temptation in florence 04 - expected in death (16 page)

He swallowed. “I'll do everything I can. I promise.”

“And now, can you please take me into your arms and hug me? I need a hug now.”

A weight fell from his chest. With a smile, he opened his arms wide. “Come here.”

Thirty minutes later, Garini entered the office of Enterolazzi & Enterolazzi. Olga's solicitor had his offices in a historical building on Via dei Pescioni. From the shining brass plate at the door to the colorful flags mounted above the entrance and the expensive wooden wainscoting in the hall, everything shouted power and wealth. Enterolazzi himself was dressed in an impeccable dark-blue suit with a brocade vest, a matching tie and handkerchief. His dark-brown shoes shone as he came forward to shake Garini's hand. His white hair was carefully arranged in soft waves, combed back from a high brow. His sharp eyes were partially hooded by heavy lids.

“
Commissario
Garini,” he said with a soft voice. “I have been expecting you. You're here to learn about the last will of Olga Ottima.”

“That's correct.” Garini took the spindly chair pointed out to him. “As you know, we're investigating her death.”

The lawyer shook his head and turned the corners of his mouth down. “Such a sad case. She was a wonderful woman.”

Garini gave him a sharp look. Was this a standard phrase or did he really believe it? If he spoke from conviction, he was certainly a minority in Florence. “I understand that she wasn't universally liked,” he said to probe the waters.

Enterolazzi lifted his eyebrows. “Oh, really? I always found her very easy to work with. She knew what she wanted and didn't change her mind every so often. Very efficient.”

I guess that's true.
“Has she been your client for long?”

“Oh, yes.” The aged solicitor nodded. “I knew Olga Ottima for almost thirty years. She once said that she trusted me more than anyone else.” A small smile creased his mouth as he remembered her. “Such a small woman, but so much strength. I admired her, you know.”

So here was the second person in Florence besides Olga's son who truly mourned for her. Garini frowned in thought. Maybe he would need that knowledge later.

“But you're here to learn about her will.” The solicitor took a seat behind his huge desk, pulled a file across the polished walnut wood, placed a pair of black-rimmed glasses on his nose, and opened the ledger with care. “The will is very simple and straightforward,” he said. “
Signora
Ottima left everything to her son Ugo. This includes the apartment here in Firenze, a house at Lake Garda, and several investments and savings with a value of roughly four hundred thousand Euros.”

Garini nodded.
Not a bad inheritance by any means.
He had expected that the astute Olga had accumulated enough money to live in style.

“The biggest chunk, however, will come from her life insurance.”

“Her life insurance?” Garini perked up. This was news to him.

“Yes.” Enterolazzi nodded. “She signed up for a very large life insurance policy when her son was still small, to make sure that he was financially safe even if something should happen to her. That was right after the death of her husband.”

“And how much is it?”

“It's almost eight hundred thousand Euros.”

Garini stared at him. That made Ugo a millionaire. “Does he know about this insurance?”

Enterolazzi hesitated.

“You'd best tell me,” Garini said. “Or I'll ask Ugo.”

Enterolazzi looked at him for one pregnant moment.

Garini could almost see the thoughts moving behind his high brow. If Garini went to Ugo to interrogate him, Ugo would no doubt tell the truth, but would manage to present himself in the worst possible light, not being blessed with the intelligence his mother had had. It was better if Enterolazzi covered that part.

“Yes, he knew about it.” Enterolazzi said with obvious reluctance.

“Did he say when he became aware of the life insurance?”

Enterolazzi looked at the polished desk top in front of him and moved the file two millimeters to the side. “He said that his mother told him about it roughly a week before her death.”

Garini jumped up. “A week before her death? Why on earth did she tell him now, after so many years of silence?”

Enterolazzi shrugged. “I don't know. I asked him the same question, but he couldn't give me an answer to that, either. Maybe she had a premonition?”

Hope surged up in Garini. Here was a motive. A perfect motive. Maybe there was hope yet for Carlina's mother.

The solicitor looked at him with narrowed eyes. “I can see what you're thinking, but take it from me: Ugo would never have lifted a finger against his mother. He was in awe of her.”

“That may be true.” Garini's voice was flat. “However, I've seen a sample of his temper.”

