Elegant Death Read online

  Eva's eyes widened. “Does that mean she was shot by one of the wedding guests and not by an outsider? Is that what you believe?”

  “I don't believe anything yet. The more facts I have, the easier it'll be to weed out the suspects.”

  “Got it.” Eva nodded. “Well, I'll let you know if I remember anything else. Can I continue clearing up?”

  “I'm afraid not,” Stefano said. “You'll have to leave everything as it is.”

  Eva's eyes widened. “For how long?”

  “Not more than two or three days,” Stefano said. “Giorgio is already busy doing the pictures.”

  “Will you investigate this case?”

  “I won't.” Stefano pulled Carlina even closer to his side. “I'll be on my honeymoon at a small, windy island without cars.”

  Eva stared at him. “Lovely.” Her tone implied the contrary. She turned away, then nodded at a man striding toward them with energetic steps. He was in a blue suit, with his intensely black hair well organized into waves. “Who's that?”

  “That's my boss, commissario capo Cervi.”

  “Well, I'll leave you to it.” She melted away just as Cervi took in Stefano's elegant gray suit and Carlina's white dress. “What's this? Is this some kind of joke? You're calling me in the middle of the night because a celebrity is killed at a wedding, and now, you're dressed up as the groom and bride?”

  Stefano kept his arm around Carlina's shoulders. “It isn't a joke. There was indeed a murder at a wedding. Our wedding.”

  Cervi stared at him. “But . . . you never said a single word.”

  “We wanted to keep it small, so we invited only the family and some close friends.” From the corner of his eyes, Stefano saw Carlina's mouth twist. He knew that twist – she was amused, trying not to show it. It had often exasperated him in the past, but this time, he was grateful she managed to see something funny even in the strangest situations.

  Cervi looked around the large room. He took in the decorated tables, the piano, the dance floor with the smashed chandelier, the illuminated garden outside. “A small wedding?” His voice was incredulous.

  “My wife's family is very large.” It gave him immense satisfaction to call Carlina his wife.

  “Your wife . . .” For the first time, Cervi focused on Carlina. He blinked, then said, “I'm afraid I've been remiss.” His words sounded stiff. “Please accept my sincere congratulations on your wedding. And my condolences on the death of your friend.”

  Carlina inclined her head. “Thank you.”

  He turned back to Stefano. “But you said it was a celebrity? Who is it?”

  “It's Dorotea Di Silva.”

  Cervi whistled. “Di Silva? You mean the fashion queen from Milan?”

  “Yes.”

  “I had no idea you were connected to that family. You never let on.”

  Stefano wanted to roll his eyes. Of course Cervi took special notice the minute a celebrity was involved.

  “We both only got to know her tonight,” Carlina replied. “She accompanied my brother, and apparently, the relationship is comparatively new.”

  Cervi narrowed his eyes. “Your brother? Where is he?”

  Stefano pointed toward the side. “He's sitting over there, in the corner. The one with his head in his hands. His name is Enzo Ashley.”

  “Ashley?” Cervi frowned. “Not Mantoni?”

  “My mother is a Mantoni. She married an American named Ashley,” Carlina said. “But he died when we were still young, so we moved back.”

  “I see. Now tell me what happened tonight.”

  “It was at about three o'clock in the morning. My wife and I had just stepped out to breathe a bit of air. We were standing in the glass door over there, ready to return to the dance floor.” Stefano pointed at the door that led to the garden. “We heard a shot from behind us. It went through the glass wall on our left. Then came a second shot, and the big chandelier came crashing down. I turned around and tried to follow the murderer, but the shrubbery is very dense, and the second you step out of the lighted areas, it's pitch dark. I could hear him, but I couldn't catch him. I returned and discovered that Dorotea Di Silva had been shot in the back.”

  “You didn't see anything?”

  “Nothing at all, but as I said, it was pitch dark.”

  “We'll have another look in the morning.” Cervi stopped himself and frowned. “What am I saying? Of course you won't do anything of the kind. I can't have you connected with the case when the prime suspect is your brother-in-law.”

