“Well, at least I know this won’t last forever. The case is coming to closure, so we will be assigned to something else. Personally, I prefer to keep an eye on this guy— it’s an easier task.”
Suddenly, the noise of the ringing of the phone interrupted the monotony of the night. Switching on the recording device, Officer Cattaneo jolted in his seat, “The girl is calling him.”
Luciano was sleeping when the telephone started to ring. He didn’t need to know who was calling, as there was only one person who would have had any reason for that late night, or early morning call, for the matter.
Without switching on the light, he grabbed the telephone, flashing and scattering its light in the darkness. “Hello, I thought you were sleeping.” He climbed out of bed, turning the alarm clock to check the time.
“I wasn’t sure whether to call you or not. I talked to my mother earlier, and she hopes the case will be closed soon, so she can have access to the money she inherited,” she replied casually.
“I wish everything will be closed soon as well. I haven’t received any news from the detective, and I’m wondering the reason for their silence. I wanted to call you because I started missing you. I can’t wait until we can finally live together,” his voice merely a whisper.
A giggle escaped her. “We haven’t been apart recently, but I understand what you mean, and I feel the same. Returning here in Hungary, after such a long break felt a bit strange. My aunt has been asking me a lot of questions about my journey. I’m afraid the police questioned her too. It might have been a mistake revealing our relationship. We should have kept this detail to ourselves.”
Luciano shook his head, “I was forced to. I have no idea how it was possible, but it seemed as if Detective Scala knew about us, and then it would have been worse trying to deny it. Someone must have seen us together and told him about us... Moreover, I tried to delete all the emails between you and me from my computer, but those things leave a trace in the server and they might have retrieved them, revealing our relationship.”
For a few moments, none of them knew what to say. “There isn’t anything wrong in being together and not wanting anyone else to know. Why are you so worried about it?” He was aware of the risk involved in being connected to each other.
“Because this is the first time my aunt is asking me so insistently about my hangouts. Although we don’t live together anymore, we have a very close relationship, and when I need to leave my apartment for a journey, I always ask her to take care of the mail, so she knows exactly when I’m away. This was the first time she called me to know where I’ve been and with whom or what have I done in Paris. I’m wondering whether the police have been questioning my mother about me too?” She glanced around the room, as if she were waiting for something to happen, perhaps the police would suddenly burst into her home to bring her to jail.
The possibility wasn’t so remote, and she knew the risks involved in planning the murder of two people. Eventually nobody could connect her to the murder of Igor. Also, before accusing me of his assassination there must be a corpse, rather than a missing person who is accused of having killed a rival in love.
Despite the difficulty to be connected to any of the deaths, her soul wasn’t at ease. She needed to make sure she would never be suspected either by disappearing, perhaps with a counterfeited passport to another country.
Luciano remained listening to her silence as if he could hear her thoughts and doubts. “Everything will be fine— I promise,” he whispered, closing his eyes.
Without replying, she nodded, “Perhaps we should go to sleep. Tomorrow we both need to get back to work.”
“Yes, probably it’s better for me to quit the University and focus only on the leading of the firm; there are so many things to learn about it, and I can’t pretend to focus and succeed on both tasks. Maybe one day, I’ll be able to resume my studies, but for now I need to concentrate only on one task and leave this terrible story behind me. Don’t forget I love you,” he said, feeling his heartbeat thumping in his chest.
“I love you too. Have a good night,” she replied, ending the conversation. Once again, she scanned the room with her eyes, and the feeling of hopelessness, grabbed her soul.
Clenching her fists, she gathered all her strength. “It’s not over yet. I can’t let myself go and get caught off-guard.”
CHAPTER 22
Maurizio was driving to the Police Department. He knew he was late, the traffic on the Tiburtine was slower than ever, and with clenched teeth he reached his frustration level to the fact that yet, he couldn’t find a new apartment where to move with the family. He didn’t have much time to dedicate to the task, and he felt grateful to Anna for not having asked anything about it.
“I need to get rid of this route, one way or another,” he hissed as his car slowly proceeded toward the exit where he would have the chance to speed up. The ringing of his phone chimed in his ear through the loudspeakers. Without the need to check who was calling he replied, confident that Chief Commissioner Angelini was wondering where he might have been.
“Scala,” he answered with a slightly upset tone.
“Detective Scala,
