Faustini ✔️

quattordici

On the walk home from the mall, Elena was on the phone to Catalina. "Operation contact Sebastian wasn't a success, however, we did manage to find a friend of his. It's just the matter of getting him to talk." Elena filled her in.

"Like that'll be easy!" Rita yelled so that Catalina could hear her. "The guy doesn't budge. We may as well give up now."

"I second that." Leo responded less loudly than Rita. "I hate to assume guilty before innocent, but Sebastian Vincenzo is a crooked private investigator, what are the chances he's not Harold's murderer?"

"But what's the motive behind that? Sebastian wouldn't kill anyone- at least without being paid..." Elena mumbled.

"Wow, you're really defending him?" Rita laughed. "Well, he knows we're looking for him, if he wants to object to our assumptions, he will, but until then he's guilty."

"Well... I guess that means we can rest easy. I mean, we're not next, right?" Catalina's voice echoed through the phone.

"Don't jinx it." Leo mumbled.

Dante sat at the table with his younger sister Estefania, he watched intently as she coloured in a picture of a snake with crayons. As his sister scribbled away, the maid walked into the room. "Dante, these people are here to see you."

Dante looked up and saw two detectives. He was struck with panic. "We're just here to ask you a few questions." One of the officers spoke up. "Elena Faustini, how well do you know her?"

Dante hesitated. "She's my cousin. I mostly spent time with her when I was younger."

"How about nowadays?" The police officer inquired.

"Now? Not so much. I think they grew out of me." Dante laughed awkwardly. "Why? Is something the matter?"

"Where were you three nights ago?" The other officer blurted out.

"What time?" Dante stammered. "I was at the mall in the evening, I went to buy my sister some toys. Then I met with my father at home to discuss possible schooling transfers."

"Have you ever been to Pennsylvania, Dante?" The officer questioned further.

"No, I don't travel. Unless of course it's to Spain or The Hamptons." Dante answered.

"Do you have any proof you were at the mall?" The police officer asked as Dante shrugged.

"I do have the receipt." Dante responded.

The police officer's brows furrowed. "You're rich and you keep receipts?"

"I like collecting receipts." Dante explained as he went into the kitchen and grabbed a tattered leather book. He returned and opened to the latest page. "I think receipts are kind of cool."

The confused police officers nodded. "I think we've seen all we need to, we'll show ourselves out."

As the police officers left, they spoke back and forth. "I was almost convinced that that was our guy, something in my stomach said it..."

"We'll pull up mall tapes if we have to." The officer stopped. "Come on man, the kid isn't even old enough to drive. He's probably just a weirdo." The officer suggested as the other officer shrugged.

Meanwhile at the Faustini penthouse, Valentino was showing the unamused Stefano around. "Val, your house hasn't changed since the last time I was here. There is no reason for this." Stefano uttered.

"I thought you'd wanted to see what a real home looked like. You were always cramped up in that office." Valentino responded.

"I lost a good amount of patients. But I don't suppose I'll be getting rest anytime soon. I presume your children will be working me to death." Stefano guessed.