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As Alonzo took a seat next to me, the door opened again and two police officers walked in. One woman and one man. They smiled at me like I was a small child as they sat on the opposite side of the table.
“Ciao. My name is Officer Haie and this is Officer Fabisona. Please state your name,” the man said softly.
“Olivia Jones.”
“And in your own words, can you please tell us what happened tonight, Olivia?”
I looked over at Alonzo, who nodded, giving me permission to speak.
“I was leaving the gala and I was about to get in a taxi when…” I paused as I fought back fresh tears. “When Giovanni called my name. He saw the man before I did. The homeless man. He…he had a gun and he was aiming it at me. He was going to shoot me.”
The officers nodded and encouraged me to continue as I took a long, shaky breath. “I thought I was going to die. But Giovanni dove in front of me. He…he got shot. He saved me.” The tears rolled down my cheek and I brushed them away quickly.
“And when you say Giovanni? You mean Giovanni Buccini? The well-known entrepreneur?”
I glanced over at Alonzo again, who nodded. “Yes.”
“And what is your relationship with Mr Buccini?”
My eyes widened and my mouth opened but nothing came out. What was my relationship with him? “I- we – it’s complicated.”
“Is this relevant information for the crime?” Alonzo asked and the female policewoman glared at him.
“All information regarding a murder is important.”
My heart sped up at her words. “Murder? Is he dead? Is Giovanni dead?” I shouted, panic consuming me.
“No. No, he is being operated on, as we speak. My colleague is talking about the murder of Nicholas Grisle. The man who tried to shoot you.”
My eyes flared with anger. “That was not a murder. That was self-defence. Angelo works for Giovanni as a bodyguard, and it is his job to protect him. He was only doing his job.”
“We are aware. But still one man has died and another is in a critical condition. We are just trying to fit all the pieces together. So please answer the question. What is your relationship with Mr Buccini?” the female officer, who was clearly not the corrupt one and taking her job very seriously, asked again.
I thought quickly. If I needed to make this seem believable without revealing the true reason as to why someone would want me dead, I had to think fast. I lifted my chin a little higher.
“I am his girlfriend.”
The male policeman raised his eyebrows in surprise but kept quiet.
“And do you know of any reason as to why someone would want to harm you?”
I peered over at Alonzo, who looked a little worried. He was obviously hoping I would say the right thing.
“Giovanni is always receiving death threats because of his businesses. Jealousy over his wealth and power in the city. That is why he and his family have bodyguards. We tried to keep our relationship a secret for that reason. So, no one could use me to get to him. But it seems someone has found out.”
The officers scribbled everything I said down. “Do we know who he was, Nicholas Grisle?” Alonzo asked.
The male officer looked at us with understanding. He knew that Alonzo was asking if this was another mafia family. “He was exactly what he seemed to be. A homeless man who has been living on the streets for many years. He was known to us for petty theft and small crimes. It seems odd that he would do something like this. We will look into the matter carefully.”
I nodded and glanced down at my green dress. Gio’s blood was now a dried stain on it. “Am I free to go? I would like to go and see him now.”
The female officer went to speak but the male one beat her to it. “Yes, you are free to go. We will contact you if we need any more information.”
“Thank you.” I stood up unsteadily on my feet and Alonzo took my arm, helping me out of the room. As soon as we were outside, he turned to me with a beaming smile.
“You did well, Miss Jones. I think you will be very well suited to this life after all,” he smirked as he guided me down the hospital corridors towards the waiting room. I scrunched my face up in confusion as I wondered how he could possibly know about me. Ah Maximus.
“I will take you to the family, but then I must get to the station to help Angelo.”
