*****

  "Laura, have you decided when you'll tell Tomaso it's all off?" Donatella asked eagerly.

  "No. I put him off this evening because I just can't face him. If I see him, I'll tell him, and I don't want to tell him, because I don't want to hurt Giovanna, so I can't see him. Did that make any sense? I don't want to talk about it."

  After a delicious dinner, Laura, Laura's friends, and I were relaxing in the Whitehorse's loggia overlooking Florence.

  Donatella stated matter-of-factly, "I can imagine Graziella as a killer."

  "I can't imagine anyone killing anyone, least of all, Ernesto killing someone!" Michela shook her head in disbelief.

  Michela's husband offered to enlighten her. "With the right motive, all of us could be killers." Colin's seriousness produced smiles all around.

  Michela explained, "Colin is an amateur detective, self-taught."

  "Bert is an amateur detective, too," Laura said with pride, "and I never guessed! She was even meeting with Franco about the case, discussing evidence and theories. She knows everything!"

  "We knew that before you. She grilled us!" Colin looked respectfully at his fellow librarian.

  Donatella added dramatically, "She sweated the truth out of us!"

  "Don't worry, Bert." Michela smiled mischievously. "We're not angry; we're impressed."

  "I just wanted to help Laura, and Franco humored me. He was very kind."

  "He's a kind man," Laura said. Laura's compliment of Franco aroused great interest and, I suspected, great concern from Laura's friends.

  Colin broke the silence. "Bert was the perfect inside woman. The unsuspecting Bartolinis never guessed a retired librarian, and part-time amateur detective, was on the case. I think she was wonderful!"

  "An inspiration to librarians all over the world!" Michela teased her husband.

  "But I'm still not clear on the motive," Colin said to me.

  "Greed!" My voice carried clearly over the others, startling them with my confident answer. "I think I'll let Laura explain."

  Laura said, "They were being blackmailed by Antonio. He knew of their embezzling money from the company. Franco thinks they killed him to stop the blackmail and to prevent him from ever telling their secret."

  "Why would Antonio tell anyone? He wouldn't get any more money from them!" Donatella asked.

  "Because he thought he was going to marry Cinzia and finally join the family business." Laura explained, "Once he was part of the company, he wouldn't want to let them carry on stealing. He would have put a stop to it."

  "That makes sense!" Colin looked like he was enjoying himself. "Once Antonio had all the money he could get out of them, he could use the information to bargain his way into the company and into the position he wanted! Very clever, but Antonio did not count on the mild-mannered accountant, Ernesto, being a cold-blooded killer."

  Donatella said, "I still don't get it, motive or not. Antonio would never marry Cinzia! She wasn't pretty enough. He only liked pretty girls. I think it was just some plan to make their mothers angry, and then to ask them for money not to go through with it."

  "I don't think they were in love." Michela sounded certain. "Antonio Bartolini never did anything for love in all his life. I think it was a marriage of convenience. Once married, they would both get what they wanted. Antonio would get acceptance from his mother and a place in the family firm. Cinzia would get the name, wealth, and position in society she'd wanted all her life."

  Donatella nodded her agreement, "I think you're right, but they didn't count on their mothers being so against it. I don't understand why that was, to be honest."

  "I asked Anna Sanvincenti that question just this afternoon." To my surprise, they laughed and teased me about continuing the investigation after the culprits were already in custody.

  Colin came to my defense. "I'm sure Bert was just tying up loose ends. What did Anna say, Bert?"

  "Several things. First, she said they didn't want Cinzia to be hurt by Antonio."

  They all nodded in agreement to this probability.

  "Then, she admitted that years before, they'd decided they wanted the boys to be like older brothers to Cinzia and protect her in life. A romantic relationship between Cinzia and Antonio seemed impossible to them. Finally, she admitted—"

  An enthusiastic Colin interrupted me, "After grueling interrogation!"

  Everyone laughed, including me.

  "I didn't touch her! She admitted voluntarily that she was horrified that her own daughter would marry a man not for love, but for money, and worse, that man was Anna's best friend's son!"

