A Season for Killing Blondes (26 page)

“Should we ask her?”

I sat up and tried to focus. There were two women in the room, but I couldn’t make out their faces. “Who’s here?”

One of the voices whispered, “Maria and Rosa.”

“You’re keeping a vigil,” I said. “Isn’t that something you do for people who are dying?”

“You are not dying, Gilda Greco.” Rosa spoke slowly and clearly. “You are alive and well, and tomorrow you will get up and start again.”

“That’s right,” Maria said. “You’ve been through a lot, and you need to get your rest.”

I sat up and squinted at both of them. “But what about the both of you?”

“We can sleep tomorrow,” Maria said. “One night of lost sleep will not kill either one of us. Go back to sleep, and don’t worry about anything. Remember, I’m your godmother, and I’m honoring those promises I made at your christening.”

“You really take your responsibilities to heart.” As I lay down, my eyes started to close, and I found myself slipping into a dark womb of comfort.

I awoke hours later to the aroma of freshly brewed coffee. “Rosa. Maria. Are you still here?”

Both women entered my bedroom. Maria beamed. “You’re starting to look like yourself again.”

“I’ll call Grace and Carlo,” Rosa said. “They want to meet with you sometime today. Are you up to it?”

“What happened?” My mind went blank as I tried to recall the events of the previous evening.

“We don’t have all the details,” Maria said. “Carlo told us they found the murderers of those four women, and you witnessed some of it. It was too much for you, and you fainted. Grace dropped you off here, and then he phoned us to come and sit with you. I guess he couldn’t get hold of Sofia. Do you remember anything else?”

It hadn’t been a dream. Roberto was one of the murderers, and Sofia was an accomplice. The news wasn’t out yet, and I wasn’t about to tell these two well-meaning but chatty women anything. I yawned. “I don’t remember much. I’ll call Carlo and see if he wants me to go downtown.”

“I’ll call him,” Maria said. “You take a shower and get dressed. Have a cup of coffee before you go, and then you can meet him for lunch.”

“That’s right,” Rosa said. “Make a date of it. You never know what will happen.”

More matchmaking! These women were unbelievable. “He’s involved in a murder investigation. I don’t think he’ll have time for lunch today.”

Maria became more adamant in her tone. “You think too much. That’s your problem. Now go and get ready.”

I showered and picked out jeans with a new cranberry sweater topped by a fitted black leather blazer. I took extra care with my hair and makeup and was pleased with the final result. I grabbed my purse and headed toward the kitchen. Maria and Rosa nodded in approval and had a steaming cup of coffee ready. Rosa handed me a page torn from the kitchen notepad. “Meet them at Verdicchio’s. We told Carlo you’d be there by one o’clock. You have time to drink your coffee and go.”

“You have me on a very tight schedule.” I smiled as I sipped my coffee. Finally, I would be getting closure on the murders. I finished drinking my coffee, hugged the two women, and drove to the restaurant.

When I arrived at the restaurant, my eyes traveled around the room and discovered Grace seated at a table apart from the other patrons. No sign of Carlo.

Grace got up and hugged me. “I’m so glad to see you. Carlo won’t be here until later.”

I held her close as my eyes welled with tears. “You can get me caught up before he comes.” I wanted to hear every last detail, and I knew Grace could speak freely without Carlo around.

“Carlo said you fainted when Roberto slapped Sofia. So, I’ll start there.” She shuddered. “It was like a monster had been unleashed. He called me a number of choice names and started to describe what he planned to do. He was going to kill me first and then Sofia. As he lunged toward me, policemen emerged from every corner of the alleyway. They were all armed and pointed guns at him. Two officers grabbed and cuffed him.”

I put my hand on hers. “Thank goodness he didn’t harm you in any way.”

She continued her story. “Sofia had a bruise near her right eye, her hair was a mess, and her clothes were covered with dirt. She started to whimper and pointed at Roberto. She said everything in the diary was true, and she was willing to give her statement. Carlo advised her to get an attorney first.”

I shook my head in amazement as I recalled the diary. “While I read those entries, I actually felt Anna May’s presence.”

Grace shrugged. “I’ve known Anna May all my life. It wasn’t that hard to imagine what she could have done.”

“You even forged Anna May’s handwriting. Why did you bother?”

