"But maybe it was an accident. Maybe Antonio was killed accidentally, and then placed under the stone to make it look like it was an accident that happened when he was looking at the press. They just didn't do a very good job of making it look like an accident."

  Franco sighed and said softly, "If you know anything, you should tell me, now."

  I understood what Laura did not. Franco suspected just that scenario for Tomaso, and he suspected Tomaso had confessed to Laura.

  "There is something I forgot to tell you, and I don't think anyone else has told you, either. Antonio announced a surprise engagement to Cinzia Sanvincenti, Anna's daughter, at the party yesterday afternoon. He argued with his mother about it and stormed out of the house. It was then that we decided to go our separate ways for two hours. It was supposed to be a time for the family to sort things out."

  "I'm glad you told me. I knew there had to be more to the story."

  Franco had stressed the word 'you,' making me think he was glad Laura was not hiding information. I knew Laura better than he did, so I knew my friend would never lie about anything to do with murder. I decided it was a good time to offer the marshal a few details about the day before.

  "Marshal, Cecilio and Giusi Cecchi actually left the main house before Antonio stormed out. Giovanna followed Antonio out of the house, and then Tomaso made the announcement about going our separate ways. I think the order of people leaving was…" As I thought, Franco took out his notebook. "Cecilio and Giusi Cecchi, Antonio and Giovanna Bartolini, Ovidio, Cinzia, and then Anna Sanvincenti, Tomaso, Michela and Colin Whitehorse, Donatella and Aldo Bianchi, then Ernesto and Graziella Bartolini."

  Franco looked up from his notes and asked Laura, "Do you agree with the order?"

  She laughed. "I think so, but you should just trust Bert. She's very observant. We never got away with anything in the school library, ever!"

  "That's how we met," I explained. "I was the librarian at Laura's high school."

  "And you've remained friends ever since? Very impressive."

  "I suppose it is." Laura smiled at me, and then addressed the marshal. "I understood what you said about Antonio having been killed, but must it be one of my guests who did it? There were lots of people with grudges against Antonio. Maybe they came onto the property yesterday, fought with him, and killed him?"

  Franco said patiently, "Your property's well protected. A high fence runs around the entire plot. The main gate is electric and always locked. The garage gate is always locked, and it swings shut automatically. Does anyone, besides the people who came here yesterday, have a key for the gate?"

  "No," Laura answered despondently. She looked crushed by the marshal's presentation of the facts.

  Franco's voice softened as he said, "I don't hold out much hope, and you shouldn't either, of their being a murderous stranger. But we are checking everything, like the fence and gates for tampering or signs that someone climbed them. We're also asking around the neighborhood to see if anyone saw something or someone suspicious. So far, we've come up with nothing." Franco seemed as upset as Laura about the situation. Suddenly he stood up. "I'll leave now. I can see myself out."

  "I'll see you out," I insisted.

  "Bert," Laura whispered, "I'll be at the pool. I need to swim a few laps." Before Franco and I had crossed the kitchen, Laura called out, "Marshal."

  He turned to face her.

  "Thank you for making me see the truth about Antonio's murder. Please, find out who did this. We'll help you any way we can."

  "That's very gracious of you," said Franco.

  "I don't know about that." Laura smiled. "It's our duty to help you, isn't it? But case or no case, you're always welcome here, as is Pina."

  "Now, that is gracious of you!" Franco looked pleased with the invitation.

  Laura laughed. "Yes, I suppose that is!"

  I followed him into the hall. "I'm very glad you're handling the case, Marshal. I'm sure you'll solve it quickly, and the quicker, the better, for Laura."

  Franco added, "The quicker, the less pain for all concerned. I need something from the study."

  I followed him into the room and watched as he sat behind the desk and reached down for the waste paper basket. After looking at several papers in the bin, he selected the one Laura had discarded the evening before. "May I take this?"

  "Yes, of course."

