"I agree. She told me as much yesterday evening."

  "She probably sees Tomaso as her last chance to marry into the Bartolini family, now that Antonio's dead."

  I had an inspiration. "What about my idea of two attackers, but the other way around? Maybe Tomaso hit Antonio with the log during his fight and then left the oil shed. Giovanna went inside and—" I shook my head, "No, that's not right."

  "You mean, Giovanna found Antonio left for dead from the blow to the head? So she raised the stone and placed her youngest son's head in the trough of the oil press and dropped the grindstone on him, to protect her eldest son?" He looked at me in doubt.

  "I know, I can't imagine it, either." I thought about it and tried to put myself in Giovanna's place that afternoon. "Maybe she saw him as Egidio, her late husband. Giusi says Antonio looked just like Egidio. Giovanna decided to protect Tomaso and cover up what he'd done, and at the same time, stop her husband, Antonio really, from hurting any one else."

  "Temporary insanity, you mean?"

  "Maybe she doesn't even remember doing it?" Immediately I decided it was a silly idea, but I waited for Franco to tell me so. To my surprise, he did not disparage my idea.

  "I've heard some terrible things about that man since moving here. I would hate to have to arrest Giovanna. If it happened the way you said, to protect Tomaso and to stop others from being hurt, and she was confusing Antonio with her late husband, I promise you this, Giovanna Bartolini would have a lot of sympathy in Montemorello. What about Giovanna's protectors, Anna Sanvincenti and Ovidio Olvidi? Have you spoken with them?"

  "I spoke with Ovidio, briefly, but he's so devoted to Giovanna, I don't know what to believe. He'd lie, cheat, and steal for that woman."

  "He did lie for her, to protect Tomaso. Remember?"

  "That's right," I laughed. "He's very obvious when he lies."

  "Not exactly a criminal type. He's an artist." Franco shrugged. "Lots of emotion and inner turmoil but not much action. All he said to me was that Giovanna and Anna could not hurt anyone, ever."

  "He swore to me he'd never interfere in a family argument." I thought back to the first evening at the Bartolini home. "I did notice that he hates all violence, even verbal violence. I think Antonio's antics made him physically ill. He got drunk last night."

  "Not exactly nerves of steel. What about Anna Sanvincenti? Anna told me she spent the time looking for her daughter and saw no one."

  "I've not spoken to her yet, but there're lots of maybes about Anna. She followed Cinzia from the house after the fight. Maybe she saw her daughter meet with Tomaso? Maybe she heard Tomaso fighting in the shed with Antonio? Maybe she fought with Antonio, too, and killed him to protect her daughter? The strange thing is, two people who know her well, have sworn that she would've convinced Cinzia to drop Antonio."

  "If that's true, she would have no motive to kill him. Let me guess. The two people are—" He looked at the list of suspects. "Giusi and Ovidio."

  "Alright, you're the detective here," I laughed, "but do you have to show off?"

  Franco grinned. "Sorry, but I'm enjoying myself. Terrible to say that, perhaps, but I am. It's been a long time since I really enjoyed an investigation. I'd forgotten how rewarding it could be to work on a team."

  "I'm embarrassed to say it, but I'm enjoying myself, too. It's a challenging puzzle."

  Franco smiled slyly and asked, "You're not really going to give it all up and become a fulltime tourist, are you? Laura told me about your decision to make your last report and leave me on my own with this mess. Not very nice of you, Bert. Tell me you weren't serious."

  "I thought I was, at the time. But I suppose I could talk to a few more people, if I get the opportunity. Of course, if I come across anything, I'll let you know."

  "Good! Laura will be pleased."

  "She will?"

  "Laura told me you'd promised to stop investigating, but she could see your heart wasn't in it. I'm to tell you that if you're not in any danger, she's okay with you're continuing."

  "She is?" I was surprised.

  "And, she said that she'd love for you to remain with her in Italy. Is there any compelling reason for you to return to the States?"

  "You mean besides being a citizen?" I asked incredulously.

  Franco laughed and then assured me, "As long as you don't work here, you can stay legally. I also know that your health care is likely transferable, and you can open a bank account here with just your passport. What more do you need?"

