Saturday, March 13th
Rosary, the Parish orphanage, 9:30 a.m.
There was a lot of excitement in the little gym in the orphanage basement that morning. Fourteen boys were gathered, waiting for their new coach, sitting in a circle on the floor of the court. The young athletes were looking intently at the stairs, waiting to see Inspector McKinley appear. The little orphans had already met him, but now it was different for all of them. Now they would start their new experience with a new coach and ... What a coach! They were silent. Sister Theresa and sister Nancy had never seen their little orphans so quiet and, at the same time, so nervous.
Mario was among his friends. He was glad he had been able to convince Robin to join the team, and now he could hardly sit still. He was longing to meet the famous policeman.
He heard the familiar voice of Father George upstairs and a deep calm voice and then ... footsteps descending ... All the children turned and instinctively stood up, and... Mario and Robin exchanged a nervous glance ... They saw Father George and behind him ... oh, Mario saw a tall man, but ... he had seen him on TV in a police uniform in front of the Governor. Now he saw a handsome man with curly dark blond hair and light blue eyes, wearing a tracksuit and smiling at the children.
The sisters went to shake hands with him, and they left almost immediately because they had to take care of the other children. Father George was the first one to break the tense silence.
“Good morning, children!”
A chorus of voices answered: “Good morning!”
Father George went on: “Sit down!”
They immediately obeyed, sitting on the floor in front of the two men. Father George and Neil sat on one of the benches that lined the wall. Mario thought the Inspector was really tall. He was slim, but he looked strong and muscular. The boy pictured him catching a criminal and arresting him. But now Neil McKinley was smiling. He was so different from the serious person Mario had seen on TV.
Father George looked at the young boys and said: “This is Inspector Neil McKinley. The children here met him a few days ago. I would like each of you to say your name.” He turned to Neil and said: “First the children Neil hasn’t met yet.” He avoided the word ‘orphan’ because he didn’t want to stress the difference between the two groups of children.
Mario raised his hand and said: “My name is Mario. I am Father Luca’s nephew.”
Neil smiled at him, and seemed on the verge of saying something, but he stopped and waited.
“My name is Robin. I am starting today. I am Mario’s schoolmate.”
Another boy, incredibly tall for his age, said: “I am Mat.”
“My name is Alan. I am John Steele’s son!” Neil nodded at him. John had told him that his son played in the team.
Another very tall boy spoke next. “My name is Julian!”
Father George looked at a slim boy who was hiding behind Alan and encouraged him. “Kevin, it’s your turn. Don’t be shy!”
The boy bent his head slightly, so that the priest and the policeman could see his face, and said in an almost inaudible voice: “My name is Kevin!”
The tall boy next to Kevin said: “My name is Joseph!”
Father George turned to Peter, the orphan who had spoken to Neil a few days before, and told him: “Peter, you have already met Neil. Can you repeat your friends’ names?”
Peter evidently enjoyed being in charge, and he said: “My name is Peter!”
Then he pointed at the other boys who had not spoken yet, and he added, showing his friends one by one: “This is Ben, this is Sasha, Justin, John, Alex and Jim.” The boys smiled at the two men, but remained silent.
Now Neil looked at the little group of children and said, choosing his words carefully,
“My name is Neil and, please, just call me Neil, no ‘inspector’ or ‘Mr.’, ok?”
The children nodded silently, and he went on: “First of all,” he looked at Mario, “I know you had a wonderful coach. I hope I will be able to continue the good job he had started. I intend to ask Father George or your grandmother, Mario, to give me a picture of Father Luca to hang here, so that all of us will always remember him with gratitude for the wonderful idea he had of starting this team.”
Father George looked incredulously at the Inspector. Neil had had a very good idea. Why hadn’t he thought of this? Mario beamed, and he answered with a voice choked by emotion: “Thank you, I will tell my grandma, she will certainly give you a photo of uncle Luca!” Neil couldn’t help but notice that Mario looked so much like his grandmother, the same sweet smile, the same eyes.
Father George added: “Thanks, Neil. This is really a good idea. Children, now I will leave you to your volleyball practice. Remember what Father Luca always told you … The most important thing is to have fun and to learn the importance of the team, of playing together, of helping each other.”