  Franco placed the paper in a plastic cover and put it in his uniform pocket. Then he looked up at the shelves and said, "I've read both her books, the one on the Tuscan artists and the one on Dante. She's an entertaining writer. Laura's made something very beautiful of this property and is well respected in the community. This is the last thing that should have happened to her."

  Franco Tadeucci was proving to be more interesting than I had first imagined. "I'm very proud of Laura. Don't worry, Marshal. Laura is stronger than she may appear. I've known her since she was a young girl. She's overcome many hardships in her life. She'll overcome this, too."

  He said forcefully, "Anyone who gets involved with that family suffers for it."

  I began to worry about our logical, competent marshal. Was he prejudiced against Tomaso and his family? Would it interfere with his investigation? I wanted to know more about the man. "Pina seemed to enjoy herself yesterday. She saw the whole thing as a big adventure."

  The mention of his daughter caught Franco off guard. He relaxed slightly. "I told her only that there had been an accident. She insisted on coming along and promised to wait in the car." He smiled. "I suppose you have a lot of experience with teenagers, but I'm finding it hard to keep the upper hand. She stayed in the car exactly two minutes. And that interview she arranged with Laura is just an excuse to spend time with her. That assignment was last year." Franco shook his head in resignation at his daughter's resourcefulness at getting her own way.

  "It's natural for young girls to want to know about the women their fathers are interested in." I watched closely Franco's reaction to my surmise.

  "Interested in?" His relaxed manner disappeared. Franco was suddenly alert and watching me closely.

  "You've taken an interest in Laura's well-being. That's what Cecilio told me. You've helped keep Laura safe, suggesting security provisions for the property."

  "Cecilio told you that?" Franco asked in surprise.

  "He told me, and he's told Laura."

  Franco leaned forward in the desk chair. "I didn't know he'd told her."

  "They have a close relationship. Cecilio's very loyal to Laura."

  "It's difficult to win Cecilio's trust, and he doesn't offer his loyalty to just anyone."

  "Laura is not just anyone," I said firmly.

  He eyed me with amusement. "No, she's not!"

  "You recommended Cecilio as caretaker. You must know him well."

  "I thought I did." Franco laughed, then explained vaguely, "We have a history, from his previous profession."

  I thought Franco looked like he was enjoying being interrogated by an amateur. As long as he was willing to answer my questions, I was going to keep asking them. "He worked for the government, he said. A civil servant?"

  "Of sorts." Franco fought back his amusement and countered with a question of his own. "You know Laura well, don't you?"

  I smiled. "We have a history."

  Franco laughed.

  I explained, "Laura is very loyal to her friends. She has few friends, but they stay friends for a long time." I watched as Franco considered this. "She's very private and proud, and she wouldn't want me to talk about her behind her back. So, don't expect me to tell you all kinds of things about Laura."

  He eyed me with respect. "I would never ask you to betray Laura's trust."

  "You looked very surprised when you heard of Laura's engagement to Tomaso."

  "Cecilio didn't tell me." Franco could barely suppress his anger.

  I felt I ought to defend Cecilio. "The engagement came about suddenly. It caught Cecilio by surprise. He was going to tell you today, and about the guests who arrive next month." Franco looked at me questioningly. "Laura just signed a contract with a firm to rent the cottages to University professors. They're fully booked for this coming year."

  "Intellectuals could be dangerous," Franco said dryly with just a hint of a smile.

  "Expect a crime wave in Montemorello, Marshal." As Franco laughed, I hit him with the big question. "You're interested in Laura, aren't you? You've been interested in her since your first meeting in your office."

  He avoided meeting my eye.

  "You heard from Cecilio that Laura was uncertain about staying because of her health and because of concerns about the property being self-supporting. That made you back off, probably out of fear of Pina getting attached to someone who might not be here for very long. I can understand that."

  Franco looked at me curiously.

  I suddenly remembered that Pina's mother, his wife, had died, and my words took on a meaning I had not intended. "I'm sorry, I forgot about your wife."

