The Mosaic

Chapter 9

Guido paused for a moment, hiding the hand that had now gone limp completely under the table. "They'll think they've successfully tricked you and you know nothing about the whole conspiracy thing."

Alessandro frowned. "Alvino's death has been reported as an accident. If I suddenly arrest a boy claiming he's his killer --"

"You wanted to avoid causing panic among the people when they'd hear there is a masterful assassin at loose, "said Guido, "So you hid the true nature of the artists' deaths and secretly investigated. There, you're a hero."

"I wanted to say he'll pretend he was too blind to see obvious evidence and now that I helped him we caught the killer, but, yours works to," Giacinto grinned.

There was a deep crease between Alessandro's eyebrows when he sighed. They would accompany a child to his death. Just a boy, not much older than his little brother. "I assume we have no other choice."

Guido's eyes softened when he looked at the rigid officer. "I know you don't like this ... but it's the only way. You have to turn me in, " he said slowly, "even if it's against everything you believe in. Because if you don't, you die."

Alessandro shifted uneasily. He didn't like the look in the other's eyes. Pity.

"And you mustn't die. You can save all those innocent people out there. What's one life against thousands? And I die anyways."

"This isn't right." Alessandro's chest tightened.

"But it's what we'll do. Because I'm not going to die just so you can feel righteous," Giacinto sheathed his dagger. "Let's go."

Alessandro's hand clenched into a fist.

"One more thing," Guido coughed. His face had turned an ashen white.

Alessandro looked up from his boots, having stared at the tiny scratch in the polished leather with a newfound fascination. It was better than looking at those big blue eyes and freckled button nose -- trying to keep the torn expression from his face and the pity to himself.

"Trust each other. You can. And you have to."

"I don't have to do anything. Also, I'm not trusting a giant who could accidentally step on me." Giacinto looked as if Guido had expected him to stick his head into a lion's waiting jaw." Or arrest me when he's once again convinced I committed some random crime. Or both."

"If you haven't committed a crime, I'm the last person who would arrest you. Even if you do have a lot of suspicious insight on corpses." And, with the Greek raising his eyebrows like that, he couldn't not add: "You can't blame the crushing part on me. I can't see you down there between my feet."

"Oh, so now we're back to reminding me of my height? I'm not short, I'm travel sized!" Giacinto spat. Somehow he managed to look absolutely serious.

Alessandro snorted. He quickly covered up the laughter with a cough. Intentionally or not, the man was quite amusing. God forbid he ever finds out.

Giacinto shot him a dark look.

"I'm kind of dying over here," Guido sighed. "We actually investigated both of you after you got involved with Alvino's death. So I can assure you, you can trust the other. We haven't found anything bad about Giacinto, so you can stop being suspicious, Alessandro. Actually, we didn't really find anything about him, he is literally as evasive as the reaper, but we had someone follow him and he seems alright."

"You want me to trust someone a spy could find no information about," Alessandro crossed his arms. "Because you say they seem alright. Which he doesn't, by the way."