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"I'm aware.I will be respectful.Trust me."
"I do trust you."
"Well, I think I should go, too," Isabella put in."To represent my grandmother's interests."
"That's sweet of you," Gloria said."But Victor and Joelle are coming by at noon, and I would like you to meet them, Isabella."
He was thrilled that Gloria had given Isabella a pressing reason to stay here, because he wanted to meet with the Carabinieri officer on his own.
"All right," Isabella said somewhat reluctantly.
He got to his feet."Are you ready to go now, Nonna?How far away is the bank?Do we need to get a cab, or can we walk?"
"It's a few miles.I have my car in the garage.We can take that."
"Great."
She collected her things and then they walked out the back door, through the yard, and into the garage.The bright yellow two-door Fiat 500 boasted several dents on the back bumper, and he gave his grandmother a pointed look."What happened here?"
"Someone backed into me.It was very disturbing.There are so many careless drivers now.I don't drive much anymore."
He could see by the glint in her eye he was only getting part of that story.But as long as she'd decided to stop driving, he would let it go.
The car was so small, he felt like he was stuffing himself into a toy vehicle, but the engine started, and that was all that mattered.
"It's nice to have you here taking care of things, Nick," she said as he pulled out of the garage."Sometimes you remind me of Marcus.He was always so protective of me.I miss that."She gave him a somewhat teary smile."But I tell myself I was lucky to have had him for over fifty years.I really can't complain.I had a good man."
"You did."
"Tomas was a good man, too.I know you and Isabella think he had an inappropriate relationship with Lucinda, but I don't believe that's true.He was very moral.And I'm sure that the letters he exchanged with this other woman occurred after his wife died.She passed away about six years before Tomas."
"Are there any dates on the letters?"
"I didn't read them that closely, but I remember seeing just a day and a month, no year."
"So you don't know when they were written or how they survived the fire at his home?"
"No, I don't," she admitted."I wasn't aware of their existence until I retrieved the painting.Marcus never mentioned the letters.I wish he was here now so I could ask him more questions."
"I wish he was here, too," he said heavily.
"I want the painting back, but I don't want to hurt the family, Nick.Am I wrong to show you the letters?Am I wrong to try to find out why the painting was taken?What if…" Her voice trailed away.
He stopped at a light and gave her a searching look."What if…what?"
"What if Tomas did something bad?What if Marcus covered it up for him?"
He was surprised by her questions.Not so much the first one, but definitely the second."Do you think that's a possibility?"
"I don't know, but after what happened to the painting, I'm wondering if I should let everything else stay locked away where it's been for so long.Maybe the truth will hurt someone in the family—me, you, everyone…"
"I'm not afraid of the truth, Nonna.I'm more afraid of what we don't know.That's where the danger lies.That's why we need to find out everything we can."
ChapterSix
"What are you doing, Isabella?"her grandmother asked as Isabella opened her laptop computer on the kitchen table.
"A little research.And I want to check my emails.But would you like me to help with lunch?"Her grandmother had already started working on an antipasto and a pasta dish for Victor and Joelle's visit.When people came over, Gloria Rossi was always ready to feed them.
