The Italian Matchmaker(65)

‘I think she’s a woman because she left a scarf behind and it smelled of perfume. Not the sort of perfume I would choose, nor the scarf for that matter.’

‘In the palazzo?’

‘No, in the folly. How well do you know the palazzo, Inspector?’

‘Well,’ he replied. ‘I had to go up there on many occasions in the past.’

‘Really?’

‘It was a ruin, but on clear nights you could see lights moving through the rooms.’

Romina tried to control her impatience. ‘Are you superstitious, Inspector?’

‘Not really, but there are enough people here who are.’

‘I know. The staff talk of ghosts. It’s quite ridiculous.’

He shrugged. ‘A town like this never forgets a history tainted with blood.’

‘How very melodramatic. So what did you make of those lights?’

‘We found nothing.’

‘Well, the light is back and I want you to look into it.’

He decided to humour her. She looked like the sort of woman who could create trouble if she felt she wasn’t being taken seriously. ‘Do you keep the folly locked?’

‘Yes, at all times. I have the only key. So, someone is either picking the lock or has a key that I’m not aware of.’

‘Have you thought about changing the lock?’

‘Of course, but my son wants to catch the intruder.’

‘I see.’ So, Luca the hero had to save the palazzo as well as Cosima. ‘Is there damage to the property?’

‘Not really. I don’t like to think of a stranger sleeping on the bed, though. It’s very unhygienic.’

‘No sign of a break-in?’

‘No.’

‘So your safety is not threatened?’

‘No, not yet.’ She narrowed her eyes. ‘But, in a place like this, with the history you speak of, one can never be too sure.’

‘You don’t think it’s someone who works at the palazzo? A housekeeper, for example, or a gardener? Someone who bears a grudge?’

‘I’m a good judge of character, Inspector. I trust those who work for me. Besides, why would anyone bear a grudge? We’ve done nothing wrong. We simply bought a ruin and restored it to its former glory. What is the harm in that?’

‘It still sounds like an inside job to me.’

‘Well, it isn’t. I know the people I live with. Anyway, they have far too much good taste to own a scarf like that one.’

‘I’ll come and have a look if you like, but I suspect there’s not a great deal I can do. We don’t have the resources to guard the door full-time.’

‘So, I have to leave this to my son?’

‘From what I have heard, he is more than capable.’

‘I want you to come up all the same. Your presence will be very reassuring.’ There was nothing remotely reassuring about Inspector Amato.

Luca spent the afternoon playing hide-and-seek with his daughters before taking them and Sammy to Fiorelli’s for tea. Cosima was sitting at one of the round tables with Alba, deep in discussion. When she saw him, she smiled and waved.

‘What will it be today?’ she asked the children. ‘Ice-cream again?’ The girls nodded eagerly.

‘And one for Greedy,’ said Juno, wiggling her caterpillar into Cosima’s face.

Luca watched Alba. Was it possible that she was the intruder? Sneaking into the folly to feel close to her dead mother? Like Rosa, Alba was eye-catching with her dark hair and light grey eyes, and her wide, infectious smile. But, unlike her daughter, she had a ripeness that gave her beauty depth. He took a seat and Cosima asked Fiero to make the coffee while she sat and chatted. He lit a cigarette and lowered his voice to make sure they couldn’t be overheard.

‘Can I see you tonight?’

‘I’d like that.’

‘It’s impossible to look at you sitting there and not touch you.’

‘I bet you say that to all the girls,’ she teased.

‘I used to say it to all the girls, but I never meant it. Now I mean it from the very bottom of my heart.’

She laughed incredulously. ‘You’re half Italian.’

‘The other half is solid, reliable, trustworthy British.’

‘Where shall we go?’

‘Well, as you insist on keeping our friendship quiet, I suggest I pick you up at seven, we drive down the coast, find a little restaurant for dinner, then a pretty beach to walk along. Does that appeal to you?’

‘It sounds lovely.’

‘You won’t have trouble getting away?’

She shook her head. ‘They’re used to me disappearing for hours. I like being on my own. They know that.’

Fiero brought his coffee. Luca blew smoke rings and looked over to where the girls were playing with the local children, under Sammy’s watchful eye. They were laughing and joining in as if they were old friends. After a while Juno began to jump off the bollard with Greedy, throwing him into the air and catching him as she jumped.