“I knew that Roberto had once been involved with her. I didn’t know if he had ever paid any attention to her handwriting, and I couldn’t afford to take any chances. I remember Melly Grace telling me about one of her cases. A client had concocted an elaborate plan to embezzle money from her firm and then got caught on a minor technicality—the wrong checkout time. Winning is in the details. She firmly believed that.”

Back to Melly Grace again. But this time I felt nothing but a twinge of regret that I never got to know a truly unforgettable woman. I no longer envied her.

Grace leaned toward me. “Are you okay? If this is too much for you, I can stop.”

I shot her a grateful smile. “I’m fine. What happened next?”

“Sofia started spilling all of the beans. Carlo tried to stop her, but she wouldn’t let him. I remember him shouting something about getting the paramedics. They came about ten minutes later, but Sofia had done enough damage by then.” Grace shook her head. “I don’t know your cousin very well, but for a while there she reminded me of Anna May. It was so sad, so pathetic to see someone that put together fall apart.”

I closed my eyes and thanked God I had been spared Sofia’s meltdown.

Grace spoke softly. “Anna May never meant to kill Carrie Ann. Both women were having a down-and-out fight when Sofia and Roberto saw them. And then Carrie Ann fell and hit her head at the corner of the Dumpster.”

If Anna May had come clean about her fight with Carrie Ann, Melly Grace and Natalia would be alive today. And Anna May would have received the help she so desperately needed. Why did Anna May have to resort to all that subterfuge and drama? So many questions whirled through my mind. I didn’t know where to start. I decided to focus on Sofia. “What were Roberto and Sofia doing there?”

“Sofia said something about dropping by to tell you to go home.” Grace frowned. “I don’t know what she meant by that.”

“She did that every day. She wanted to make sure I got home at a reasonable hour.”

Grace shook her head. “That’s one good deed that cost her a lot of grief.”

“What happened next?”

“Anna May refused to listen when Roberto kept repeating that Carrie Ann’s death was an accident. He even offered to represent her if needed, but Anna May wouldn’t listen. She became hysterical and started screaming that she didn’t want any police involvement. Roberto gave in to her rants and suggested they place the body in the Dumpster, and let nature take its course. There would be over two hundred people at the open house, too many to investigate, and the police would not pursue it too closely. Anna May jumped at the idea and asked Sofia to look out for the body and make sure no one got too close until after the open house.”

“It was a stroke of bad luck that my aunt and uncle found her,” I said. “Sofia left her parents unattended for a few minutes.”

“They hadn’t banked on such an early discovery by your uncle,” Grace said. “Anna May verbally attacked Sofia. Roberto also reprimanded Sofia. They made it clear they would not hesitate to implicate her if she did not cooperate with them.”

“Why did they have to kill Melly Grace?”

“Melly Grace planned to conduct her own investigation, and Anna May feared she would learn about her skimming of the accounts and her under-the-table deals with some of the suppliers. Roberto protested, but Anna May warned that if she fell, she would bring Sofia and him down. Somehow, they lured Melly Grace to the restaurant.”

“What on earth motivated Anna May and Roberto to kill Natalia, a complete outsider to all of this mess?”

“Anna May was furious when Natalia kicked her out of the spa. By that time, she had lost all touch with reality. When she phoned Roberto to tell him she wanted Natalia killed, he hung up on her. He thought it over and decided that he had to get rid of Anna May. He couldn’t handle any more of her theatrics, and he feared she would unravel and implicate him. He phoned Anna May back and agreed to help her kill Natalia. Roberto forced Sofia to go along with him and promised it would end that evening and that he would help with your alibi. She went along with it. But as Anna May said, she never touched any of those bodies. That’s why Anna May’s body lay on the ground. She wouldn’t help Roberto arrange it in the Dumpster.”

“She was so happy that Sunday,” I said. “I remember her carrying on with Roberto. Why did she stay with him?”

“She had participated in four murders, and he had a definite hold on her. She also knew what he was capable of.”

“Why didn’t she come to me?” My eyes welled with tears. “I would have helped her.”

Grace put her hand on mine. “She was too embarrassed and ashamed to come to you. How could she tell you she feared Roberto and Anna May and for her life?”

I struggled to process all the information. “She kept saying she had no intention of marrying Roberto. She even had a Plan B in motion.” Sofia had been at her prettiest and happiest the night of the dinner party.

“I’m willing to bet she was good at compartmentalizing,” Grace said. “A part of her probably thought it wasn’t really happening and that somehow Roberto would disappear from her life.”

