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Raguzzo coughed. “There were stories about Serafina Forte. Not all of them were kind. And people believed she had special ways of compelling people to do things.”
Giusy piped in. “I told you everyone thought she was a witch.”
“I didn’t say that word,” Raguzzo said.
“You don’t have to say it. No one thinks she was given that land fair and square and everyone here thinks she was a witch. My grandmother and aunts told stories about her when I was a little girl. It was a warning. Go to church. Be a good girl. Listen. Do not be a whore. You could end up like la strega Serafina Forte.”
This time Raguzzo chose to ignore her, so I did the same and let him continue.
“You’ll need to get your identification documents in order. A copy of your passport will not be acceptable. You will need to get a new real passport in Palermo. Set up a local bank account. The money from land transfers can only be done through a local bank and you’ll need a real passport to create the account.”
“Do I need a lawyer?” I asked.
“I do not think the neighbors next door want to take this to the official courts in Sciacca. They are not the kind of people who love the law.”
“What do we do next?” I asked.
Raguzzo considered this by pulling a toothpick out of his desk drawer and picking at the jewels in his front teeth for several minutes in silence.
“This is a matter for the town council to decide. It is how things are done here. There will be a municipal meeting.”
“When?”
“Maybe this week? Maybe next. You never can say when things will happen. They happen when they happen. In the meantime, I will try to get the surveyor out to assess the land independently, the capacity for water, the property boundaries. You will want your own information.”
“And what is your fee?” I asked. I had learned enough about real estate deals gone wrong to ask everything about money in advance. But Raguzzo waved his hand.
“We can discuss that later. We are all friends here.”
But we weren’t. “I’d like to discuss it now if possible.”
“You Americans always think about the money. My fee for a successful deal is five percent. Something like that. Give or take. Like I said, we are all friends here.”
I stopped myself from saying that we literally just met.
“Ten percent is what you told me when I asked you to help me sell the hotel.” Giusy fixed her glare on him. “Plus a big retainer up front.”
“Ahhh yes, but that is more complicated because your husband’s name is on the deed and no one has seen him for years.”
“Only because they wouldn’t put my name on the deed alone.”
Raguzzo threw his hands up into the air. The toothpick flew out of his fingers and landed on Giusy’s lap. We all ignored it.
“It’s not how things have been done here. But precedent matters. Let’s see what the town says about Serafina’s old deed and about your friend here, Sara, having her name on the deed for this land. Look at you women doing all these big things. Making changes. And of course, Giusy, your husband will still have to return to relinquish his rights at some point and then maybe we can move forward with selling your hotel. Or you can take my other advice and hire yourself a fancy lawyer from Palermo to come fight with the town council.”
“My husband is probably dead in a gutter somewhere and you know it.”
Raguzzo chuckled like this was a truly hilarious joke. “Well, then let’s find a body. I have another appointment outside of town, so I will need to leave you ladies. We can see one another before the town hall meeting to discuss the surveyor’s results and until then, stay safe.”
The last two words sounded more like a warning than a platitude. Giusy flicked the discarded toothpick across the room with her thumb and index finger and mumbled something under her breath as she stood and flounced to the door.
On the street I grabbed her arm to get her to stop walking. “Thanks for what you did in there. You were a big help,” I said.
“It was nothing.”
“It was a lot and I’ll make sure you get some cash if we pull this off and who knows maybe this whole thing will help you. You know, with selling your hotel.”
“Maybe.” Her gaze was faraway. “If you’re ready, we should get to our next meeting.”
