Aunt Clarissa and Aunt Lucilla hadn’t even bothered to show up at the funeral in Roma. They said they were too busy selling Nonna’s house. Isabella, Viviana’s elder sister, couldn’t leave her new family in Malta, but she too was devastated.
The young woman stood up, wiped her eyes, and walked toward the small hotel just blocks from the cemetery. She felt very tired and needed to lie down. In the morning, she would catch the train to Corsa Pietra and her husband. At least Mara had seen her younger daughter married.
It was all very romantic. Giulio and Viviana were wed in a grassy field where more grape stalks were to be planted. Mara and her sisters were present as well as more De Capuas than Viviana had ever met. Included were a few members of the community, but overall the group was small. Ermanno was the best man, and Isabella, her sister, was her matron of honor. There was plenty of wine shared among the guests, and the outdoor table just outside the farmhouse offered several dishes.
Viviana was lovely. Before the ceremony, Mara took Viviana into Corsa Pietra, but there were few gowns so they visited towns and villages all over the area in search of something that was appropriate for such an illustrious occasion. Most of the local stores had old-style dresses with antique lace, buttoned-up bodices, and long veils. Viviana wanted to look more fashionable.
In Firenza, they finally found a striking gown that emphasized Viviana’s slim lines, though soon those lines would disappear. It had wide silk gauze straps and a low-cut front. The waist was high. The skirt, brocade of white and gold, wrapped her long thighs and glowed when the sun hit it.
On her head, she wore a tiara, and on her feet, gold shoes with four-inch heels, something that would catch the groom’s eyes.
Her bouquet wasn’t timid. Vivid purple bougainvillea poured out of her hands in long strands, while Isabella, in a purple gown, carried white mums.
Giulio looked happy. Surprisingly, Ermanno seemed to be enjoying himself too. They both ushered their mother to a seat in the front row. But Giulio was still unable to take his eyes off his beautiful bride.
The priest from the church in town married them and then blessed the couple. The two were driven into the city offices in Corsa Pietra to make everything official while the guests raided the food and wine.
As soon as the bride and groom were seated at a long table under an equally long awning that flapped in the late autumn breezes, Ermanno stood to give the toast. “Welcome everyone. We’re sorry to pull you away from your businesses at such a busy time of year. My brother has always had trouble timing everything. Thankfully, he and his lovely bride have agreed to put off their honeymoon until winter and help with the fermentation. I just want to make sure Viviana understands that she isn’t expected to get up and serve wine to you all. This is the couple’s big day, and we all want her to relax and enjoy it.”
Viviana was relieved when it was over. The newlyweds retired to Giulio’s boyhood bedroom. She was so exhausted she fell asleep in his arms right away. The two were awakened at six the next morning by a persistent buzz.
“Hand me my phone, Giulio. I suppose it’s your brother, telling us to get to work.” She put the phone to her ear. “Hello?” Seconds later, she dropped the phone onto the mussed sheets and rose to grab her clothes.
“What’s wrong? Surely that wasn’t Ermanno.”
“No, it was Mamma. Nonna died during the night. Since she couldn’t come to the wedding, I should’ve gone to the nursing home and shared our day with her. I have to go to Clarissa’s.”
Giulio remained silent. “Am I expected to go too?” he finally asked. “Ermanno wants me at the winery.”
Unsuccessfully trying to button her slacks over her growing belly, she let out an exasperated sigh. “You don’t have to come with me. I know you’re expected to work. I hope Ermanno doesn’t require my help too.” Tears made their way down the side of her nose.
Giulio rose and put his hands on her shoulders. “I’m so sorry, Viv. I know you’re hurting. It’s just that we’re trying to make this place viable. The competition’s tough, and we’re just a little winery. No one will notice if we fail—except our suppliers, who’ll probably go down with us. I promise I’ll try to make it to the service when your family decides on a date and time.” He kissed her on the nose.
Viviana turned back to find some looser clothes in his overcrowded closet.
“Maybe Mara can take you shopping for maternity clothes. At least you’d be more comfortable.”
“Do you think they’d go with my five-inch heels? I don’t believe you’d let me serve customers without my heels.”
“We’ll get someone else to serve customers. Business will be light until spring. Then you won’t be able to wear heels anyway.”
Giulio showed up at Nonna’s funeral in the old church in Corso Pietra. When his exhausted wife had trouble standing at the burial site, he stood behind her and let her lean against him. Mara stood next to her daughter, sobbing. Viviana was surprised her mother cried so hard. After all, Viviana had come to Corso Pietra in the first place because Mara wanted to work rather than come care for her mother.
Afterward, the small group of mourners gathered in the parish hall to eat and talk. Clarissa dabbed her eyes as she flitted from one group to another. Mara sat down and hardly uttered a word to anyone. Viviana tried to speak with all present but soon sat down beside her mother.
“Are you all right?” asked Viviana. “It isn’t like you to be off on your own. Your uncle even came. Have you spoken to him?”
“I’m sorry. I’m very tired.”
“Have you seen a doctor? I noticed you have a little cough. How long have you had that?”
