Murder in Italy

by Dianne Harman

  “She also told me that the police have positively confirmed that Bruno died from drinking poison that had been put in the bottle of wine he was drinking.”

  Kat nodded. “He does seem to have some powerful motives, but powerful motives don’t always lead to murder. I’m keeping an open mind.”

  “That’s the best way,” Luigi agreed.

  “Luigi, I’d like to go ocean fishing,” Blaine said. “Do you have any interest in doing that? I think we should leave these investigators alone so they can do their job.”

  “Good idea,” Luigi said.

  “Kat, give me a call if you find out anything, would you?” Blaine asked, then he said with a smile, “Even though I know you can handle whatever comes up, it will make me feel better.”

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence, darling,” Kat said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. “See you later.”

  Kat, Deborah, and Primo returned to the hotel and got the valet to bring their rental car around. Deborah drove. The drive up to the little town where Sofia lived was lovely. It was a warm day, with the sun shining brightly, but a wonderful Mediterranean breeze took the edge off the heat. They turned off the air-conditioner and opened the windows. Kat felt like if the murder didn’t exist, she’d be in paradise.

  “Sounds like the police are closing in on Salvatore, don’t you agree?” Deborah asked.

  “Seems like they are,” Kat said, “but I don’t think he did it.”

  “Why not?”

  “Well, from what Alessa said, he sounded quite depressed, didn’t he? He was in that small, rundown seaside town, where life is very slow. He wasn’t motivated to put work into the B and B, she did that, and he basically spent his life talking about the past. He was still in love with Chiari, despite all the time that’s gone by.

  “I don’t know how to explain what I feel, but it sounds like he was stuck in a rut. Maybe that’s the best way to describe him. Alessa said his depression was quite severe. I just don’t think there’s enough, let’s call it movement, for him to commit a murder. It seems to me he wouldn’t have the capability to do it. I mean, he would have the intelligence, but would he have the drive? He seemed to have turned into a kind of character where a life-changing eventhappened to him in the past, rather than him making anything happen in his present-day life.”

  “Hmm, I see what you mean,” Deborah said. “That’s quite insightful, Kat. I’m impressed. Perhaps you’re right. Alessa was certainly calling the shots at the B and B. Then again, oh, I don’t know.”

  “Go on.”

  “Maybe it all finally became too much for him and he snapped,” Deborah said.

  “Hmm… Maybe,” Kat said. She thought about it for a moment. “But I don’t think so. I mean, people who snap tend to stab or strangle when they kill someone. Poisoning is too calculated. It takes too long to coordinate. If the killer just snapped, half way through organizing how to administer the poison, they’d have backed out.”

  “Yes, I think you’re right about that,” Deborah said. “Good point.”

  Primo barked happily in the back as if to say, “You’re right, Kat.”

  They soon arrived at the small town where Sofia lived, and drove up the mountain road toward her home. The gates were closed this time, but there was a smaller gate to the side where a person could walk through, and it was open. Deborah parked the car a short distance down the street. They couldn’t park any closer because there was a hairpin curve in the road just a bit further up the hill, and parking outside Sofia’s house might have led to their car being hit if another car came down the hill too fast.

  Deborah got out the car and put a leash on Primo. Primo was unusually energetic. He kept looking up at the house and growling. “Stop that, Primo,” Deborah said gently, ruffling him under the neck. “You’ll scare them so much they won’t allow you to go in the house.”

  As they walked toward Sofia’s house, Kat tried to think of questions she’d like to ask Sofia. Usually she just did it on the fly, but she had so many mixed emotions about Sofia and Diego that she felt blocked. She didn’t know whether to judge Sofia or feel sorry for her, or both, and it was quite distracting.

  When they arrived at the small gate they heard a man and a woman shouting angrily at each other through an open downstairs window, but they weren’t close enough to understand what was being said.

  Kat and Deborah exchanged a look.

  “Let’s get closer,” Kat said quietly. “Don’t alert them or let them see us. I want to hear this.”

