“Our witnesses are tired—but we need them to tell us what happened. The longer we wait, the less likely we are to catch our killer. Would you translate?”
—
The interview room wasn’t designed to be comfortable, but the police had clearly done what they could for Monica Lissom. She was wrapped in a blanket, and clasped a steaming cup.
“I want to apologize to you for the behavior of Investigator Figliomeni,” Sonia said. “It was inexcusable. We’d like to start over. Can we do that?”
The young woman was thin and pale, with long, stringy blonde hair streaked with blood. Her eyes were a translucent grey, with brows so light as to be nearly invisible—giving the impression of perpetual astonishment. She was puffy with crying, forehead and cheeks patchy. A small downy feather had settled on her shirt.
She stared at Nikki.
“Are you Nikki Serafino?”
She had a gently twanging American accent.
Nikki handed over her Phoenix Seven identification card, and Monica examined it, fingers trembling. She took a deep breath, and the tears started.
“I was supposed to wait for you,” she said.
—
“Tell us about yourself,” said Sonia. “What are you doing in Naples?”
“Um…Kami and I just graduated from college…Texas A&M. We’re doing a Europe trip. Paris first, then Florence. Then Rome to see my dad, then we came here.”
“When did you arrive in Naples?”
“Sunday.”
“What have you been doing?”
“We went to Capri…and Pompeii. This morning, we visited the archaeological museum…and…Christmas Alley.”
“And what were you doing in Chiesa del Gesù Nuovo?”
“What?”
“The church.”
“Oh…” Monica reddened. “There was a service.”
“You attended mass?”
The flush deepened, a distracting contrast to her white hair and eyebrows—an extreme physiological response to stress. Nikki wondered if this was the reason Angelo had thought she was lying.
“We weren’t really planning to stick around for the service. Just walking around with the other tourists.”
“How many tourists would you say were in the cathedral?”
“Twenty? Maybe more.”
“Okay, then what happened?”
“Kami and I heard something. We went to take a look. And we found her.”
“What sound did you hear?”
“Like a grunting sound…”
