It’s probably good that I’m going to meet Irina tomorrow, although her presence is complicating everything. We need to figure out a way to get out clean from this situation, so our lives can move forward from this point on. A loud yawn filled the silent emptiness of the room, and lazily undressing, Luciano slipped through the fresh linen scent of the sheets. The fragrance carried the memories of his childhood and all the past years, when he still had a family and life was made of only good news.
“I’ll get back to that feeling one way or another,” he whispered, closing his eyes, tired and confused.
***
The morning after, he woke up before the alarm clock would have rang. A ticking rain created a soothing sound, almost inviting him to turn around and continue to sleep.
Indeed, he could have done it if it weren’t for the appointment he had with Irina. Groaning, he sat on the bed and glanced around, trying to understand where he was.
He froze for a moment to recollect his thoughts. That wasn’t a nightmare, his father was dead, the apartment where he lived for most of his life was seized by the police until further notice, and he found himself with fragments of his life to be put back together.
Walking to the kitchen after the shower, he found something else he thought he’d lost in a far past. On the table, there was breakfast ready and a message written on a post-it.
The yellow leaflet shone under a shy sun filtering through the clouds after the rain. And like in a dream, it glowed, inviting him to read.
I hope you could sleep at least a bit. I prepared you the breakfast, like the times when we lived together. Take your time; I will call you later to check on you. Love you,
Mom.
The corners of his lips arched downwards to the bitter feeling of not having appreciated those moments when they were all still a family. With tears blurring the sight, he sat down, glancing at the thermic pot with milk, coffee, the jar of jam, and bread.
His memories tasted exactly like that, but with the home already empty and his mother out to work, a bitter aftertaste corrupted the sweetness of the jam, and the memories. The guilt feeling of having abandoned his mother to follow his dad overwhelmed him together with the certainty of having given his love to the person who didn’t requite his feelings.
Silently he finished his breakfast and cleaned the kitchen. Living with his father was at least useful in developing a sense of housekeeping. He was sure his mother would have appreciated finding the kitchen in order, when she returned from her work.
His gaze focused on the window, and glancing at the clearing sky, he clenched his teeth and fists. His lips trembling with rage pursed as a dark thought emerged from his soul. He just deserved to die...
CHAPTER 6
Maurizio stormed into the precinct, minus any good feelings about the day to come. The argument with his wife, Anna, lasted well into the night. As a result, he got up late that morning and got stuck in the traffic, which made him, if possible, even more nervous. He arrived inside the premises, where he’d hoped to find a way to get a grip on himself, but that hope turned out to be vain.
“You’re late...” Leonardo observed walking with his cup of coffee and noticing the way Maurizio stormed in. With his roughed-up hair and pouty growls, he acted like a hungry bear unable to find food.
Clenching his fists, Maurizio glared at Leonardo. “Mind your fucking business and disappear from my sight! You should be at the Forensic Department doing your job!”
Without waiting for a reply, he reached his office and slammed the door behind him. There, although everybody could still hear him, he released his frustration screaming curses to the whole world and throwing away the first item he found at the reach of his hands; in that case, being a chair.
Leonardo calmly walked toward the office; although a call to an exorcist may be necessary, he knew they had a long unfinished business, and a bad mood was not a good excuse to delay the investigation.
Lorenza Sabbatini, one of the officers who witnessed the scene, watched him walking in the direction of Maurizio’s office and rushed to stop him. “Are you crazy? He’ll kill you!” She warned; grabbing the crucifix on the wall, she handed it to him. “Take this with you. It’s the most common weapon in cases of possession.”
With a chuckle, he grabbed the crucifix she handed him and walked to the office, amongst the curious stares of the other officers.
He opened the door, keeping the crucifix as a shield. “Satan, leave the body of this innocent man!” Leonardo yelled.
Maurizio was seated at his desk, trying to calm down his boiling temper. As he saw Leonardo coming in with the crucifix in his hand, he couldn’t keep the laughter any longer, and his stress had released, resulting in a long hysterical laugh.
Grinning from ear to ear, Leonardo closed the door behind him and gathered the chair lying on the floor. “Better?” He placed the crucifix on the table, planning to bring it back to its place.
“I don’t know, but I needed to discharge; I’ve been up until one o’clock arguing with Anna. She’s right, and I should have informed her of the delay, but what was done couldn’t be undone, and perhaps we should have let the