Neil nodded and said: “This is really the most important thing. Then you will see that, if you have fun and help each other, you will be able to become a good team!”
Father George left and, if he had ever had doubts about his new volleyball coach, now he knew for certain that he couldn’t have found a better person.
When he was alone with the children, Neil said: “You are fourteen players, but I don’t want a first team and substitute players who sit on the bench all the time. All of you will play in every game, so you will have to do your best for the team, ok?”
The children nodded, but they seemed still a little intimidated by this tall man. Mario was looking at him with admiration. He liked him instinctively.
Neil asked: “What do you know about the different roles in a volleyball team? Did each of you have a role?”
Peter, who was definitely less shy than his friends, said: “When we started with Father Luca, we watched a video of a volleyball game. He explained that in a volleyball team there are different roles: the setter, the opposite hitter, the outside hitter, the middle blocker, the libero, the serving specialist and the defensive specialist. He said that in a volleyball team there is a place for tall children, but also for short ones, everyone can give his contribution. At first, he didn’t give us the roles, we just started to play. He said he would assign positions later on, before the beginning of the tournament, but ...” His voice trailed off because Luca’s death had been so sudden, that even children still had difficulty talking about it.
Neil said gently: “Yes, he did the right thing, also because, only watching you play together, I will be able to see what each of you does best and to assign roles and positions. Anyway, you have already learnt very much. Before warming up, is there anything you want to ask me? Just to get to know each other better?”
The children looked at him. At first, they seemed taken aback by his request, but then Mat raised his hand and asked timidly: “Neil, when did you start playing volleyball? Have you won any medal or cup?”
Mat’s courageous intervention started a flow of questions and Neil smiled because he loved the spontaneity of children. He was so used to asking questions and interrogating suspects, that it was a pleasant change to be the one who had to answer.
“How old are you?”
“Are you married? Have you got children?”
“Did the children you trained win a medal?”
“Will you arrest criminals here in Rosary?”
“Can we see the award the Governor gave you on TV?”
“How many people have you arrested?”
“Is the governor nice?”
Neil had difficulty understanding all the questions, but he let the children speak freely. Then, smiling, he decided to avoid a few questions he had heard about how many people he had killed, and he tried to satisfy the children’s curiosity.
“I am 34 years old and I was born in Vancouver! I don’t have children. I learned to play volleyball with the children of the orphanage where I grew up.” He didn’t want to speak further, either about his childhood or about his private life.
“The children in my volleyball team won a few medals, and the team I trained before coming here won a cup a few years ago. The Governor is a very nice person. I have arrested a lot of criminals, but I hope here in Rosary I will find a peaceful community, and my job will not be much needed, so that we can concentrate on volleyball!” He started to laugh, he stood up and told the children to run some laps around the court. The children started immediately, and they all got busy with their practice.
***
After practice, the sisters had a snack ready for Neil and his athletes in the ground floor canteen, together with the other orphans Neil had met a few days before. Standing next to sister Nancy, there was also little Amy. Neil was busy talking to the children, who by now had overcome their shyness, but he noticed that Amy didn’t lose sight of him. She watched him, but she remained next to Nancy.
Then the children began to disperse, because the ones who didn’t live in the orphanage started to leave with their relatives. Neil approached the little girl, he crouched down in front of her and said: “Hello, Amy. How are you?”
Amy hid behind the sister for a moment, then she came forward and she said: “Hello, Neil.”
Then she ran out of the room.
Sister Nancy was watching the Inspector intently, and she seemed surprised at the little girl’s reaction.
She said: “She never speaks to anyone, she never talked to Father Luca who tried so many times to talk to her! It’s strange. She doesn’t know you, but she is not afraid of you! In fact, it’s the second time she has said ‘hello’ to you.” She looked in the direction where Amy had disappeared and added: “God knows what she has experienced! If only she could talk, tell someone what weighs on her heart!”
Neil smiled, and he decided he wanted to know something more about that little girl.
***
Rosary, Anna’s Trattoria , 11:00 a.m.
