Maurizio arrived in his office a bit earlier that morning, his intention was to go through all the details on a list he compiled and try to place every suspect in the right place at the time of the murder.
His mobile phone caught his attention, diverting his eyes to where he kept it on his desk; for some strange reason, he wondered why Berenice hadn’t called him anymore. Certainly, If I hadn’t asked her to call me unless there was something extremely important to tell, she would have done it more often.
A whimper filled the emptiness of the room as he exhaled, collapsing in his chair. Caressing the smooth surface of his desk he let his thoughts free to roam, whether to Mrs. Moretti, who hadn’t called him in a while to her suggestion about Luciano’s girlfriend.
“Why does she think this girlfriend is important to the investigation? What could be her connection to the murder, besides being sentimentally connected with the one who benefitted the most from Mr. Calvani’s death?”
His voice was hardly a mumble as he followed his hand caressing the desk. A sudden thought forced him to stop the trail of his hand. His eyes opened up wide to focus on what his mind was formulating.
Like a little cloud on the summer sky, it started to take form, growing and spreading through the blue. Its color changed suddenly and from the fluffy white cottony shape, it turned lead-gray and oppressive, kicking up a thunderstorm.
A bang like the thunder was the loud noise caused by the landing of Maurizio’s open palm to the surface that brought him to realize something he’d never considered, the implication of a third person.
He stood from his chair, rushing outside. Running to the parking lot, he was determined to reach the Forensic Department, where Leonardo had his office. He needed someone to confirm or debunk his theory.
Like a storm, he opened the door. “I need your help,” Maurizio panted, slamming the door closed behind him.
“Take a seat, or you’ll pass out,” Leonardo smirked, amused.
Maurizio grabbed a chair and sat down right in front of Leonardo’s desk. Generally, he would have reacted to the sarcastic comment, but on that occasion, it seemed as if he didn’t hear what he said. He was still chewing an idea storming in his mind, and, he knew he wouldn’t have any peace until he’d talked with someone or brainstormed about it.
“I was trying to put all the pieces together, when the observation of Mrs. Moretti returned to my mind. She was pointing out that Luciano, had a girlfriend.” He commenced, hoping to get more clarity in his mind. “Now, I know a young man, student at the University, most probably has a girlfriend or is in some sort of relationship. What tickles my mind is that the girl’s name is Irina, and Mrs. Moretti is ready to swear she is somehow connected with Mr. Calvani’s girlfriend.”
“Hmm...” muttered Leonardo leaning on his chair. “So, we might have a case of a family date? The father is dating a woman, causing the divorce from his wife, and then the son starts dating the daughter of the father’s girlfriend.”
Leonardo crossed his fingers in front of his mouth and ruminated about it for a moment.
“This wouldn’t be the first time that something like this has happened. What might be considered strange is that according to Ms. Fazekas, she never met Luciano. I haven’t said that this Irina is her daughter. This is what Mrs. Moretti suggested, but we need some confirmation, and to do so, we need to talk with Ms. Fazekas one more time. Come with me, I need a witness during this chat.” Maurizio stood up and started to walk to the door.
As he noticed that Leonardo didn’t move from his position, he turned to glance at him, “Are you waiting for something in particular to move your ass from that chair?”
“Belonging to different departments, and since you aren’t my direct supervisor, I would have expected a ‘please’ to accompany your request.” Leonardo remained seated in his chair. “Secondly, shouldn’t you call her first to see if she’s at home or anywhere else? Moreover, why me, and not one of your cohorts?”
Grinning, and clenching his fists, he understood that he might have a point with calling her before going to her apartment. “For the first question, you got a point, concerning my collaborators; I have given them specific tasks, and they are busy,” he growled, pulling his mobile phone from the pocket of his jeans.
He sat down once again, followed by the amused glance of Leonardo, and dialed Madlen’s telephone number.
Madlen was at the door, ready to leave the apartment and go to a meeting with a representative from the insurance company to obtain some information about the process to obtain the insurance settlement.
The telephone ringing startled her as she cringed, noticing it was an unknown number. It wasn’t difficult to guess who was calling her and the reason for that call.
“Hello,” she replied, trying to sound as natural as possible.
“Good morning, Ms. Fazekas, I’m sorry to disturb you; this is Detective Scala, may I borrow a moment of your time?” He greeted with a plastered smile on his face.
“Good morning, Detective, I’m in a bit of a hurry now, as I have an appointment in one hour, but if you need to ask me a question, I’m at your availability. Otherwise, we can set up a meeting in the afternoon.” She hurried to the elevator.
“Can I ask you one question right now? I would also need to meet with you later this afternoon. Will it be ok if I come to your apartment at three o’clock?” he asked, avoiding glancing at Leonardo, as he knew he had that mocking ‘told ya’ stare.
“Of course, at
