temptation in florence 04 - expected in death (5 page)

The atmosphere immediately shifted. It was as if they all pulled themselves together, stood a little straighter and shuttered up a little more, leaving less room for attack. It reminded Carlina of a meeting she had once had at the lace company Bertosti. The workers had reacted just like this when the CEO had come into the room. Amazed at the sudden change in her family, Carlina shook her head. How could one person have such an impact after only three short days?

“Here's your disinfectant, Leo.” She held out a white spray to Leo who accepted it with obvious surprise. “I have the impression you're never without it.”

Leopold colored. “I prefer to have things clean.”

“Yes, but this is your girlfriend's apartment, isn't it?” Olga pulled her carefully plucked eyebrows together.

Leo looked at Benedetta. “Girlfriend is not quite the appropriate expression at our age, I believe.” His smile was tender.

Olga clicked her tongue. “Whatever it is. Is it right that you will move in here? Teo told me this morning.”

Carlina smiled. Leo had been living in the apartment on the ground floor since Christmas, just one staircase down from Benedetta's apartment, but if he decided to move up now, it meant that they were serious about each other and wanted to be even closer. It showed a commitment that somehow touched her, and it occurred to her that sometimes, romance came at unexpected moments.

Leo nodded. “Yes, that's right. I feel that I can't any longer take up Teo's generous offer of the apartment on the ground floor if I'm spending most of my time up here anyway.”

Olga sniffed. “You're right about that. However, I wonder why you keep on disinfecting everything.”

Leo shuffled his feet. “It's just a little quirk of mine. Nothing personal.”

Benedetta gave him a quick look that seemed puzzled.

Olga tittered. “Well, I'm glad you say so. I admit I would feel just a tiny bit hurt if my boyfriend – or whatever you want to call yourself – moved in with me and decided to disinfect every corner of the house as if it were a dirty monkey cage.”

Benedetta caught her breath and half rose from the table, but before she could say anything, the door opened once again and Lucio walked in, for once without his wife Emma. “Hey, everybody. Sorry I'm late. I--” He stopped talking and looked around. “Where's dinner?”

“I haven't had time to prepare dinner tonight,” Benedetta said with difficulty.

Lucio's jaw dropped. “No time to prepare dinner? But—” He looked around the room, obviously disoriented by this unprecedented incident.

Olga didn't wait for him to finish his sentence. “I think the more important question is where has Emma gone.” She winked at him. “I have to say that you hardly seem to let her out of your sight. Well, no wonder with a looker like that.”

Lucio reddened. He had a tendency to be overly protective and jealous of his wife who didn't need any protection whatsoever to deal with anything that life might throw at her, but he was the only one who didn't know that. “What are you trying to imply?”

Olga tittered again. “My, my, how you rise at the slightest provocation. I was just thinking that it must be difficult to be married to such a good-looking woman, knowing that few men out there are stopped by a marriage ring when it comes to wanting a little bit of fun.”

Lucio drew himself up to his full height until he towered over Olga. His face took on a deep purple hue right up to his dark hairline, and the color of his ears deepened into burgundy red. He balled his fist and bent forward as if he wanted to lift the petite Olga off the ground and throw her out of the doors that led to the balcony.

Carlina stared at him in horror and almost expected him to start foaming at the mouth. “It's all right, Lucio,” she said. “I'm sure Olga didn't mean--”

“Olga means every word she says,” Fabbiola appeared out of nowhere and gave her ex school chum a glance that should have frozen the marrow in her bones. “She just pretends to be the small and innocent female, but underneath, she's as malignant as cancer.”

The whole family gasped.

Olga lifted her hand and inspected her fingernails as if she were alone in the room. After two heartbeats, it became obvious that she had decided to ignore Fabbiola for good.

Oh, my God. Where is this going to lead?
Carlina felt her throat tighten. Her family had always been unusual, but this was taking things to a whole new level. She wished Stefano were there. His calm and detached way of watching and judging would help her to get everything into perspective. Then again, maybe it was better this way. If he saw the extremes that were possible, he might decide that it was too dangerous to ally himself with a member of the Mantoni clan. A chill slithered down Carlina's back.
No. This is not going to happen.