  "That's a woman who sees her child with clarity." Aldo said with admiration.

  "She's a loyal friend." Michela nodded her approval.

  Donatella said defiantly, "She didn't have to worry about them marrying! I still say Antonio was too proud to marry a plain woman. I think there was more chance he married the mother! Anna's still a beautiful woman."

  Aldo mused aloud, "I wonder if that's the main reason Cinzia hates her mother. Envy between the plain daughter and the beautiful mother is actually quite common."

  "She must look like her father," Laura said. "He was probably one of those dark Yugoslavians, the Moslems."

  "I know everyone thinks I shouldn't butt in, but have to say this." Donatella pounded the table for emphasis. "I think Laura should just tell Tomaso it's all over, immediately!"

  Laura said sadly, "I know Donatella's right, but I have one very big worry. If I end it now, it'll look like I don't want to have anything to do with the Bartolinis because of Ernesto and Graziella."

  "So, let it look like that! It's not a bad reason, is it?" Donatella looked to her husband for confirmation.

  Aldo shook his head in disagreement. "It's not a good reason to end the relationship. Laura wasn't marrying Ernesto or Graziella. If Laura's not going to tell Giovanna about Tomaso's lies and deceit, Giovanna will definitely think Laura is backing off because of the family scandal."

  "So what should I do?" Laura looked to her friends for help.

  Donatella was ready with the answer. "You catch him in the act! That's the Italian way! If you catch them in the act, you have the legal advantage and the moral advantage." She added as an afterthought, "But that's usually less important to Italians. For you, Laura, the moral advantage is the most important one."

  Donatella's eyes were shinning with excitement. I was sure she was already formulating a plan to catch Tomaso with the other woman, if she did not already have a plan in mind.

  To my surprise, Aldo agreed. "Placing the blame for the breakup is how it's done. That way there's no ambiguity for you, for Giovanna, or for society."

  "I want to help!" Colin nearly stood up in his excitement. "I can help! We'll catch him red-handed. Ludlum, Le Carré, Greene; they've trained me well. Count me in, Donatella!"

  Michela looked shocked by her husband's enthusiasm. "Books and real life are two different things, Colin!"

  "Don't worry, Colin," Donatella told her partner. "I'm trained in the book of life. We'll come up with a plan together."

  "Maybe you ought to ask Laura if this is what she wants?" Aldo, as usual, spoke with common sense.

  Laura asked me, "What do you think?"

  "I think it's a good idea for two reasons. The first is, I don't think it's right that Tomaso gets away with deceiving you and his mother about his true character. If it doesn't come out now, what's to stop him from blaming you for the breakup? After you're out of the picture, he could say terrible things about you to his mother and others."

  "That's very true and probable!" Donatella agreed.

  "Second, I think it would be a good thing to continue your friendship with Giovanna and Anna after your relationship with Tomaso is over. I think they're fine women who have a lot of experience and wisdom to offer you, Laura. If Tomaso's deceit isn't exposed, I don't think there's much chance of a friendship."

  "Sound advice." Aldo nodded his approval.

  "I agree," Laura said anxiously, "but I'm not good at these sorts of games. I'll leave it to the experts." She nodded at Donatella and Colin, to their immense pleasure. "Just call me when I have to play my part, and then tell me what to do!"

  Saturday: Trapped

  Sabato: intrappolato

  "Bert's convinced you've arrested the wrong people, Franco."

  Lightning lit the room, thunder followed soon after, and spring showers poured rain on the gardens. Laura put another log on the fire, then sat down on the sofa next to Franco.

  "I'm sorry I've made you come out here." I sat in the armchair where I had spent my morning thinking through everything yet again. "I'm beginning to doubt my reasoning."

  "I've never doubted your reasoning, Bert, so don't you start! What's bothering you?"

  "I couldn't sleep last night, so I started thinking about the case, and some things just don't seem to fit together. I need a sounding board for my ideas."

