No one stopped Graziella from questioning Laura's loyalty, I observed, not even Tomaso.

  "Nothing!"

  Perhaps it was the late hour, or perhaps it was the cold shoulder treatment meted out to Laura by her fiancé and his family, but I was fed up with the Bartolinis and their friends. "We're not suspects because your children are our alibis," I said directly to Graziella. "No one else has a concrete alibi."

  "Concrete?" Graziella's eyes narrowed.

  I tried to explain, "Well, not even Giovanna was with the Cecchis the whole time." I sat back and watched with amazement the reaction to my example. It seemed that any suggestion Giovanna could have had anything to do with Antonio's death was taboo. The outrage was directed squarely at me.

  Graziella said indignantly, "I can't believe you said that!"

  Cinzia said, "Oh, that's what you mean by concrete. That means we all could have done it!"

  "She doesn't mean that, does she?" Anna asked. "She means Tadeucci thinks that, and it's so upsetting!"

  Tomaso said, "Tadeucci's a fool! How anyone could suspect mother, I just don't know!" He did not see Laura's expression fall when he failed to come to my defense, but I did.

  Even Ernesto responded to the supposed slight to his mother. "Not mother! No, not mother! I think Graziella and I saw her far from the oil shed in the vineyard at the time of the murder. We can tell Tadeucci that."

  "Yes, we saw her in the olive grove, I mean, the vineyard." Graziella sounded confused, caught off-guard by her husband's sudden decision to offer his mother an invented alibi.

  Ovidio stood up and swayed as he addressed everyone. "Giovanna could not hurt a living thing! Not a living thing!" He stumbled backwards from the effort and the whiskey, falling onto the sofa.

  Tomaso was even more worked up when he said, "If Tadeucci, or anyone," he glanced at me, to my further humiliation, "thinks that my mother could kill her own child, well, they're just insane!"

  Laura stood up, immediately silencing the outrage and commanding everyone's attention. With barely controlled emotion, she said, "You have no right to talk to Bert this way, any of you! She did not say Giovanna had anything to do with this! All she said was that the police have to treat everyone as a suspect until they find out who did this terrible thing!"

  Giovanna broke in, "Please, everyone, just stop! I can't keep this in any longer! I have to know!" She looked at Tomaso. "I was near the oil shed after I left the house. I was trying to decide what to do. I heard you, Tomaso! I heard you fighting with your brother! Tell me you didn't kill your brother!"

  My heart broke at Giovanna's anguish. I felt shame at earlier having wondered if Giovanna could have killed her own son. Now I understood that Giovanna's worried reaction when she heard of Antonio's death was because she suspected Tomaso had killed his own brother.

  Tomaso spoke directly to his mother. "I went back to the oil shed and talked to Antonio. I tried to convince him to leave Cinzia alone, not to play with her emotions, not to hurt her like he'd hurt so many others, but he wouldn't listen."

  Tomaso looked like a small boy asking forgiveness for a childhood prank, I thought. His lies had been so convincing! Cinzia looked surprised, however. I wondered if Cinzia was surprised Tomaso had tried to protect her, or she was surprised Tomaso had ruined their arranged alibis.

  Tomaso continued, "We fought, but I left him alive, Mama!"

  His mother sighed with relief.

  "I lied to Tadeucci because I knew he would suspect me. It would take his attention away from catching the real killer! Don't you see?" He turned to everyone present to make his argument for lying to the police. "I left Antonio alive, so what does it matter?"

  No one disagreed with him. A few people muttered things in his defense, and no one challenged Tomaso's reasoning. Only Laura was unable to meet his eye.

  Giovanna rose with a supportive hand from Anna and said, "I understand, Tomaso. I want the marshal to find Antonio's killer. I don't want him wasting his time investigating us. But having said that, I doubt we'll be able to keep this a secret."

  I felt Graziella's eyes on Laura and me. If Graziella had asked me at that moment if it would remain a secret, I would have told her the truth: I was going to tell the marshal everything as soon as possible! Franco may not have discussed the case with Laura, but he had discussed it with me, and I felt I had an obligation to fulfill my promise to him!