  Franco stopped me. "I know what you meant, and you're not wrong. But I wasn't worried only for Pina." He had stopped enjoying the interrogation.

  I felt badly that I had brought up such a sad subject, even if by accident. I decided to get straight to the point. "My worry is that your feelings may interfere with your handling of the case."

  "I never let my personal feelings interfere with my work, Miss Fahey. As long as we're being honest, I have a concern, too: Laura's health. You say she's stronger than she may appear, but Giusi's told me how unwell Laura was a year ago."

  I reacted badly to the mention of Laura's ill health. I felt guilty at not having been there to help Laura, and I was hurt Laura had not told me of her problems until the day before.

  Franco continued in a gentler tone of voice, "I'm glad you're here to help her through this. I promise to do everything I can to resolve this case as quickly as possible, but I can't promise it won't involve the Bartolinis, or Laura's friends, or her fiancé." He said the last word with difficulty.

  I swore to him, "I promise I'll do all I can to help Laura through this."

  We looked at each other appraisingly, then Franco said, "You can help Laura, and me, by passing on anything pertinent that comes up concerning the Bartolini family and Laura's friends."

  "I've only just arrived here two days ago. They may not speak very openly with me, but I promise to pass on anything that seems important."

  "Two days? In two days you already know more about—" Franco stopped what he was going to say and muttered, "Never mind. Have they set a date for the wedding?"

  "It's in a month."

  "A month?" He shook his head in disbelief. "She needs more time to see things clearly!"

  "I agree!" I surprised him with my quick response. "I suspect it'll be postponed because of Antonio's death."

  "Small mercies," Franco said as he rose from behind the desk.

  "Marshal?" I said hesitantly. "Did anyone tell you we were all in the oil shed yesterday, only hours before Antonio was killed?"

  "Giovanna Bartolini mentioned it. It makes our forensic evidence inconclusive. Is that what you're getting at?" He watched me with something between amusement and curiosity.

  "Yes, it was, but there's more. Antonio fought with Cecilio at that time. Antonio was playing with the wooden log that kept the grindstone in place while the children and I were looking at the trough. Cecilio was livid with him for putting us in danger, but his anger seemed exaggerated, personal."

  "I have an idea about that. Anything else?"

  "Yes, Michela and Colin Whitehorse fought with Antonio yesterday morning. I don't know what it was about, but it seemed like an old grudge. They weren't sorry he was dead." I decided not to hold back. If I were to help Laura, I had to tell the marshal everything. "And the Bianchi's were extremely hostile about Antonio, as if they had a reason to hate him, and Aldo said he thought justice had been done. And Antonio and Ernesto were scheming yesterday morning before the party. If I had to guess, I think they were planning something together, perhaps Ernesto's support of his engagement to Cinzia. But Ernesto did not support the engagement, so they may have fought, later, about that. And I saw Antonio and Tomaso arguing twice in the last two days. Serious arguments. Antonio was set on either getting a well-paid post in the company or convincing the family to sell the company and divide the inheritance now, against Giovanna's and everyone else's wishes, so there was a lot of hostility there."

  Franco smiled and said, "I see I was wasting my time talking to the others. I should have just come to you! You're a top interrogator and one of the most observant people I think I've ever met. I bet you had those students trembling with fear as they entered your library." He laughed at my surprise at his astute observations. "I think we're going to work well together, Miss Fahey."

  "Please, call me Bert."

  "Bert, I've some things to check into, like Antonio's possessions, the coroner and forensic reports, second interviews. Meanwhile, I want you to keep an eye on Laura. I have a bad feeling about the Bartolinis. Any family with that much wealth, that many generations of grudges against them, and so many rumors circulating about them, is dangerous. Here's my number." Franco handed me his business card. "Call me if you or Laura need me. I'll be in touch."

  *****

  "I'll drop you off the other side of the river. Just follow the markings on the map and you'll find the main square and Donatella. Here's a cellphone you can use to call me if there're any problems or if you get lost. Do you have my number?" Laura asked.

