Page 63 of The Unraveling of Julia

“That would be wonderful,” Julia said, thrilled. “And I found out from a 23andMe kit that I have almost a hundred percent Italian ancestry, from the Tuscan region and Milan, too.”

“Good.” Poppy made a note on a small pad. “Did the results notify you of relatives in the area?”

“No, there were none who registered.”

“Okay, I can double-check other online registries. To return to topic, I’ll begin the search at the Registrar of Vital Statistics here, then widen geographically and keep going. Unfortunately, Italy is balkanized in terms of provinces and local governments. One can’t expect results for at least a month because bureaucrats are slow to return calls and emails. Nothing in Italy happens quickly except pasta.” Poppy smiled slyly. “How long are you in Croce for?”

“I’m not sure, it’s open-ended. Do you need me here to conduct the research?”

“No. We can communicate by email or Zoom. Very few of my clients are in the city or even in the country.” Poppy made another note. “Do you have any relevant records or documents aside from your birth certificate? I’m sure if you search the villa, you’ll find records, diaries—”

“No, it was all burned. Everything is gone.”

Poppy frowned, taken aback. “Was there a fire?”

“Yes, an intentional one. Rossi had everything burned except her car.”

Poppy recoiled. “So you have no documents or photos at all?”

“I do have some photos.” Julia went into her purse, retrieved the three photos of Rossi, and set them out on the coffee table. “The only one I’m sure is Rossi is on the left. The housekeeper gave it to me.”

Poppy eyed the photos, then looked up at Julia. “I do see the resemblance, for what it’s worth.”

“Right? I also have a watercolor self-portrait that may be my mother as a young girl, but I have no proof of that, and I don’t know for sure.” Julia scrolled her phone, found the photo, and showed it to Poppy.

“I see, and why do you think this is your mother?”

Julia hesitated. “Because of where I found it.”

“How so?”

“Honestly, it’s disturbing, and I think criminal. I already spoke with the police.”

Poppy blinked. “May I know the details? I’ve been doing this work for twenty years. I’ve heard stories that would curl your hair. Learning a biological family’s history may be unpleasant. One embarks on this journey with joyful anticipation, but families hide what they’re ashamed of, for generations.”

“I hear you.” Julia opened up to Poppy, telling her about the underground cell and that Rossi may have burned everything to destroy evidence. Poppy listened, taking notes, and Julia ended up telling her about her nightmares, her feelings at Caterina’s castle at Forlì, and her vision of Caterina last night. Julia finished, shaky. “So do you think I’m crazy?”

Poppy met her gaze with a new gravity. “No, but you strike me as intuitive, and it gives us an avenue to explore.”

“One last thing, I brought the hair from the comb.” Julia went into her purse and retrieved the baggie, then realized something. “Funny, I don’t feel tingling. Maybe because it’s in the plastic?”

“Do you want to take it out and see if you feel a tingling?”

“No.” Julia didn’t want to reduce the tingling to a parlor trick. Or maybe she was afraid it wouldn’t work. Orwould.

“I understand.” Poppy picked up the baggie. “I have an excellent lab I use for DNA testing.”

“Great. Am I correct that if we test the hair and my DNA, we can know for a fact if the little girl was my biological mother?”

“Yes, those tests will be dispositive. Unfortunately, the results take over a month.”

Arg.“Is there any way to hurry it, like pay a rush charge?”

“I’ll inquire but I don’t think so.” Poppy glanced at her watch. “Oh no. Sorry, I lost track of time. We didn’t get to discuss my fees. My rate is three hundred euros an hour, payable monthly, should you decide to engage me.”

“I would.”

“Brilliant.” Poppy smiled. “We’ll exchange contact information, and I’ll send you an agreement you can Docusign. Let me know if you decide to leave the country. I will schedule collecting your DNA samples with the lab.”

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