“But where was he the few days before?” I asked. “We traveled slowly. A man on horseback could ride all night and day after he killed de Luca, hiring fresh horses along the way, and be ready to show us about the following morning.”
Grenville took a moment to consider this. “That man would be tired and agitated. Baldini was robust and pleased to see us.”
“I agree, but until I know where he was, I cannot rule him out. Not that I can guess why he’d kill de Luca, or if he even knew of the man.”
“The Stanbridges.” Grenville fed the name to me, waiting to see what I’d conclude.
“Again, we met them several days after de Luca’s death, and by Mrs. Stanbridge’s statement, they’d recently been to Rome. But as with Baldini, I see no reason for them to commit murder.”
“Gian claims to have been out with friends all night. That is easily confirmed, I suppose.”
“Yes, we have only his word that he found de Luca and did not kill him upon his return. Though I hope it is not Gian. He seems to genuinely grieve.”
“Trevisan himself?” Grenville suggested. “He certainly disliked de Luca. Loathing in every word he spoke of him.”
“Possibly.” My answer held caution. “Is your idea that Trevisan is adamant about us finding the killer to make certain we put the blame on someone else?”
Grenville leaned against the heavily carved newel post at the bottom of the staircase, the very picture of a dandy in the throes of ennui. “Trevisan was in Napoli when we were, but again, he could have traveled more quickly than we did, another thing we will have to inquire about.”
“I wonder why he was in Napoli at all,” I said. “I still find it puzzling he sought us out to apologize. He said he had business there but was close-mouthed about it.”
“As I say, this will be difficult.” Grenville straightened up and regarded the piles of objects left on the ground floor. “Where do we begin?”
“With the household.” Servants always knew exactly what went on in a house. Donata’s did, sometimes embarrassingly so. “Brewster can be a help there, and we can recruit Matthias and Bartholomew as well.”
“They are itching for some excitement,” Grenville acknowledged. “Cleaning our suits and keeping my house are growing too tame for them.”
“I’ll not begrudge them. I suppose we should start right away.”
“I would say you were longing for excitement as well.” Grenville’s statement was too accurate, and I pretended not to hear it.
“I will tackle the kitchen,” I said. “Brewster is down there already, I believe. Perhaps you could speak to Gian?”
“Pry more information out of him that is?” Grenville nodded. “Yes, best I do it.”
“You’ll be more tactful, you mean?” I asked, not offended.
“Exactly.” Grenville grasped the newel post and launched himself up the stairs. “Tread lightly, Lacey. These are deeper waters than we know.”
With that admonishment, he disappeared into the shadows, and I turned to seek the kitchen.
I foundthe door to the back stairs at the rear of the house, behind which tiled and narrow steps ran down into darkness.
At the bottom a more cheerful passageway, painted white and tiled in blue and yellow, led under high windows to a long, hot room with a fireplace and wooden table. Here a man with very black hair slapped dough onto the table’s surface before rolling it out with what looked like a broom handle.
Brewster rose from a stool near the fire, a large tankard in his fist. “He speaks no English, guv.”
“Enough to find you an ale.”
“Aye, well. Some things are understandable.”
The cook smoothed the dough into a wide circle. He set aside the stick and with his hands, rolled the thin dough into a long cylinder. Next, he took up a slender but frightening-looking knife and cut the cylinder into even slices. The pieces fell, unfolding into soft noodles.
“Are there other servants?” I asked. I saw no assistant to do the messy and tedious kitchen work, no footman, no maid.
“Not as such,” Brewster answered. “This man makes all the meals, and Gian does the rest. Save for the woman who comes in and has a dust about.”
So Gian had indicated. “I wonder why. The conte is—was—a wealthy man. Why only two people living with him? With one to do occasional cleaning?”