Olga turned back to her previous victim and eyed Benedetta with something akin to pity. “I really think it's a shame that Annalisa only got the looks and no brains.”

Benedetta cleared her throat with an effort. “Leave Annalisa out of this.”

“Out of what, my dear?” Olga's voice sounded way too innocent.

Benedetta stared at the top of the table and didn't reply.

“If she had inherited just a little bit of intelligence, things would be easier for you,” Olga said. “Though of course it's hard to know where she could have gotten it from, I mean, it's not exactly rampant in the family, is it?”

The family stone-walled her without a word.

Carlina blinked. Had she heard Olga right? Suddenly, she remembered Ernesto's words –
she must be possessed.
Now she knew what he'd meant. What on earth was driving this woman to utter a string of insults the second she opened her mouth? Did she thrive on provoking people? Is that what made her tick?

Carlina looked at the faces of her family and saw open dislike bordering on hate. She just hoped that nobody would open a drawer and pull out a knife. They all knew where Benedetta kept her sharp kitchen knives – within reach, just one quick step away. But nobody moved. Nobody said a word. Carlina held her breath.
Something's gotta give.

The kitchen door flew open and Ugo rolled in like a landslide. He hunched his head, rolled his shoulders forward and bunched up his huge hands in front of him as if he wanted to curl himself into a heavy ball and kick out the Mantoni members like bowling pins in a deadly accurate game.

They all recoiled, with one exception: Olga jumped up and lifted her hands to him, her face wreathed in smiles. “My lamb,” she said. “How lovely that you're joining us for dinner.”

II

“And next thing I knew, the whole family had left the house to eat dinner out, leaving only Ugo and Olga in residence,” Carlina said into the phone, talking to Stefano. She was stretched out on her bed, her favorite fake leopard print throw pulled over her. When the sun had set, she had suddenly realized that it was only early May and that the night air could still be chilly. Besides, the events of the night had left her with a sudden urge to curl up in a safe and warm shelter.

“Wow.” Stefano said. “I'm sorry I wasn't there.”

“Well,” Carlina decided to be honest. “At first, I missed you, but then I thought it might be for the best. I'm sometimes afraid that you will leave me if my family is showing its crazier side. And tonight was definitely borderline crazy. I've never experienced anything like it.”

For an instant, he didn't say anything, and when he finally spoke, his voice was rough. “I'm not going to leave you, Carlina.”

A sudden lump formed in her throat. “Even though they're so crazy?”

“Even though they're crazy.” He cleared his throat. “You just have to be aware that I'm not taking on the whole Mantoni clan with all its ramifications at all times. There will be moments when I won't join in the family fun; when I'll need my distance.”

“I understand that.”

“And before you ask: I'm never going to move into the family house, no matter what happens and no matter how many apartments should become free.”

“I wasn't going to ask. I know how you feel about the family house.” Her voice was small. Truth was that the thought had crossed her mind, but she wouldn't even have had the courage to voice it aloud.

His voice softened. “Will I see you tomorrow?”

Carlina sighed. “I'm not sure. I really have to find a moment to talk to Uncle Teo without anybody else listening. I have a feeling that Olga keeps up a peaceful front whenever he is close, so he has no clue what is going on. He's with an old friend tonight, a man's evening out, as he called it, that's why he wasn't here at dinner time. It's incredible that Olga should install herself and behave like that after only three days – and the very second Uncle Teo's back is turned. On top of that, she brings this son of hers, this Ugo.” She shuddered. “He's a walking rock, huge and stupid. I have to show Uncle Teo what's going on before someone kills Olga in the heat of the moment.”

“Well, good luck with that.” He sounded faintly ironic. “But even if you find her body, make sure you don't call me. That's a homicide I refuse to be involved with.”

Carlina started to laugh, but it got stuck in her throat when she heard a high-pitched scream coming from the staircase, followed by a dull thud.

Chapter 5

I

Carlina jumped up, still clutching the phone. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

“What was that?” Stefano's voice was sharp.

“I don't know. I'll go check and will ring you back.”

