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“Possible signs of suffocation.”
I closed my eyes.Fuck.
“I checked out every other staff member of our facility,” Gia continued, “but as you know, I had already done an initial sweep when you told me Caterina needed to be moved.”
I frowned. “How was she transferred? Independent or one of the homes?”
“Oh, the new place,” Gia said confidently. “We needed to ensure there was no way the old nursing home knew where she was going.”
I heard Gia hum and knew that meant he’d found something. “What?”
“Her transport nurse was Steven O’Connor. He’s our gambler.”
“Then he’s our first contact,” I said as Lucio finished his call, and nodded once, which told me I now owned every debt Steven O’Connor had.
“I can take care of this for you, boss,” Lucio murmured and held up his phone.
I doubted if Alessandro would even miss me, and I glanced at my Tag Heuer Autavia, strapped to my wrist as always. It was barely worth five thousand dollars, but it was priceless to me. It had been taken off my dead father’s wrist and it would never leave mine. It was a little after five.
“What time does La Caterina leave?”
“Usually eleven, but guests have to have special invitations.” There was doubt in Gia’s voice, whereas I had none.
“Arrange five,” I demanded. “Whatever you have to do.”
Gia sighed. “Please tell me you’re going to take them down before they set sail. From the logs, we’re talking at least nine crew, plus whatever muscle Rocco has.”
I chuckled, even though the noise sounded hollow to my own ears. I knew I had to be on that boat, which meant leaving Alessandro.
In another moment, Lucio finished his conversation. “O’Connor finishes his shift in thirty minutes. If I leave now, I can scoop him up.”
I glanced at Gia, still unsure. “What about the audio with Sofia?”
“They went outside. Sofia had her back to the camera, and it was windy. I’ve got a software program that reads lips, but I’ve only just started tweaking it and it will take some time. I can’t trust this to a human who reads lips.”
I stood. “With me. Leave instructions with Alvize. He is to know where Alessandro is at all times.”
Lucio looked at me, doubt in his eyes. “Are you sure, boss?”
About Alessandro? Absolutely not. I did, however, know how to do my job.
It didn’t take much. O’Connor was trash. All he had to do was report any new residents arriving to an unregistered cell number. I was satisfied by the time we’d done that O’Connor wasn’t responsible for her death, just of informing someone of her whereabouts. I felt sorry for O’Connor’s wife and kids,though. So much so that when he’d finished sniveling and pleading for an hour, and Gia set up a “surprise” life insurance policy to take care of all the debt and make sure her rent was paid for five years, I ended his pathetic existence.
I hoped it would be as much a relief for her as it had been for my eardrums. I even fancied Lucio hadn’t enjoyed himself.
We hadn’t found out much, though. It was clear O’Connor had been paid for minimal information only. I checked in with Alvize and confirmed Alessandro was still asleep, so we headed back to the casino. “Is there any other reason someone would want to know where Caterina was other than leverage on Alessandro?”
Lucio shrugged. “Not that I can think of.” Which meant it had to be Rocco.
“How far away does the florist live?”
Lucio swung the car left. “Ten minutes.”
Bernardo Fabbri knew who I was as soon as he opened the door. He also knew the threat I could be to his very pregnant wife, even if she was sweet and welcoming, and made us coffee before she retired.
It was time to get answers. “In case you are unaware, Alessandro Gallo is my husband. I moved his mother to a safe location on Saturday, but unfortunately she died in her sleep earlier today.” His eyes grew round.
“Please send Ales—I mean Signor Banetti my condolences.”
