“Come on, shit happens, now let’s focus on more pleasant issues and put together some clues on this murder, shall we?” Leonardo sat down in front of the desk and started sipping his coffee.
“That would be the best solution, at least for this morning.”
Maurizio’s thoughts immediately switched to the case but promised to call Anna as soon as something would have given him the hint of a long day at work. I should call her right away, then. This is starting up like one of those cases that will require most of my free time, together with the last fragments of my sanity.
He grabbed the notebook where he scribbled all the notes from the previous day. There was already a lot of information, but nothing was producing any clear image in his mind of what had happened that night.
“We need to know more about the habits and the life of this man. Mr. Calvani probably had a complicated lifestyle, and I’m going to find out every detail of it.” He stood from the chair.
“I’m finishing my coffee, and I suggest you do the same. Nevertheless, I’m going back to the lab and try to put together all the details. I’ll make a list of missing information and probably, be back at the crime scene in the early afternoon to collect the data needed. I want to scan every single corner of the apartment and garage. It might take quite some time,” Leonardo stood and grabbed the crucifix. “I believe we won’t need this any longer, you seem back to your normal self.”
Glancing at Leonardo’s cup, Maurizio remembered he didn’t have time to have breakfast. He ran to his car, rushing from his bed to the bathroom for a shower. He knew his belly would have complained far too noisily about any abuse on its rights, and with a smile, he walked in the direction of the common room to get his morning coffee. That would have given him time to straighten up his thoughts and make a clear plan as to where he should have started from.
***
When Luciano arrived in front of the faculty, Irina was waiting for him at the statue of Minerva, and as she spotted him, she paced toward him. The awkward feeling of something that had changed between them with the death of his father forced her to hesitate, before saying anything or kiss him as they used to do.
“Hi,” he whispered, lowering his gaze to hold her hand.
“You look tired. Haven’t you sleep last night?” She said, entwining her fingers to his.
Luciano took some time to answer, that simple question seemed the most difficult at that moment. “It’s not the fact of not having slept... I…I still can’t figure out what happened. It’s like living in a nightmare, with the knowledge that soon I’ll wake up. Nevertheless, this is something, which takes far too long to happen. I don’t know how to explain the way I feel, but I’m glad to be with you now.”
Her presence represented the only fragment of lucidity in his life. If he could rewind his life, there would have been many things he would have undone, except falling in love with her.
They started to walk the via dell’Università to a cafeteria, where most of the students liked to gather for breakfast and lunch. Around the University, many cafeterias were to be chosen, but that one was their favorite, maybe because it was the place where they met for the first time, and where they shared their most tender memories.
Yet, the recent happenings shook the feelings Luciano held in his heart. As they walked inside, he was grabbed by an unspeakable need to leave and never to return. Hesitating on the entrance, he glanced at her, as if to beg for choosing another place or for an explanation to that sudden sensation rising straight from his guts.
“What’s wrong?” Irina wondered noticing his confusion and hesitation. Her hand reached his shoulder with a gentle touch, as if to offer consolation to the grief for the loss of his father.
Glancing at her, he shook his head, “I don’t know, but I don’t want to be here. I can’t explain the reason why, but it’s like something is fighting my decision to come into this place; like a warning of some sort of danger.” His lips twitched into a frown.
She’d never seen him as confused as he was at that moment and wondered whether it had to do with her presence, the sudden turn their lives would have taken or anything else mixed with the recent events. Whatever the reason, she understood she needed to be with him, and as close as possible.
“Let’s go somewhere else, then. We don’t need to be in this particular bar,” she whispered softly, guiding him outside.
“Do you think I’m crazy?” He wondered, walking the street in the direction of the next cafeteria. “I know it’s completely irrational. There’s nothing to be afraid of. The Police will keep searching for the assassin, and after a maximum time of one year this story will be set on the backburner until new clues will show up. Yet, I don’t feel completely reassured, something keeps telling me things can get quite nasty and we’re going into very difficult times.”
Holding her hand tighter into his own he realized the repercussions that murder could bring to their relationship.
Whether it would have been strong enough to withstand the storm or it would have come out torn by it, they knew it was important to stick together for the sake of their mental health.
They were in that situation together and would have come out together, either as lovers or friends.
