Chapter 26 #2
The line that divided us couldn’t be crossed.
The villa was old and, as such, had undergone several modifications over the years that divided it into four distinct parts.
The ground floor was the common area, where the famiglia spent time together and received guests.
The first floor was the space usually inhabited by the Capobastone famiglia and was part of the oldest structure of the villa, along with the ground floor.
The east wing was built during my grandfather Patrizio's childhood and had been inhabited by my uncle Ricardo and his famiglia.
The west wing was built shortly after my parents got married and had been our famiglia home.
The structure itself was one, but those adjacent areas allowed several generations to cohabit the same space without suffocation or unnecessary quarrels.
However, I didn’t show Daisy the adjacent wings. I kept them closed, frozen in time for when my brother and cousin returned. They were pieces of our lives where the memory of my parents and uncles still lingered, and I wanted them to stay that way.
That’s all I had left of them. Memories.
When Daisy asked me what the huge doors leading to one of the wings were, I decided to make it very clear. "Off-limits. If you go in there, you'll die instantly. Capisci?"
“Yes...” she muttered with her grumpy little ferret face, and I almost allowed myself a smile. Almost.
I answered the occasional questions she asked me, mostly about the paintings and pictures we came across in the corridors.
When there was nothing left to show her inside the house, I led her through the two huge glass doors that illuminated the main living room and showed her the back garden.
I guided her across the patio, along a path paved with slabs and flanked by lemon trees and fresh grass, which led to a tiny little house.
I opened the door to the housekeeper house and motioned for her to enter.
“This is where you will stay,” I announced as soon as we stepped into a modest little room that could fit little more than a sofa.
"When the famiglia had a housekeeper, this is where she used to stay.
You have everything you need. Kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, and living room.
And of course, you can use the garden without restriction. "
“What happened to the previous housekeeper? Did you guys kill her?”
I narrowed my eyes, wondering what the hell Hollywood had been teaching ordinary people about people like us.
“Of course not...” I replied reluctantly. “She retired when I was still a child, and we never hired anyone else.”
“And there are no other maids?” I noticed a glint of suspicion in those tiny eyes of hers.
Piccola Furetta.
I shrugged. “No.”
“And who usually cleans it?”
I gritted my teeth and stared at her with annoyance, a loud sigh escaping my chest. “Three ladies used to come once a week to clean the villa, but they decided to retire recently. There's no live-in maid. Capisci?”
"Aw. So, I'll be the only maid of this huge house? I'd even feel special, if I weren't working for my soon-to-be murderer."
Dio santo. I was going to end up strangling her.
“You should be grateful you're still here, instead of insisting on these provocations.” I saw how her gaze narrowed with each of my words and her mouth twisted in a challenge that did not go unnoticed.
I couldn't help but thinking how interesting it would be to fill her with something more than idle chatter.
I cleared my throat and turned my attention to a distant corner of the room, immediately chasing away the damn thought.
“Besides, Signorina Parker, I must point out that you were very well paid for the services you will perform.”
“You must be kidding me!” Her shriek made me spin around immediately. She stared at me with a challenging look, her chin up. “You kidnapped me! This isn’t a job, and you certainly never paid me a penny! NOTHING!”
Knowing that arguing would get me nowhere, especially since she always seemed to have something ready to add, I took out my phone and opened a document that Alessandro Lombardi had sent me. “Here.” I showed her the screen, watching her shrink slightly. “Read it.”
Hesitantly, she looked at the phone as if it were a weapon, but then deigned to move her fingers across the screen and read. She frowned, as if the document were written in hieroglyphics, but seconds later, her expression was one of pure horror.
“You paid the mortgage.” Her voice was a weak whisper. She stepped back a little and stared at me with wide eyes, the redness on her face replaced by a deep pallor. “It was a fortune...”
“è vero.” I confirmed, but I wouldn't have called it a fortune, because it wasn't. Any amount under five million was small change, which could be spent in the blink of an eye, of course, but that was a reality that most people didn't understand.
The right term for her mortgage, considering the interest they had charged her, was theft.
A big, blatant theft. "As I said, you were very well paid, Signorina Parker.
Much more than anyone else would have paid you. "
“Someone else wouldn’t want to kill me, that’s for sure.
” She protested, but immediately wrapped her arms around her body, just as she had done before we embarked for Italy.
“I suppose the numbers on that document are how much my life is worth...” Her gaze was lost somewhere between us.
“At least Aunt Lizzie will have her future secured.”
My throat tightened and I hid my hands in the pockets of my jeans.
I hadn't seen it that way. I paid the mortgage because it would make sense if the U.S.
authorities came to investigate her death in the future.
They would know that Daisy Parker came to work for me and was paid generously.
Of course, she would die in some unfortunate accident.
