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her for being there, flirting with Dad, taking my mother’s place.
    I took a big swallow of the fruity red wine. I didn’t recall much of the day after the accident. Dad’s friend, Paolo, the village doctor had come in to check on me, bandaged my legs and given me a couple of powerful painkillers. They’d left me woozy and light-headed. But now, suddenly, I remembered. I’d seen air swirling around Francesca’s head, fast and sinuous, just like the air over Sophie and Rebecca.
    I thought back to the park that morning. Was the air still moving over Sophie when the paramedics got there? I couldn’t remember. I’d been so focused on the chest compressions and the head wound.
    “You’re looking a bit green, Katie. Are you all right?”
    “Not really.”
    Tears welled in my eyes and spilled down my cheeks. Leo put his glass down very carefully, as though it was made of the finest crystal.
    “What’s going on?”
    “I have to tell you something, but you need to promise me to keep an open mind.”
    “Okay,” he said slowly.
    “My accident. It wasn’t a hit and run. Something happened up there. And now…” I couldn’t finish the sentence.
    “Let’s go sit in my study,” he said. “It’s more comfortable.”
    “All right,” I said. “Bring the wine.”

CHAPTER SIX
    I slid into the corner of the geriatric brown couch in Leo’s study. I felt hot and a little nauseous, but I knew I had to tell Leo everything. That was just the way it was between us. He pulled his desk chair over to sit opposite me. I took a deep breath, and pulled my knees up to my chest, hugging my legs more tightly than was really comfortable. I was glad the room was dark, lit only by the lamp on Leo’s desk and a soft orange glow from a streetlight.
    “On the day of the accident,” I said. “Dad and I drove up the Strada Bianca to get to the top of the hill. We wanted to look at the view, you know, as we often do. Florence is always so beautiful from up there. It was a lovely day, warm and sunny, and the air smelled of thyme and lavender. We parked the car and walked to that gap between the olive trees. You know where I mean?”
    He nodded.
    “Then we heard a car engine coming from the other side of the hill.”
    “From the old farmhouse?”
    “Yes. It was odd. I mean, the place is abandoned and the road doesn’t go anywhere.”
    I shivered, remembering, recapturing every detail. The view, which usually delighted me, had made me feel wistful and melancholy. Anxious too, although I couldn’t think why. My unease had grown, together with a vague feeling that I was being watched. The leaves of the tree behind me had sighed softly in a sudden breeze, and I’d glanced back over my shoulder. There was no one there. Only waves of heat that rose from the gravel road, making the air above it shimmer.
    Leo waved his hand in front of my face. “Come on, Kate. Don’t leave me hanging. What happened?”
    “Okay, sorry. I went to the edge of the road, curious to see who would be driving up there. I know sometimes teenagers go to the old farmhouse but not usually in the middle of the afternoon. The engine was straining and then a silver car crested the hill. I couldn’t see the driver because the windows were heavily tinted. Like a mafia car or something. Then the car stopped a few yards away from me and the back door opened. Dad came up behind me and put his hand on my arm. I think we were both nervous.
    “A woman got out. Her hair was loose around her shoulders and she was wearing a blue and white flowered dress. Leo, it was Mum.”
    Leo didn’t move. He was completely still, looking at me intently. I imagined him scrutinizing his students that way, looking for signs of understanding or for a burst of brilliant insight.
    “I ran forward and Mum held out her arms to hold me.”
    I remembered the scent of face powder and perfume. The feel of her soft hair against my cheek.
    “She told me that they had let her come back to say goodbye,