  They crept closer, edging up against a bougainvillea plant, trying to keep out of view from the window. They couldn’t look in the window or they’d risk being spotted.

  “I’m sure that’s Sofia and her brother,” Deborah whispered, listening to the voices.

  “I agree,” Kat said. They were getting close enough to hear the what they were saying, but even so, they still only caught a few words here and there. “Do you understand what they’re saying?”

  “No,” Deborah whispered. “We need to get a little closer.” She shot Primo a warning look and put her finger to her lips. “Shh!”

  They crouched down and crept closer and closer, until they were standing immediately next to the side of the window. The sash window was very large and fully open at the bottom. Kat was thankful Sofia didn’t have a gravel driveway. They managed to creep up to the window walking on a concrete surface, so they made no sound.

  Deborah nodded to Kat to indicate she could understand what was being said. Then her eyes widened. She listened, then whispered frantic translations to Kat.

  “She’s saying, ‘Bruno was the love of my life. Now I will never be his wife, and Diego will never be the master of the vineyard, as he promised.’”

  Rinaldo screamed at her.

  Deborah whispered, “He says… ‘You were never going to be his wife, anyway, he didn’t love you! You were just his kept woman, and the kid was nothing more than an unfortunate accident.’”

  They heard the short, sharp cracking sound of a slap, which they assumed must be Sofia slapping Rinaldo.

  Deborah translated, “He says… ‘You’re pathetic. You can slap me all you want, but it does not mean that what I am saying is not true. You know I am not lying. Bruno was always going to stay with his wife. Don’t you know who she was? From a very prominent family in Lazio?

  “Furthermore, don’t you know who you are? People like you and me don’t marry rich people like Bruno and live the life he and his wife did. No, we’re just the hired help. You were a maid until you got knocked up, and I was someone who worked in the vineyard. That’s as good as it gets for people like us.’”

  “She just said, ‘But I loved him. I still love him,” Deborah translated.

  Kat heard Sofia’s strangled sob coming from deep in her throat.

  Deborah said, “He’s saying… ‘You’re stupid. Totally and utterly stupid to believe in such fairytales.”’

  Kat held her breath.

  Deborah’s eyes practically popped out of her head. “She just said, ‘You shouldn’t have done it.’”

  Kat gasped. “Done what?”

  Rinaldo spoke again, and Deborah said with alarm, “He said, ‘I poisoned him for you and my nephew. Maybe now you can find someone who really loves you.’”

  “How could you poison him?”

  “It was easy. I knew when he was going to try the new release. All I had to do was wait until Gabriele left. There was always a little time between the two. It was dusk, so no one saw me. I still had the key to the wine cellar.”

  Kat gasped. “Oh no.”

  At those words, Sofia went into a rage. Her voice was barely comprehensible, because she was screaming so loudly.

  “She’s saying, ‘How could you? How could you? How could you kill my love?’” Deborah said. “I should kill you!”

  Kat heard the terror in Rinaldo’s voice as he said, “No, Sofia, no!” Kat had to see what was going on. She stood up, and saw a gun in S
ofia’s shaking hand, pointed straight at Rinaldo’s head.

  Deborah stood up, too, and gasped. “Primo!” she yelled. “Attack!” She let go of his leash, and he bounded in through the open window. Sofia screamed in shock as Primo charged at her legs. They buckled under her and she fell, the gun flying across the room.

  Kat and Deborah rushed to climb through the window after Primo. Kat had carefully watched where the gun had landed. Rinaldo dashed for it, but she was faster. She backed into the corner of the room, pointing the gun at both Sofia and Rinaldo. “This ends now!” she shouted, wishing she knew how to speak Italian. Still, her meaning was quite clear.

  They became still, Sofia on the floor, Rinaldo standing up. They were both panting with rage and from the heat of the argument.

  Deborah grabbed her cell phone from her purse and shouted, “Polizia!” into it.