  Stefano clenched his jaw. He'd seen it coming, but it still felt like a punch to the stomach to be told he couldn't be involved.

  Carlina gasped. “The prime suspect?”

  “Well, of course.” Cervi looked at her. “I should have thought it's obvious. The murderer is usually found in the closest family circle. And if you haven't known her for long, he remains the only obvious suspect. Unless you saw him next to her when the shot came?”

  Carlina paled. “No. No, he wasn't next to her.”

  “Do you know where he was?”

  Carlina bit her lip. “I think you'd best talk to him yourself.”

  Stefano looked at her. What did she know that he didn't?

  “Signor Cervi.” Carlina put out a hand in a pleading gesture. “Don't you think it would be utter folly to murder your girlfriend at your sister's wedding when there's nobody around who knows her but yourself? I mean, that's like pointing the finger at yourself, isn't it?”

  Cervi wagged his head. “You never know when people will crack. It might have been a spontaneous decision.”

  “In this country, few people carry around guns on the off-chance they might need them,” Carlina bit off. “Besides, she was obviously shot from a distance, so it wasn't a passionate spur-of-the-moment murder.”

  Cervi patted her arm and gave her a condescending smile. “You let us do the investigation, signora. We've got plenty of experience, and we'll find the real murderer soon enough. Now, if you'll excuse us for a minute . . .”

  He took Stefano by the arm and led him away. “Sorry this had to happen at your wedding, Garini.” It sounded as if he wanted to add, “. . .but you had it coming, the way you kept it a secret and didn't invite me.” He gave him a sharp glance. “Is there anything you have to add, now that your wife is out of earshot? Can you give me a rough description of the brother?”

  Stefano shook his head. “I'm afraid I can't help you much. I only met Enzo once before, for about five minutes, and have talked to him tonight for a short time. He's in his mid-twenties, and works as sales representative for a company that sells high-quality cloth for shirts. He lives in Pisa, but travels a lot for his work. Otherwise, he's frank and outgoing and well known for saying what he thinks. Not a man who would hide his feelings until he explodes. That's all I know.”

  “All right. You've booked a two-week vacation, haven't you?”

  “Yes. We'll be out of the country.” Stefano clenched his teeth. And nobody is going to stop us.

  “I see. Well, well.” Cervi pulled at his shirt cuffs so they would show to the exact same extent beneath his jacket. “I guess I'd better handle this personally. If a celebrity is involved, there'll be lots of publicity. We need to show the police force of Florence from its best side.”

  Stefano found it difficult to hide his dismay. Cervi hadn't worked on a real case in the last ten years. Sure, he had read the reports – at least, some of them – but that wasn't the same as working hands-on. How on earth could he phrase it diplomatically? “I would suggest you ask Sergio or Paolo to join in. This will probably entail a massive work-load, and you'll be needed to organize the strategy in the background.”

  Cervi made an impatient move with his hand. “Well, obviously I'll do that. Don't you worry. I'll start talking to the suspect now.”

  Stefano swallowed. The suspect. Singular. Cervi had hardly turned his back on him when Carlina appeared at his side. Her eyes flashed. “He's insufferable!”


  “I know.”

  “Did you hear the way he talked to me? I almost expected him to call me 'little lady' and tell me to run off and play with my toys! Who does he think he is?”

  Stefano sighed. “My boss.”

  She slipped her hand underneath his arm. “Gosh, I'm so sorry. I can now understand much better what you have to go through each day.”

  “Well, that's something, at least.” He gave her a crooked smile.

  “I think he's been to Temptation a few times, but he didn't leave a lasting impression, so he can't have been particularly horrible.”

  Stefano shook himself. “I still find it hard to picture Cervi buying luxury underwear at your store, but if you say so . . . anyway, he can't have been a particularly charming customer, either, or you would have remembered him.”

  Carlina grinned. “Certainly not charming.” She looked toward her brother and started. “There! Do you see that? He's already started to bully Enzo.”

