The Year of the Mantis

by P J Mann

  Catching a glimpse of her image in the mirror, she could hardly recognize herself. That shade of terror and hopelessness darkening her eyes was something new to her. Never in her life had she thought she would have ever been accused of murder.

  She walked to the bathroom and retouched her makeup, for her upcoming visit with the detective, hoping to conceal the stress, clearly transpiring from her eyes.

  Slowly, she turned her shoulders to the mirror and leaned on the sink. Closing her eyes, she focused on her heartbeat, trying to use the same relaxation technique she used when she was a dancer at the night club. She needed to be able to detach from her daily problems in the same way.

  Taking a deep breath, she started to hum the same lullaby she sang to Irina, when she was a child. That was the same one her mother sang to her and was a tune capable of soothing her soul. As the tune started to fill the room, she felt a bit calmer. That simple melody could perform real miracles.

  Her life hadn’t been easy and getting to know Claudio was her second chance for happiness. It wasn’t the money she was after; it was the fact of having someone who would have been by her side no matter what.

  He was the man who could go beyond the appearances of a dirty job and see through her soul. She opened her eyes, and with a smile on her face she walked away to the living room, where the balcony that looked over the main entrance was located.

  Without going out, she peeked from behind the curtains waiting to spot the Police car arriving, wondering whether Detective Scala would have used an official or a civil vehicle.

  Thinking about it, she didn’t remember having noticed which car he had the previous time, so there wasn’t any expectation for her.

  With a sigh, she walked away from the window and glancing at the clock, she decided to have a coffee. Instead of making her nervous, it would soothe her. She was ready to let the rich aroma fill her nostrils as she reached the kitchen and started to prepare the coffee maker.

  She sat on the couch, with her coffee. Reaching for the cup, she deeply inhaled the fruity aroma, bringing the bland, bitter tones and the crisp taste to her lips. With the first sip, Madlen’s expression relaxed in full enjoyment of the strong chocolaty flavors giving her a warm sensation of safety, able to soothe her soul while she waited for something she couldn’t foresee. Coffee was her favorite drink and considered it almost as a ritual. Every sip had to be enjoyed with the due calm, celebrating the flavors and sensations.

  With a long exhale, she placed the cup back on the table and remained for a moment thinking about the situation she found herself in. With a slight groan, she stood from the couch and brought the cup to the kitchen, placing it in the dishwasher, when the intercom rang. With a startling movement, she closed the dishwasher and after a second of hesitation, she hurried to answer.

  “Yes?” She said, trying to sound as calm as possible.

  “Ms. Fazekas, this is Detective Scala. I’m with Forensic Inspector Romizi, can you please open the door for us?” Maurizio announced.

  She pressed the button to open the main door. “Of course, you know how to arrive at my apartment,” she confirmed, wondering about the reason to have another officer accompany him.

  Knowing they were inside the building, she went to open the door to wait for them. The elevator in front of her apartment started to climb the floors and together with it, her heartbeat increased in her chest. The doors of the elevator finally opened, and Maurizio came out followed by Leonardo.

  “Good afternoon Ms. Fazekas,” Maurizio greeted pacing toward her. “This is Forensic Inspector Romizi, he directed the forensic team in this case. His presence here is only a formality.”

  Maurizio wanted to clarify Leonardo’s presence to avoid useless misunderstandings and uncomfortable feelings Madlen may have about any suspicion of her involvement in the murder.

  “Pleased to meet you, come inside.” She kindly invited them in, carefully closing the door behind her.

  Maurizio and Leonardo walked behind her to the living room, without bothering to remove their jackets. They didn’t have any intention to remain there for a long time, or at least this was what they both hoped.

  As they were all seated on the couch, Madlen glanced at them furrowing her brows. “How can I help you?”

  “I would like to get to know more about your background. As for now, I know you came to Italy as a seventeen-year-old girl looking for that kind of fortune and future you couldn’t see in your country. What I don’t know is what happened since the day you arrived.” Maurizio commenced, trying to keep the discussion on a general tone, without entering into the details.

  He hoped she would be open to willingly provide them with all the answers to their questions without the need to pursue and insist on what they already knew.

  She took a deep breath. “It might take some time. Are you sure you don’t want to take off your jackets?” she asked in an amused tone.

  She wasn’t an old lady, but she lived in Italy for a long time, and her life had been anything but boring. Exchanging a fast look between each other, Maurizio and Leonardo stood up from the couch and comply with Madlen’s suggestion.

  “After the death of my father in Hungary, the economic situation of my family degraded, making me an easy target of ruthless traffickers. At that time, it wasn’t uncommon for girls coming from Eastern Europe to become victims of the prostitution network. For this reason, at the age of seventeen, I agreed with my mother to move away from my hometown. She had some friends here in Rome who could host me. Although I was to be considered underage, I was under her responsibility, and the Italian authorities didn’t have anything to complain about it. My mother and her friends took care of the bureaucratic work. I started working as a waitress at the Venus Caprice, and after I was offered a job as a dancer.”

  She paused for a moment, thinking about her story and how lucky she’d been compared to other girls moving to Italy looking for a better life only to find themselves stuck into an endless nightmare.

