Part 4

I was being held by Mario as I blubbed and then felt the weight of Francesca against my back. There I was, being sandwiched between two people who both had the opportunity to kill me but had refrained. As I sobbed I felt a sense of being someone who meant something to these people.

When I finally stopped, Mario kissed the top of my head. “That was your first kill, wasn’t it? He asked. I nodded and said “Will I go to hell now?” He shook his head and said that hell was only for bad people, not for those who put their own life on the line to protect others. I suppose that I had better follow that line or else go mad. Francesca helped me dry my eyes and then thanked me for saving her life, yet again, and asked me if I had any other skills she had not seen yet.

I think that the Don had rung a friend in the police and told them what had happened as a Commissario Capo arrived later in the afternoon and I had to go through the events again, this time with Francesca and Mario sitting either side of me to give me strength. The Commissario was very patient with me and I was able to tell everything without blubbing again. At the end of my tale he told us that his officers had gone to the site of the murder and had found the body of the man I had shot as well as enough spent brass to cast a small icon. They had also been called to the site of the car crash by the fire service and have retrieved two bodies from the wreck, as well as an arsenal of weapons that police cars do not normally carry. Much of the ammunition had exploded in the fire so there was not a lot left of the car. They had, however, been able to track the VIN Number to an ex-police car that had been sold at auction in Turin, some months before.

He then told us that the man I shot, as well as the two that Mario had killed on that Sunday, had all been identified as members of a criminal gang from Turin who were known to mix with Russian gangsters. I could sense both of my companions turning that information over in their minds. So that’s who Luigi was mixing with, he had certainly put his foot in some serious shit there. The Commissario thanked us for our assistance and left, along with a van from the morgue carrying poor Ludo and a truck with the bullet-ridden BMW. The Don again thanked me for saving his daughters’ life and placed a kiss on my forehead before he left. When he had left the room, Mario told me that the kiss was one of loyalty and that I was now a part of the family. Not even he had been granted that honour, yet.

Dinner that night was a subdued affair with all of us keeping our thoughts to ourselves. I commented that I had eaten the dish we were having at home and that it tasted different. Francesca said that it was a version of Pappa al Pomodoro and that the Tuscan region made it differently. I realised that it was one of the dishes I could do at home and I said that it was because there was not enough olive oil in this version. She asked me if I could cook and I said that my family had originated in Tuscany and that there were a number of Tuscan meals I was able to cook. She was happy at that and said “I love Tuscan cooking when we go north. I think you may be able to convince the cook to let you produce a few over the next few days. Now, how many more skills are there you have not told me about?” That broke the spell and we were all smiling and feeling much happier by the time the meal ended.

Over the next couple of weeks we stayed close to home. Mario and I took the odd walk in the garden in the evening and were getting on famously; I created some Tuscan dishes that everyone was gracious enough to say they liked, and a new Seven Series was delivered. We had a number of guards about the place but I knew that the tension was starting to weigh on the family. The next time we went to church was to bury Ludo and there was a police team in place as well as our own security which made the priest happy to have a full church.

It all came to a head during the third week. I was in the kitchen working on a Tuscan cake called castagnaccio, a chestnut cake which may, or may not, be accepted by the diners as it was a bit of an acquired taste. I heard a shot which sounded like it came from the study area. I told the cook to stay quiet and then surprised her by drawing one of my two throwing knives from under my skirt. I went to the door and opened it slowly and went towards the front of the house. When I peeped into the hall I saw a man I did not recognise with a silenced pistol at his side. He was keeping watch outside and I crept towards him, knife at the ready. I didn’t make a sound but it may have been my perfume that alerted him as he turned around in perfect time to take my upthrust knife in his throat. By the way it went in I was sure it had reached his brain. He dropped to the floor and I retrieved the knife and his pistol. I looked and saw our usual guard just outside with a hole in his head.