  Stefano looked. “He's just talking to Enzo. How do you know he's bullying him?”

  “Because Enzo is not looking at him. That's what he always does when he's being bullied and doesn't agree. He curls into himself and waits until the storm has passed, neither looking at you, nor answering. And then, he does exactly as he likes anyway.”

  Stefano cocked his head to the side. “And you know this because . . .?”

  A swift grin transformed her face. “Because I'm his older sister, and I've bullied him for years, of course.”

  “I see.”

  “And what do you know about him that made you hesitate when Cervi asked?”

  She took a deep breath. “Enzo was out in the garden when the shot came. He only appeared later.”

  “Did he say so?”

  “I saw him come in.”

  “Damn.”

  She bit her lip. “It doesn't look good, does it?”

  “I'm afraid not.”

  Carlina pulled back her shoulders. “We'll have to help Enzo! Let's be honest, she wasn't a very warm or friendly person. Plus she was rich, so no doubt many people envied her. And she works in the fashion industry, which is a cut-throat business. Always has been. I bet she had any number of enemies. We just have to find them.”

  “But they didn't kill her in Milan. They drove all the way to Florence and shot her during our wedding. Is that likely?”

  “They did it for camouflage.”

  He snorted. “You think someone wanted to frame Enzo?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Then that person would have to hate Enzo, too.”

  “Not necessarily. He might just have been a convenient scapegoat.” She frowned as she continued to stare at her brother being interviewed by Cervi. “This boss of yours, does he work like you? I mean, does he dig deeper?”

  Stefano hesitated.

  Carlina closed her eyes. “This really is bad.”

  “I told him to take Sergio or Paolo onto the case, as well. They're doing good work, and I can ask them to make sure to look for any detail Cervi might not wish to consider.”

  “Hmm.”

  He could see she wasn't convinced.

  “Maybe we should . . .” Her voice trailed out.

  He knew where this was leading. “No way, Carlina. We've been looking forward to our honeymoon for so long. I'm not going to give it up.”

  “But if Enzo is in danger? How can we leave him alone?”

  “I wouldn't propose it to you if we could stay here and actually do something. But Cervi has been quite clear: I can't work on the case. It would be even worse to stay right here, never learning anything about the progress of the investigation.”

  She sighed. “Yes. Yes, you're right, of course. But still. It feels . . . disloyal.”

  “Whatever people may say about you, my dear, they'll never be able to say you're disloyal to the family.”

  That earned him a fleeting smile. After a moment, Carlina said in a low voice, “I feel so . . . cheated. This was our wedding, our special day. I wanted it to be perfect. I wanted it to be a day to remember for the rest of my life with a warm and fuzzy feeling deep inside me.” Her shoulders slumped. “Now, all we'll ever think of is the murder.”

  “No, my love.” He pulled her close and pushed a wayward curl from her face with a tender touch. “I won't forget the ceremony. I won't forget the way you looked when you came down the aisle, when you looked at me with that special Carlina smile, so beautiful and radiant. I won't forget the wonderful evening we had, the delicious food, the dancing, the fun. After all, our wedding party was almost over when the murder took place, and for that, I'm grateful. That's what we have to focus on.”

  Her eyes filled with tears. “You're right. It could have been much, much worse. She could have been shot before we'd even been married.”

  The thought alone made him grow cold. “Let's not even go there.” His gaze scanned her face. He hated to see that look on her face, so sad and discouraged.

  She squared her shoulders. “Well, we can't change things. And I think that now, we have to focus on Enzo.”

  “I'm afraid so.”

  “But where do we start?” Carlina frowned and took a small step back, so she could look around the room. “Maybe it would be best if we tried to figure out who was where when the shot sounded. Can you remember anyone in the room when we came through that door?”

  Stefano gave her a crooked smile. “I only had eyes for you.”

  Carlina shook her head. “You're not approaching this with the right sense of urgency.”

