No More Brothers (A Serafina Florio Mystery) by Susan Russo Anderson

nose whenever you pass by her, just pinch it like this with two fingers and run away fast before she sees, you especially if your arms feel cold.”
    She smiled. She didn’t know that Teo had so many words locked inside his mouth. “Can you describe her for me?”
    “Wears an old black dress with patches on it and a witch’s veil over her head so’s you can hardly see her hair which Calo says is made from the skin of slimy snakes and she takes up almost the whole bench but who’d want to sit next to her, not me, not with those spidery eyes of hers. That’s the one?”
    Serafina nodded. “Exactly.”
    “Used to be spooked by her and run when I saw her like the other kids because when I got close to her one time my arms started to cool up one arm then down the other.”
    “When was that?”
    “Two, three years ago.”
    “When you see her now, do you run away?”
    “Not anymore. I need to be grown up now, that’s what Papa says.”
    “And are you?”
    He nodded. “Our family, we got secrets and I know them, but I can’t tell them otherwise I’d be a child.”
    “And are the secrets good?”
    He put a hand on his stomach. “They’re all right, I guess.”

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
The Confession
    C arlo barged into the kitchen just as Rosa’s cook was about to serve Serafina a late breakfast. “Colonna said Abatti talked after we left last night. He confessed to Ugo’s murder. Said he did the job himself.”
    Serafina looked up from her paper.
    “Why are you frowning?”
    “I don’t believe it. He confessed? Must have been coerced.”
    “Well, believe it. I read his signed confession. Abatti told Colonna he acted alone. Doesn’t know the brother. Said he met Ugo at Boffo’s, poisoned his wine to soften him up, lured him to the Madonie by the promise of stolen goods hidden in the hollow of a tree. As Ugo reached for the loot, Abatti grabbed him, stabbed him once for each of his comrades killed in the Battle of Milazzo.”
    Serafina shook her head.
    “Wait. There’s more. Abatti said he took Ugo’s keys after he killed him, stuffed his body into a sack, and dumped it on shore. Then he returned to Ugo’s house and lifted the Marsala Medal from its hook above the mantel.”
    “And Colonna believes Abatti, of course. How convenient. What about the wine glasses, the stained napkin in Ugo’s home?”
    “Leave it, Mama. The town talks of nothing else—another killer caught by Donna Fina, the midwife of Oltramari.”
    “And forget we have a poisoner on the loose?”
    Carlo struck his forehead.
    Serafina rose. “Ugo’s gold and silver?”
    “Didn’t ask.” He looked at her. “Where are you going?”
    “Abatti said he met Ugo at Boffo’s, did he? We’ll just see about that.”

CHAPTER NINETEEN
Boffo
    B offo was a short man with a friendly smile and no teeth. He owned a café on the piazza. Afternoons, he served sweets and coffee to a mixed clientele—a few tourists, but mostly townspeople out shopping. Evenings, Boffo’s catered to a rougher crowd.
    As Serafina entered, late morning sun swam on the walls and menus. Too early for customers, but Boffo sat, running his finger down the front page of
Giornale di Sicilia
, shaking his head, and enjoying what Serafina figured was his only quiet time of the day.
    She got straight down to business. “Sorry to disturb you.”
    “Not a bit of it. Always a pleasure, Donna Fina.”
    “I need to talk something over with you. Only for your ears, and concerns the murder of Ugo Pandolfina. You know about it?”
    “Course, I know about it. Whole town knows about Ugo. Poor, old Ugo. Heard you caught the varmint what did him in and single-handed, too. Hit him where he lived, so to speak. Lucky we have you around.”
    “I have a few questions about his death. Not a word to anyone, you must promise me.”
    “You can rely on me. How did he take it, might I ask?”
    “Pardon?”
    “I mean, how did Ugo die? They say his entrails was hanging out. Bloody