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Her voice is uncharacteristically stern. “Angelo.”
I look up from my laptop, caught off guard by a tone she never uses with me.
“There’s a problem at the new house,” she continues.
Every muscle in my body tenses. “What problem?”
Propping her hands on her hips, she says, “Lice.”
I blink. “What?”
“You heard me. Sabella caught lice. You can fire me for speaking her name, but you must do something about it.”
Motherfucker. “I thought Toma took care of cleaning the place.”
“The men swept it, but it needs a good scrubbing and a proper fumigation.”
Leaning back in my chair, I steeple my fingers. “Consider it done. In the meantime, you better bring her back here.”
Her blue eyes light up with approval. “Yes, sir.”
“I’ll send someone to the twenty-four-hour pharmacy in Bastia for a treatment.”
“I already took care of that.”
“Good. Do you want one of the men to drive you?” I add with a wry smile, “I would’ve gone myself, but I have important business to finish before tonight’s dinner.”
The truth is that I could’ve instructed Gianni to bring Sabella. He’s already there anyway. But I don’t want her to know I’m having her watched. If she’s going to step out of line, it’s better that I give her some rope.
Heidi lifts her chin. “I’m a good driver. I’ll be fine.”
That statement pierces something in my chest. My memory drifts to my mother. I remind myself with effort that this isn’t that day, that since the accident we have the cars checked on a daily basis. “Call me if there’s a problem.”
“What about your guests?”
“They’re not due for another forty-five minutes. The dinner doesn’t have to be served until you return.”
She heads for the door with a bob of her head.
“And Heidi?”
She turns, waiting.
“Lock her in her room. She’s not to wander around in the house, especially not when my guests are here.”
The lines around her mouth tighten, but she doesn’t contest the order.
When she’s gone, I dial Toma.
“Angelo,” he says, sounding uncertain.
His father no doubt brought him up to speed with how our morning meeting panned out. He must hate being on babysitting duty. “I thought you took care of the new house.”
“I did. I mean the guys cleaned up and cleared out the rubble.”
“Didn’t you get a company to do a deep cleaning?”
“Um, no. What would’ve been the point? It wasn’t as if anyone was going to live—” He bites off the rest of the remark. I imagine he belatedly realizes that someone is indeed living there again, someone he’s supposed to keep an eye on.
