Isla knocked softly on Luca's door. He told her to come in.
"How was your flight? You didn't tell me you were coming in today." Luca said, stretching his arm forward. He had been reading 'I'm not scared' by Nicocolo Ammaniti.
" quite an old book". Isla said ignoring his question and sitting on his couch. " I got a knitted sweater for winter"
Luca looked at her with a funny smirk. " We should have lunch together". He said while picking up his book and putting it back on its shelf. He had a huge book shelf by the left wall in his room which was quite far from his bed. There were a variety of books, mostly Italian and Spanish writers, he arranged them accordingly and so he put the book he had been reading back in the section of Italian novels.
" I don't think George did it" Isla said, freezing Luca to his toes as he stood by the shelf. " It doesn't just fit his character, like why would he??? His only offense was being the gardener and being in the garden when she was found" she concluded. They had not really talked about what happened before she left.
" Dad did it!" He said walking back to his table to take a sip of water from his can.
" oh no he didn't! he would never.."
" It was his dagger!!!"He raised his voice a little. There were both silent for a moment, not staring at each other.
"He would never" Isla whispered, bowing her head, her eyes teary. She loved Lord, he was her father. He was quite unpredictable but not to that extent. She did not believe he could. It was his dagger but anyone could have taken it. She would not accept any slander on her dad's character. He would never.
" we should just get lunch" she said and stood to open the door, he followed behind and they went downstairs. Lord was already sitting at the table. He smiled when he saw Isla. He looked pale, his eyes red. He must have been smoking his tobacco in his room. It became his coping mechanism after Mona died. Theodore always brought the best quality from the locals.
Isla walked towards him and gave him a peck on his cheek.
"Hey dad" she said, walking towards her chair.
" I didn't know you'd be back so early, it's barely been a week".
" I didn't want to run away anymore," she said while setting the table cloth on her lap.
" Detective Norman called, autopsy revealed her time of death was between 9-10pm that night. There's no evidence that George was the actual culprit, his fingerprint wasn't found on the murder weapon and by 8pm he was already drunk to stupor, that idiot!"
Luca looked at him and then looked at Isla, their eyes met, she knew he wanted to say something.
" Let's just have lunch," she said hastily.
Jovana and Flora set the table. Ma'am Olivia had prepared macaroni and cheese. They ate in silence .
Nate came downstairs and walked towards the front exit ignoring everyone at the dining.
"You should eat something!" Lord said, calling out to him.
"I'm good," he replied. He left.
"What becomes of him now?" Isla asked looking for an answer in Luca's face. He did not budge, did not look at her.
"He is family," Lord said.
Lord went to Nadia's chamber after lunch. He stood and stared at her mirror and chair where she sat often to do her make up. He could see her still sitting on that chair, her white face reflected in the mirror with color well layered from her eyes, to her cheeks and lips. She would often smile when he stood watching her and then ask playfully "A penny for your thought?".
He would walk down to her and carefully caress her shoulders, her soft and mild skin. He stood now by the mirror caressing the air as if it were her shoulders. A tear drop fell to the chair. When he had married her newly, he had made up his mind not to get her pregnant. He did not marry her for the sake of procreation but for companionship. He did not want her to go through the stress of carrying another child. He already had Luca and Isla and she came with her Nate, her son from her previous marriage. He remembered how Mona had been ill all through Luca's pregnancy and struggled with postpartum depression after having Isla and so he did not want to witness such experiences again. But now for some reason, he felt unconnected to Nadia- they did not have a child
together. He was only going to remember her by pictures and it hurt him. He remembered Mona everytime he stared at Isla, it made him hopefully and happy, more like he did not lose her completely. But he had lost Nadia completely.
Isla came into the room and disrupted his thoughts. He was already standing by her closet, staring into the abiss of her scent.