MANGATA: A Sequel to Consigliere

Small Talk

"Sebastiano, I fear Valentino may be onto us."

Gregorio Fortunato and Feliciano Arnolfi were seated directly across from Sebastiano Martolli, who simply stared warily into the eyes of his accomplices. "What makes you say that, Feliciano? Do I dare ask?"

"It's nothing on our part, Sebastiano, I can assure you that. Valentino remains absolutely clueless of our constant appearance at the club. My fear, however, is his growing suspicion that you are still alive."

"Well, then, I suppose he's right to be fearful," Sebastiano Martolli smiled cruelly and folded his hands on the desk, light falling through the slits in the curtains and illuminating his face. "We must plan our execution of this task more precisely than the last attempt. Which, I believe, will not be so difficult now that Agnese is gone."

"Whatever happened to that whore, anyway, Martolli?"

"None of your concern," Sebastiano muttered and leaned forward in his seat. "Now tell me, Gregorio, what is your strategy for carrying out the murder of Valentino Arlotti?"

"Gathering as much information as possible by staying under-cover at the club," Gregorio smirked and leaned forward as well. "I'm proposing a break-and-enter kind of attack, as soon as we can get the guy alone in his own house."

"I assume you will be carrying this out through means of suffocation?"

"That's correct, amico. I intend for this to be a spotless murder."

"And it will be, Gregorio, or you can bet I won't keep you under my roof a day longer."

***

"Val, what's the deal with Katrina?"

Val looked up from his laptop screen and rubbed his eyes, instinctively reaching for his cup of coffee and sipping it. "She hasn't spoken to me since she barged through the door at three in the morning," Val revealed as he set down the mug and stood beside his wife. "Why, has she been giving you the cold shoulder too?"

"She's still sleeping," Amelia grumbled as she crossed her arms and gazed in concern at her husband. "It's almost noon. And what do you mean, she walked in the door at three a.m.? She was supposed to be at a sleepover." Amelia backed away from the door with her arms still crossed, arching her head to the stairwell. "Katrina Taylor Arlotti! Get your lying butt down here now!"

Val sighed and shut his laptop, standing beside Amelia with his hands on his hips. "Maybe it's a little early to determine if she's actually lying?"

"Come on, Val. There's no way in hell Laura's mother would allow Katrina to walk home by herself at three in the morning."

"This is true. Katrina!"

Katrina Arlotti stomped down the stairs with a blanket wrapped around her body, her hair stringy and tangled. She glared first at Amelia, and then at Val, who shrugged his shoulders and reached for his coffee.

"Um, what?"

"Katrina, can you tell me and your father why you walked through the door at three in the morning?"

"Dad, I told you, I had, uh, night terror." Katrina's cheeks burned as she renewed the lie, desperately hoping neither of her parents would notice her blunder.

"Well, why didn't you call home? You know neither of us would have a problem with running out to get you." Val re-crossed and frowned, attempting to create the tough-dad look he apparently lacked.