  "Did Laura put you up to this sales job?"

  "Am I busted?" he joked. "Just think about it. You don't have to decide right away."

  "That must have been some phone call this morning," I mused aloud.

  I had caught Franco off guard and he looked uncomfortable for a moment. He recovered quickly and said, "I have to thank you for the work you've done. You've helped me with this case, and helped bring back some of my interest in the work. I'm feeling like my old self. If you do go back to the States, not only will Laura miss you, I will, too."

  "I promise to think about it."

  "Good! Back to the case! I checked on Antonio's ex-girlfriends but that came to nothing. Giovanna bought off the broken engagements, and all of the women are married now. From what I've uncovered, he could only have been seeing Cinzia since very recently. Speaking of Cinzia Sanvincenti, I can't seem to find anyone who's dated her, ever! There was one woman at the factory who thought Cinzia had been seeing a married man for some time, but didn't know any more than that."

  "A married man?" My mind started making connections.

  "It helps to talk about it," Franco prodded.

  "Ernesto Bartolini. I saw him scheming with Antonio on the day of the murder. I don't know what they were talking about but it was something sneaky. Ernesto's children told me that Antonio visited their home every week and he fought often with their father."

  "I see where you're going. Ernesto was having an affair with Cinzia, and Antonio was blackmailing him. That would explain Antonio's cash, and the visits to the house, and the scheming, and Cinzia's secret lover. Very clean." Franco nodded his approval.

  "Antonio did seem to have a hold over Ernesto. Ernesto wouldn't let his wife fight with Antonio, which surprised everyone. Ernesto and Graziella say they were in the olive grove and vineyard the whole time, but they could have gone anywhere on the property after entering the grove."

  "Blackmail is a good motive, but it would be Ernesto's motive, not Graziella's." Franco thought a moment, and then said, "And wouldn't Antonio's engagement to Cinzia bring an end to her relationship with Ernesto, and an end to the blackmail?"

  "You're right again, detective." I had a new idea. "But what about Graziella? She'd be threatened by a marriage between Cinzia and Antonio. If Antonio had won the argument with his mother, he would probably have come to work for the company, and his new wife would know the business inside and out. Graziella would lose influence and she would risk losing the chance of running the company with her husband."

  "A desire for power is a strong motive," Franco agreed. "If Ernesto really were having an affair with Cinzia, it would be very clever to feed his wife's fears of losing power in the company. That way they would both have a motive to kill Antonio. Graziella, however, would not know Ernesto's real motive, which was to stop Antonio from stealing his mistress, or revealing his secret. I'll see what I can find out along those lines."

  The office phone rang and Franco answered, listened, and then spoke quickly into the receiver in Italian. He hung up, turned to me, and said, "That was Anna Sanvincenti calling from the factory. Someone just tried to kill Tomaso Bartolini."

  *****

  "He was hit on the head and then pushed into a loom!" Anna led Franco and I down a corridor that ran between the computer-controlled looms on the factory floor. "Giovanna says someone's trying to kill all her children!"

  Franco whispered to me, "If he looks like a victim, he removes suspicion from himself."

  "What am I doing here?" I whispered back in desperation. Franco had invited me, but I felt I should not be at a crime scene.

  "Just watch, listen, and if you get a chance, talk to some people privately."

  The administrative offices ran along the back wall of the factory. The last loom was stopped. Franco studied the scene a moment, then pointed out the blood on the floor. We followed Anna into one of the offices. Tomaso was seated next to his mother, and Cinzia was about to put a bandage over a wound at the base of his neck.

  "Just a moment." Franco looked at the wound, then let Cinzia cover it. "Miss Fahey was in town so I invited her to join me. We assumed Miss Walton would be here."

  "She's not here." Tomaso eyed the marshal suspiciously.

  "We came to the office after the funeral because there was important work that needed to be done." Cinzia said with undisguised irritation.

  "We had important work, too!" Graziella, in her effort to compete with Tomaso and Cinzia, had just placed she and her husband at the scene of the crime.