  *****

  "I'm mortified by all the trouble I've caused. I didn't mean to offend anyone. I'm so sorry Laura."

  We were nearly to the front gate of the Bartolini property. Laura had insisted on our leaving immediately.

  "You said and did nothing wrong. It was a misunderstanding. Everyone's nerves are on edge. That's all."

  Tomaso caught up with us. He kissed Laura on the cheek and said, "I love you, Laura. Please forgive me. It's the stress." He tried to speak softly to Laura in Italian, but she cut him off.

  "We're all stressed, Tomaso. I need to sleep on things and make some decisions." She took my arm in hers, and we walked out the front gate.

  *****

  "Bert, it wasn't my intention when I invited you here, to put you in the middle of a murder investigation."

  "Why did you invite me, Laura?" Floodlights illuminated the grounds of Laura's estate, so the path from the garage to the upper terraces was not difficult to follow.

  Laura did not answer right away. She walked me to the front door of my cottage before she said, "There were several reasons. I suppose I wanted someone who knew me well to tell me I was marrying the right man. I won't ask you to say that, now, because I suspect you don't think Tomaso is the right man for me, and he's a liar, and maybe a murderer! I have to call the marshal tomorrow. He needs to know these things."

  "We'll talk in the morning about that. Right now, I should say that I don't think you ever needed me to tell you if Tomaso was right or wrong for you. You've always been able to see these things clearly for yourself, Laura. You'll figure out what you should do and who you should be with or not be with. Just look inside our heart."

  "I'll try. Good night, Bert."

  I watched as Laura headed down the path to the main house, and surely to another sleepless night.

  Thursday: Emotional Quakes

  Giovedí: scosse emozionali

  "I don't even know what I'm looking for!" I muttered as I fumbled around the garden shed. "And now I'm talking to myself!" I picked up two buckets and shook them. I lifted the top bucket and found underneath it a crumpled piece of paper.

  "Cecilio, e' lei?" The garden shed door opened and the inside was flooded with the early morning light. "Bert," Donatella and Michela peered in the shed, "what are you doing in there?"

  "We thought you were Cecilio," Michela laughed.

  I slipped the paper into my pocket, but not quickly enough to hide it from eagle-eyed Donatella.

  "What was that paper you put in your pocket? Does it have to do with the murder?"

  I handed Donatella the scrap of paper. She opened it carefully and held it out so Michela could read it, too.

  I recognized the paper. "Tomaso wrote this note! He was looking for it the other night. What does it say?"

  Michela said with admiration, "You're very good at this investigating thing! The note's in Italian; it says, 'meet me in the garden shed by the garages.'"

  Donatella set the note on top of a box of pastries she was carrying and studied it more closely. "I bet he gave it to Cinzia. Tomaso said that when he left the house, he wanted to talk to Antonio and to Cinzia. He gave Antonio a note, so, maybe, he gave Cinzia one, too?"

  I said, "I saw him grab Cinzia's hand as she ran off. He could have slipped her the note then."

  "Tomaso was looking for the note?" Donatella thought aloud, "That's because he didn't want anyone to know he'd met with Cinzia, here, that day." Donatella looked meaningfully at the garden shed. "He wanted to meet where no one would see them, so they could do things they couldn't do in public!"

  "Donatella!" Michela looked horrified at the idea that Tomaso would betray Laura.

  Donatella said accusingly, "He said he went looking for Cinzia, but that was a lie! He knew right where she was, waiting for him in the garden shed! He didn't talk to her by the pool. That was a lie, too!"

  "Tomaso lied about something else." I had their full attention. "Last night he admitted that he went back to the oil shed after you went past, Donatella. He fought with Antonio. Giovanna heard them. He says he left Antonio alive."

  "Another lie!" Donatella shouted.

  "I have to bring this to the marshal and tell him everything." I took the note from Donatella and returned it to my pocket for safekeeping.

  "Poor Laura." Michela shook her head in sympathy. "You have to tell her first. No more secrets from Laura! I came here to tell her about Antonio and Paola Cecchi, with Giusi and Cecilio's blessings."

