Il Pane Della Vita Read online

  “Brother Tiberio did,” said Brother Donato. “I think he went back down, though. Maybe the cottage is empty.”

  “But his doorstep doesn’t face yours because it’s hidden, isn’t it?”

  “Let me think. I’m not sure if I looked back at Brother Pietro or not. I don’t make a very good detective, do I, Sister?”

  “And overall? What do you think happened next door?”

  “It was definitely a miracle. I mean, what else could it be?”

  “An accident?”

  “No, I mean we sort of saw him and then he was gone. I know he followed me home, and his body isn’t there now. What else could have happened?”

  “Did you actually see him fly out of his roof?” asked Brother Salvatore.

  “No, but the explosion was pretty big.”

  “Let’s move on to another question, Brother Donato,” said the nun. “How well did you know Brother Pietro?”

  “He was quiet, but I did confess to him once a week.”

  “Ah, did he speak personally in the confessional?”

  “Well, no.” the hermit chuckled. “But the penance he meted out wasn’t so bad. I figured he could relate, if you understand me.”

  “So you liked him.”

  “Um, I guess. I didn’t know him that well, but he never did anything to make me feel that he was insincere about his faith.”

  “He wasn’t too quiet for you?”

  “I always say too quiet is better than too loud.”

  “Did you mention you believed you saw a miracle to any of the other brothers?”

  “No, I mean yes, but not until one of them mentioned the idea to me.”

  “So you told one person about it,” said the monk.

  “Yes. That would be Brother Orsino.”

  “Good afternoon, Brother Orsino. I have asked some of the other brothers to tell me what they saw the evening Brother Pietro’s cottage blew up.”

  “I saw it flash, twice I think. Immediately after the flash, there was a loud boom.”

  “You say you saw two flashes. How exactly do you see that from your cottage?”

  “I wasn’t yet in my cottage. I had stopped to make an appointment for my confession. I confess to Brother Francisco, and he was still in the church. I let the last of the recession line pass me, and I went back in. When I came back out, the rest of the brothers had gone through the gate and let it close. I had to dig for my keys and then insert the key into the lock. That’s difficult to do in the dark.”

  “Were you still coming up the walk when you saw the explosion?” asked Brother Salvatore.

  “Yes. I usually take the walkway second from the left. I was about halfway to my cottage when the first flash happened. Almost immediately, I heard the boom. It nearly threw me to the ground. I could hear nothing else, ringing for several minutes afterward. Right as the din faded, I saw a firework-like tail—I don’t know how to describe it—and a whistle as something flew up through the roof and took off into the sky.”

  “How big was the flying object?” asked the monk.

  “It’s hard to say because it almost went straight up. I waited to see if it would bloom into a large ball and sprinkle ashes on us, but it didn’t. It just disappeared.”

  “What did you think the object was?”

  “I thought it was Brother Pietro, though it seems crazy when I think about it.”

  “When the police came to look for the brother’s remains, did you expect them to find anything?”

  “I guess not,” said Brother Orsino. “I would have been surprised if they had found anything.”

  “Why?” asked Brother Salvatore.

  “Because if he ascended, they wouldn’t find one.”

  “Did you see Brother Pietro after Compline?”

  “I passed him in the recessional as I walked back to the church.”

  “You didn’t see him go through the gate, then.”

  “No.

  “When you did see him, how did he look?”

  “No different than usual. He must have been deep in prayer.”

  “Some of you were not deep in prayer?”

  “No, most of us were. It depends on your personality. Some brothers are friendlier than others. You know. They kind of watch you and talk with their eyes, like they care about you.”

  “And Brother Pietro didn’t look like he cared about others?”

  “I don’t know him that well.”

  “You mentioned earlier that you confess to Brother Francisco.”

  “That’s right.”

  “Why did you confess to him instead of Brother Pietro?”

  “I don’t know why. I guess we just hit it off. Others go to Brother Pietro so they might feel differently. I’m not saying Brother Pietro was bad or anything. He had to have been a good eremita because God decided he would become a saint, right?”

  Her body washed in moonlight shining in from the window, Russo lay back against the pillow and watched. She pushed her dark red hair aside as she slid her straps down her arm and let her slip drop to the floor.

  “I’m glad you found a hotel nearby that was nice enough. The river is beautiful in the moonlight, Dante.” She unclipped her bra and dropped it on the pile on the floor. Standing beside the bed, she slid out of her heels and propped her foot on the edge to carefully roll down one of her shear black stockings.

  Russo eyes rested on the panties that moved aside to reveal the shadowy place at the top of her leg. His mouth was dry. She sighed as she slid her foot out of the silk, and when Russo looked up, he saw her watching him.

  “You wait like a clever dog, knowing that I’ll have to give in and hand you a treat. Is this where you bring the others?”

  “Others? What others?”

  “Papà said that you buy women whenever you can.”

  “And how would Lauro know that? He may have recommended that, but I didn’t do it.” His face burned.