  Franco and Cinzia eyed them with suspicion.

  Giovanna said, "Laura went home after the funeral. She was very upset."

  "Ovidio took Giovanna and I to lunch, then he dropped us off," Anna explained. "When we came in, we found Tomaso and Cinzia by the loom. Tomaso's head was bleeding."

  Tomaso started speaking angrily in Italian to Franco. I felt like an intruder.

  "Speak in English." Franco ordered.

  The two men stared at each other for a few seconds, and then Tomaso spoke again in Italian. Franco said to me, "He says they didn't see who tried to kill him. It was the lunch break so there no workers around."

  "Fine! I'll speak English, if only to speed this up!" Tomaso put a hand to his bandaged wound as if to suggest he might not live through a translated statement.

  While this was going on, Graziella had grabbed my arm and was pulling me to the back of the office. "What were you doing in town?" she whispered. "Telling the marshal about last night? You stay out of our business!"

  She squeezed my arm very hard, then let go and returned to her husband's side. I considered escaping from the office. I was not enjoying myself.

  "Cinzia and I were working here, in my office, when we heard a crash on the factory floor. I went to investigate." Tomaso's chest expanded with pride when he mentioned his bravery. "When I came out of my office, I was hit from behind by something heavy, a pipe maybe."

  "You were knocked unconscious?"

  "No," Tomaso snapped at Franco, "I was just barely conscious! Then someone tried to push my head into the loom. That would've killed me! I reached out and just managed to hit the emergency shutoff button!"

  "Then he passed out," Cinzia said harshly, insensitive to Tomaso's embarrassment. "I found him unconscious by the loom, and there was blood."

  Franco looked down at Tomaso and said, "You were very lucky."

  "It wasn't luck!" Tomaso turned red from anger. "I know where the shutoff button is, and I managed to hit it just before passing out! I may have a concussion!"

  "Your eyes focus well. There's no blood in them, and there is bleeding from the wound. Your speech is clear, and your breathing is normal. I don't think you have a concussion, but you should see a doctor."

  Franco's expertness annoyed Tomaso.

  Giovanna cried out, "Someone is trying to kill my sons, Marshal! First Antonio, now Tomaso, and then?" Her gaze settled on Ernesto.

  "That's not it!" Cinzia said with contempt. "Don't you see?" She threw up her arms in exasperation. "Someone killed Antonio and tried to frame Tomaso! When Tomaso wasn't arrested, he tried to kill him. It had to be someone who heard them fighting in the oil shed!"

  "Cinzia!" Tomaso shook his head in disgust.

  Graziella said snidely, "It's okay. The marshal already knew about that. Bert told him."

  All eyes in the room turned on me. I looked to the office door and wondered how long it would take to reach it, just in case they jumped me all at once.

  "Miss Fahey didn't have to tell me anything. I already knew you were lying, but I would like to hear more of Signorina Sanvincenti's theory." He waited for Cinzia to continue.

  Cinzia said angrily, "When Tomaso wasn't arrested, the killer decided to get rid of him just like he did Antonio! Right, Ernesto?" She glared at Ernesto who stood half-hidden behind his wife.

  "Cinzia, che dici?" Anna looked with horror at her daughter. "What are you saying?"

  Cinzia ignored her mother. "No one saw you on your little walk in the vineyard! You heard them fighting in the shed and decided it was your chance to take control of the company, once and for all!"

  "Basta!" Graziella stepped up and faced Cinzia.

  Giovanna cried out, "Deny it, Ernesto! Tell us you had nothing to do with Antonio or this, please!" Not a sound came from her middle son. His silence broke her. Giovanna started to cry.

  Graziella stood squarely in front of Cinzia and declared, "We were in the olive grove and the vineyard and never went near the shed! And today, we were working in our offices when Tomaso was attacked—if he really was attacked. We only have their word for it!"

  Cinzia reached out and slapped Graziella very hard. Within a split-second, Graziella returned the blow, with twice the force. Cinzia stumbled back into her mother's arms. Franco quickly placed himself between the two women. Graziella went to her husband and took his arm in hers. "We'll not be a part of this insanity. We have work to do." With exaggerated aplomb, Graziella led her husband from the office.