  CHAPTER 19

  It was a tense standoff. Kat didn’t feel comfortable for a moment. She stood with the gun trained on Rinaldo, then on Sofia, then on Rinaldo again, while Primo growled and Deborah tugged on his collar to keep him under control.

  “Why did you do it?” Kat asked.

  Rinaldo ignored her and kept on cursing in Italian. Then he sunk into deep thought, and wouldn’t say anything. Sofia continued to cry.

  She kept asking Deborah what would happen. Would she be arrested? What about Diego? What would happen to him? Who would take care of him? Deborah translated it all for Kat.

  Kat said she didn’t know what would happen, but it was unlikely she’d be charged, since she knew nothing about the murder. She may be charged for pointing a gun at Rinaldo, but perhaps not. Kat decided she would vouch for her. Sofia, despite not being an angel, didn’t know anything about her brother killing Bruno.

  She obviously hadn’t urged him on. She was innocent, and more than anything, Diego needed a mother. He’d lost his father and his uncle in one fell swoop. He would be left without any family if Sofia went to prison,.Of course, it would be up to the police to make the final decision, but Kat would stand up for her.

  The police soon arrived, and arrested Rinaldo. Deborah explained everything to them. Thankfully they spoke English, and Kat told them all about Sofia, and how she didn’t know anything about what had happened. Rinaldo was still in his own little world, and allowed himself to be led quietly away. He didn’t say anything to Sofia, or about her, and the police left her in the house as they took Rinaldo away. She burst into tears all over again. Some other police came and took statements. It didn’t take long and they were soon gone.

  Deborah made coffee for the two of them, Sofia and Diego having gone to their rooms. They sipped it in the living room, the same room where all the drama had just unfolded. It felt so strange and eerie. Neither of them knew what to say. Primo curled up on the floor and fell asleep. His work was done.

  After a short time, they heard a car pull into the driveway. Kat went to the window to see who it was, and saw Blaine and Luigi get out of the car. Deborah had called them. Blaine and Luigi both rushed to the door, and Kat rushed just as quickly to let them in.

  Blaine grabbed Kat in a bear hug as soon as he entered, and Luigi said, “Deborah! Deborah!” She came running in, and they had a similar big bear hug. Deborah ended up crying on Luigi’s shoulder, all of her adrenaline pouring out, as she began to comprehend the dangerous life-threatening situation they had just survived. She realized if Rinaldo, instead of Kat, had grabbed the gun, he probably would have killed all three of the women, and perhaps Diego as well.

  “I was so, so worried about you,” Luigi said. “I am so glad you’re safe.”

  Kat, on the other hand, felt deeply satisfied. She snuggled into Blaine’s chest, then looked up at him with a smile on her face. “It’s all over now,” she said.

  Blaine smiled down at her, relief shining in his eyes. “I am so proud of you,” he said, “but right now I’m asking the universe to not allow any murders to happen around you for at least another five years. My nerves just can’t take it, honey.”

  Kat laughed. “If it’s any consolation, I’m not sure mine can, either.”

  “Thank you so much,” Luigi said to both of them. “Kat, your help has been invaluable. I am so indebted to you. Bruno can now rest in peace.”

  “Oh,” Kat said modestly, “you’re most welcome, but I didn’t work alone. I couldn’t have done it without Deborah.”

  “And neither of us could have done it without Primo,” Deborah said. “He was wonderful. He bounded through the window and knocked the gun right out of Sofia’s hand.”

  “Sofia had a gun?” Luigi asked.

  Together they explained what had happened.

  “And then Primo growled at Rinaldo, keeping him in line until the cops came,” Kat said. “Who knows what would have happened without him?”

  *****

  The next morning, they all went to the Catholic church closest to the Lombardi estate for the funeral. Chiari was good friends with the priest there, and they had managed to arrange it on short notice.

  It was a traditional Catholic funeral with last rites, a prayer vigil, funeral liturgy, and Catholic mass. All the mourners passed by the open casket, and kissed Bruno on his cold cheek.