  She changed feet and began to roll down the second stocking. “I didn’t ask you to hunger only for me, Dante. I understand that maybe I can’t satisfy your needs when I’m not around. I just wanted to know what they do that gets you turned on.” She pushed back the covers and slid between the sheets. “I wore my favorite panties, Dante. Please ask me to remove them when you need to. Last time you ruined them. Remember?”

  Russo stood and removed his trousers, neatly folding them over the hanger that held his jacket. He removed his underwear before loosening his tie, watching to see if she held any interest. Her eyes seemed mesmerized on him. He smiled to himself.

  Once between the sheets, she let him fondle her breasts, but she did not move closer. His hand inched down to the panties. He ripped them off and felt her shudder. His fingers reached for the shadowy place between her legs but were momentarily disappointed by hairlessness. She pushed back the blanket and raised her knee to let him see how clean and pink it was when he hit the spot that rendered her helpless. She let out a whimper and tried to take control once more, but he held her at arm’s length until he could see the tears glint in the corners of her eyes.

  “Dearest Ciana. How beautiful you are when you can’t get what you want. I know you have to marry the man your papà wants you to, but you’re going to miss me because I’m the only one who fulfills your needs.” He chuckled to himself as he pulled her toward him. “I can stop here because I’m not in the running,” he said kissing a tear that rolled down her cheek.

  She punched at his shoulder until he fell back onto the sheets. Then she climbed on top of him and took what was hers to take. “You don’t deserve me, Dante. You have a lady in your bed, and you treat her like one of your whores.”

  He put his arm behind his head and smiled. “I’m the only one who makes you feel like that, and you like it, Ciana. You like being dominated because your father has done that all your life. He won’t pick such a husband for you because he’s only interested in acquiring another’s fortune.”

  “And did you enjoy it, Dante? Do you
want a wife who only takes care of your physical needs for the five minutes you need her? I’m sure you have met plenty of those. She pushed the sheets aside and bent down to grab her bra.”

  “What do you want from me, Ciana? I love your spirit. I love your body.”

  “She lay back down to look at him. I want you to ask my Papà for my hand.”

  Dante felt cold and covered himself with the sheet. “You know what he’ll say. He’ll tell me to leave the company and then we’ll have nothing.”

  “If you don’t tell him, I will.”

  “What will you tell him that won’t get him to disown you too?”

  “He would never disown me because he’ll blame you. You know that.”

  “I’ll just tell him that I haven’t done anything. I’d be shocked if you brought it up yourself.”

  “I have proof, Dante.”

  He smiled and pulled her toward him. “Why ruin what we have? Why do you want to marry me?”

  “Because I’m carrying our child, and we won’t be able to keep that a secret much longer.”

  Ten

  What’s in a Name?

  Sister Angela looked around the crowded breakfast room. She did not remember it being so busy on the one other day she was able to join the brothers for breakfast. Searching through the sea of faces, she found the abbot sitting at the end of one table and quickly placed her tray beside his.

  “Good morning, Sister,” he said. “I have not seen you around here lately. Did you get my note?”

  “That’s exactly why I wanted to speak with you. You sent me the name Father Teo. I suppose it happens that priests change their names when they move from one position to another, but it isn’t that common. I don’t suppose you were able to get a bit more information—especially in light of the recent scandals.”

  “That’s all the bishop had, Sister. I’m afraid I don’t know the parish or region or even if he used that name. Remember that he has been here for nearly twenty years, which is before the rules were changed. I suggest you approach the bishop yourself. It isn’t fair that you were hired to get more information while still handcuffed by the victim’s past.”

  “I’ll get to work on it right after breakfast, Father.”

  “Are you going up the hill this morning?”

  “Yes, as soon as I have finished my breakfast. They have asked Luciano Scali, the night administrator, to wait for me.”

  “Are you taking Brother Salvatore?”

  “No. He was so tired. If he stays here can help out at breakfast. I didn’t have the heart to keep him. He’s gifted, you know. I’ll miss his help.”

  “That’s wise. I’ve had complaints from the kitchen that he’s making mistakes and nodding when he should be serving.”

  “Soon, I hope, I’ll be dashing off to Brother Pietro’s parish or where he worked. I don’t plan to take Brother Salvatore with me, Father. Perhaps he can get his sleep cycle back on track.”

  “I understand, but you still have a need for him, don’t you?” The abbot smiled. “I hope it’s one of those once-in-a-lifetime miracles so I can have Brother Salvatore before he’s actually hooked on detective work.

  “Oh, one more thing. I plan to return early this afternoon. I would like to speak with the crew who witnessed the event from here.”

  “The best time would be right after dinner, if you can wait that long. I‘ll tell Brother Alonzo and Brother Enrico that you will need to speak with them. I suppose you won’t need Brother Salvatore at those interviews.”

  “If he’s up to it he can help clean up in their absence.”

  After breakfast, Sister Angela looked for Bassi. She noticed his car already parked in front of the monastery and went out to greet him.

  “Please, Ignazio. I’m ready. Just let me get my tote.”

  By the time she was in the car, she was already dialing. “Hello, Father Sergio?”

  “Yes Sister, I was just reading your first email. Is there a problem?”