She dropped the phone and flung open the door to her apartment, only to hear Fabbiola's calm voice coming up from the ground floor. Due to the excellent acoustics of the staircase, her mother's voice floated up clear as a bell and completely free of emotion - unless you counted a tinge of hopefulness. “Do you think she's dead?”

This can't be happening!
Carlina caught her breath and ran down. When she raced past Benedetta's door, it flew open, and Benedetta, Leo, Emma and Lucio joined her on the way downstairs, only to come to an abrupt stop as soon as they had arrived at the bottom.

Olga was lying at the foot of the staircase. She was on her back, with her eyes closed. Her careful makeup, usually perfectly adjusted to her face, looked garish on her white skin.

Fabbiola stood next to her and eyed her with detached interest. “I can't tell if she's dead,” she said without moving, her head cocked to one side like a curious sparrow.

“Mama, really!” Carlina dropped to her knees and placed her fingers onto Olga's wrist to feel for a pulse.

“Ouch!” Olga opened her eyes and glared at Carlina.

Carlina got the scare of her life. Up to that moment, she had truly expected Olga to be dead, and now it felt as if someone were talking to her from the grave. She dropped the hand as if it were searing hot and reared back. “You're alive!” It came out as a gasp.

“Yep. She isn't dead.” Fabbiola commented on the proceedings like a sports reporter on the radio. The regret was evident in her voice, and she didn't bother to hide it.

“If I'm alive, it's no thanks to her.” Olga turned her narrowed eyes to Carlina and made a faint movement with her head toward Fabbiola. “Your mother pushed me.”

“What?” Fabbiola started forward with such a murderous expression on her face that Carlina jumped up and took hold of her mother's sleeve.

Fabbiola shook her off. “Will you kindly repeat that, Olga?”

“No, I won't. I'm not talking to you. Ever.” Olga sat up and steadied herself with one hand on the wooden banister. She winced. “I think I sprained my wrist.”

Nobody made a move to help her get up. They all stared at her with blank faces, a wall of dislike between them so solid, it was almost tangible.

“Listen, Olga.” Carlina tried hard to make her voice steady and soothing. “You can't go around accusing people of something as serious as that without proof. Won't you reconsider what you were saying?”

Olga remained seated on the floor, but for some reason, she still commanded the room like royalty. “I have proof.”

Fabbiola shrieked and made a move forward as if to end Olga's life right then and there. “You can't have proof! This is a total fabrication of lies!”

Carlina caught her mother's arm. “Mama, please.”

Olga lifted her chin. “My proof is olfactory.”

“What?” Fabbiola stared at her.

Olga squared her shoulders. “Just before I felt a hand on my back, pushing me down the stairs, I smelled her perfume.”

“Fabbiola's perfume?” Lucio was the first of the spectators to find his voice. He frowned. “But--”

“Lily of the valley,” Olga said. “That's what I smelled. And that's her perfume. That's how I know that she tried to kill me. She immediately followed me downstairs to see if her dirty trick did the job. Of course, she'll never admit it now, but that's the truth, and nobody will make me say otherwise.” She leaned on her good hand and pulled herself up to a standing position. “I'll tell Teo how you've treated me tonight. You should be ashamed of yourself.” She looked around. “Where's Ugo?”

They looked at each other. “No idea.”

Olga pressed her lips together. “As soon as I find him, I'm going to the police. He will help me file charges.”

At this instant, the front bell rang.

Carlina, who stood closest to the door, opened it. When she recognized the tall man on the door step, her heart made an involuntary somersault. “Stefano!”

Garini pulled her into his arms. “Is everything all right?”

“Nothing at all is all right,
Commissario.
” Olga's voice cut like a knife. “But it's a good thing that you're here. I wish to file charges.”

Stefano released Carlina and looked at the assembled family with a frown. “What happened?”

Before anybody could reply, Uncle Teo appeared behind Stefano who was still standing on the threshold. Stefano moved to the side to let Uncle Teo pass into the house. Uncle Teo broke off humming and beamed at them all. “
Buona sera,
everybody. Isn't it a lovely evening? I have to say, it's nice to go out and meet friends from time to time. In fact--” He broke off and looked around. “Is anything the matter? You're looking kind of glum.”