Valerio’s appetite left him. He set the plate down and took a chair facing them.
“Mamma,” he said again.
Orlanda picked up the remote and paused the program. Only then did Leonora—blinking up—seem to notice him.
“What is it?” Orlanda asked.
Now that the moment had arrived, he realized that the truth was impossible.
“I wanted to check on you,” he said. “How are you feeling?”
Leonora’s face was suddenly radiant.
“Oh, Valerio, my sweet boy!” she exclaimed. “How thoughtful to check on your old mother.”
Orlanda rolled her eyes.
Ignoring the spasm of guilt, Valerio scooted his chair closer to his mother, repeating, “How are you feeling?”
“Every day a bit stronger,” Leonora said. “I talk to Costanzo. Hereassures me. He says that my son will catch the devil who killed the girl.”
“I’m not part of that investigation, Mamma,” he said.
“Do they know who did it?” Orlanda pressed.
“They made an arrest,” he told her.
Leonora stopped crocheting, and patted his hand.
“Costanzo has faith in you. So do I. I pray for you every day.My Valerio—he leads with his heart, I tell the Virgin.He acts without thinking, so you need to keep a special eye on him.”
“Do you need anything, Mamma?” he asked.
She shook her head and reached out, caressing his face.
“If you’re offering,” Orlanda said, “the sink in the bathroom needs to be fixed. It’s leaking.”
Valerio rose from the chair, and leaned in to kiss his mother’s cheeks.
“Love you, Mamma.”
—
Orlanda launched from the sofa and followed him into the kitchen.
“What’s going on?” she demanded.
“Nothing,” he said.
He covered the dish and put it back.
As he shut the door to the fridge, she was standing before him, blocking his exit, arms folded across her chest.
“You’re lying,” she said. “You don’t just stop by for nothing. And you have this stupid expression on your face…like you’re going off to do something noble and self-destructive.”
“I need to take care of something,” he said.
“Is it dangerous?”
