugged. “Sometimes, it's better this way.”

Leopold Morin winced.

“Are you telling me that you condone the murder of your nephew?” Garini made sure his voice sounded unemotional.

Leopold gave Benedetta a warning look.

She smiled at him with utter confidence. “Let's just say it could be worse.”

Madonna.
Garini had the impression that his ability to cope with the Mantonis waned from minute to minute. “You have not answered my question. Do you know of any specific reason why someone wished Valentino to be dead?”

Carlina's aunt shook her head again. “No. Do you have any other questions?”

“Not at the moment.”
Seeing as you're all lying. I need one of you to slip up. Just one.

Benedetta got up and turned to the door. “I assume you'll want to talk to my children now?”

“I've already talked to Ernesto.”

Her head came around with a snap. “To Ernesto?” Her voice was full of alarm. “Why did you talk to him first?”

“Because he walked in.”

The look of relief that flooded her face was almost ridiculous. “I see.”

Does she suspect Ernesto? But he's the only one who liked Valentino.

“I'll ask Annalisa to join you now.” She left the kitchen with Leopold Morin trailing after her.

Two minutes later, the door was flung open and Annalisa stormed into the room, her red hair flying. “Mama wanted to come, but I told her I could cope with you on my own.”

Piedro made a small sound of admiration.

Garini suppressed a sigh. He had to admit that Carlina's little cousin was a stunner, but even a short acquaintance with her was enough to show that Annalisa had only one love in her life: Herself.

Annalisa gave Piedro a smile from underneath her lashes.

Piedro turned pink.

Mission accomplished, Annalisa tossed back her head and grinned at Garini. “After all, you're Carlina's boyfriend, so I don't need to fear anything.”

“You don't need to fear anything if you haven't done anything wrong.” Stefano made sure his voice remained even.

Annalisa rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I know. I'm being recorded, right? No wonder you talk all official-like.”

Stefano knew Annalisa well enough not to press his point and decided to change the subject. “Can you tell me when you last saw your cousin alive?”

“Oh, that's easy.” Annalisa laughed. “I was probably the only one who didn't see him at all the day he was killed.”

“How do you know that?”

“Well, we talked about it, of course.” She opened her eyes wide. “Comparing our alibis.”

And making them up.
“So when did you see him last?”

“The night before he was killed, when I came home.”

“At what time was that?”

Annalisa shrugged. “I have no clue. One in the morning? Two? Something like that. I was walking home from a party.”

“On your own?”

“Yes.” For an instant, Annalisa's mouth hardened. “I went to the party with Toni, but we quarreled, so I decided to leave without him.”

“And where did you see Valentino?”

“He saw me. I was crossing the piazza della Repubblica, and suddenly, he overtook me.” Her eyes shone. “He's got a great car. Very impressive.”

“What happened then?”

Annalisa shrugged. “He promised to drive me home, made me a few compliments and tried to kiss me, but I wasn't in the mood, so I told him to try his luck with Carlina.”

“Excuse me?” His voice sounded sharper than he had wanted.

Annalisa's hand flew to her mouth. “Oops, I'm sorry. Didn't mean to say that.”

He didn't say anything, just watched her. Was he being led on? Annalisa enjoyed making fun of people.

Annalisa gave him a fleeting smile. “I mean, everybody could see that he was impressed with Carlina, and of course, she wasn't interested in him, so I thought I would send him against a wall. His ego could do with a rejection. He was much too self-assured.”

“Please continue.” He had to unclench his teeth to get out that sentence.

“Well, he said he'd try his best, and so we parted at the door. He still had to find a parking place for that huge car of his, and I didn't feel like going with him and walking half-way through the historical center on our way back.”

“And what did you do yesterday between five and eight?”

Annalisa smiled in triumph. “I have the most perfect alibi,” she said. “I was with my hairdresser.”

“All the evening?”

“Yep.” Annalisa bent her hair until some strands fell forward. “Almost, that is. I was there from six to nine.” She pulled her hair apart and showed him a strand. “Do you see these lighter streaks here? That's what she did. It looks nice, doesn't it?”

“Are you telling me that you spent three hours at the hairdresser in order to get some streaks?”

“Of course!” Annalisa nodded. “Have you never had a girl-friend before? These light-colored strands take so long; that's absolutely normal.”

He decided to take her word for it. “Please tell me the name of your hairdresser.”

Annalisa rolled her eyes again. “Checking up on my every word?”

“Of course.”

She shook her head. “You don't trust anybody, ever, do you, Garini?”