  “Yes, I need some help. I have no information on Brother Pietro. The abbot requested a background from the bishop, but he only received the name Father Teo. We have nothing else. I thought that we would have better personnel records than that. How can I find out more about the brother’s background if I don’t know who he was before he came to the hermitage?”

  “I understand. Let me see what I can do. Perhaps he did not come out of a congregation around here. That would mean you need the name of his diocese. Have you interviewed anyone that actually saw the explosion? It is hard to tell the bishop that you are making progress if you are not.”

  “When I wrote you, it was difficult because I had only interviewed the lay people. Yes. I have two brothers who definitely believe Brother Pietro was at home the time of the explosion. Since his body still isn’t there, that would point to an actual ascension. It isn’t definitive, of course, but…”

  “That does sound promising, Sister. Hopefully there will be more so we can put this case to bed.”

  “Father, how long might it take you to get me that information?”

  “I hope to have it soon. I shall email you when I get it.” He hung up the phone as if someone had just entered his office.

  When Sister Angela looked up, she could see that Bassi was turning the car into a parking space in the lot in front the hermitage.

  “Thank you for staying late, Mr. Scali. You must be exhausted after being up all night.”

  Scali was a big man. He had trouble sitting in the small chair in front of the low table. “I understand you’re investigating the explosion.”

  “You were on duty that evening weren’t you? Please tell me what you saw.”

  “I saw a flash through the windows. I ran outside to see the fire and then called the police.”

  “Did you know where the flash came from? What did you think it was?”

  “It was so bright I thought it was the gas tank across the parking lot.”

  “But the lot is in the opposite direction from the actual explosion.”

  “Yes. When I ran into the courtyard, I discovered that it couldn’t have been the tank. Flames were coming from the roof of the cottage near the woods.”

  “What did you think happened to cause the explosion?”

  “I had no idea. I knew I had to call the fire department before another cottage caught fire so I ran back inside and called the trucks in Collinaterra. They don’t have the best equipment, but at least we’d have a truck here quickly. When they got here, they discovered the fire had extinguished itself, and they didn’t need to worry about how they would attack it.”

  “The police from Avalle arrived when?”

  “About twenty to thirty minutes later. I called them myself because I wasn’t sure the Collinaterra fire department would. I let them in.”

  “Did you also call the bishop?”

  “Yes. Soon after the police arrived, the news people descended on our humble community. I could hold off the reporters on the ground, but there were helicopters overhead. I didn’t want the bishop’s people to hear about it on the morning news.”

  “You were busy. You did manage to tell Mr. Neri the next day about what happened overnight, didn’t you?”

  “Yes. I told him a little. There was not much to tell. The police didn’t explain the details.”

  “Did you mention the tank?”

  “No. I had complained about the tank before. Perhaps Neri thought I was talking about it then, but I specifically told him it was one of the cottages.”

  “Had any of the hermits ever complained about the gas hook-ups?”

  Scali sat back and considered the question. “Most of the brothers didn’t know what it was like before gas was used. I guess they took it for granted.”

  “Then why didn’t you? You haven’t worked here that long.”

  “My father was employed by a power company in the South. He used to tell me stories about how dangerous it was to work in the field. I toiled at that company for a few year
s too. I didn’t think it was that dangerous, but the stories he told were hair-raising. Now that I think about it, he may have believed I would appreciate him more if I thought he did heroic work.”

  “So you started out working for a power company. How did you get here?”

  Scali smiled. “I quit the power company and needed to find another job. I moved around a bit and ended up working for a businessman who needed an assistant. I was like a private secretary. That man made me feel important—like I was helping someone.”

  “And the Church? Were you active in that too?”

  “Not until my son was born. He had a serious illness, Sister. When the Lord spared him, I made a deal with God that I would give the rest of my life to His work. I suppose he got this job for me,” he said squirming in the small chair. “It’s a common story, I suppose, but it makes me feel better that I’m using what I learned to make sure God’s servants are able to do what they’re called to do.”

  “Were you ever in trouble before you came here?”

  He straightened up. “What do you mean? I had difficulties, yes. I suppose you could say I was a proud man. I loved my job with the businessman. He was rich and successful. He let me use his houses and boats. But he wasn’t as honest as I thought he was. Circumstances with my son made me admit to myself that maybe my values weren’t exemplary. I think I’m happier here.”

  The nun returned to Santo Velo to see if the chief detective had replied to her email, but he had not. After dinner, she interviewed the two night cooks, Brother Alonzo and Brother Enrico as soon as the dinner crowd began to disperse.

  Brother Alonzo was placing pots and pans in the sink as Sister Angela entered the kitchen.

  “Hello, Brother. I know you’re busy, but I need to speak with you. Can you spare me ten minutes?”

  “I’m cleaning up so we can make bread. Can’t this wait?”

  “Please. If this gets too long, I’ll let you go. Come sit on the stool next to me.”

  Brother Alonzo hesitated but finally sat down beside her.

  “You saw the explosion that night. It was late. Do you normally work that late? The head chef usually works during the day.”