I could hear shouting from the study so went towards the noise. As I got near I peeked around the corner and saw a man standing guard at the door. I checked the pistol in my hand was ready to fire and stepped out in the hallway and shot him in the head, rushing forward to drag him away from the door before he hit the floor. I then quietly pushed the study door open and looked in. The Don was behind his desk and looking very angry, Francesca was on a chair beside him and Mario was on his back with a hole in his chest that bubbled as he breathed. Standing in front of them was the one family member I had not met, the mad and bad Luigi. He was ranting on to his father that he was now in charge and the family was his once the Don had died. He raved how he would have his way with his ‘stuck-up’ sister before he killed her and that she should have been dead already. He shouted that she would have wished she had died by the time he had finished with her.

I stepped into the room and he must have seen me out of the corner of his eye. He swung the pistol towards Francesca and shouted for me to drop the gun or else he would shoot her. I crouched down and put the gun on the floor, then reaching under my skirt I pulled out a knife and threw it as his gun was swinging around to finish me off. The knife took him straight in the throat and he fired the gun. I felt the bullet graze my side and was spun around and fell to the floor myself.

At that, the Don sprang into action, phoning for police and ambulance, while Francesca rushed to me. I told her it was just a graze but the bastard had ruined another dress. I said to look to Mario. She was a little unsure so, as soon as I could, I went and helped her roll Mario onto the side where the wound was so he didn’t fill up his good lung. I retrieved my knife from Luigis’ throat and used it to cut strips from his shirt which we used to stem the blood coming from Mario. I also put a pad against my own side as it was starting to throb. I told the Don that I had killed one outside the room and one by the front door but I didn’t know how many others may be on the grounds. He made another call to the police to tell them to come into the estate as if there may be armed men waiting for them.

It was because of this we had to wait for the police to deal with a couple of thugs at the front gate. We could hear the gunfire and it wasn’t long before their bodies joined those of our own guards on the ground. Soon, the room filled with armed officers and finally the paramedics turned up to see to Mario. It was only after they had stemmed the blood flow and got him out on a stretcher I sat down heavily on the floor and they could see my own blood. I was then treated and found out that it was a bit more than a graze. It seemed that I had both and entry and an exit wound in my side so I joined Mario in the ambulance on a second stretcher. Francesca came with us.

On the way she held my hand and wept. I told her that I was sorry for killing her brother and she told me it was not him that she was weeping for, it was me being hurt. I asked her how Mario was and she said that he seemed to be breathing better after we had rolled him on his side. The doctor who was riding with us told us that we had probably saved his life. At the hospital we were quickly seen to and I went into one operating room while Mario went into another.

I came around to see the Don sitting by my side with my old rosary in his hand. I waited until he got to the end and said ‘Amen’ along with him. His head jerked up and I could see relief in his eyes. He then said “Thank God you are back with us, Adeline, or whatever your name was. You have saved my family too many times for me to have any animosity towards you. Francesca had told me everything and I owe the three of you a debt of gratitude I will never be able to repay.”

I told him I needed only to know that Mario had pulled through and he told me that Mario was doing very well, the bullet had missed his heart. “My son was always a bad shot” he said ruefully “I should have seen him going off the rails a long time ago but was so sure that the blood would come good that I refused to see how bad he was.” He took hold of my hand and I told him I was sorry I had to kill Luigi but he had threatened Francesca with rape, and worse, and that was something I could never allow to happen. He nodded and told me that the police had cleaned up at the house and took away the bodies of the four gang members. He said that Luigi would be buried with all the pomp that the Carlione family required, no matter what he had done, and that the attempted overthrow would be kept quiet so as not to undermine the family influence.

We chatted like old friends for a while before he had to leave. Before he went he said “Adeline, my house is your house as long as you want to stay. Please do not go too quickly as I have come to respect your strong character and unswerving loyalty to me and Francesca.” When he had gone I pressed the call button and a nurse came into the room. I asked her if I was able to be moved so I could go and see Mario so she got a wheelchair and set up my drip. We set off along the corridors until we reached another room, in which Mario lay on a bed, hooked up to more machines that seemed possible. I was able to stand and took his hand, saying “Oh, Mario, if only I had been there for you earlier.” One of his eyes opened and he said, in a whisper “You did get there in time to save my life, again, little one. I hope that you don’t have to do it again.”

Marianne G