He clenched his teeth. “Please answer my question.”

Annalisa gave an exaggerated sigh. “The shop is called Belli Capelli, and they're on Via Ghibellina. My hairdresser is called Giorgina. She's a cousin once removed.”

Of course. I didn't expect anything else.
Garini decided it would be a waste of time to verify this statement. If the hairdresser was a Mantoni cousin, no matter how many times removed, she would tell him lies without hesitating. He could save himself the effort.

“Isn't it great?” Annalisa beamed at him. “It's the first time I have a perfect alibi for a murder.” She sounded as if she had learned to play a new game.

“Congratulations.” He shook his head in exasperation. This family got to him every time. “Can you imagine any reason why Valentino should be killed?”

“Of course.” Annalisa leaned back. “Jealousy, for one thing. He was a true man for the ladies, and I can imagine that quite a few men here in this town were only too happy to hear he was killed.”

Garini saw his colleague's face in front of his inner eye, lighting up when he had heard the name of the victim. Annalisa had hit the nail on the head. “Can you think of any other reason?”

Annalisa shrugged. “Nope.”

“Nothing at all?”

“No.” She pressed her beautiful mouth into one thin line.

Her very shortness made it obvious she was concealing something.
I will get to the bottom of this.
“Do you wish to tell me anything else?”

Annalisa bent forward. “Since you're asking . . . yes.” She measured him with a glance. “I can't say I understand why Carlina is in love with you, but since she is, I wanted to ask you to put your wedding date in late September, just like Emma's. I went to a wedding in December and almost froze to death, and to another in July when it was scorching. Late September is the perfect time for weddings. Besides, I have just seen the right dress for it and need an excuse to buy it.”

Garini played with the idea of switching off the tape recorder but decided to let it run. Maybe Cervi would still take him off the case if he read the transcription of the interviews. “We're not discussing my relationship with Carlina.” He made sure his voice sounded unemotional.

“But you should think about my words.” Annalisa got up and gave him a tantalizing glance through her lashes. “As you can see, Valentino was keen on Carlina, and others might be, too. Get a move on. You're not exactly young, are you?”

That was enough. “I'm about twenty years younger than your last lover, Annalisa. As I recall, he was in his mid-fifties, wasn't he?”

Annalisa flushed a deep red. “You're despicable.” She flung herself out of the room and slammed the door with a bang.

Piedro sat in his corner with his eyes wide open, as if he had seen an apparition.

Garini switched off the tape recorder and took a deep breath. He felt the urge to see Carlina, to talk to her, to ascertain himself that she was normal and different from the rest of the family. A glance at his watch showed him that it was almost lunch-time. Maybe she would come home for lunch, and maybe he would be able to see her privately for a few minutes. Maybe she was even home and in her apartment. Following his impulse, he got up, pocketed the tape recorder and went to the door. The interview with Emma and her husband Lucio could wait. “Let's take a lunch break, Piedro. Please be back in thirty minutes.”

When they appeared on the landing, he bumped into Fabbiola and Maria, deep in conversation. They stopped the second he opened the door and turned to him, guilt written large upon their faces.
I wish I could wiretap this house.
He nodded at them and started to mount the stairs while Piedro clattered downstairs.

“Where are you going?” Fabbiola sounded alarmed.

He turned around and caught the tail-end of a conspiratorial glance between Maria and Fabbiola. So Maria was in this, too? He tried to recall Carlina's words at Ernesto's birthday. Hadn't she said that the petite woman was the cleaning lady of the house? She sure didn't look like it with her doll-like face and slender arms.

He answered Fabbiola's question, but his gaze rested on Maria who flushed. “I just wanted to see if Carlina is at home.”

“She's not here.” Fabbiola's gaze darted upstairs and down again. “She's still at Temptation.”

Something was wrong, but he pretended to go along. “I thought she would come home for lunch. Doesn't she usually join you in Benedetta's kitchen?”

“Oh, she might do that later.” Fabbiola pulled a bit of invisible dust from the sleeve of her wide blouse. “I'm not sure what her plans are for today.”

Maria shifted her weight from one foot to the other and looked at him with an anxious expression in her violet-blue eyes.

Why did they want to stop him from going into Carlina's apartment? “I'll just double-check that she's not in.” Garini turned away.

“Wait!” Fabbiola grabbed Garini's sleeve. “I think you haven't interviewed Maria yet, have you?”

Maria turned a startled glance on Fabbiola. “What do I have to do with this?” Her voice was breathless.

My question exactly.
Garini suppressed a sigh.