  "That's how it works best," he encouraged me.

  "Is it alright if I join in?" Laura asked.

  "The more the better," Franco said. "Start anywhere, Bert."

  "I'm glad you said that, because I don't know where to begin. Maybe with the jewels. When Laura and I saw the jewelry order in Arezzo, we noticed that it'd been hurried. But the order to hurry it came in before Antonio was killed."

  Laura said, "That could be because they were already planning to kill Antonio and wanted the jewelry ready so they could run."

  "But they didn't run. That's just it!" I was sure of myself on this point. "They weren't ready to run when Antonio was killed."

  Franco suggested, "Maybe the opportunity to kill Antonio presented itself before they were ready. They decided to take it, kill him, and run only if we got too close, accepting the risk of missing out on a few pieces of jewelry."

  "Yes, that could be true." My doubts started to grow again. "Alright, what about this? If Ernesto and Graziella were getting ready to run, why kill Antonio at all? If they run, Antonio's no longer a threat. They take their money and go to a place from where they can't be extradited."

  "Like Malta." Laura picked up my train of thought. "They go to Malta often. I think they even own a home there."

  "Yes, like Malta. Franco, you said I use psychology as proof. Maybe that's why I have my doubts about Ernesto and Graziella. I think they're greedy, money-grubbing, mercurial, little so-and-sos."

  Laura laughed.

  "We only know for sure about the jewelers in Arezzo, but I saw Graziella on the Ponte Vecchio very chummy with another jeweler. I think they may have orders all over the place ready to take with them when they run, and I doubt they would want to leave any of it behind!"

  Laura asked, "So, you don't think they would take an opportunity to kill Antonio, no matter how convenient or unsuspected they might be? They didn't need to kill him, and the risk would be too great that they would have to leave something behind?"

  "Exactly! And the risk was too great that Antonio's death might lead to the discovery of their theft. He was their blackmailer, remember."

  Laura nodded her agreement. "That's exactly what did happen. Franco found the key!"

  Franco looked amused by our conjectures.

  I said, "That's the other thing that makes me doubt Graziella and Ernesto killed Antonio. If they killed Antonio, why didn't they search him to see if he had anything on his person that might incriminate them? They searched his room and his car, so why not search him, too?"

  "That's a good question." Laura went to the fire and stoked it up.

  Franco took his eyes from Laura and said, "Yes, it is a good question. Explain how you see the big picture, Bert. What do you think their plan was?"

  "I've been thinking about that all morning! I think Ernesto and Graziella started to plan their escape the moment Antonio started blackmailing them. I think they paid Antonio to keep him quiet long enough to get their hands on everything of value they still had here in Italy. Then there came a complication. Antonio's engagement to Cinzia."

  "You told me you saw them scheming the morning of the party," Franco reminded me.

  "Yes. I think they were making a deal. After his marriage, Antonio hoped to join the family business, and once part of the business, he would not want Ernesto to continue stealing from it. They must have made a deal!"

  "Antonio probably insisted on part of the money they'd stolen." Laura turned from the fire and asked Franco, "Have they given statements?" Laura suddenly realized that Franco had been staring directly at her and she asked, "Am I interfering? I'll be quiet!"

  "No, you're not interfering!" Franco colored slightly. "I'm just surprised, by both of you! You're very good at this. Better than you know."

  "You mean, Bert's right? They didn't kill Antonio?" Laura asked anxiously.

  "They admit the embezzlement. They say they started making plans to leave the country several months ago. Their house has been on the market, quietly, for that long. They've also admitted to having orders at five jewelers in the area, almost ready to go. All were given rush orders long before Antonio was murdered. We've checked it out, and it's true. Very good work, Bert; you were right about all that."

  "But they deny killing Antonio?" I asked.

  "Yes, they do, but unlike fiction, everyone denies murder. More than that, they deny they were being blackmailed by Antonio."

  "Of course, they deny it," said Laura. "Without a motive, you have a weaker case."