  *****

  "It all makes sense, now," Laura said calmly. "I couldn't understand what Cecilio had against Antonio. And Giusi is usually friendly with everyone. Oh, I wish I'd known!" She put her head in her hands, but stopped when she noticed Michela's pained expression. "I'm not upset with you, Michela! I just wish I'd known so I wouldn't have invited Antonio. Oh, how terrible it must have been for Cecilio and Giusi! And that's what you and Colin fought with Antonio about, isn't it?"

  We were seated in the back garden around a table strewn with the remains of our pastry breakfast. Michela signaled for me to explain what I had found in the garden shed, and why I had looked there. When I had explained Tomaso's behavior and lies, I was surprised at how calmly Laura reacted.

  "These aren't his first lies. They're just the latest. I was up half the night thinking, and I listened to my heart," she glanced at me, "and I've come to some conclusions. None of which will surprise any you." Laura smiled at her friends.

  "We only want you to be happy, Laura. But your engagement turned so quickly into a wedding date! It went too fast for anyone to think clearly!" Michela looked to Donatella for support.

  "We had doubts, but we hoped you'd take time to see things for yourself."

  I asked, "What conclusions have you come to, Laura?"

  "I think I was more attracted to the family than to the man. I may have idealized both. I was relieved when the wedding was cancelled and upset when it was rescheduled. And I don't want to marry Tomaso." She smiled ruefully at her friends and said, "I guess Franco was right. It pays to be cautious with a family like the Bartolinis."

  Donatella and Michela looked at each other questioningly, then Donatella asked, "Who's Franco and why is he advising you on your personal life?"

  Laura laughed and said with some embarrassment, "Marshal Tadeucci. His name is Franco. The other morning when I was at his home visiting his daughter, Pina, he suggested I should be cautious."

  Donatella looked at Laura expectantly. "That's all? At his home? Talking with his daughter? Franco? Is there something you want to tell us, Laura, dear?" Donatella looked at Michela and me and said, "No wonder she's not so broken up about Tomaso!"

  Michela came to the marshal's defense. "Franco Tadeucci is a fine man and an excellent policeman. If he's worried about the Bartolinis, it's because there's something to worry about."

  "You talk like you know him." Donatella eyed Michela suspiciously. "Come on, tell us!"

  "There's not much to tell. Colin and I've met him socially several times in Florence, but that was a few years ago. We told Bertha all this."

  Laura turned to me and asked with surprise, "They have?"

  Michela continued before I could answer. "He was very big in the Florence police force. But after his wife was diagnosed as terminal, they moved to the country, out this way. He took this job so he could have time to take care of her. She died two years ago, I think. He seems a very different man now. There's one more secret to be cleared up. Bert, you should tell Laura about you and Franco."

  Laura said incredulously, "You and Franco?"

  "Not like that, Laura! I've been helping him, some, a bit, with his investigation."

  "A bit? A lot!" Donatella laughed. "She found out that Antonio got our Marco hooked on drugs."

  "And she got me to tell her all about Paola Cecchi," Michela said with pride. "And she's been interviewing the Bartolinis and their friends to find out their secrets."

  "You have?" Laura looked like she did not quite believe it all. "But why?"

  "For you, Laura! Franco asked me to help, and I agreed. I wanted you to stop worrying if Tomaso was involved. I only have a few things to tell Franco, and then I'll stop and let him deal with it. He's the professional."

  "What few things do you have to tell him?" Laura asked with a laugh.

  I concentrated, trying to remember everything I had learned that might be of interest to the marshal. "I have to tell him about this note, and about Tomaso fighting with Antonio, and Giovanna hearing him, and Cinzia's false grief, and Ovidio's deceit when it comes to protecting Giovanna and Anna, and Graziella's nervousness about her trips to the Ponte Vecchio, and Antonio's unwelcome visits to Ernesto's place every week." I looked up at my admiring audience. "I'll speak to him while you're at the funeral."

  Laura said determinedly, "After the funeral, I'm going to spend all my time with you, Bert, playing tourist! You may want to extend your visit."

  "What about the wedding?" Michela asked.