  “Here I met Ivan Leonov, an Italian-Russian citizen five years older than me, and we connected since the first moment we met.”

  “Is he the father of Irina?” Maurizio wondered, reaching for the notebook from his pocket, knowing this was the good time to write down the information before he might have forgotten.

  “Yes, I got pregnant, and we decided to get married. Things seemed to go fine, but after the birth of Irina, the relationship with Ivan started to deteriorate. He became increasingly jealous of my job and wanted me to quit, but the salary of a waitress isn’t quite the same as a dancer, and without that extra money, we couldn’t provide for Irina. Therefore we realized there wasn’t any other solution but to walk away from each other.”

  Leonardo remained silent, as he didn’t need to write notes. He was able to memorize and keep all the details stored in mind, and this skill was very useful for his work at the forensic department.

  Irina was three years old, and I was afraid I wouldn’t have had the possibility to take care of her. After a discussion with my sister, we decided it would have been best for my daughter to return to Hungary and live with her. She had a normal family, something I couldn’t offer.” Averting the eyes from them, she glanced at her entwined fingers on her lap, recalling that difficult decision.

  Maurizio nodded. “Does your daughter return to visit you often?”

  “There isn’t a precise schedule, when she has time twice every year. Why does it matter?” Madlen tried to understand the reason for their interest in her daughter.

  “Just curiosity— you mentioned she was thinking of coming to Italy to study or perhaps to find a job, and I was wondering whether her desire was due to a relationship with a young man here.” He couldn’t say there was a girl with her same name who’d been seen, or better heard, in the company of Luciano.

  “Do you mean if Irina has a boyfriend here?” Madlen goggled at Maurizio, surprised at his suggestion. “We’re always together when she comes to visit m
e. Of course, she doesn’t need any permission to travel, and she’s no longer a child. Yet, I know she would have told me if there was someone she was interested in.”

  Leonardo drew a long breath and exhaling slowly, turning his eyes to Madlen. “And what about your husband? What kind of relationship does he have with you and Irina?”

  Surprised at his question, she remained speechless for a fraction of a second. Her lips twitched into a shy smile. “I have no idea where he might be presently. I know he kept in contact with Irina, the problem between us didn’t involve her, and she wasn’t the reason why we decided to divorce.” She took a pause regaining her composure. “He wasn’t a good husband, but at least I can say he was a good father.”

  “So, I assume he was also paying her child support? And what about the alimony to you?” Maurizio chimed in, writing in his notebook about checking the identity and the location of the man.

  “We agreed he would have paid only the child support. I was able to earn enough to sustain myself and send some money to my sister. If he was going to pay his part for Irina and stay away from me, this would have been more than enough.” Her voice turned tough, as she clenched her fists, grabbing onto the fabric of her skirt.

  “Had he been abusive toward you? Was he ever arrested for domestic violence?” Leonardo wondered, leaning on the couch.

  “No, he was not violent, but he was extremely jealous. He was always thinking there was another man trying to get me away from him. It was an obsession, which led him to follow me wherever I went and check all the telephone calls I made. He never raised a hand to me, but it was impossible to live that way.” She paused for a moment then, widening her eyes, unclenching her fists, she turned her eyes to look at them both. “You are not suggesting that he might be the one who killed Claudio for jealousy?”

  “Why not?” Maurizio answered with a calm tone on his voice, raising his glance from his notebook to her. “A jealous man doesn’t stop being obsessed with his wife simply because they aren’t married anymore. To be honest, this was something you should have told us since the beginning, and we will check his alibi.”

  Averting her attention from them, she covered her mouth with a hand, considering Maurizio’s words. They made sense, but she wasn’t ready to believe he would have reached that point. “I… I personally don’t think...”

  Suddenly all the words failed her.

  “We’re only trying to see all the possibilities. I’m not saying he is for sure the murderer, but he had a good motive for killing Mr. Calvani. Your former husband was a jealous man, and if he knew you had a new boyfriend, he might have lost control over this, and do something irrational. Did you ever notice him or his car around the night club where you were working?” Leonardo asked, trying to put her at ease.

  “No,” she shook her head. “I haven’t seen him or noticed anything strange when I was at work, or with Claudio.”

  “We will find this out, but there’s another question I need to ask you.” Maurizio started flicking the pen between his fingers. “Why did you have a meeting with the insurance company? You should have been aware that until the case is closed, or we give permission to release the fund they aren’t allowed to make any payments.”

  “I need money. While Claudio was alive, he paid me an allowance of 2000 Euros every month. Now I’m left with nothing at all, I’m not his wife, so I have no access to any social compensation, or any inheritance. I don’t have any other income, but I need to live.”

  “Have you tried looking for a job?” Leonardo’s voice arrived like the screeching of nails against a chalkboard, leaving Maurizio and Madlen surprised.

  Maurizio’s face turned red as if it wanted to explode, and the veins on his temple got swollen and pulsed like crazy. “Romizi!” he yelled, his voice thundering through the room.