  “It happens to be the truth. I know the pianist was at his place because the music played. I know you were by my side. I dimly remember a couple or two on the dance floor. But I can't even tell you who they were. I just didn't pay attention. I do remember some people had left.”

  “Yes. Your father was tired, and your sister had gone some twenty minutes earlier.”

  “Roberto had also gone, but the whole hard-core Mantoni clan was still out in full force.”

  “Do you remember where they were?”

  He shook his head. “No idea at all. As I said, I wasn't paying attention. How about you?”

  “Same here.” She smiled up at him. “It seems a couple in love doesn't count when it comes to being a good witness.”

  “True. They're able to tell you if the eyebrow of your partner twitched and how deeply they breathed, but the rest of the world might just as well not exist.”

  “Aha. And how often did my eyebrow twitch?”

  “Not at all. You looked beautiful and happy. Your cheeks had a wonderful blush to them, and your eyes were shining.” And I resent that all these are now gone. If only the murderer had chosen another time and place. I'd wanted to be free of it, if just for a little while.

  She took his face in both her hands. “And you looked relaxed and happy, with your hair just a little rumpled. I haven't gotten used to seeing the ring on your finger yet, and nor have you. You turn it from time to time, and I remember that you did that just before you took my hand.”

  “It still feels strange,” Stefano admitted.

  “Let's go and ask the others. We might make a list. Help Cervi.”

  “I doubt he'll appreciate it.”

  “But we can't leave until he's gone, so we might just as well use the time.” She darted toward her mother, and a short time later, he saw her scribbling notes onto a piece of paper. His feeling of uneasiness increased. Yes, the more information they had, the better, but it would be hard to stop Carlina from being too direct. He would have to figure out a way to slip their findings into Cervi's consciousness without making it clear they had been sleuthing behind his back. Quite a challenge.

  The evening drew itself out, but at long last, they were able to return home, exhausted. Dawn was already coming, and they slept late. Good thing they had planned to rest on Sunday and only leave for the honeymoon on Monday. At lunch time, they sat on the sofa, sipping their first cup of coffee.

  “Th
is is your first day as a married woman, signora Garini.” Stefano took her hand and kissed. it.

  “And your first day as a married man.” Carlina smiled. “How does it feel?”

  He pretended to think about it. “I think I like it.”

  “Ha! Don't show too much enthusiasm, signore.”

  He opened his mouth to reply, but was cut short by a thundering knock on their door.

  “Carlina! Stefano! Open up!”

  Chapter 3

  They exchanged a glance.

  “It's your mother.”

  Carlina jumped up. “I don't believe it. Can't they leave us in peace for one single day?” She rushed to the door and threw it open. “Mamma! What do you think you're doing? We've only just gotten up.”

  “About time, too.” Her mother pointed at Enzo, who stood like a ghost next to her. “Your little brother needs your help.”

  Carlina took one look at his white face and capitulated. She opened the door wide. “Come in.”

  Enzo seemed to have shrunk. He dropped onto the sofa and stared at Stefano with eyes full of misery. “Your boss already talked to me this morning. He wanted to know everything about Dorotea and me. Everything.” He sighed. “I tried to tell him, but I had the feeling he only listened to anything that sounded suspicious.”

  “Is there anything to sound suspicious?” Stefano asked.

  Enzo shrugged. “I don't know. He found it strange that we'd been only going out for three months.”

  “But that's not strange at all!” Carlina shook her head.

  “Well, he seemed to think you don't present a three-month-girlfriend to the family. It's too early, apparently.”

  “I say you should have presented her right away, without waiting three long months.” Fabbiola pursed her lips.

  Carlina and Enzo exchanged a glance.

  “How did you feel about it?” Stefano asked.

  Enzo sighed. “She wanted to.”

  “Dorotea, you mean?” Carlina looked at him with a slight frown.

  He nodded. “She saw the invitation and said she would come. She didn't consider the idea that I might not want to take her.”

  “Quite right.” Fabbiola nodded. “Of course you don't go to a wedding on your own if you are dating someone.”