  "I'll tell Giovanna and Tomaso later that it's off. They have their grief to work through first. I'll wait 'til Franco has arrested the murderer. Until then, it's sightseeing for us!" Laura eyed me with amusement. "While fitting in any investigating you may want to do on the side, of course!"

  *****

  "Good! Cecilio found you!" Giusi whisked me into the Cecchi's living room.

  "I was about to walk into town," I protested in vain.

  "I have dresses for you to try on! Fittings!" Giusi pulled the curtains for privacy.

  Giusi had combined Giovanna's quality fabrics expertly in many stylish fashions that suited my taste and figure. I had not expected to return home with Italian high fashion, but that did not stop me from enjoying it! I chose a dress and put it on so Giusi could mark the few adjustments that were necessary. There was the report to make to the marshal, but that could wait a few minutes longer. I was soon to be just a tourist, and I was determined to enjoy it, now with a whole new wardrobe!

  "I make clothes for Laura, Giovanna, Anna, my daughter Paola, and now for you!" Giusi marked the first dress expertly and waited for me to change into another.

  "Have you've known Anna a long time?" I was curious about their friendship.

  "Oh, yes! I knew Anna before she had the baby! Giovanna gave her a job, but the women at the factory were mean to her. They complained to Giovanna. I know the types. They were envious because Anna was so beautiful. Beauty can be a curse! So Giovanna made Anna her personal assistant, at twice their pay, and gave her a clothes allowance, which she paid to me! They treated Anna with respect after that!" Giusi laughed happily at the memory.

  Now that I was off the case, all this gossip was just gossip, but I was curious about the long friendship between the three very different women. "Anna and Cinzia didn't move to the Bartolini home until later, isn't that right?"

  "After Egidio Bartolini died, but they were there a lot before that. Not that it helped Cinzia Sanvincenti any!" Giusi's usually friendly tone darkened when she mentioned Anna's daughter.

  "She seems a difficult child. I feel for Anna."

  "Difficult and cruel! She can be very cruel to her mother and cruel to others!"

  "You mean to Giovanna?"

  "You've noticed?" Giusi looked at me with respect. "I think it's Cinzia's pride that makes her so mean, and she has such a bad temper!"

  I had never heard Giusi speak ill of anyone, but now Cinzia was really getting it! Something suddenly occurred to me. "Giusi, you know that Michela was here earlier telling Laura the truth about Paola's accident?"

  Giusi stopped marking my dress. "I know. I'm glad."

  She sat back on her heels and indicated she was done. As I changed into the next dress, Giusi sat on the sofa. She said sadly, "Antonio was coming from the factory, driving too fast, as always, when he hit our Paola. He left her there in the road, and drove away! A friend of ours found her and got her to hospital."

  I felt silly playing with dresses while a woman described her child's near-death experience. "He was a terrible young man, from what I've learned. Selfish and callous."

  "Just like his father," Giusi nodded knowingly. "Giovanna deserved a better husband. Egidio was a vain man, and cruel! There's a bit of him in all his children! Oh?" Giusi looked up at me and put a hand to her mouth.

  "It's alright, Giusi. Laura's decided that after the murderer is arrested, she'll end her relationship with Tomaso."

  "I'm glad!" Giusi said with relief. She indicated for me to move in front of her, and she marked a silk dress for the minor changes that were necessary. "You tell Franco Tadeucci that. It will make him very happy! He's a good man but not very happy."

  "Since his wife died, you mean?"

  "Even before, he was not happy!"

  "You knew him before?"

  "I helped with the housework while his wife was ill. Four years ago they moved here from Florence. Two years ago, she passed away."

  "So, you know Pina, his daughter?"

  "Not well. She was at school in the mornings, but I remember she was a sweet girl, her father's daughter." Giusi smiled recalling young Pina. "She was ten years old when her mother died. Then Franco sold his place and moved into town."

  "Pina must miss her mother now that she's a young woman."

  "Maybe but maybe not." Giusi shrugged. "Franco's wife was a cold woman, even before she was ill."

  "Emotionally cold?"

  "Yes. Cecilio says Franco married her because he thought she was strong enough to be a policeman's wife. But she wasn't strong. She was just cold, and she hated being a policeman's wife! She said the stress from his work gave her cancer!"