And if her famiglia raised questions, I would simply pay someone to impersonate this ‘Pasquale’ to ensure that I was only her employer.
Simple and practical.
Now, the value of her life? No, I wouldn't dare to assess someone's life. Even less so for a person whose only crime was being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
I watched her for a few moments, noticing in her frown the debate that was going on in her mind. She was scared. Her arms tightly wrapped around her body revealed that, and that the sparkle in her eyes was not mere coincidence.
“You shouldn't think about what brought you here,” I murmured with difficulty, my body reacting to the fragility she tried to hide behind impertinence and false bravado.
When she turned her attention back to me, she lowered her arms, putting the mask back on. “I want to know when it’s going to happen.”
I laughed, amused by that demand. Piccola Furetta. A little ferret, no doubt. “Even I don’t know that.”
I was sincere.
The execution could only be carried out when the moment was right. The only thing that mattered was not to stir suspicion or leave any traces.
I walked over to the old three-seat sofa that took up most of the room, covered in champagne-colored fabric embroidered with pink flowers, and sat down, motioning for her to join me. She sat at the far end, her gaze fixed on me.
It wasn't just a person's expression that betrayed their emotions and thoughts, I realized. The body often revealed everything there was to know. Hers was confessing me all the panic she was trying to hold on, the fear, the anguish, the sadness, and if seeing that in my victims had never bothered me before, it wasn’t the case anymore. There was a prickling feeling in my mouth, a discomfort in the base of my stomach caused by the simple realization I was the reason behind that little thing’s misery.
Cazzo. This wasn’t the time to grow a conscience.
“That means I’ll be tortured until the moment comes, is that it?”
I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose.
“No. You’ll live normally, without thinking about it.
” I replied and didn’t give her time to protest. “I already told you. We’re all going to die and no one knows when or how.
So, enjoy the time you have left. Explore Castello dell'Fiero, visit Reggio Calabria. .. Live while you can!"
She hesitated. “Are you... Are you really going to let me walk around alone?”
I chuckled. “There are eyes everywhere. No exceptions. Believe me, you will always be watched.”
“Okay...” She seemed honestly thoughtful, until she rested her hands on her knees, and hesitation appeared before she spoke again. “You said we would set boundaries when we arrived.”
“Sì.” I nodded and leaned back on the sofa, feeling its soft touch against my back.
"In addition to what I explained to you on the way here, there are a few more things you will have to internalize.
The most important of all is that you must not comment on me, this house, or anything you have seen or will see.
Any leak of information is prohibited. I don't need to remind you what kind of implications this would have for your famiglia if you broke the rule, do I? "
She gave me a sour look. “No...”
“Good.” I replied. "Next, technology. All technology in this house is highly controlled. You will not have free access to a phone, and I should inform you that yours was left in Mississippi for security reasons. Whenever you want to use one, you must ask me or my head of security."
Her mouth fell open. “How am I supposed to keep up the charade if you're going to stop me from talking to my Aunt Lizzie? Or Olivia? They'll wonder where I am if I don't reply to their messages.”
“Don't worry. I took care to collect the phone numbers of people close to you and have already asked the IT team to prepare a secure device for you. When it's ready, you can call your famiglia and tell them you lost your phone or something like that.”
“And will I be able to talk to them every day?” I noticed the hopeful, but equally desperate, gleam in her eyes.
I sighed. “If you follow my rules, yes.”
“Okay...”
"Now, Signorina Parker, about your job. I don't usually sleep much.
I'm awake around eight in the morning, and that's when I expect you to have breakfast ready and served on the kitchen table.
Lunch is usually around one in the afternoon, when I don't forget to eat.
.. And dinner is always served at nine o'clock in the evening.
“ She groaned immediately, as if I had just given her the most dreadful news. ”My dinner. You can keep your own schedule."
“Whew...”
“In addition to cooking, I expect you to keep the main house clean and tidy. That is, don't touch the east and west wings. Also avoid my office. Capisci?”
“Yes...”
"I believe that if you follow the rules, we can get along quite well, Signorina Parker.
Now, I'll leave you alone so you can familiarize yourself with this space and get ready.
I expect you to start your duties tonight, for dinner.
And speaking of which... In your room, you will find a selection of clothes and shoes that I asked to be prepared before your arrival. "
I got up and walked to the door, surprised by how suddenly she imitated me.
“Is there a problem?” I had to ask, and saw her wrap her arms around her body again.
“Do I have to spend the night here alone?”
I raised an eyebrow. “With whom else, Signorina Parker?”
“N-no, it's not that. It's just that I—” She stammered, her face blushing like a gooseberry. “I can't stand being alone at night. I mean, inside a house. In the dark. I really don't like being in the dark when I know I'm the only one locked in the place.”
“Then it will be a good opportunity for you to face your fear.”