Stacey was sitting at one of the tables in the trattoria, slowly sipping her coffee and chatting to Anna, Silvia, and Mark. The restaurant was closed at midday on Saturday. Anna would have invited the old lady to go upstairs to her flat, but she had noticed that Stacey was really weary and tired today, so she decided to let her sit at one of the tables while Tony, Stacey’s chauffeur, went to pick up the children at the orphanage.
“Anna, I really have to thank you for giving me that phone number!” Stacey started, after she had been silent for a while.
“Was it the number you were looking for?” Anna asked.
“Yes, I was able to reach that person only yesterday!”
She stopped for a moment, as if deciding what to tell her dear friend, and then went on: “Oh, I don’t want to tell you anything now, but I hope I will be able to introduce someone to you next week. Someone special!”
Anna was absolutely not a busybody, and she never obliged anyone to confide in her, so she simply said: “I am happy to see you so excited. That person must be really important to you.”
Stacey replied: “I am happy because I am fulfilling one of my husband’s wishes!” She looked at Anna as if she wanted to say something more but, at that moment, Mario and Robin entered, followed by Tony. Robin’s face fell when he saw that his mother was not waiting for him. He went to embrace his grandmother, and she said: “I am sorry, Robin! Your mum has not arrived in time to pick you up, but she will be at lunch with us. Don’t worry!”
Robin smiled, and Silvia asked: “Children, what about your volleyball practice? And your new coach?”
The faces of the two children lit up and Mario said: “Oh, mum! The new coach is sooo cool! He is tall, and he knows a lot about volleyball. He walks with a slight limp. He told us that some criminals shot him in his leg but now he is recovering. But you scarcely notice because he plays volleyball very well! He is very kind, and he promised to let us see the award the Governor gave him! He told me I will be a setter and Robin a libero. Robin is great at volleyball.” He turned to his friend and added: “Oh Robin, I knew you would have fun playing volleyball. I am so glad you decided to join the team!”
Robin answered: “Yes, thank you for inviting me! And I like the Inspector very much. He is patient and nice. He always smiles at us. It is really fun to play together.” After a moment, he added: “Mario, you must tell your grandma about your uncle’s photo!”
Anna looked at her grandson questioningly and asked: “Luca’s photo?”
Mario looked at her and said: “Yes, Neil had the idea of hanging uncle Luca’s photo on the wall of the gym, just to remember him! I told him I would ask you! Isn’t it a wonderful idea?”
Anna had a lump in her throat and, for a moment, she was unable to speak. Silvia put a hand on her arm, and said in a low voice filled with emotion: “It is really a nice thought on the part of the Inspector, isn’t it, mum?”
Anna nodded but didn’t speak. She decided to bring the photo personally to the Inspector one of the following days. She was amazed at the sensitivity of this man who hardly knew her. The more she got to know him, the more she found similarities between him and her son.
Stacey embraced Anna, because she knew she had not overcome her grief and said: “Now we must go, Robin. We are having lunch together and Carmen is preparing a wonderful meal. Your mum must have arrived by now!” Robin stood up immediately and waited for his grandmother to rise from the chair. Mark offered the old lady his arm and accompanied her to the car, while Silvia took the empty cups to the kitchen, and Anna cleaned the table.
***
Rosary, Stacey Lewis’ villa, 12:30 p.m.
Stacey cherished the Saturday lunch, because it was the only moment when she could see all her family united. Her maid and cook, Carmen, was very good at preparing delicious meals and Tony helped serve at the table. In her dining room, there was a long oval table with eight chairs around it. The dining room was a large place with refined furniture that revealed good taste and wealth. In one corner there was a long antique credenza. On it, there were a lot of framed photos. The central picture in a silver frame was that of a smiling young couple, the woman in an elegant wedding dress and the man in a dark gray suit. That woman, certainly older now but still smart and beautiful, was Stacey on her wedding day. The other photos portrayed her children, babies in their parents’ arms, then toddlers, then teenagers ...
Nolan’s wedding photos were not there, but there was a beautiful picture of Robin with his parents. Opposite the credenza there was a glass cabinet, where various objects from all over the world were displayed, mementos of the many trips to as many countries Stacey had made with her husband.
