Page 141 of Empire of Temptation

I put up my palms. “Do you speak English?”

“Of course. Do you?”

Ah. Now his attitude made sense.

He didn’t believe me.

“Signore Palmieri?” When he nodded once, I continued. “I amValentina Montella from New York. My father is Flavio Segreto. I believe you are looking for him.”

He yanked out the chair on the opposite side of the table and sat down. His tie had been loosened, the first button on his dress shirt undone. It added to his general air of aggravation. “Benetti has told you, I see.”

“Luca didn’t tell me. My father did.”

Palmieri’s demeanor changed, his gaze sharpening on mine. “So you are in regular contact with him.”

“Not really. Flavio stays away to protect me. However, we did speak about your daughter.” Palmieri went deathly still, but I had to get the rest out. He had to be told. “He did not kill her.”

“Perdonami, signorina. But the evidence suggests otherwise.”

“Evidence provided by whom? Because someone is lying to you. Don’t you want to know why?”

“And what evidence do you have that your father is innocent?”

I drew in a deep breath. “At the time your daughter was killed, my mother was dying of cancer. Without my knowledge, my father was looking after her as she grew sicker and sicker. He loved her. There is no way he would’ve accepted a job that sent him away from her during that time.”

“You can’t be sure of that.”

“I am one-hundred percent sure. I believe him. And you can look at his passport and her death certificate. He didn’t leave New York. Someone else killed your daughter.”

His fingertips drummed on the wooden table as he examined my face. Intently, as if searching for weaknesses. The approach was intimidating, and I suspected many criminals had confessed because of it. I tried to remain calm. I had the truth on my side.

“And did your father have a guess as to who might be responsible?”

“I’ll tell you, but I want your word that you’ll release Signore Benetti.”

He laughed, but it was a dry and humorless sound. “Never would I agree to something so foolish.”

“Then I won’t tell you what my father said.”

“You are in a prison in a strange country. Do you honestly believe you have any leverage at the moment?”

“Yes, I do. You want something from me and I want something from you.”

“You are very sure of yourself.” He leaned back, his jacket falling slightly open to reveal the pistol he wore. “Maybe I will keep you here, force your father to come and speak with me in person.”

My mouth dried out at the threat, so I licked my lips. “It won’t do any good. He won’t come—and besides, he’s not responsible for your daughter’s death. You’re wasting your time pursuing him for it.”

The air in the room turned oppressive as the seconds dragged on, Palmieri’s stare like black orbs of resentment. “You are asking for one of the country’s most dangerous criminals to be released. Do you know how long we’ve tried to arrest Benetti?”

“You haven’t charged him with a crime, though, which makes me think you know you can’t. You don’t have a charge that will stick.”

“Maybe our legal system works differently here than in your country.”

“It doesn’t, not when it comes to due process. I looked it up.”

“Maybe I will arrest you for interfering in an investigation, and you may learn our procedures yourself.”

I threw up my hands in frustration. “Stop threatening me. If you want to find out what I know, then promise to release Luca.”

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