“What on earth are you talking about? Can’t you see what kind of shape she’s in?”

“Oh, I can see. But six days ago, Stefania put her foot in it big time. And now that we’ve caught her red-handed, it’s time to pay the piper. Am I right?”

“My ass, you are!” Stefania Zaccaria replied, opening her one good eye. “My ass, that you or anyone is putting me behind bars, Schiavone! All right then, what are you claiming I did six days ago?”

“Ah, so you’re awake after all?” said the deputy chief in fake surprise. He noticed that she was also missing a couple of teeth. “You know better than I do, Stefania. It’s more of the same!”

“Schiavò, I’m not coming with you to any police station. Go ahead and send a judge to see me, send whoever you like. You’re going to have to talk to my lawyers!” And she accompanied the threat by hoisting herself up slightly, a movement that caused her a stabbing pang of pain at the base of her neck.

“Take it easy . . .” suggested the elderly woman.

“Shut up, you idiot!” Stefania shouted at her.

“That’s no way to talk to a mother . . .”

“Commissa’, this isn’t my mother.”

“And I’m not a commissario. I’m a deputy chief of police. In that case, just who is this lady, your aunt?”

“Not even. This miserable wretch does my housekeeping for me.”

The little old lady nodded and smiled. “I keep house!” she proudly confirmed.

“Come on, Deputy Chief, tell me. What is it you think I did six days ago?”

Rocco pulled out a formica chair and dragged it closer to the bed. He looked at the little old lady. “Listen, Signora, could you do me a favor?”

“Certainly,” she said with a smile.

“Could you leave us alone for just two minutes?”

The old woman looked over at Stefania. “Can I?”

“You don’t need to ask her. You need to just stand up and leave the room for two minutes. Will you do that for me?”

The woman set her crocheting down on the mattress. “All right then, I’m going to go get a drop of water, if you don’t mind.” She stood up, smoothed her skirt, and with an off-kilter smile, she left the room.

“Excellent, Stefania. Now that we can talk eye to eye—well, at least one of your eyes, anyway,” he said, pointing to the bandage across the side of her face. “Shall we have a serious conversation?”

“I’m always serious.”

“Can you tell me where you were six days ago?”

Stefania rolled her good eye to the ceiling. She was thinking. “Six days ago . . . six days ago . . . so you mean Thursday evening?”

“Exactly.”

“Let me think . . . You know, I don’t remember. I think at home. Nothing special. But why?”

“Make an effort.”