The room gave the impression of a large family space, but the people gathered for lunch weren’t having a lively conversation, and didn’t give the idea of a united family. Robin was sitting between his grandmother and his mum, Dana. He was constantly looking at his mother and trying to attract her attention. Margaret was sitting next to Dana. The two women were chatting about shopping and TV shows. Nolan and Barbara were sitting opposite Robin, and they were talking to Stacey.
Stacey turned to Robin, and she noticed his uneasiness. She tried to attract his parents’ attention by asking him,
“Robin, did you like your volleyball practice? What about your new coach? I would like to meet him personally one of these days.”
Robin smiled shyly and looked at his mum. When Stacey had spoken, Dana had turned, and she was now looking at her son with what seemed interest and affection. He was not used to being the center of attention, and he said in a low voice: “I enjoy playing volleyball very much. Thanks, dad, for letting me go. I like the Inspector. He is very kind, and he tries to involve all of us in the game, no matter how good we are ... “. His voice trailed off, because, while he was speaking, he had noticed that only his grandmother was still listening. His father had stood up from the table to answer a phone call, and his mum was texting someone.
He kept on eating silently, but, while they were having the delicious dessert, his mum turned to him and told him: “Mike has just texted me to say he is going to stay away next week for a congress in Calgary. I could stay here for a few days, Robin, and come to pick you up at school.” Robin couldn’t believe it. Since his mum had left his father, she had come just at the weekend, when she didn’t forget about it.
Dana turned to Stacey and added: “If you don’t mind, of course, Stacey!”
Stacey immediately reassured her: “You can stay as long as you like. It is such a gift for Robin, a few days with his mother.”
Barbara and Nolan exchanged a glance, but didn’t say a word. It was obvious they were not thrilled about this. Barbara looked at Dana and said skeptically: “I hope this time you will not change your mind and leave without saying anything as you have done frequently!” She paused and then she added harshly: “You can’t imagine how much Robin has suffered for your behavior!” That was what Robin didn’t like about his stepmother. She was kind to him, but sometimes he wished she would think before talking. He saw that his mother had been hurt by her words, and he said: “Mum, I am so happy! You can meet my friends. We can go to eat at the diner together when you come to pick me up at school.”
His mother bent towards him and gave him a tender kiss on his cheek. She looked at Barbara, seemingly unfazed, and answered placidly, looking at the troubled expression of her son: “Of course I will not change my mind, Robin. I will stay here for a few days, maybe even for a week. I have no commitments in St. John, and I am looking forward to spending some time with you.”
Stacey had something she wanted to tell her family, even if she was trying to decide how much to reveal. Now she realized she had just a few minutes before everyone got back to their activities.
She cleared her throat uneasily, and she said: “I wanted to tell you that next Saturday lunch will be a little later than usual.” She stopped for a moment, and she noticed a tense silence in the room. Everyone was looking at her, maybe wondering which extraordinary commitment she might have, since she had never postponed or canceled their Saturday lunch. She went on slowly, choosing her words carefully: “I am going to meet a person, a person who was very important to your father.” Her children looked at her questioningly, but they didn’t show any reaction to her words. Carmen was entering with cups of coffee and a big sugar bowl on a large tray. She stopped and said: “Madam, I hope you will tell me the time of lunch!” There was a slight annoyance in her voice, but Stacey answered kindly: “Of course, Carmen! I have to confirm my appointment a few days before, and then I will tell all of you about it! I am sorry if I sound a little mysterious about this... The fact is that I am not sure about the intentions of the person I am going to meet, but I would like to introduce this person to you soon. It will be a surprise. I hope it will be a pleasant surprise for all of you!”
***
7:00 p.m.
“Hi! What’s up?”
“I think I will have to speed things up a little. I have just learnt that I have to do it this week, and I think I will have the perfect opportunity in a few days. You must check on that person more closely.”
“I am already doing it, and I am planning a radical solution, so to speak! In a few days, we will have nothing more to worry about. Then... Are you ready for the next step?”
“Of course! But we mustn’t make mistakes or attract too much attention!”
“Speak for yourself! You were the one who caused all these problems in the first place, remember?”
“Ok, ok! Now it’s useless to discuss this again! I’ll let you know when it is over!”
ns216.73.217.39da2
and then Add to home screen.