Enterolazzi pressed his lips together. Apparently, he knew Ugo's temper as well.

Garini gave him a short nod and turned to the door. “Thank you for this information. You've been very helpful.”

Enterolazzi came around the desk and put a hand onto Garini's arm. “Will you keep me informed about future developments,
Commissario
?”

Garini looked down at the impeccably dressed man. “Why?”

Enterolazzi colored. “Let's just say that I feel responsible for the boy. I've known him since he was a toddler, and I promised his mother that I would keep an eye on him if anything should happen to her.”

Garini nodded. “All right. I'll let you know if anything happens that involves Ugo.”

He left the solicitor's office feeling much lighter than this morning. When he came out, the sun had warmed the stones, and an indefinable flowery smell was in the air. He took a deep breath. Spring. It was spring. And he had found a new clue, something that might unravel this whole mystery. He fished out his cell phone from his pocket. He couldn't help himself, he had to tell Carlina of this latest glimpse of hope, even if it was against the rules to let her know. Her drawn face had pierced him, and the fact that she had not reproached him with one word made it all the more difficult.

“Carlina? It's me.”

“Ciao.”
Her voice sounded taut. “Any news?”

“A little thing.” He tried not to make it sound too important, so she wouldn't get her hopes up too high. “I've just talked to Olga's solicitor.”

“Oh.”

“He told me that Ugo has inherited a considerable sum due to a life insurance policy.”

She got there like lightning. “That gives him a motive!”

“Yes. I'll dig deeper into his movements now. I can't promise that anything will come of it, but I'll do my best.”

“Thank you so much, Stefano.” She took a deep breath. “And thanks for letting me know.”

“Keep it under your hat,” he warned. “Officially, you don't know anything.”

“Right-o.”

“I'll be in touch as soon as I know more. I may be home late tonight.”

“Of course. Good luck.”

Carlina hung up and squared her shoulders.
How sweet of him to call.
So there was hope after all. A little bit of hope. She opened the door of Temptation wide and stood a moment on the threshold, enjoying the warm spring air. Unbidden, the thought of her mother at prison came to her mind.
Poor Mama.
Did she have a chance to enjoy the warm air outside, maybe walking in a courtyard? Or was she cooped up all day? She would have to ask Stefano. How soon could she visit her? If only Stefano would find the real killer.

She frowned. Could Ugo have killed his mother? He had the strength; he had the temper, and he had the motive. Didn't they say that most murders were done by the closest family members? Carlina nodded to herself. Yes. It all made sense. Now they only had to prove it.

She lifted her head and did a double-take. In front of her stood Ugo.

Carlina blinked and pinched herself. No, she hadn't conjured him up. It was Ugo. She swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry.

“Ciao.”
Ugo looked over her shoulder as if he had discovered something interesting behind her.

Carlina turned and looked down Via de' Tornabuoni. A few tourists sauntered down the street, looking at the luxurious shop windows, chattering among themselves. Nothing special. She turned back to Ugo who was now staring at his feet.

Carlina followed his gaze. Again, she didn't see anything remarkable, just the crooked flagstones that made up the pavement.

“
Ciao
, Ugo.” Her voice sounded rough.
There's no reason to be afraid. I'm in full view of everybody. Nothing can happen to me. Besides, he must know that Mama was arrested for his mother's murder. He thinks he's safe.

“Em.” Ugo shifted his weight from one leg to the other, glanced at her for a fraction of a second, and immediately bowed his head again. “Em.”

“Yes?” Carlina frowned. It sounded as if Ugo was nervous. But what could he be nervous about? Or was it all an act? She scrutinized his bovine face. No, he wasn't a good enough actor to pretend to be a jittery mass of nerves. But what was he afraid of? The sudden realization that he was less secure than she was made her forget her own fear. “What can I do for you?”

“Em.” Ugo gasped as if he was a fish left on dry land. “You . . . your store.”

“Yes?” Carlina looked at the window. A creamy lace bra with a chocolate-brown stripe at the edge decorated her bronzed window mannequin. Did he object to that? “What about my store?”

“I . . .” He gulped. “I want to buy something.”

