Read Online A Murder in Tuscany by Christobel Kent - Free Book Online
Authors: Christobel Kent
Tags: Suspense
Ads: Link
hot summer evening seemed a long time ago now, as she stood once again outside Luca’s office, waiting like a child to see the headmaster.
‘Caterina,’ he said. ‘Cate, thank you.’ He pulled out a chair for her. He sat, elbows on his desk, and put his close-cropped head in his hands.
‘Caterina. Listen. I need your help, now.’ He spoke quietly, but she knew this would not be a request, not really. It would be an instruction.
‘My help?’
He held her gaze. ‘There are – there is so much to do in the aftermath of – an event like this, I am sure you understand.’ He passed a hand anxiously over his head again, and his face was pale. ‘There is – everything. An accident and – ’ he mimed an explosion with his big hands. ‘Suddenly everything is unknown.’ He tried to smile. ‘In the short term, there are people I need to contact.’
‘Of course.’ Did she have family? Did she have parents? It was hard to imagine.
‘And then there is – there are the guests. They must be protected – they must be reassured.’
‘Yes,’ said Cate.
‘And without an intern – ’
Cate nodded, careful not to show what she was feeling. Exasperation with Beth for leaving, although perhaps it was just as well. She’d tried to turn to Loni Meadows as a mother figure, and was met with short shrift; even Cate had seen that Loni didn’t want to be anyone’s mother, with her bright vivacity, her tense, birdlike frame always poised for flight and her high-breasted figure, too youthful for her age. Which was? Fifty some; Cate would have guessed fifty-three. With a small shock she realized all over again that the woman was dead.
‘Yes,’ she said. ‘It’s a nightmare for you, I can see that.’
‘Yes,’ said Luca, his voice firming. ‘Well, the thing is, I’d like to offer you a kind of promotion – provisional, of course, a step up, on a trial basis. You can go on helping Ginevra a bit too, but I’d like you to – um, shift your focus, upstairs. While we wait for another intern,’ he stopped, his faced clouded, ‘and of course the appointment of a new Director, well. I’m going to need all the help I can get.’
Cate gazed at him, trying not to show her very mixed feelings: doubly an outsider in the kitchen, with this promotion. ‘Wow,’ was all she could risk saying. Then, realizing it wasn’t enough, ‘You’re very kind.’ And took a deep breath. ‘I’d be honoured.’
‘Of course,’ said Luca, and she was in no doubt who was the boss now, ‘you’ll have to live in, you know, at least for now. You’ll have to go and collect some things, today. Now; Mauro’ll take you in the – um – ’ He stopped, and they stared at each other. The Monster was gone, wasn’t it? Cate wondered if it was a write-off, or perhaps the police would need to examine it? When, ten years earlier, a school friend had flipped his car – under the influence of not very much marijuana and a couple of cocktails – and died on a roundabout on the outskirts of Arezzo one Friday night, the police had put the Datsun Cherry in the crusher without delay or ceremony. His parents had given it to him on his eighteenth birthday three weeks earlier.
Holding Luca’s friendly, trusting gaze, Cate swallowed.
‘We’ll be getting another car soon,’ said Luca evenly. ‘But in the meantime Mauro can take you in the pick-up.’
‘Yes,’ she said, resigned. Vincenzo, she thought, but already he was receding, his hopeful face at the checkout, beaming up at her, his eager voice on the mobile this morning. She’d think of something. It seemed as though her time was up; Luca was on his computer, checking something, frowning at the screen. She stood to go.
‘Oh,’ said Luca, looking up, ‘listen, I know you’re up to this, Caterina. I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t.’
‘Right,’ said Cate. But there was something in his voice that told her Luca Gallo wasn’t even sure if he was up to it himself. Whatever
‘Caterina,’ he said. ‘Cate, thank you.’ He pulled out a chair for her. He sat, elbows on his desk, and put his close-cropped head in his hands.
‘Caterina. Listen. I need your help, now.’ He spoke quietly, but she knew this would not be a request, not really. It would be an instruction.
‘My help?’
He held her gaze. ‘There are – there is so much to do in the aftermath of – an event like this, I am sure you understand.’ He passed a hand anxiously over his head again, and his face was pale. ‘There is – everything. An accident and – ’ he mimed an explosion with his big hands. ‘Suddenly everything is unknown.’ He tried to smile. ‘In the short term, there are people I need to contact.’
‘Of course.’ Did she have family? Did she have parents? It was hard to imagine.
‘And then there is – there are the guests. They must be protected – they must be reassured.’
‘Yes,’ said Cate.
‘And without an intern – ’
Cate nodded, careful not to show what she was feeling. Exasperation with Beth for leaving, although perhaps it was just as well. She’d tried to turn to Loni Meadows as a mother figure, and was met with short shrift; even Cate had seen that Loni didn’t want to be anyone’s mother, with her bright vivacity, her tense, birdlike frame always poised for flight and her high-breasted figure, too youthful for her age. Which was? Fifty some; Cate would have guessed fifty-three. With a small shock she realized all over again that the woman was dead.
‘Yes,’ she said. ‘It’s a nightmare for you, I can see that.’
‘Yes,’ said Luca, his voice firming. ‘Well, the thing is, I’d like to offer you a kind of promotion – provisional, of course, a step up, on a trial basis. You can go on helping Ginevra a bit too, but I’d like you to – um, shift your focus, upstairs. While we wait for another intern,’ he stopped, his faced clouded, ‘and of course the appointment of a new Director, well. I’m going to need all the help I can get.’
Cate gazed at him, trying not to show her very mixed feelings: doubly an outsider in the kitchen, with this promotion. ‘Wow,’ was all she could risk saying. Then, realizing it wasn’t enough, ‘You’re very kind.’ And took a deep breath. ‘I’d be honoured.’
‘Of course,’ said Luca, and she was in no doubt who was the boss now, ‘you’ll have to live in, you know, at least for now. You’ll have to go and collect some things, today. Now; Mauro’ll take you in the – um – ’ He stopped, and they stared at each other. The Monster was gone, wasn’t it? Cate wondered if it was a write-off, or perhaps the police would need to examine it? When, ten years earlier, a school friend had flipped his car – under the influence of not very much marijuana and a couple of cocktails – and died on a roundabout on the outskirts of Arezzo one Friday night, the police had put the Datsun Cherry in the crusher without delay or ceremony. His parents had given it to him on his eighteenth birthday three weeks earlier.
Holding Luca’s friendly, trusting gaze, Cate swallowed.
‘We’ll be getting another car soon,’ said Luca evenly. ‘But in the meantime Mauro can take you in the pick-up.’
‘Yes,’ she said, resigned. Vincenzo, she thought, but already he was receding, his hopeful face at the checkout, beaming up at her, his eager voice on the mobile this morning. She’d think of something. It seemed as though her time was up; Luca was on his computer, checking something, frowning at the screen. She stood to go.
‘Oh,’ said Luca, looking up, ‘listen, I know you’re up to this, Caterina. I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t.’
‘Right,’ said Cate. But there was something in his voice that told her Luca Gallo wasn’t even sure if he was up to it himself. Whatever
Similar Books