  "I'll be along soon for your statements." Franco then said to the people still in the office, "I'll take your statements, now, and I'll need a list of everyone who was here at the time of the attack."

  Anna said, "That may not be so easy. I can give you a list of who was here officially, but it was lunchtime, and the side door to the work floor was open. Anyone could have come in unseen. I'll show you."

  Anna reluctantly left Giovanna's side and led Franco and I out of the office. Anna showed Franco an open door at the end of the row of offices. "One of the ventilators is not working well, so we leave that door open."

  I hoped to slip out quietly and wait for the marshal at his car, but wanted a moment in the ladies room first. I spotted a sign for a rest room at the other end of the row of offices and headed for it. As I approached the last office, I paused outside the door. I heard Ernesto and Graziella inside, yelling in Italian. Before I could react, Graziella reached out of the office door and took firm hold of my arm. She pulled me into the office and slammed the door shut.

  "You can't understand Italian, so why bother listening to us?"

  "Leave her alone, Graziella." Ernesto came weakly to my defense. "She knows nothing."

  "We don't know that! What did the children tell you yesterday? What have you told the marshal about us? And what were you doing spying on me in Florence?"

  "I wasn't spying."

  "Liar!" Graziella leaned over me threateningly and tightened her already firm grip on my arm.

  I looked to Ernesto for help, but the man looked away. Oddly, his weakness angered me more than Graziella's intimidating manner. I was tired of being bullied, and wanted to leave. I said calmly, "So what did Antonio have on Ernesto, and how much money did he want to stay quiet?"

  Graziella's face turned white. She looked fearfully at her husband.

  "Was killing Antonio the only way to end the blackmail?"

  Ernesto looked like he was going to be ill.

  I risked one more question. "Cinzia was right, wasn't she? You thought the company would be yours after you killed Antonio, and Tomaso was arrested?" It was one question too many, I realized, too late.

  Graziella squeezed my arm still harder and yelled, "You stay out of what doesn't concern you! Your daughter will never marry into this family. I'll see to that, whatever it takes!"

  "Basta! That's enough!" Franco pushed open the office door.

  Graziella stepped back in fear. When I looked up, I saw in Franco's usually shaded eyes the anger that had frightened Graziella. "If you have something to say, you say it to me! If you want to threaten someone, you try threatening me!" Neither Ernesto nor Graziella dared meet Franco's gaze. "I'll return for your statements when it's convenient for me."

  Franco put a protective arm around me, led me out the door, down the row of offices, and out the open side door. He did not speak again until we were in the car driving away from the Bartolini factory. He muttered, "Laura's going to kill me!"

  *****

  "Pina, cosa fai qui?" Franco was stunned to find his daughter swimming in Laura's pool. "What're you doing here?"

  Laura climbed from the pool and put on her robe. "Let's sit down."

  Franco sat where he had a clear view of his daughter.

  Laura called out, "Only a few more laps, Pina. Don't over do it on your first day."

  "First day?" Franco asked suspiciously.

  Laura said softly, "She called me not long ago and said she was frightened. They had a half day at school today, and she'd expected to find you at home or in your office."

  "I forgot." Franco sighed heavily and ran his hands through his hair.

  "I told her you were called away on something urgent, and that you'd said it was okay for her to stay with me." Laura shrugged. "It's no problem, and it made her happy."

  "Thank you." Franco looked at his daughter with a mixture of love and pity.

  "The water's not so deep, and I'm a strong swimmer. Don't worry," Laura reassured him. "We talked a lot. She's taken me out of myself for a while."

  "Talked about what?"

  "Boyfriends," said Laura cautiously.

  "What? She's barely thirteen!"

  "Shhhhh! Don't get upset. Not her boyfriends! Other girls' boyfriends, and some of my old boyfriends." Laura smiled at me. "Teaching her what to avoid."

  I laughed and asked, "How old is old enough for a boyfriend in Italy?"

  "In my house," said Franco with a steely voice, "twenty-nine."

  Laura and I laughed. I said, "Good luck!"