  I was blind to the streets of Florence flying by the car window and nearly deaf to what Laura was saying. My mind was on Marshal Tadeucci's warning about the Bartolini family and my promise to keep an eye on Laura. "I have your number, but are you sure you don't want me to go with you to see Giovanna?" It was the third time I had offered.

  "No, really, it's not necessary. I'm just going to see how she's doing and to warn her that the police are treating the case as murder. Giovanna should accept that just as I have."

  "Have you accepted that?"

  "Yes, I have. I just haven't accepted that the murderer has to be one of my guests. I think Antonio let his killer in through the garage gate."

  "But it's also possible that one of us killed him."

  Laura pulled the car up to the embankment of the Arno River, the river that ran through the center of Florence. "Do you really think one of my friends killed Antonio?" she asked incredulously. "Don't believe it, Bert! No matter what Marshal Tadeucci says, it can't be true!"

  "Be careful, Laura. There may be things here we don't understand. Franco has your best interests at heart. He's a good man." It was the best I could do for the moment to put my friend on guard, and I hoped it was enough.

  "I know he's a good man and a good father, but I can't believe someone I know killed Antonio." Laura smiled and said, "Have a great day, Bert. And don't let Donatella run you ragged!"

  *****

  "Attach!" Donatella kissed me on each cheek and then slipped her arm under mine. "We have to attach, that way the men won't bother us. I'm going to give you an introduction to all things Italian, in one day. How American!"

  Donatella was true to her word. Within the next few hours, I had visited three churches, two museums, four shops with locally made goods, and one coffee roasting company for education and caffeine energy, which was direly needed if I were to complete the rest of the day Donatella had planned. While sipping my cappuccino and catching my breath, I decided it was time I got down to investigating for Marshal Tadeucci. I wanted to know what Donatella and Aldo had against Antonio Bartolini. But before I could begin, Donatella continued with her plan to educate me in all things Italian.

  "Have you noticed all the expensive clothing, Bert?" Donatella whispered. "Italians love to dress up!" She pointed to an elegant young woman ordering some freshly ground coffee at the counter. "Look at that one. She must be wearing two months salary on her back! Italians are very vain. Everything is la bella figura. That means," she thought a moment, "looking good. Beauty is important, too important, but it makes us good designers and decorators and artists."

  "And fabric designers. Are the Bartolini boys vain?"

  "I think their vanity was the biggest part of their rivalry. Tomaso is attractive, but Antonio was beautiful. I just hope Tomaso will be faithful to Laura, and that's hoping a lot for a good-looking, Italian man. They seem to think that having lots of women is their right, married or not."

  "You don't trust him?"

  "Don't get upset, Bert! Aldo and I have already told Laura what we think, that she should find a plain man, then he'll have less chances to betray her."

  "Do Italian men try to marry plain women so they remain faithful?"

  "Some, but it doesn't always work. Aldo says a plain woman is more susceptible to the advances of men because she doesn't get very many opportunities. So if a man wants an affair with a married woman, which some do so they can avoid attachments, it's best he seduce a plain one. It's less work."

  "How cynical. Where's the romance?"

  "Not in Italy! Americans are the romantics; that's why you have so much divorce." Donatella turned pensive and said, "It's strange how unattractive Ernesto is. Maybe one of his grandparents was plain? Genes work like that, don't they, skipping generations? A bad gene can come back after generations and surprise a family, causing much pain."

  I waited for Donatella to continue, but my tour guide sat looking off into space, oblivious to the crowds waiting for tables and to me sitting next to her. It was the first moment in the past three hours that Donatella was not expounding on some subject or other. "Do you think a bad Bartolini gene was in Antonio?"

  "What?" Donatella looked at me in surprise. "A Bartolini gene? Oh, maybe. From the father, you mean? He wasn't a nice man, but that's not skipping a generation. It's possible, I suppose. Antonio was not nice either. I just hope Tomaso doesn't have the same gene in him, for Laura's sake!"