Page 23 of His Brother's Wife
“I already thought about that. There are police on the way to her apartment right now.”
“Thank you. Thank you. Chrissy, get out of there now.”
“I will, I promise. Keep in touch, Ama, please. Be safe.”
“You too. I love you.”
Enda checked his phone and saw three missed calls.Damnit.He’d forgotten to switch it off silent mode. He saw the calls were from Ama and he frowned. Just then, though, their guest arrived.
Roger Fallwell looked sweaty and pale as they shook hands, and Enda realized he was trembling. Was he going to have a heart attack? “Are you okay, Mr. Fallwell?”
Fallwell closed his eyes, muttering something to himself. “I can’t do this. I can’t do this …”
Enda and Raffaelo exchanged worried glances. Raff cleared his throat and signaled to the waiter. “Could we have some ice water, please? Our guest is unwell.”
Fallwell shook his head. “No, it’s okay, I’m not …god, oh god …”
As they looked on in amazement, Roger Fallwell started to sob.
Inca was at her favorite tea house in the city, the one she had opened with Raff soon after they became engaged. With an upstairs tea room over-looking the Bay, it was always busy, and Inca liked to help out as much as she could. It made her feel less like the princess in the ivory tower. The staff and customers alike adored her, and she loved spending time there. It had also improved her Italian exponentially, and she could chatter away to people easily now. She often told Raff that she felt more Italian than American now and she knew he was pleased.
Today, the upper tea room was packed, but downstairs was quiet and cool. Inca took the opportunity to go down and clean. She didn’t see the two men enter behind her until one of them cleared their throat. They were dressed casually and wore friendly smiles, and she grinned back. “Hey, fellas, come on in. We have plenty of room. Upstairs or down. I’m Inca, so if you need anything, just ask.”
The two men looked at each other and for a second Inca wondered if they had understood her.
Then the large man grabbed her so quickly she couldn’t react, clamping a huge hand over her mouth and easily holding her arms with the other massive arm. Without hesitation, the other man stepped forward.
Terrified, Inca only saw a brief flash of steel before he drove the knife into her belly again and again.
The pain was unimaginable.
Enda tried to calm their guest down. “Sir, please …what is it?”
Fallwell gasped and gulped and finally calmed himself. “He has my wife and my four-year-old daughter. He told me he’ll kill them unless I brought you here today, at this time. Both of you.”
Both Enda and Raff knew instantly.Jackson.Raff leaned forward. “What does he want, Roger? Why bring us here today?”
Roger looked at Raff with sorrow-filled eyes. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Winter …he wanted her unprotected.”
Raff’s color drained from his face. “No …no…not Inca …”
Roger started to sob again, nodding. “And, Mr. Gallo, he told me to tell you …this is it. This is where they all die, including Amalia.”
Stella, the tea house’s barista heard the scream from downstairs and hurried down. At first, she just saw the shocked tourist standing at the doorway, her hands at her mouth, staring down at the ground. As Stella rounded the corner, her heart almost failed.
Inca was splayed on the floor, eyes closed, with blood spreading everywhere across her dress. Dark purple knife wounds were on her stomach and belly. Her breathing was ragged and hitching, and as Stella dropped to her knees, Inca opened her eyes. In them, she saw confusion, bewilderment, and agony. On the floor beside her was a lethal-looking knife, covered in blood. The tourist was crying, but was on her phone, obviously calling the emergency services.
“Oh, mio Dio, mio Dio.” Panicked, Stella pressed her finger gently to Inca’s throat. There was a weak pulse, but it was slowing.
Inca made a strange noise, like she was fighting for breath, and then her eyes closed and her head slumped to the side. Stella knew instantly.
Inca was dying.
Then Stella too started to scream for help.
Raff was out of the restaurant in a second, his face yellow with terror, his phone to his ear. Enda followed him, trying to call Ama, but the phone was engaged. As he reached Raff, the other man was talking to someone on the phone. He looked at Enda, and there was untold grief in his green eyes.
“Oh god, no, please …yes, yes. No, I’m coming now …god, please, Stella …tell me she’s still breathing …thank god …I’m on my way.”
