Page 128 of The Unraveling of Julia

“Girl,youhave. Give yourself some credit, okay? I heard you tell the whole story to Vernio. You stayed alive until we got there. You stayed away fromtwokillers, not just one. You kicked Hoodie’s ass, and yousaved yourself from a bad guy with asteakknife.”

“Like you said, we served bad guys.” Julia smiled. “Thanks for calling the police so fast.”

“I didn’t,” Courtney shot back. “Fiamma did. She didn’t know why you ran away from her at the gallery, but she didn’t hesitate. She said you told her to call the cops and she took over.”

“What happened?” Julia asked, surprised. “You used Find My Phone, right?”

“Yes, I found you on the app, but she was already on her phone with the cops. She kept them on the whole time we were running and told them exactly where you were.” Courtney nodded, excited. “She got the cops superfast because she knew who to call and spoke Italian. If it weren’t for her, I don’t know when they would’ve gotten to you. I don’t knowwhatwould’ve happened.” Courtney shook her head, wide-eyed. “Fiamma was so worried about you. She wanted to run into the garden herself. The police had to hold her back.”

Aw.“You think she really cares?”

“Of course she cares.”

“It’s probably because she feels guilty.”

“Don’t be that way. Anyway, so what if she feels guilty? It doesn’t mean she doesn’t care.” Courtney frowned, sympathetic. “Listen, you guys have a lot to talk about. When we get home, I’ll go upstairs. I have to pack anyway.”

“No, don’t, you can hang with us.” Julia couldn’t imagine being alone with Fiamma, even though it was a meeting she’d waited so long for.

“You’re just worried, but don’t be. You’ll do fine. Just talk to her, tell her what you feel.”

Julia’s chest went tight. “It’s not that easy.”

“Sure it is, she wants to talk to you.”

“But I don’t know what she knows. Like, does she even know about the inheritance?”

“I have no idea. We didn’t get to talk. It all happened so fast.”

Julia was about to talk it over but the police radio burst abruptly into loud static and the cops started talking, making conversation impossible.

Courtney took her hand and held it, all the way home.

Julia smiled, realizing that best friends didn’t always need words.

72

Julia was opening a bottle of Chianti when she heard Fiamma’s car in the driveway. She popped the cork, smoothed her hair, and hustled from the kitchen, stepping over the sleeping Bianco. She told herself to stay calm, that she’d faced ruthless murderers tonight, so she should be able to deal with herbio mom.

Julia went outside and waved as Fiamma parked her car next to the police cruiser. The two officers nodded in acknowledgment, since she’d told them to expect a visitor. Fiamma drove a vintage maroon Karmann Ghia, so evidently Rossi wasn’t the only one with the car fetish.

Julia crossed to the car, managing a smile. “Thank you for coming.”

“Of course, thank you for having me.” Fiamma got out of the car with a smile that vanished when she scanned the villa. “My God! How did she let it get like this? This is shameful. I thought maybe it was only the driveway, but the villa, too? This is terrible. How did she live in thisruin?”

“It’s clean inside,” Julia said, unaccountably defensive, whether of Rossi or the villa, she didn’t know. Maybe both.

“If you had seen it before, you would understand. This used to be beautiful, amagnificentvilla.” Fiamma shook her head, aghast. “It had so much charm, and the grounds were stunning. She let it fall down around her.”

“You get used to it,” Julia said, surprised at the words leaving her own lips.

“What? How can youstayhere? You must have been shocked whenyou arrived.” Fiamma looked at her, directly. “I guess you figured out my mother was crazy.”

Arg.“Let’s talk it over inside.” Julia led the way to the villa, and Fiamma followed her, entering the villa and frowning at the cracked walls, peeling paint, and broken floor tiles in the entrance hall.

“My God, this is madness, pure madness.”

“I like the frescoes,” Julia blurted out, awkward.