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"I told her a long time ago," Louisa interrupted."Victoria just forgot, which she does a lot."
"I really don't think you mentioned it," Victoria returning, giving her sister an annoyed look.
"What else did my grandfather ask you?"Nick said, bringing their attention back to him.
Victoria thought for a moment."He asked if I had ever heard my grandfather mention a woman named Juliette.I don't remember the last name, but he did give me one.Anyway, he seemed disappointed that I didn't know who she was, and that I couldn't show him any of Frederico's paintings."
"You never mentioned any of this to me," Louisa said to her sister.
"I didn't think it was that important, and we were dealing with so many other issues at the time.The roof was leaking.The heating was becoming a problem.Attendance was down.The school was falling apart, and I didn't know where we were going to get the money to fix anything.Everything was coming to a head, and you were in Fiji, vacationing with your husband."
"For a week," Louisa said defensively."And then I came back to help you deal with everything, as I continue to do."
"Well, by that time, I had forgotten all about my conversation with Signor Caruso."Victoria paused."Actually, I hadn't forgotten, I just didn't want to bring it up, Louisa.I thought you might want to find out more, and I didn't.Frederico was dead, and, frankly, if he had done something wrong a long time ago, I didn't want to know about it or for anyone else to know about it."
"Was my grandfather accusing Frederico of something?"Nick asked.
"He didn't come right out and say that, but he mentioned something about a criminal organization tied to stolen art.I told him my grandfather would have never been involved in anything like that.He had very high moral standards when it came to art, and no patience for artists who took shortcuts."
"That's true," Louisa agreed."When he was old and dying, Frederico used to rant to me about people who didn't appreciate art for what it was, and how he'd believed it was up to him to protect it, to be the caretaker.But it was difficult when so many people were stealing things and using art to fund their criminal activities.He didn't make a lot of sense, but I know he wouldn't have gotten involved in anything illegal."
Isabella wondered about that.Why would Nick's grandfather have come to this school investigating people who had been dead for a very long time?He had to have been on to something.But what?
"Your grandfather also asked me if Frederico had spoken about the fire that took Tomas and Lucinda's lives," Victoria added.
"Had he?"Nick asked.
"My grandfather mentioned their names often, and he would get upset about how they died too young.He wished he could have stopped that from happening.But he never said anything specifically to me about the fire.Louisa?"
Louisa shook her head."No, nothing specific.Just rambling comments that never made sense.He got mixed up on time and people's names.He really wasn't well for most of the second half of his life."She paused as her watch buzzed."That's my timer.I need to wrap this session up.I'm sorry we couldn't be more helpful.Please let us know if there's anything else we can do."
"We will," she said.
"We're both usually here at the school," Victoria added."And we would love to get our grandfather's painting back."
"Grazie," she said as Louisa called for attention to announce the session was ending, and Victoria moved away to speak to one of the artists.
"Let's walk out this way," Nick said, heading through the courtyard and the trees to the river.
He stopped by the waist-high wall, looking out at the water, his profile hard but not particularly unreadable.
"Are you thinking about your grandfather?About why he was here asking questions about Tomas's death?"she enquired.
"Yes."He turned to face her."Why would he come here with questions last year, so long after his father had died?And so close to when he died?"
"And he wanted information on Juliette, too," she reminded him."He wouldn't have waited fifty years to look for her.That ID must have come to him more recently than when Tomas died.Maybe it was what triggered his questions."
"But where would he have gotten it?"
"I don't know."
Nick let out a sigh as he ran a hand through his hair in frustration."None of this is adding up in a good way.My grandfather's questions, his trip to the school, the ID in the box…and then he dies in a solo car crash.A man who never drove over the speed limit a day in his life allegedly loses control of his vehicle in the rain and drives into a tree at a high rate of speed."
"Allegedly?"she queried."What are you saying, Nick?"
He stared back at her, a grim look in his eyes."I think my grandfather was killed.And I believe Tomas and Lucinda were killed, too.That the fire was purposefully set and not an accident.It's my guess both events are tied together."
Her stomach turned over."But why would any of them be killed?"she asked, a chill running down her spine.
