who loved Galla, who wants justice for her, that what we discuss now won’t leave this room. That no one in this room takes any action that will interfere with this investigation.”
“You’ll have it.” Antonio looked down the table. “She has the word of the Modesto family. It won’t be broken.”
“Peabody, put Cobbe on-screen. Lorcan Cobbe,” Eve said as Peabody got up to do so. “Is that name familiar to anyone?”
“I know of no one by that name,” Antonio told her as the others shook their heads. “Is this who killed my daughter?”
“Yes.”
“Why? Why would this man kill Galla?”
“Because it’s his job. Lorcan Cobbe.” Eve gestured to the screen, and his ID shot. “A professional killer. We have evidence he was in the park. We have evidence he was hired to kill Galla. Do any of you recognize this man?”
“I’ve never seen that face,” Stefano said. “He kills for money? Who would—?”
He broke off, and, like his mother, went very pale.
“What did you remember?” Eve demanded.
“It must be nothing, nothing. It was a joke.”
“What was?”
“Jorge was in Rome for meetings, a presentation. After many meetings, the long presentation, I took him for drinks. He says, poor joke, where is the Mafia when we need it? We have a competitor who is undercutting our prices, and he jokes we need—how does he put it—we need the men in the black limousine to take them out, for good.
“In this spirit—we had a very long, difficult day—I joke back. We only contact Bellacore—Salvadore Bellacore.”
At his father’s hiss of breath, Stefano lifted his hands. “I know, Papa, a very poor joke.”
“Who’s Bellacore?”
“From the old mafioso,” Stefano told her. “He is very old, retired—and no longer in prison, where he spent many years. It’s said he has a fine villa in Sardinia. It’s also said—and this I tell Jorge—he knows the cutthroats, and where to find them, as he was one himself. There are rumors that he brokers such matters in his retirement. I said all this. Did I give him this idea?”
“I have no doubt he already had the idea. Can you pinpoint the date of this conversation?”
“In March, in the third week of March. I can check for exact.”
“That’s exact enough. Excuse me a minute. Peabody, continue.”
Eve stepped out of the room, tagged Roarke.
“Check Tween’s account for March, the third week and forward. I’m looking for a payment, a kind of consultant fee. It’s probably covered, but it would be to a Salvadore Bellacore.”
“Bellacore the broker. I should’ve thought of him myself, but he’s a hundred and ten if he’s a day. Hold a moment.”
Since he cut her to waiting blue, she paced. But he was back in seconds.
“March twenty-fourth, ten thousand euros transferred to Bellacore.”
“Jesus, he didn’t try to cover it?”
“It’s to Bellacore’s farm—oranges, olives, lemons. Which, with a bit of time, I could break down as a front for the brokerage. Is this helpful?”
“Bet your fine Irish ass. Send me the file. Talk later.
“Got you, fucker,” she said after she clicked off.
She stepped back in while Peabody asked about Galla’s
“She spoke to me about this after Angelo was born.” Stefano rubbed his eyes. “Her portion of the business, she wanted to go to her son, in trust. She asked me to be in charge of the trust. Her estate, the money, stocks, properties, were to be divided between her husband and her son, with some specific bequests to family, to charities, to Elena Rinaldi, who was her housekeeper, to Sofia Grinaldi, who is Angelo’s nanny.”
“Did she name guardians for her son in the event something happened to both her and his father?” Peabody asked.
“Tereza and I, yes. We have two children, Angelo’s cousins. She wanted him with family, of course.”
“He will not have the child.” Anna Maria spoke in a voice of cold, quiet steel. “If he is responsible for this, he will not have her child.”
“Here’s what I need you to do,” Eve began. “Go see your daughter, your sister. Do not contact Tween. If he attempts to contact you, don’t respond at this time. It would help if after you’ve seen Galla, you went to your apartment. I need that information. I’ll come to you there when I have anything more to tell you.”
“Roarke arranged a suite for us at the Regent, as the apartment isn’t large enough for the family all together.”
“Did he?”
“We’re acquainted,” Stefano told her. “He contacted me to express his condolences, and to tell me I could trust you, your partner, your people to get