The Summer House by Kent Christobel

Author:Kent, Christobel [Kent, Christobel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780141909172
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Published: 2013-12-31T00:00:00+00:00

19

Cirri and his wife were among the last to leave the church; Chiara had fallen asleep in her pushchair during the service and they sat at the back, enjoying peace and the deep, incense-fragrant cool of the old building.

As, finally, they came out through the great studded doors Cirri felt the heat scald his face as though he’d opened an oven. He nodded blindly in the brilliant sunshine to the white-robed priest who stood by the door bidding his congregation farewell; in her pushchair Chiara squirmed as she felt the temperature change even through the heavy blanket of sleep.

‘Shall we eat out?’ said his wife as she turned to him, fanning herself and gasping a little. ‘It’s too hot to cook. And you’ve had a hard week, haven’t you? With this – girl. The murdered girl.’ Chiara stirred again, and Gloria bent over her, clucking a little under her breath, jiggling the pushchair to send her off again. She straightened. ‘And it would be nice, while Chiara’s asleep, just us two?’

‘Yes,’ said Cirri, ‘that’s a good idea.’ He smiled at his wife in the sunshine, feeling suddenly flooded with a sense of his own good fortune. It was Sunday, his wife was kind as well as beautiful, his dark-eyed daughter was adorable, a treasure. He surveyed the piazza contentedly and for once it seemed an idyll, several generations of family life mingling, happy, poised for a day of leisure and good food. He even found himself wondering, as he watched a handsome blonde woman holding her baby up to her husband for approval, when might be the right rime to have another child of their own.

‘Shall we go to Piero’s then?’ he said, looking uxoriously at his wife.

Gloria raised her eyebrows, but he could see she was pleased with the suggestion. Piero’s was one of the nicest restaurants in Levanto, on the picturesque edge of the town just up the hill towards Monterosso. The restaurant’s terrace overlooked the sea, it was sedate but not too formal; the perfect place for a family Sunday lunch. It wasn’t cheap, but it would be worth it, Cirri decided; and when Gloria slid her arm through his and squeezed him against her, his feeling was confirmed.

Although busy, Piero found a small but well-positioned table for the little family without difficulty, and the warmth of the padrone’s greeting improved Cirri’s mood even further. Perhaps it wasn’t so bad being a provincial policeman, he thought; perhaps there was, after all, some respect for his standing. More likely, he thought, Piero’s fondness for Gloria had got them the table, but so what? His good humour remained intact.

The restaurant was still largely empty, the shade of its pergola cool and peaceful. As they arranged themselves at the table, careful not to disturb Chiara in her pushchair, Cirri’s mobile went. Hastily he pushed back his chair and moved away to the edge of the terrace so as not to wake the sleeping child.

It was Toto.

‘Sorry to call you on a Sunday, boss,’ he said straight away.

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