All those years of telling white lies finally caught up with her. Thinking back, I recalled a number of instances where she purposely withheld information or glossed over the details. Each time, she said it was easier and less stressful for everyone concerned if the truth didn’t come out. After marrying Andrew, she became even more obsessed with presenting a brave front to our parents and the rest of the world. I gasped. “We’ll have to tell her parents. I don’t think I can—”

“Don’t worry about that.” I heard Carlo’s voice behind us. I looked up and met his unblinking blue eyes. He sat across from me. “Father Ianni went to see Amelia and Paolo last night and took care of everything. Sofia’s sons will be arriving later this afternoon.” He spoke with greater emphasis. “Don’t worry for one minute about any of them.”

“I don’t want to see Sofia for a while.” I could feel myself detaching from her. We had never been close until the last eighteen months, and I suspect my one million dollar gift to Sofia had a lot to do with her friendship. It must have been hard for her to watch as I spent and gave away money so effortlessly. The envy had always been there, but I had just chosen not to acknowledge it.

Carlo nodded in approval. “She’ll be released on bail, and then the courts will decide.”

“I imagine Roberto will be disbarred and tried for murder.” Grace asked, “Has he said anything?”

“An old classmate from Osgoode is flying in from Vancouver, and we will be meeting later this afternoon,” Carlo said. “Father Ianni also met with Mrs. Ongaro. One of her neighbors is staying with her until a niece arrives from Italy.” He sighed deeply. “I hope Sofia hires a good lawyer. She’ll need one.”

“What about the Taylors?” I asked.

Carlo frowned. “What do they have to do with any of this?”

I watched the changing expressions on Grace’s face. She avoided my glance and looked down at her hands. She needed therapy, and she needed to tell her mother the truth. She could no longer keep this secret to herself. We would have that conversation very soon.

I chose my words carefully. “I had a feeling that Michael might be involved in the murders.”

Carlo laughed. “Are you starting to have those gut feelings?” His eyes narrowed. “I’ve never liked that sleaze ball, and nothing would give me greater pleasure than nailing him, but I have no proof of any involvement.” He was probably thinking about the harassment charges that had been dropped years ago.

I spoke directly to Grace. “Was there anything in the diary that could implicate him or Jean?” Jean had visited my office that night. If she had encountered Anna May in the parking lot, Anna May would have blabbed everything to her. Jean had that effect on people.

Grace shook her head. “Anna May mentioned Jean’s name once and added a thank you next to her name. She could have been thanking her for almost anything.”

In my heart of hearts, I believed those two knew about the murders and were using that knowledge to blackmail Sofia and Roberto. Why else would Sofia set up Jean’s booth, decorate Michael’s office, and spend so much time with them? Outside of family, Sofia didn’t go out of her way to help other people. But Carlo couldn’t connect the Taylors with the murders, unless Sofia or Roberto decided to implicate them.

“Earth to Gilda!” Grace waved to get my attention.

“Sorry! It’s taking me a while to process all of this.” I turned to Carlo. “When did you start suspecting Sofia and Roberto?”

Carlo winced. “I wish I could say I suspected them right away, but I didn’t. I started to suspect Roberto at Anna May’s memorial service. He and Sofia arrived separately and pretended not to know each other. Roberto approached all the Godfrey relatives and praised Anna May lavishly. It just didn’t feel right.”

“He had his nerve,” Grace said. “Mom and I couldn’t believe he would even show his face.”

“I’m missing something here,” I said.

“Roberto broke up Anna May’s marriage,” Grace explained. “They had an affair which ended as soon as the ink on Anna May’s divorce was dry. He then married one of his young nubile secretaries, and Anna May had a meltdown. She spent a year with some relatives in Kitchener and received heavy-duty counseling. When she returned to Sudbury, she picked up the pieces of her life and never mentioned Roberto’s name again.”

I swallowed hard. “When did you start suspecting Sofia?”

“After the memorial service, a few things started clicking,” he replied. “I remembered all those times Sofia had rattled off on Sunday. They were too precise, and everything flowed too perfectly. I had both of them followed after the memorial service. She spent a lot of money on him that week—several new suits and all that exercise equipment. The night of the dinner party, Roberto showed me brochures of boats and cottages. The next day, Grace shared her gut feelings…and you know the rest.”