The Binder of Lost Stories by Cristina Caboni

Author:Cristina Caboni [Caboni, Cristina]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781542000147
Published: 2020-01-20T16:00:00+00:00

The afternoon sun poured through the big windows, making the dust twinkle. In the library, there was total silence. Immersed in his task, Tomaso’s eyes raced between the book and the papers Sofia had given him.

He didn’t need an extensive analysis to know the unidentified notes were written in the same hand as Fohr’s. After a few minutes double-checking and a few more reflecting on the implications, he waited for Sofia to come back. “It’s him. This is his handwriting. Christian and Clarice wrote the notes.”

“I knew it. I knew it!” Sofia walked into the room in the grip of irrepressible happiness. Then she stopped. Tomaso was staring at the book, a somber expression on his face.

She went up to him cautiously. “Is something wrong?”

He shook his head. “Some of the notes in the margin are the work of a single hand. They belong to either one or the other. But these,” he said, pointing to one page, “are written as though the two authors were sharing the page. It happens again here, and here too.”

Sofia didn’t have the courage to speak. What Tomaso had just given her was the confirmation of her own suppositions.

“What do you think of that?”

She was breathless with emotion. “They knew each other.”

“It appears they did.” Tomaso pointed at the book. “Sofia, this is a historical document of immense value. The nature of the notes implies it was Fohr’s personal copy. He continued his reflections in it.”

“And Clarice? She didn’t merely do the binding . . .”

“What we know for certain is that it was in her possession for a while. We need the other two volumes if we want to be sure of anything else.”

“How will you find them?”

Tomaso looked at her. “I have contacts. I’ll put the word out. As soon as I know something, I’ll let you know.”

There was something in Tomaso’s expression that alarmed her. “If you go searching for the books, I’m coming with you.” She had no intention of staying home, waiting by the phone. “My proposal is a fifty-fifty agreement. Equal risks, equal advantages. Together.”

He rubbed his forehead. “Listen, I have no intention of cutting you out. But you must be clear about one thing. It’s essential to make snap decisions; I won’t have time to confer with you about every detail. We have something enormous in our hands. The success or failure of the search will depend on how convincing and swift I am, and God knows what else.”

“That seems reasonable.”

The comment took him by surprise. He’d expected further protests. A flash of admiration appeared on Tomaso’s face. He knew Sofia was perceptive. What struck him about her was the direction of her thoughts; it was as though they looked at things through the same lens. He would have to take that into account, he decided. But it didn’t alter the situation. He had no idea what he’d have to do to procure the missing volumes. She could be a hindrance to his process.

She’d gone to look out the window, but now she turned back to Tomaso.

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