Page 46 of The Strength Of A Woman

No woman is allowed to exercise her right to self-determination, and if they attempt to do so against her family’s will, sophisticated structures of power are bound to collapse.

So they stop them.

The families control them.

It’s always been like that.

I take a seat at the patio table and set my phone down when it starts ringing.

Cosimo enters the patio as I glance at the name flashing across the screen and signal to him.

“They brought our man.”

He knows what he needs to do, so he turns around and walks down the stairs, enlivening the otherwise quiet house.

Soon after, he returns with the man in question.

I set my drink down and look at him.

“I’m listening.”

Leonardo is a fisherman.

He delivers fresh seafood to Leilani’s house every Tuesday and Friday.

His daughter works inside as a housemaid.

Unlike the other staff members, she leaves the house three times a week. He owes me a favor, and they’ve both been loyal to me.

Let’s say this isn’t the first time I’ve used them to gather information about what happens in Leilani’s house.

I know everything about how she's spent her days over the past two years.

It was sheer curiosity in the beginning, and then I was nudged by a pang of concern.

Maybe I hadn’t warmed up to her in the beginning, but I surely didn’t want her to do something stupid because of me.

I learned about her quirky ways, eccentric behavior, love of nature, and her habit of taking long showers with the windows open. I made sure someone in the house was aware of it, and every time construction crews were on the property, the men were directed to work on the other side of the house.

There may have been one or two instances when someone had gotten a glimpse of her.

I didn’t even want to think about it.

But having dead bodies buried in the backyard wasn’t the greatest option, so I let it slide.

It’s strange how I felt protective of her when no one else had.

The man in front of me takes a couple of steps forward.He’s in his sixties, his face sunburned from spending time outside fishing.

“She was followed by Julian Everett, and they had an argument on the outskirts of town. She arrived home alone, though.”

I shift my eyes to Cosimo and then back to Leonardo.

“That’s it?”

“That’s all I know. My daughter left earlier this evening. As she walked out, Julian strolled into the house and then onto the terrace, accompanied by a woman. They were all having dinner outside. Leilani Gallo was there too with her friend.”

“All right,” I murmur. “Thank you.”