  Leonardo wished the ground would swallow him up and tensed his shoulders, understanding he’d been tactless in his question. Moreover, he also knew his incautious words would have led him to the room of the chief commissioner as they’d reach the Police Department. He hoped there wouldn’t have been any disciplinary measures.

  Me and my big mouth, Leonardo cursed within himself. “I… I’m sorry, Ma’am, I didn’t mean to be impolite,” he muttered.

  Madlen’s expression relaxed, she had to start thinking about her life. She needed to get her hands on that settlement at any cost, and she hoped the chat she had with the representative at the insurance company would have given her a good result. They said they would look into the situation and would give her an answer.

  I hope Irina was right and they will be ready to pay half of my share. I wish I could leave this place forever and live my life with my daughter in peace. I swear I’ll never mess up my life with any man ever again.

  She felt bitter, not because of the rude improper comment of Forensic Inspector Romizi - after all he’s right, and the only chance I have is to find a job at least to make sure I’m not going to live on the streets. She glanced once again at Maurizio sending inflamed glares at his colleague.

  “I understand you didn’t mean to be offensive, and you’re right, I should start to think about my life and take it back in my own hands,” she said.

  “You’ll be reported to your supervisor,” Maurizio growled, as Leonardo’s body tensed up.

  Maurizio couldn’t think clearly any longer. He scanned back his notebook taking a fast look at everything he’d been asking trying to figure out whether there were any other open questions. One thing he knew for sure, was that next time he was bringing someone to question a suspect, he would have made sure the man was mute.

  So, to sum it up, there’s a jealous husband we need to locate, and question. There’s still the question of her daughter; I still can’t say whether she’s the same person as Luciano’s girlfriend or not. According to what she said, she can’t be the one, as she comes to Italy only to visit her once in a while. Yet, she might have kept her relationship with the son of her boyfriend a secret. I can see how the situation might be a bit bizarre.

  He turned his back to glance at Madlen, “May I ask to see a recent picture of your daughter?”

  Like awaking from a dream, she startled on the couch. “Of course, hold on a moment,” she said, standing and walking to a closet. From one of the shelves, she grabbed a picture album, returned to her seat and opened it to the latest page. “Here is a photo of her last birthday, five months ago.”

  Maurizio gently took the album in his hands to observe the picture. The first thing he noticed was the striking resemblance with her mother, and he understood that with her beauty, she could have turned many heads, including the one of younger Calvani.

  “Congratulations, she’s a very beautiful young lady. And you say she still lives in Hungary…”

  “She’s still looking for a direction in life, but she works part-time as a waitress in a pub. She still lives with my sister,” she said with a smile.

  Maurizio stood up, wearing his jacket, and placing the notebook back in its pocket. “Ms. Fazekas, thank you very much for your cooperation, we will let you know if we need to ask you any further questions.”

  Leonardo mumbled something that resembled another apology and thanked her for her availability, keeping his eyes lowered.

  As they were in the elevator, Leonardo peered at Maurizio. “Are you going to tell what happened in there to the chief commissioner?” He cringed, expecting another thunderstorm approaching his way.

  Shaking his head, Maurizio turned his eyes to look at Leonardo. “No, I might also have been too impulsive, but you need to understand it’s not your duty to tell anyone what they should or shouldn’t do. Particularly when you’re wearing your uniform. We’re representing the law, for Christ’s sake, and if she were a more susceptible person, she would have demanded your name and surname and would have reported you to the chief of the Department. At that point, you would have been in trouble,” he warned, placing a hand on Leonardo’s shoulder.

  �
��One thing to do now, is to call Luciano Calvani and have him interrogated one more time. I need to understand whether this Irina is the daughter of Ms. Fazekas or is another girl with the same name.” He handed the keys of the car to Leonardo. “You drive, and I will give him a call.”

  ***

  Luciano was trying to focus his attention to the book he was studying. The exams were fast approaching, and studying was the best way to keep his mind occupied from the murder of his father and the decision he had to make about running the firm or continuing the studies.

  There were so many thoughts swirling in his mind, to keep him away from any academic or working duty. One important thing was that Irina had disappeared. He couldn’t say whether she already returned to Hungary or was still in Italy.

  Raising his glance, his eyes met the clock on the wall. It was half-past four, and he was far behind schedule with everything in his life.

  The ringing of his mobile phone brought him back to reality, and not recognizing the telephone number, he answered, hesitatingly. “Hello?”

  “Good afternoon Mr. Calvani, this is Detective Scala. May I steal a moment of your time?” he asked.

  “Of course, Detective. Is there any news about the murder of my father?” He wondered, closing the book in front of him. It was obvious that after that call, he wouldn’t have any chance to focus on anything else.

  “Not yet. I wanted to know whether you would be available for a chat, I could meet you right away, as I’m driving at the moment,” Maurizio observed the road going by, as Leonardo started to drive in the direction of the Police Department.

  Luciano wanted to tell him that he preferred not to have anything to do with the Police until everything would have been solved, but he knew he would have climbed up the list of the suspects. “Of course, I’m at home…” his voice hesitated. “You know where I’m living now?”

  “Yes, we have the address of your mother’s apartment, if that’s still the place where we can find you.” A chuckle escaped Maurizio’s mouth.