Page 108 of Be Still My Unbeating Heart

“Kerstin,” he said with a nod.

“And Arianna,” De Luca added. Bastian had been so stunned to see Kerstin out of her grove that he hadn’t paid attention to who she was with. The two women were bent toward each other, as if sharing a secret.

Frowning, Bastian watched as Arianna held open a padded container—a freezer bag, he realized—into which Kerstin placed a small white parcel. Right as Kerstin was removing her hands, Arianna’s gaze switched to meet Bastian’s, and her eyes widened.

“She’s seen us,” Bastian said, moving toward the women, wondering why Arianna looked so nervous. He hadn’t forgotten the aroma of olive oil in his kitchen when they found the room filled with occult paraphernalia—not to mention the mayor’s body.

“Hello, ladies,” Bastian greeted, assembling a strained smile. “I’m relieved to see you are both safe.”

They looked confused for a moment, then Kerstin seemed to remember the black smoke drifting overhead.

“The fires spared my grove,” she said. “Thank goodness. I came into town to see if I was needed.”

“Of course. The gelateria looks unharmed, too,” Bastian said, peering past Arianna to the ice cream parlor. “You must be relieved.”

Arianna’s jaw clenched as she pushed the freezer bag behind her body in a clumsy attempt to conceal it.

“What is that you’re hiding?” Whitby asked, while at the same moment, De Luca said, “Enzo is missing.”

Arianna’s eyes widened as she looked at the inspector. “Missing?”

“Since this morning,” De Luca said. “Do you know where he is?”

She frowned. “I don’t understand. You said Enzo hasn’t been out of bed in months.”

“He hasn’t.”

“So how could he go missing?”

De Luca’s gaze remained steady. “I’m hoping you can tell me.”

Arianna’s nose wrinkled. She looked scared and angry at the same time. Bastian watched Kerstin take a green bottle from her pocket and sip through a metal straw. She seemed unconcerned by Arianna’s distress, closing her eyes in bliss as she gulped the oil.

“I haven’t seen Enzo since the last time I came to the house, over a month ago,” Arianna told De Luca. “You know that.”

“You weren’t there last night?” the inspector asked.

“No!”

“Where were you?”

Arianna’s fingers touched the cross necklace. “I was in bed asleep, like any normal person.”

“I assume there are no witnesses to verify this?”

Arianna looked like she wanted to slap him.

“Can I be of assistance, dears?” Aunt Agata said, puffing for breath as she appeared behind De Luca. She offered a sunny smile as they all turned to look at her, but she was unable to suppress the sharp glint in her eyes. Bastian had a feeling she had spotted the gathering outside Micio Micio and come to rubberneck. The shopkeeper wore a yellow sunflower dress and carried a wicker basket, her large knitting needles poking out like miniature spears.

“I was just sweeping ash from my porch when I noticed you all here in the street,” Aunt Agata said. “Is something wrong?”

De Luca returned to glaring at Arianna, while Kerstin seemed lost in thought. Arianna looked over her shoulder at the gelateria, as if checking the distance. Was she preparing to flee? And if so, why?

“What were you doing just now?” Bastian asked her. “What did Kerstin give you?”

Arianna’s cheeks flushed red as pomegranate seeds.

“Yes, what’s in the bag?” Whitby asked.