Chapter 50

I gave him the story of my mother’s thwarted marriage in twenty-five words or less, adding, “…and when Dr. Rosati and I were having lunch in a café in Conti, il Conte di Conti, my uncle, accompanied by his son and two men wearing the uniform of the Carabinieri, ordered us out of town.”

“Why would he do that, Signore?”

“You’ll have to ask him that question, but if I had to guess, I would say that my uncle fears that, on my mother’s behalf, I might make some claim on the Conti estates.”

“Did you leave town as ordered?”

“No, Sir. When he learned my father’s name for the first time, his attitude changed for the better—or so it seemed. Sal, have you told the police what you found?”

“I was waiting for your permission.”

“Mr. Alberti is a security expert in the employ of the Aragoni Group. I asked him to check my grandmother’s villa for listening devices—and he found one.”