Carlina stared at him as if he had said he wanted to become a cat.
Then he doesn't know yet that Mama was arrested for Olga's murder. If he knew that, he would never come and buy something.
“Oh.” She managed to pull herself together, her professional mode kicking in. This was just another customer who was nervous about entering the world of female underwear! How dense could she be? “Of course.” Maybe he was just looking for a pair of boxer shorts for himself. She did have a small selection of those, though maybe not in the huge size that he would need. She cleared her throat. “Is it . . . is it for yourself or--?”

Ugo lifted both hands as if to ward off a blow. “Oh, no. No, no. It's for . . . for my friend. My girlfriend.” A fiery red crept up from his chest, covered his massive throat and went up to his cheeks.

Carlina had trouble keeping her jaw from sagging to her chest. Ugo had a girlfriend? That was the first she'd heard! Had his mother known she existed? She took a step back and made an inviting motion with her hand. “No problem. Come in. We'll find something for her.”

He stomped through the door like a clumsy giant. His eyes widened when he took in the bras and panties that decorated the walls, then he focused on the cash register as if it were the only safe spot in the store.

Carlina realized that she would have to kick off some heavy-duty relaxation mechanisms before he would be able to give her the information she needed. “Would you like a glass of water?”

“Thanks.” Ugo continued to focus on the cash register as if it were for sale.

It wasn't clear if he had meant “yes, thanks” or “no, thanks”, but Carlina decided not to make his life any more difficult. She went to her little storage room in the back, found two slim glasses with the Temptation logo, and filled them with water from the little fridge below the counter. “Here you go,” she said.

His beefy hand almost made the fragile glass disappear before he gulped down the liquid.

I hope he won't sneeze now, or the glass will end up being smashed into pieces.
Carlina gave him an insouciant smile. “Have you already thought a bit more about what you'd like to get for her?” she asked.

The blush covered his broad cheeks again. “She said she liked underwear. So I thought I would surprise her.”

“How nice.” Carlina gave him an encouraging smile. “I'm sure she'll love it. Do you know her size?”

He stretched out his hand and held it somewhere at his hip. “She's tiny.”

If she's as tiny as that, she'd have to be a Lilliputian.
Mentally, Carlina added at least twenty centimeters. “And is she a bit rounded or rather thin?”

That question seemed to throw him, but after much thought, he managed to say, “She's not fat.”

Whatever that may mean.
Carlina was aware that the expression “not fat” could cover anything from anorexic to curvaceous. It all depended on the culture and the personal point of view. “Would you say she'd rather wear S than M, then?” she tried to limit the field somewhat.

He gave her a curt nod. “Yes. S.”

Apparently, he was the type who liked girls that looked like his mother. “All right.” Carlina picked a model from the wall that would polarize, thus making it easier for her to determine what he really wanted. It was made from a sheer material in a deep burgundy color with a tiny bit of white lace at the edge. “Would this one fit the bill?”

He recoiled. “Oh, no. She-- she likes black.”

Now they were talking. “No problem.” Carlina put the burgundy bra back onto its hook and went to the next display. “How about this one?”

It was the same model she'd featured at the window, only this time, it was made of black lace with a creamy accent. Ugo nodded. “Yes. This one. Francesca will like it.”

Carlina's head shot up. “Francesca? Your girlfriend's name is Francesca?”

He nodded.

“But--” Carlina gulped. “Is she a glass-blower, by any chance?”

A slow smile spread across his face. “Yes, she is. She said she prefers your store to any other in town. I guess you know her?”

Carlina's heart was hammering inside her chest.
It's not possible. He can't be Francesca's new boyfriend!
What on earth did she see in him? But then, Francesca had always liked her boyfriends to be strong and big. She stared at him, at a loss what to say. “Yes, I know her.” She cleared her throat. “Francesca is one of my best friends.”
She's fallen in love with a murderer! Oh, my God. I have to warn her.

He nodded. “And is S the right size for her?”

“Yes. Yes it is.” With trembling fingers, Carlina wrapped up the bra and matching panties in crackling tissue paper with the shiny Temptation logo. She still couldn't quite believe it. Maybe there was a misunderstanding somewhere? She cleared her throat. “Francesca said you met at a dinner organized by the town council.”