Page 179 of Vita Mia

“Collateral. He’s in jail in Spain. I’m negotiating his return to Italy. We intend to reduce his conviction for her cooperation.”

“So, she’s working for you by force?”

“Does it matter!” the Générale quipped. “She is getting closer to becoming useful, and I have a new lead on the butcher.”

“I thought he was dead?” Sera frowned.

“He is dead. My lead is where he disposed of the bodies. If we find one body we have Giovanni for murder, we may not need Marietta Battaglia at all.”

“Basta!” Silvio said with the toss of his hand. He turned his attention back to the doctor. “Marietta and this Sophia woman together make a stronger case. What we really need is a confession from Giovanni.”

“How does this guarantee that? He’ll just deny the crime and pin it on one of his men.”

“His men are dropping like flies!” The Générale laughed.

Silvio smiled and glanced to the men with him that were all silent. “We use his wife. The Black American woman. She is the key. We put her in the system and he’ll do whatever we want.”

“So why are you sharing this with me?”

“Time isn’t on our side. I need to make a decision. I’m here to meet with Marietta Battaglia. We can stay the evening and meet her in the morning. Sober her up and get her ready for our talk. She will be formally presented to the new prosecutor on this case before the end of the week. A pre-trial hearing to determine if we can proceed has already been scheduled. Then we move her back to Italy. Sicily won’t be safe for her once she testifies. The Générale should have never agreed to bring her here. You will need to work closely with my office, after we arrest Mirabella Battaglia you—”

“Arrest? What crime has she committed?” Sera asked.

Silvio smirked but didn’t answer the question. “—You will need to help work her over to get her to convince her husband to confess. If she refuses it won’t matter. Giovanni will never let us keep her locked up. He’ll hand over all the keys to the Camorra kingdom. And that is how the war with the Mafia will be won.”

Sera glanced at the men and the Générale. Whatever they had planned it was certainly not what Dominic expected. And if they pulled it off, her brother was dead. She looked down again at the picture of the woman that was now planted with the Battaglias.

“What is her name again?”

“Never mind it! Go!” The Générale said and snatched up the picture. She could see the distrust in the Générale’s eyes. Her time was up. She had to move fast.

***

“DONNA?”

“CiaoSophia,” Mirabella said.

Sophia entered into her room with fresh linen. Lorenza and Leeza were both sleep in Mirabella’s bed. Mirabella sat at the desk composing a four-page letter for Giovanni. She’d been writing all day. There was crumpledpaper around her. First the letters were professions of love. Then they were letters of anger over the injustice. Her letters became tear-stained pleas for him to do whatever necessary to come back to her. None of them would be of comfort to her husband, so she wrote a different letter. A letter of hope and good news about the children and their life. Something to inspire him and strengthen him. It took all of that emotion to compose a letter that included all three messages from her heart.

“I’m done,” she said.

“Don’t sign it with your name,” Sophia warned. Mirabella paused at the warning. She glanced to Sophia and then nodded she understood. She folded the paper twice before slipping it into the envelope. She handed the envelope to her.

“Did you speak to your family? The price to get me into the prison to see Giovanni? What is it?”

“Donna—”

“I’ll pay anything. I just need to know when.” Mirabella quickly added. “I have to move money around and Dominic can’t know. I need to plan for it. Can we do it soon?”

“I feel so guilty for even mentioning it to you,” Sophia said and lowered her gaze.

“Why? Please don’t. This is the first ray of hope I’ve had in weeks.” Mirabella smiled. “The very first.”

“I’ve given my cousin your number. He will call you to discuss the arrangement. He’ll want payment first. Then you’ll need to go to Rome. He’s risking his job. You have to guarantee to him you will do exactly as he say and not involve your men.”

“I trust you Sophia.”

The old woman smiled. “You will visit a different inmate. At least on paper. But he and his friend will deliver Giovanni instead. That way the officials won’t trace this to him. But if you are caught it is a crime. And you will be arrested.”

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