Death by the River by Valentina Morelli

Author:Valentina Morelli [Valentina Morelli]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: F
Publisher: SAGA Egmont
Published: 2023-04-14T00:00:00+00:00

9

“Lord, you stink like a whole pack of wild boars! Now stop fussing, it’s not me who’s all matted and covered in burrs.”

Sister Isabella was giving the poor dog some rough treatment. But there was no gentle way to get rid of all those matted burrs. The dog could at least be grateful the sister was letting him eat while she groomed him. And he seemed truly famished. Greedily, he had pushed his muzzle deep into the bowl and devoured the remains of Sister Hildegard’s pasta e fagioli, which had been served yesterday for lunch.

“Where on earth have you been?”

Even though the dog didn’t give her an answer, it was a fair question. The Saint Bernard must have wandered around for several days and nights. A terrible idea, even for the companion of a homeless drifter used to spending the night outdoors. She wondered what Caesar had been through. And what was he running away from? Had he seen Gaetano’s killer?

The dog was in a wretched condition. Not only was his fur tangled and filthy, Caesar had a nasty looking laceration above his right ear. It wasn’t clear where it had come from. Fortunately, it wasn’t too deep, so Isabella was confident she could get it under control with a tincture of camomile. Caesar didn’t seem to be bothered at all by his injury.

All the way back to the convent, the dog didn’t leave her side for a single metre. Isabella’s knees were still wobbly from the fright. She had seen her end coming when this shaggy beast had pounced at her, pink mouth wide open… and licked across her face with his wet muzzle. The dog had yanked her to the ground and bruised her tailbone in the process, as she was painfully reminded with every careless movement she made.

After the initial shock had passed, and she had realised she wasn’t being eaten alive by a hell beast, she had recognised him. Caesar, Gaetano’s loyal Saint Bernard. She hadn’t the slightest idea why he had gone to the vineyard. He must have sniffed her out as he walked. After all, the two knew each other from the market and had become friends over time. Isabella loved dogs. Actually, she loved all animals. But dogs in particular. And she always had a slice of the convent’s fennel salami ready for Caesar.

There came a knock at her door. Caesar barked gruffly. Exactly once. A moment later, the novice Ortensia stuck her round head through the crack in the door.

“Sister Isabella! The police would like to speak to you. Again.” The novice gave her a warning look. “On the phone.”

Isabella nodded and wiped her hands dry on her habit. At some point, she had to tell the novice what the Carabiniere was up to. Just as she should finally give Matteo her mobile number at some point. It was no pleasure to have to sneak through half the convent every time to get to the landline in the entrance hall. On the

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