“It’s nothing, Viv. I’ll be fine when I get back to Roma. The work there’s piling up.”
“I confess I don’t want you to go. Why can’t you stay here with me?”
Mara finally smiled. “I’m flattered but until you have the baby, I’ll have nothing to do. When’s the appointment to find out if it’s a boy or a girl? You do want to know, don’t you?”
“In a few weeks, Mamma. Yes, I want to know.”
“What about Giulio? What does he want?”
Viviana bit her lip to keep it from trembling. “I suppose he wants a boy, but he doesn’t say much about it.”
Viviana never got the opportunity to tell her mother about the sex of the baby. Two weeks after Mara returned to Roma, a friend found her unconscious in her apartment.
The hot summer sun poured in through the open window. Viviana could feel the sweat trickling down her back and quickly got up to turn on the air. It was late. She showered and headed for the kitchen. As she passed the front room, she noticed her mother-in-law in a chair, knitting.
“I’m sorry I’m up so late. Have you had coffee?”
“No,” said the older woman. “I haven’t eaten either.”
“I’ll get you a cup right away,” said Viviana, rubbing her back as she waddled into the kitchen.
When breakfast was on the table, she helped the old lady to her chair.
“Have you eaten?”
“I have a roll, but I’m not really hungry,” said Viviana. “Please don’t wait for me.”
“Why are you dressed up? Are you going somewhere? You aren’t allowed to mingle with the customers when you look so big.”
Viviana smiled. “No. I want to speak with Ermanno. It was my understanding that Giulio would be back for his child’s birth. It’s in two weeks, and I haven’t heard a word from my husband.”
“He has work to do, Viviana. You shouldn’t expect him to be here. Husbands are no use with women in labor. As long as you have a doctor, you’ll be fine. Let the men get their work done.”
“I suppose you’re right,” she said.
“My room’s a mess. The bed hasn’t been changed. I’m sure that’s on your agenda today.”
“Yes, of course, Mamma,” she said, putting the cup to her lips but still unable to take a sip of espresso. “Give me a few minutes, and I�
�ll get to work directly.”
Standing, she slipped out the door and toddled toward the winery. The truck was in the drive as she rounded the corner. Stopping to catch her breath at the back of the truck, she watched the strong men, their arms glistening in the heat, slowly carry inside the boxes. Suddenly she felt a searing pain in her side. She sat down on the truck ramp next to a box to wait for the pain to subside. It was then she noticed the writing on it. “Fine wine from the Amalfi Coast,” she read aloud.
Rubbing her belly, she made her way into the shade of the large building. In back of Ermanno’s desk, the young woman, recently hired to temporarily replace Viviana, gathered the receipts and began to file them. Viviana shuffled up to greet her.
“Oh, hello,” the woman said. “I’m Donata. By the looks of it, you must be Viviana. I was just neatening Ermanno’s desk before he returns.”
“What about the customers?”
“There’s a lull between tour buses. You look hot. I’m so glad there are fans all around here.”
“Ermanno doesn’t usually like people cleaning up his desk.”
“Really? I’ve been doing it for weeks. He hasn’t complained.”
“And the paperwork for the delivery outside?”
Donata smiled. “All taken care of. The receipts are in his drawer.”
“Do you know where Ermanno is? I need to know the whereabouts of my husband.”
“Giulio’s up north in Verona. It’s a winemakers’ convention, I think. Then he goes to Milano to a lovely restaurant on Via Gesu.”
“So he has no plans to come home anytime soon?”
“I don’t think he’ll tell his brother to come home. When Ermanno needs to send more supplies, he usually asks me to take them to him. Why?”
Viviana could feel the heat on her face.
Donata brushed her auburn hair off her wet cheek and stepped out from behind the desk. “It looks like I’m done here. I guess I should go back to the tasting room where I have air conditioning.”
For the first time, Viviana realized Donata wasn’t the young innocent girl she was told Giulio had hired. Donata was several centimeters taller than she was. As the young woman slipped away, Viviana watched her shapely legs strut through the doors into the sun. On her shoes, she wore heels—five inch heels. Viviana felt another pang and grabbed her side.
That evening after fixing her mother-in-law dinner, Viviana suddenly screamed. Serena helped Viviana into the car and drove her to the hospital in town. Serena sat with her sister-in-law as she writhed in pain. Twelve hours later, Viviana gave birth. Serena had already left to go to work. No one from the family was there.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Sister Angela sat down in front of another box of evidence provided by Detective Sergeant Turo. “Let me see,” she said aloud. “Concerning the accident, we haven’t any identification for the driver and nothing on the vehicle. What about the DNA, Sergeant?”
“We have that but no matches.”
“Missing person’s reports. Surely there’s been something in four years.”
“We saw many. We followed up on those missing persons reports within weeks of the accident. Nothing.”
“And beyond the five weeks?”
“There were too many reports to continue to investigate them all. Most of the missing persons are found or eventually show up. Of course, we still examine local missing person’s reports, but none seem to be related to this accident.”
“Where’s the body now?”
“Interred in the church cemetery. Of course there’s no name because we don’t have one.”
