Act like my wife

18. Enemy Territory

  
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  At a few minutes to noon the next day, Leo rolled up in front of Don Federico's gate with me in the car's backseat. He was denied entry by Don Federico's men, but they offered to escort me inside. Leo objected to their ultimatum, but I told him it was okay. I can take care of myself.

  Don Federico's house was more like a palace. It is an ancestral home that has been around for centuries. The distance from the gate to the main building was not small. The men and I walked down a tarred road with tall old trees lined up on either side. We finally approached the house after what seemed like forever.

Right in front of the main building was the largest tree I have ever seen, the branches spread out over the brick wall of the mansion, covering the majority of its frontage.

I was led inside the house, and it felt as though I had stepped into a painting from the fifteenth century. Federico must be some kind of purist if he hasn't bothered to change any of this furniture over time.

I was greeted by an old maid, she led me up the stairs to a room at the end of the hallway. When she opened the door, I saw Don Federico sitting behind a desk in his study. If memories serve me correctly, I remember him to be a man with broad shoulders and a strong chin. But sitting in front of me was a skinny man looking older than his age. His skin appeared paler, and his hair was almost gone.

"Welcome, figlio di Lorenzo."  He stood up from his chair and walked around his desk in shaky steps. "Thank you for accepting my invitation."  He spread his arms wide open and came close to me, but I backed away.

"If you don't mind, I'd like for us to skip the pleasantries and boil down to business."

He moved back and returned to his seat. "I presume your pappa does not know that you are here"

"If I'm not home in two hours, he'd come looking for me."  I took a seat opposite him.

He chuckled. "I won't hurt you, son. You are a man of honor, I have heard about your accomplishments in Spain and I am impressed. Besides, any man who can oppose Lorenzo is a true man."

"I will not sit here and listen to you insult my father."  Even though I wouldn't want anything more, I won't side with Federico either.

He raised his hands.  "Fine. Fine, I will not."

I leaned forward.  "What do you want to tell me?"

He cleared his throat. "I understand that you have been investigating your brother's death"

"Yes. It is only a matter of time before the killer is uncovered. Or do you wish to confess, Don Federico?"

He showed me his palms. "My hands are clean, I would never go so low."

"But I know you hated Antonio for being with your daughter."

He seemed taken aback but comported himself.  "That is not true! I loved Antonio. Gina begged me to accept him, I disagreed at first, but she is my only daughter and I did not want to lose her. So I accepted Antonio, and we planned on talking to your pappa. Unfortunately, Antonio was killed before that could happen."

I raised an eyebrow.  "Just like that? The Federico I know would not bend so easily to his daughter's will all because of love."

After a long silent minute of stubbornness, he caved in.  "Okay, okay... the truth is she was pregnant with Antonio's child. I had no choice but to accept, that is my grandchild. But he died before the baby was born."

I leaned against the backrest of my seat. "Who do you think killed him?"

"I don't know for sure, but before Antonio's death, my daughter received threatening messages. She once found a dead fish in her room, no one knew how it got there. A message was written on her wall with blood, it was a warning for her to stay away from Antonio. I suspected your pappa at first, but I am not so sure."

"Where are Gina and the child now?" I asked.

He furrowed his brows. "You didn't know? Gina is dead too." His voice quavered lightly when he said this.

My breathing got hitched for a second. I tried to breathe to swallow the lump trapped in my throat. "I'm sorry for your loss"

He sucked in a heavy breath.  "Thank you, but we both lost dear ones.

"And the child?"

He closed his eyes and a tear escaped from under his eyelid.  "My granddaughter was stolen after Gina was gruesomely stabbed to death on her delivery bed."