  "I'm hoping that wasn't part of your advice to Giovanna yesterday, because you're absolutely right. Without the blackmail motive, we have a very weak case." Franco eyed Laura curiously.

  "My advice? No!" Laura returned quickly to her seat on the sofa next to Franco. "I only advised Giovanna on the company and the embezzlement. I told her I didn't want to get involved with the murder charge. I understand that she wants to help her child, but I can't in good conscience help a murderer get off free! I couldn't live with myself if I did that!"

  "Good!" Franco said with relief. "Giovanna took your advice and has convinced Ernesto to make a full confession and to return all the money. She's asking leniency from the tax authorities, and she won't press any charges."

  "I'm glad, for Giovanna's sake. She's put so much of herself into that company. It would be a shame to have it destroyed, especially by her own child!"

  "What can you do to prove they were being blackmailed?" I asked.

  Franco explained carefully, "We think that when the blackmail began, they must have paid Antonio with cash they had brought back from their trips abroad. Later, they started to withdraw funds from their bank here in Italy. We've checked their bank records and have found several large cash withdrawals. Banks register the release and receipt of large bills, so we've been able to match up the release of several large bills to Ernesto, and the deposit of these same bills by creditors of Antonio's."

  "Ernesto got the bill from the bank, gave it to Antonio, who gave it to someone he owed money, who then deposited it in the bank. Nice and neat." I nodded my approval.

  "It was enough to make them talk, well, enough to make Ernesto talk," Franco corrected himself. "Graziella's very tough! When confronted with her husband's confession about being blackmailed, she said they were paying Antonio to stay quiet and that they were planning to live abroad on the money they'd stolen. That would have stopped the blackmail, so they had no reason to kill Antonio. She said they didn't even care about his marrying Cinzia and working for the company. It's all along the lines as your reasoning."

  "You mean, they'd made some kind of deal with Antonio?" I asked.

  "Graziella said they'd made a deal with Antonio. They'd stop stealing after he joined the company, and they would pay him half of what they'd already taken. She says they even bribed the auditors, so they had no reason to attack Tomaso." Franco watched Laura closely. "We're checking up on that."

  "Does that mean you don't think they killed Antonio?" Laura asked unhappily.

  "I don't think they killed Antonio because of one thing. It's the same thing Bert caught. If they'd killed Antonio, they would've searched him and found the key before I got there. It looks like there's another motive still out there that explains Antonio's death and the attack on Tomaso." Franco continued to watch Laura with concern.

  I was concerned, too. "What is it, Laura? What's worrying you?"

  "I was hoping it was all over," Laura said in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, Bert, but I was hoping you were wrong. I wanted them to be guilty!"

  "So, Tomaso would be innocent?" Franco suggested, his face turning into a mask to hide all the emotions he was feeling at that moment.

  "Not exactly." Laura searched for the words to explain what she was feeling. "So I could be sure I hadn't been involved with a murderer. I'd be devastated if I thought I couldn't even tell if a man I was with was that evil! I know he's a liar, but there's a big difference between lying and killing someone in cold blood."

  The mask over Franco's face melted. "Don't be so hard on yourself. Tomaso's a very good actor. He fooled a lot of people, including his own mother. If it makes you feel any better, I don't think he killed Antonio, and I believe someone really did attack him."

  "It does make me feel better. Thank you. Franco," Laura hesitated, "You're going to be very angry with me when I tell you this. Something very important happened when Bert and I were in Arezzo."

  "If you mean the car thing, Laura, I'm sure that was nothing."

  "You may want to believe that, Bert, but I've replayed it in my mind a thousand times, and I'm convinced it was something! Someone tried to run you over!"

  "What happened, exactly?" Franco asked.

  "When we came out of the shop and crossed the street, somehow I got ahead of Bert. When I got to the other side of the street and looked back, I saw a car coming straight at her. It was accelerating and aiming at her. I managed to pull her out of the way in time. Then the car disappeared around a corner. I was so stupid. I didn't get a license number or make of car, not even the color!"