Death In Bagheria (A Serafina Florio Mystery) Read Online Free PDF Page B

couldn’t do it. Her older children had welcomed them, but Maria and Totò hadn’t. From the moment Teo stepped inside the house, she’d felt Maria’s hostility and Totò’s resentment . She needed to spend more time with them, that was it. Tonight would be a family evening, a celebration, nothing to mar the festivities.
    “Some day your mind’s going to wa nder off a cliff and fall into the sea.” Rosa helped herself to another large slice. “And Gesuzza,” she said through the cake, “tell Arcangelo I need him here, right now.”
    While she and Rosa finished their coffee, Serafina began planning the evening. She’d have to work miracles with her children tonight, salving their wounds and restoring harmony. Who said she couldn’t? She’d done it before. For starters, she’d arrange the table seating, putting Badali next to Carmela, saying a prayer to her dead mother, the matchmaker; placing Totò and Maria on each side of Teo, Tessa across from the three. And afterward, they’d play charades. Teo ought to be good with guessing, and she’d think up some churchy pantomimes so Totò could show off his new altar boy skills. Carmela and Renata could help her create the riddles, each of them manage a group of players. Vicenzu, her son who ran the family’s apothecary, must leave his abacus alone tonight and join in the game; a pity Carlo and Giulia wouldn’t be home to enjoy the merriment. Perhaps she ought to invite Loffredo. Yes, of course, why hadn’t she thought of that earlier—to even out the teams. Anyway, she’d promised him a visit this evening, and she had a duty, after all the help he’d given her, to soothe his spirits. She felt the heat beginning to rise to her face.
    “We’ll take Renata with us.”
    “Renata?” The madam was puzzled.
    “She’ll visit the baron’s chef and, of course, watch the kitchen.”
    Still no comprehension.
    “We’ll be there at least two days, and we have to eat.”
    “And eat well, I hope.”
    “Were you planning to dine with a poisoner loose in the baron’s villa, especially since you think it’s the cook?”
    Rosa pursed her lips, continued sealing the envelope.
    A knock interrupted them, and Arcangelo appeared in the doorway, pulling at his sleeves. He smiled when he saw Serafina and bowed to Rosa, who handed him the letter. “Take the next train to Bagheria and deliver this to Villa Caterina. Make sure the baron reads it. Insist on a reply and bring it back to me tonight. I sup next door.”
    He turned to go.
    “Arcangelo. You ride with the driver tomorrow and tell your father I’d like to borrow two guards for the trip.”
    He shook his head. “They’ve disappeared.”

Discarded
    “F ound iton via Serpentina,” the carabiniere said, handing Serafina the journal.
    “You’re one of Badali’s men?” she asked.
    He nodded. “Flattened by the wheels of a cart or two, as you can see—binding’s a little loose.”
    She fingered the leather, put it to her nose, and made a face. Flipping through it, she said, “Missing pages. Why am I not surprised? Tell me what you know about it.”
    “We followed the youths as best we could until they disappeared. Confounded us, I don’t mind saying.” He stomped his feet. “Knocked on all the doors. Roused the whole neighborhood. You could see the word flying above the rooftops. Oh, we’d be knocking at the front, and they’d be going out the back, sure as day, boots stomping the cobbles. Well, so much for that. But inside the blacksmith’s, we found a scrawny little rat hiding behind some barrels and such in the corner. Had the sweat still on him and wearing the same red cap I remember chasing. Swore he didn’t have it, didn’t know anything about it. Nothing we could do—too young a lad to take in for questioning—but a few hours later, we found the journal lying in the gutter some meters away.”
    “The boy’s name?” Serafina asked.
    “Dunno. About seven or eight years he must have, just a