Dark Space - Marianne de Pierres [32]
He nodded.
She smiled and Trin glimpsed the gentle young woman beneath her touchy manner. But he had no wish to get to know that person—who, he knew, would need honesty and devotion.
* * * *
Trin returned to the Palazzo late and had dinner in his room again. Despite Rantha’s caution about Malocchi, he was determined to continue delving. Not only from determination, he realised: he was also enjoying himself. Secrets attracted him far more than ideals.
The next morning he reviewed his data sponge, seeking out patterns and connections. The low productivity and high returns of Luna’s mine bothered him. He sensed it was in some way connected with the large gratis that Franco awarded her.
Trin attached a number of archival sponges to the organic and requested the trade reports for previous years. One caught his attention—a visiting dignitary who had requested a lotion bath at a meeting. Intrigued, Trin sent a shortcast to the trade department residente, Lotte Perrone.
‘Your access has been downgraded along with your gratis, Don Pellegrini.’ Perrone barely concealed his smug satisfaction.
Furious, Trin flew his AiV down the mountain to the trade building in Dockside and strode to the front desk.
‘Don Pellegrini.’ The pretty ragazza at the desk stopped him cold with her simpering delight.
He recognised her—a cousin of the Silvio twins—and in a breath he switched from angry to charming. ‘Bella . . .’ He grappled for her name until he saw her ID. ‘. . . Christa.’
She dipped her head coyly. ‘I heard whispers that you were working with Signor Malocchi. Something discreet and important, si?’
Trin thought of his malformed office. ‘Si. Confidential. In fact, that is why I have come to see you ...’ He told her what he wanted.
The girl’s smile wavered after she had searched for the file. ‘Pardone, Don, but that is privileged. Sealed by your own tia Marchella. Lotte Perrone would chew me up with his morning pastrami if I let you see that.’
Trin nodded sympathetically at her while he tried to think of another approach. Marchella Pellegrini again. Why did Franco or old Principe Aldo put Marchella in charge of a trade negotiation? Why are the transcripts privileged?
Unwittingly Christa Silvio gave him a lever. She cleared her throat and smoothed the outer folds of her fellala. ‘Do you know Joe Scali?’
‘Si. Mio amico intimo,’ Trin lied. ‘You should accompany us to Riso’s or Panchetta’s some time. He is loco company.’
Her face lit up. She was more beautiful than Chocetta and Lancia Silvio and Trin’s groin tightened involuntarily.
‘When?’ she asked.
Trin leaned across her desk so that his breath fanned her neck. ‘Just as soon as you’ve copied that transcript for me.’ He drew away slowly, giving her a moment to digest what he’d said.
Christa’s eyes widened as she weighed the risk against the reward. How much did she desire Joe Scali? As she began to unlock the file, Trin detected the faintest sheen of perspiration on her forehead. ‘Can you take it with you?’
He pressed his data sponge into her hand.
She attached it to her organic and copied the transcript, glancing nervously towards the other offices.
When it was finished, Trin retrieved the sponge, slipping it beneath the folds of his robe. ‘I will shortcast you tomorrow when I have spoken with Joe.’
She nodded, her eyes watery with fear. ‘Don?’
He nodded in a reassuring manner. ‘I will not forget.’
Heart pounding, he returned to Centrale and hurried to the refectory to keep his promise to Rantha. She was not there but the bain-marie ragazza waved him over. ‘Don Pellegrini, your amica Luna il Longa was looking for you,’ she said as he drew close.
Trin’s heart contracted but he forced his tongue to work. ‘I have no amica. Unless you would you like to be?’
The ragazza giggled.
‘I want minestrone,’ he said casually. ‘Could you bring it to my office?’
The ragazza’s hand shook as she poured the hot, meat-laden liquid into a beaker and snapped the lid shut. Trin thought the tremor was a result of his teasing until a voice spoke quietly