  After the funeral, they gathered outside for the burial. The entire graveyard was packed with people, since Bruno had been very popular. He had also given a lot of money to the local community, and everyone knew who he was. Even Sofia and Diego were present. Kat thought that was incredibly generous and big-hearted of Chiari to invite them. She wasn’t sure she could have been as charitable if she’d found herself in the same situation.

  Chiari had arranged a huge marble mausoleum for Bruno. She placed his favorite things in there – his Rolex watch, his cigars, some old family photos of his father, books, and, of course, plenty of wine. As each of the mourners passed, they placed a single rose or a handful of dirt on top of his casket.

  There were some songs and prayers, and Chiari spoke from the heart about him.

  When it drew to a close, Luigi, Deborah, Kat, and Blaine approached her.

  “Thank you,” she said in English, and hugged Kat. Then she hugged Deborah and kissed Luigi and Blaine on the cheeks. She turned to Deborah and said something in Italian. Deborah translated, “She says we are welcome to visit any time.”

  Kat said thank you, but wasn’t sure she’d be back any time soon. As gorgeously beautiful as Sardinia was, with its mountains and beaches and glittering sea views, she’d need some time to not associate it with murder. She felt like she needed a vacation after this vacation.

  She was in luck, because after they flew back to the Florence area she and Blaine would have some time in Florence before Deborah and Luigi’s wedding and their return flight home to Kansas. She was ashamed to admit that after all the drama, she’d almost forgotten about Luigi and Deborah’s wedding, the reason they’d come to Italy in the first place!

  “We’ll have to do this all over again sometime,” Deborah said. “A day is just not enough to do all of Florence, trust me.” But even so, they still had a wonderful time.

  First they visited the Uffizi Gallery Museum. Kat loved its majestic courtyard, and time flew by as they wandered around, looking at the artworks. There were many of a religious nature, and Kat particularly liked the Filippo Lippi painting of Madonna with child and two angels. It was so intricate and detailed, especially the Madonna’s headdress. In contrast with all the excitement of the investigation, Kat felt deeply and utterly at peace.

  Before lunch, they crossed the famous Ponte Vecchio bridge. It was very strange, with numerous shops set up on it, offering gold jewelry, souvenirs, and art pieces. Kat bought some lovely greetings cards and a writing set for Lacie. She struggled, trying to figure out what to buy for Tyler, but eventually settled on a belt made of quality Italian leather. Then she decided that Lacie’s gift didn’t look like enough, so she bought her a quality Italian leather handbag, too.

  She liked the look of a
nother handbag for herself, but it was in the Versace store on the way to the Florence Cathedral. It was black and white leather, absolutely sleek and gorgeous, without being too ostentatious. She peered at the price tag through the window. “A girl can dream,” she said to Deborah, laughing, “but that’s way out of my budget.”

  On their way to lunch, they went to the Florence Cathedral. When they stepped inside, it took Kat’s breath away. The scale of it was just incredible, the vaulted ceiling towering so far up above it might as well have been the sky. Pillars with the circumference size of small houses reached all the way up to the top, the ceiling bridged with huge vaulted peaks. She could have spent hours looking at all the detailed frescoes, so incredibly intricate that she almost couldn’t believe it. Reams of angels danced in the skies, while demons danced in hell, and humans were caught up in various states between it all.

  They really packed in the sightseeing, and by the time it was 1:00 p.m., they were thoroughly tired out, and more than ready for lunch at an outdoor restaurant they selected. Kat sat there drinking her glass of wine. She looked around and felt incredibly happy, like the whole world was smiling down upon her.

  “Thank you so much for showing us around,” she said to Deborah and Luigi.

  “You are more than welcome,” Luigi said with a smile. “It has been an absolute pleasure. Besides, how could I possibly repay you for everything you’ve done for me? For Bruno?”

  Kat smiled. “That was my pleasure. I’m just glad I was able to be of some help.”

  “We’d better get back, Luigi,” Deborah said. “We need to make sure everything’s ready for the wedding tomorrow.”