“Did she mentioned the fact that he left her?” Maurizio wondered as that could have been the most feasible reason for Irina to decide to end her fight.
“No, this was my personal guess,” she replied. “I didn’t know her, and I would never condone what she’d done. Murder is something that belongs exclusively to extreme cases of self-defense, not a way to do justice on your own.”
“This is the reason why we are here,” Maurizio pointed out thoughtfully, wondering whether there were more reasons behind her suicide.
“Do you believe she had other reasons to suicide?” asked Senior officer Milani.
“ I’m simply guessing too. However, I didn’t have the impression she was the kind of person who would have given up without a fight. I thought she would have worked on the way to get a reduced sentence. Working on the defense, she might have gotten out earlier, obtaining partial freedom. There would have been so many chances for her to have the sentence converted into a milder one... I don’t understand.”
Senior officer Milani inhaled deeply as an uncomfortable feeling grabbed her soul. “Well, that was all I came here for, I thought you wanted to know...”
“Yes, thank you. I guess it’s something we all need to think about and digest it. Suicide is the last thing you want to happen in prison. This means the case will forever be closed. She was probably the only one to know the truth about the murder of Claudio Calvani. Whether she kept secrecy to protect someone or to try for a milder sentence, the truth followed her to the grave, and if it’s so and one of the murderers is still alive and free, we need to hope this was the last crime.” Maurizio shook his head, pursing his lips.
“All the clues lead to her and her father. I think she acted with his help, who hosted her in his house. It isn’t credible that one of them could act without the other knowing. Probably her whole plan was to get rid of Mr. Calvani as a possible threat to her mother’s happiness. Perhaps she knew about the life insurance and might have talked to her daughter, never believing she would have actually killed him.”
A smile relieved Maurizio’s face. “Well, that’s a reasonable conclusion, and that’s the same one the judges reached after having examined the proof and listening to the witnesses. So, case closed?”
“Case closed, Detective Scala,” she replied as she walked toward the exit.
“Yes,” he said with a long exhale. “Case closed.”
EPILOGUE
It was the day before Christmas Eve. Maurizio was able to leave work earlier and on his way home, his attention was grabbed by a specific car parked outside the cemetery. There weren’t many people who owned a black Lamborghini, and even without checking the plate number, he was sure the owner was no one other than Luciano Calvani.
Turning the car in the direction of the cemetery, he parked beside Luciano’s car, admiring it for a moment, wondering how it would have been to have no economic problems and be able to afford such luxury.
With a slight shake of his head, he walked inside, knowing perfectly where to find Luciano at the grave of his father.
Silently, Maurizio strolled through the alleys between the graves until he spotted the figure of Luciano, staring at his father’s tombstone.
Without saying a word, he stopped a few steps away, waiting for him to be ready to leave to bid his condolences once again and perhaps wishing him a serene Christmas period.
“Good afternoon, Detective Scala,” he greeted without averting his glance from the image on the grave of his father.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Calvani. I was passing by and I couldn’t avoid noticing your car in the parking lot, so I thought I could come to give you my best wishes for this period. I understand it must be hard...” Maurizio almost felt his intrusion inappropriate, but that might have been the only chance he had to greet him.
“I thought it would have been easier. I was sure I wouldn’t have missed him as much as I am right now; after all, he never cared about my mother or me.” His voice flickered. “We were nothing more than commodities, something vital for his social status. As a successful businessman, it was necessary for him to have a family. Although, my mother had an influence in the growing of the business, and received her recognition, I was never something he wanted.”
Maurizio remained silent at that confession. Money won’t grant happiness, he thought. He had the impression of having arrived at the right time, and Luciano had to take out all his bitterness.
“You see,” Luciano turned his teary eyes at Maurizio, “he was the person I admired the most, everything I did was to gain his approval, to feel worthy of his name and attention. Yet, every time it was a flame that consumed itself too fast. There was always something better to take care of. One day it could be his job, then it could be his friends, or again he might have been too tired. I was never a priority.
“But I couldn’t hate him. I wish I could... Then one day, my mother found out about the girl he was cheating on her with. There hadn’t been a big drama, she collected her things, called her attorney, and left. She had suggested that I go and live with her, if I wanted, but I still wanted to grab that chance of living with him and try gathering his attention.”
As tears started to stream from his eyes, Luciano required some time to gather some strength and to get a grip on his emotions.
“I hoped, we could
