Chapter 4

Investigations - week four

With the new week underway, I just had time to update Lisa on the weekend’s events.

“I told you, Emma, Isabel is nothing but trouble. Be careful. If you need anything, just let me know,” was her only comment before we turned our attention to our next moves in the investigation.

Another unusual detail had come to light, discovered by one of our officers while digging into the two families’ backgrounds. It turned out that a few months before the tragic event, the school where Stefania and Serena worked as teachers had reported several missing items from the science lab. Among other things, the report listed Petri dishes, heavy-duty nitrile gloves, and some surgical face shields as missing.

The investigation was still open; the primary suspects were some students who might have stolen the items, trying to make some money to buy drugs or who knows what else. Stefania and Serena were both science teachers, and they had been questioned by my colleagues; that’s why their names came up in our investigation.

Lisa and I agreed that it was time to confront the two widows about their husbands’ habits and their visits to the swingers’ club.

So, I reported my suspicions to the public prosecutor, along with the new evidence regarding the husbands’ swinging lifestyle. I omitted how I’d obtained the details about Club Armonia, and fortunately, he didn’t press for specifics.

We agreed to summon the two wives to appear the next day in their capacity as ‘persona informata sui fatti ‘ (persons informed about the facts). In Italian criminal procedure, this refers to someone who may have relevant knowledge and is questioned during the preliminary investigation. Technically, the term “witness” applies only once the case goes to trial.

At the same time, we agreed to seek authorization for discreet phone interceptions involving both women. The prosecutor also ordered that the preserved blood and liver samples, stored in the forensic laboratory after the autopsy, be retested as part of a more extensive toxicological examination.

The next morning, Lisa and I met the two women in a conference room at the police station. The public prosecutor allowed us to conduct the questioning ourselves.

After the usual introduction of everyone in the room, Serena Belli snapped, looking a bit annoyed.

“What is this all about, commissario? We had to skip a day at school and take leave to come here. Should we call a lawyer?”

“I’m sorry to bring it up this way, Mrs Belli, but we have a few questions for you both. We are just clearing up the facts; you are not suspects, and you are not required to have a lawyer present,” I said, turning to them.

Simona stepped forward. “Ask whatever you need to ask, commissario.”

“Well, ladies: what do you know about a place called Club Armonia? We found evidence that Emanuele and Dario spent several nights there,” I asked immediately.

The two women looked like deer caught in the headlights. For a moment that felt endless, they sat frozen, exchanging panicked glances.

Finally, Serena broke the silence with a heavy sigh, looking at us with a defiant, almost arrogant expression. “Well, commissario, I don’t know how you found out, but there’s no point in denying it. The four of us were regulars at the club, and yes, it’s exactly what you think. We’re swingers; we enjoy an unconventional sex life. We’re consenting adults, and we enjoyed ourselves. What does any of that have to do with our husbands’ deaths?”

“Well, Serena, you lied to us by omission the first time we met,” I replied, cutting her off to regain control of the room. “You kept quiet about your lifestyle. It’s our job, not yours, to determine what is relevant to this investigation. And I’m the one asking the questions here.”

Stefania quickly interceded, grabbing Serena’s hands as if signalling her to keep quiet.

“What Serena is trying to say, commissario, is that we never intended to disrespect your work or lie to the police,” Stefania said hurriedly. “We were just trying to protect our privacy. You know what we do for a living; we’re secondary school teachers. Can you imagine what this would do to our reputations if it got out? How long before the parents start calling for our heads? Remember that teacher up in the Northeast who opened an OnlyFans account and got caught by the parents of children? She was forced out of her job.”

Stefania had a point. The real-life story was still dominating the news cycle: a 29-year-old kindergarten teacher who was fired after parents discovered her OnlyFans account. Even though she was a great teacher loved by all her students, the parents demanded her removal, claiming they were worried about the “moral corruption” of their children. The height of hypocrisy, of course, was that the account had been discovered by a couple of the children’s fathers, who were clearly no saints themselves, spending their time and money on internet girls. So much for “moral corruption.”

Regardless, I pushed forward with the interrogation.

“Alright, ladies. We respect your privacy concerns, and we will do everything in our power to keep this aspect of the investigation private, provided it has no connection to your husbands’ deaths. I have one last question on this topic. We received information that on certain weekends, you would swap living arrangements. Stefania would stay at Serena’s house, while Serena’s husband went to Stefania’s place. Is that true? Can you explain it?”

Once again, Serena snapped. “That witch! She never minds her own business. She spends hours glued to her window, spreading gossip about everyone in our neighbourhood!”