Sister Angela rested her chin on her palm. “Perhaps this woman went missing, but those who knew her wanted to keep her disappearance a secret. If the family didn’t know about it when it happened, surely they would’ve inquired about her when she didn’t turn up—even months later.”
Turo stopped clicking his keyboard and, sighing, sat back. “If you want to go through all the missing person’s records over the past four years, you’re welcome. I’m afraid you need to get the information from Roma. Perhaps they have it all online. We didn’t hold onto ours because we don’t have room to keep everything.”
Sister Angela smiled. “That’s an idea, Sergeant Turo. If we decide to, I can do that. But I’ve been informed that our victim in Filari came from Rufina. It might be easier to concentrate on those missing from Rufina zone.”
Sister Daniela stood in front of her classroom once more, but it was difficult to put the thoughts of the investigation and the La Barcas out of her mind. She glanced through the windows that overlooked the vineyard next door and shivered. Had Nocera been casing the classroom days or even weeks before the kidnapping? How did Nocera get into the orphanage?
She stared out at her students who looked back at her expectantly. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I see by my notes that you’re all in the middle of reading projects. Why don’t we continue with those? Allegra, would you please come up and organize the groups? I have to step out for a few moments.” Sister Daniela began to walk toward the door, but hesitated. “Evelina, would you come with me?”
The two walked to the lower stair treads and sat down.
“I’m still troubled about the situation that allowed the kidnapper to enter the building. Let’s go over your steps that evening again.”
Evelina took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Let me see. At about ten o’clock, I walked over to the front door and made sure it was latched.”
“Was it secured or did you have to lock it yourself?”
“I don’t remember. I was used to doing both so I wouldn’t have thought twice about it.”
“Then where did you go?”
“I always followed that by heading for the kitchen and the back door that leads to the outside landing. Sister Carmela’s usually locked that already, but I still check it.”
“Has it ever been unlocked?
“Yes. But it’s usually when Sister Carmela’s visiting the nuns in Siena or when she’s sick.”
“Then you retraced your steps?”
“Yes. I walked past the staircase and followed the passage to the nurse’s room.”
“You mentioned you did this every evening.”
“Yes. I’m the only one who does it because it’s so spooky with all the equipment in there.”
Sister Daniela looked surprised but regained her composure. “So you walked down the passage and went into the nurse’s room…”
“I went in and checked the door. It was locked, as usual. Then I turned off the lights downstairs and followed the others to bed.”
The nun stood and brushed off her black skirt. “Follow me,” she said. “Let’s do this together.”
The two climbed the stairs to the main floor. This part of the house was more quiet than usual. Was it always so peaceful when the children were downstairs with her? The only sound came from the kitchen where Sister Edita was preparing lunch.
“So, it’s five to ten, and you’re watching television with the children in this room. Where did you sit?”
“No, I was in the dining room. That’s where a few of the others were still studying. I was reading a book.”
Evelina sat down in one of the chairs at the dining room table, and Sister Daniela slid into a chair next to her.
“Ding. Ding. Ding. You look up. It’s ten o’clock. What do you do?”
“I tell those around me to put away their books because it’s time to go to bed.”
“And you wait for them to leave the room?”
“No. Many of the younger ones are slow to make it to the stairs. I’m probably the second or third to get up. I walk through the television room and flip off the TV. The children groan but start to rise. I keep walking until I get to the front door.”
Sister Daniela continued to follow her.
“I put my hand on the knob and rotate it.” She shows the nun. The door opens. Evelina closes it and flips the lever below the knob. Then she tri
es it again. The door doesn’t move. “This is how it was. It wouldn’t move. I remember that now.”
The nun flipped the lever back, opened the door, stepped out, and closed it. “Lock it again,” she said to Evelina, still standing on the inside. Sister Daniela unsuccessfully tried to open the door. Then she examined the keyhole. No sign of tampering. She knocked, and Evelina let her back inside. “Who has a key?”
“Sister Carmela has one in her room.”
“Who else?”
“No one. Everyone else uses the basement door. You have one for the basement, don’t you?”
Sister Daniela fingered the key in her pocket. “Who else has one of these?”
“I’m sure Sister Natalia has one. I’m uncertain about the others, though I suspect some of them do. Sister Carmela has a few on her wall for some of us who have to go out at night and need to get back in.”
“I hadn’t even thought that any of you might want to go out.”
“We don’t have a nurse. Last fall, some of us got the flu. A nun came from Siena to take one of us, Grazia, I think, to the doctor.”
“What happened to the key?”
“I don’t know. You’d have to ask Sister Carmela.”
“Perhaps the sisters at Mercy House have some keys too.”
“I have no idea.”
“And as far as you know, the La Barcas don’t possess one. Sometimes neighbors keep them in case you get locked out.”
Evelina stared at the nun. “Someone’s always here to let us in, Sister. Why on earth would we give one to the neighbors?”
“Okay, you’ve checked this door. You turn around. Stop. You are about to cross through the television room again. What do you see?”
“The television’s off. Cammeo and Elenora are on the couch. Liliana’s pulling Pia out of the chair.”
“Pia’s still up? Ten’s a bit late for her, don’t you think?”
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