Free Delayed Death (Temptation in Florence Book 1) by Beate Boeker Page A

way."
    "And then?"
    "And then I was sick." She felt sick now.
    "What did his face look like?"
    Carlina's mouth was dry. "I tried not to look. I wanted to remember him the way he had been."
    "So you didn't see anything? Not a glimpse?"
    Carlina swallowed. "It was . . . bluish."
    He gave a sharp, short nod. "Did Emma say it had been difficult to undress him?"
    "No." Carlina shook her head. "She was real quick. But then, she was in a hurry."
    "I see." The ironic note was back in his voice.
    Carlina pulled herself together. "I thought it wouldn't make a difference. I only wanted to help Emma." She sounded pleading now. "I also planned to get up early the next morning, to find him. Then nobody else would have suffered the same shock."
    "But you didn't?"
    "No." Carlina could feel herself blushing. "I overslept." He'll think I'm a total loser. "Uncle Teo found him."
    "His twin."
    "Yes." Carlina sighed. "I was so glad that he didn't have a heart attack right there and then. However, later, just as Marco wanted to sign the death certificate, he . . ."
    Garini held up one hand. "Hold on. Your mother told me Marco was called because your family doctor was ill."
    "That's right."
    "What's the name of your family doctor?" Garini was back to his true form. He shot his questions like bullets at her.
    "Enrico Catalini."
    "Is Marco the official stand-in for Signor Catalini?"
    "I don't know." Carlina frowned. "But my mother wanted to have Marco because he's a family member. He married my cousin Angela some months ago."
    Garini's light eyes narrowed in thought.
    Carlina was glad she had chosen to sit. The shelf in her back gave her a bit of much needed stability to face those x-ray eyes of his.
    "What happened next?"
    "Uncle Teo exploded into the kitchen and made a big scene because Grandpa still had his socks on." She sighed. "I didn't know he always took off his socks first when he undressed. I never even thought about his socks."
    The Commissario didn't comment.
    Carlina threw him a glance. No sympathy there. "Next thing I knew, Uncle Teo called the police." Something scratched her ear. Carlina reached up and blushed. Damn. She still had the bra and slip from the mannequin over her shoulder. What a sight she was! She pulled them off with a quick move and stuffed them behind her back. Hopefully he wouldn't start laughing.
    His light eyes never wavered. "Why didn't you stop your Uncle Teo?"
    Carlina bristled. "How could I? Wrestle the phone from his hands?"
    "For example." His voice was mild. "I'd have thought you're a woman with enough resources." For some reason, it didn't sound like a compliment.
    "Uncle Teo turned beet red." Carlina didn't look at Garini. She didn't want to see the disbelief in his eyes. "I was afraid he would have a heart attack if I stopped him. Besides, all the family was listening in.”
    "Fine." His voice sounded hard. "And can you explain why you didn't tell me the truth when I came?"
    She looked at her hands. They had clenched themselves into a tight knot. "I wanted to, but you came early. When I came downstairs, the gang, I mean my family, had told you everything."
    "Everything but the truth."
    "Well." Carlina felt short of breath, as if something was strangling her. "I wanted to speak to you alone." She lifted her gaze and frowned at him. "You remember that, don't you?"
    He lifted his eyebrows. "You didn't try very hard."
    Carlina closed her eyes for an instant. "I didn't want to shake my mother. She was so upset."
    "Was she?"
    How she hated his snarky questions. "Yes, she was!" She balled her fists. "I don't know if you saw her cushion?"
    "I did."
    "Well, she usually carries that cushion around with her when she's on the road, but in the house, she doesn't take it. When she came up to me and had that cushion in her arms, I knew she was shaken to the core."
    He blinked. "Are you telling me your mother never leaves the house without a cushion?"
    Oh, God . She shouldn't have mentioned it. "Yes." She hoped her voice