1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:03,840 Speaker 1: Hey everyone, it's Joe. This week, we're going to have 2 00:00:03,880 --> 00:00:08,400 Speaker 1: a brief intermission in the investigation. But trust me, there 3 00:00:08,400 --> 00:00:11,960 Speaker 1: are so many more twists and turns to come. And 4 00:00:12,000 --> 00:00:15,480 Speaker 1: I am reporting on this every single day and night, 5 00:00:15,840 --> 00:00:18,480 Speaker 1: both here and with the help of our stringers in Sicily. 6 00:00:19,280 --> 00:00:21,640 Speaker 1: But first I want to give you a little snippet 7 00:00:21,640 --> 00:00:25,439 Speaker 1: of the book that's inspired by this story. It's a novel, 8 00:00:25,520 --> 00:00:28,520 Speaker 1: it's fiction. I made it all up. We talk a 9 00:00:28,520 --> 00:00:31,960 Speaker 1: lot here about how my aunts and uncles and family 10 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:38,199 Speaker 1: members are myth makers and storytellers sometimes liars. Well, so 11 00:00:38,320 --> 00:00:41,400 Speaker 1: am I, my friends. I am a novelist. I make 12 00:00:41,479 --> 00:00:45,600 Speaker 1: things up. And so I wrote the novel The Sicilian Inheritance. 13 00:00:45,640 --> 00:00:48,600 Speaker 1: In the midst of the pandemic. We were all locked 14 00:00:48,600 --> 00:00:52,200 Speaker 1: away in our houses with our families, and we all 15 00:00:52,400 --> 00:00:56,920 Speaker 1: wanted to escape, and so I wrote a delicious adventure 16 00:00:56,960 --> 00:01:00,520 Speaker 1: and a murder mystery inspired by Lorenzo's story as my 17 00:01:00,640 --> 00:01:04,600 Speaker 1: own escape. I wanted to transport both myself and my 18 00:01:04,680 --> 00:01:09,759 Speaker 1: readers to the gorgeous, beautiful, and often broken island of Sicily. 19 00:01:10,840 --> 00:01:13,120 Speaker 1: I do want to tell you there's no spoilers here. 20 00:01:13,600 --> 00:01:15,360 Speaker 1: People are asking me if they can listen to the 21 00:01:15,400 --> 00:01:17,640 Speaker 1: podcast and read the book at the same time. And 22 00:01:17,680 --> 00:01:21,920 Speaker 1: the answer is yes, yes, yes, one is fiction, one 23 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:24,679 Speaker 1: is real, and they're both designed just to give you 24 00:01:24,760 --> 00:01:28,400 Speaker 1: a little more Sicily. For the book The Sicilian Inheritance, 25 00:01:28,440 --> 00:01:31,959 Speaker 1: I did imagine an American woman returning to Sicily to 26 00:01:32,040 --> 00:01:36,800 Speaker 1: solve her family member's murder, and I did imagine exactly 27 00:01:36,880 --> 00:01:40,920 Speaker 1: what that murder may have looked like in a police report. 28 00:01:41,400 --> 00:01:43,440 Speaker 1: We thought it might be interesting to share with you 29 00:01:43,880 --> 00:01:47,600 Speaker 1: the fictional version that I imagined of this murder. And 30 00:01:47,720 --> 00:01:50,600 Speaker 1: as we keep reporting here and as you keep listening, 31 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:54,760 Speaker 1: we will see if my twisted brain matches up with 32 00:01:54,840 --> 00:01:58,919 Speaker 1: the truth. Okay, I'm just going to set the scene 33 00:01:59,120 --> 00:02:02,800 Speaker 1: for a second. Right now, our modern day woman, Sarah 34 00:02:03,240 --> 00:02:06,560 Speaker 1: is in the village of Caltibalessa. As you can probably 35 00:02:06,600 --> 00:02:10,520 Speaker 1: figure out, this is the fictional version of Caltabalota. Just 36 00:02:10,600 --> 00:02:13,079 Speaker 1: changed a couple letters, and she's about to go to 37 00:02:13,160 --> 00:02:16,600 Speaker 1: dinner at a delicious restaurant that may or may not 38 00:02:16,800 --> 00:02:19,200 Speaker 1: be very similar to the one we just went to 39 00:02:19,760 --> 00:02:23,280 Speaker 1: in our episode. She's with a local woman named Juicy, 40 00:02:23,880 --> 00:02:26,080 Speaker 1: who is ultimately going to help her figure out how 41 00:02:26,120 --> 00:02:37,400 Speaker 1: to solve this crime. We wove through the labyrinthian alleys 42 00:02:37,400 --> 00:02:40,360 Speaker 1: and archways so low they touched the top of my head. 43 00:02:41,120 --> 00:02:44,600 Speaker 1: The difference in town after siesta was striking. Even the 44 00:02:44,639 --> 00:02:48,720 Speaker 1: stone walls vibrated with a newly awakened energy. A trio 45 00:02:48,800 --> 00:02:51,760 Speaker 1: of little girls chased after us with sparkly fairy wands 46 00:02:52,080 --> 00:02:54,960 Speaker 1: as we emerged into a raucous square filled with tables 47 00:02:54,960 --> 00:02:58,160 Speaker 1: and chairs, all of them crowded with smartly dressed people 48 00:02:58,280 --> 00:03:02,480 Speaker 1: eating and drinking. Each door and window overlooking the piazza 49 00:03:02,600 --> 00:03:06,480 Speaker 1: was flung open. Waiters in crisp white shirts and black 50 00:03:06,560 --> 00:03:11,040 Speaker 1: ties scurried around with trays of orange cocktails and maroon wine. 51 00:03:12,080 --> 00:03:16,720 Speaker 1: This can't be real, I murmured, It isn't juicy, scoffed. 52 00:03:17,160 --> 00:03:19,359 Speaker 1: They set it all up because they knew you were coming. 53 00:03:19,880 --> 00:03:24,880 Speaker 1: Ha ha come. In the middle of the piazza, a 54 00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:27,919 Speaker 1: large fountain gurgled around a statue of a woman holding 55 00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:31,040 Speaker 1: a child. We took a left on the other side 56 00:03:31,040 --> 00:03:33,480 Speaker 1: of the piazza and finally stopped in front of a 57 00:03:33,560 --> 00:03:36,480 Speaker 1: rough wooden door with a bold brass knocker in the 58 00:03:36,520 --> 00:03:40,880 Speaker 1: shape of a dragon's head. An Italian tricolored flag shuddered 59 00:03:40,880 --> 00:03:43,480 Speaker 1: in the breeze from a pole above the door, but 60 00:03:43,560 --> 00:03:47,880 Speaker 1: a much larger Sicilian flag eclipsed it. I gazed up 61 00:03:47,960 --> 00:03:52,520 Speaker 1: at the billowing yellow fabric. Juicy smirked, I love that 62 00:03:52,600 --> 00:03:55,520 Speaker 1: the head of Medusa is on our flag. Don't you 63 00:03:56,680 --> 00:04:01,680 Speaker 1: She was a monster? I replied, Is she, Jucy said? 64 00:04:02,120 --> 00:04:04,440 Speaker 1: Or was she a brilliant woman with the ability to 65 00:04:04,480 --> 00:04:07,720 Speaker 1: turn men to stone when they abused her or tried 66 00:04:07,760 --> 00:04:11,520 Speaker 1: to take everything from her? I had never thought about 67 00:04:11,560 --> 00:04:15,640 Speaker 1: it like that. Juicy placed both her palms flat on 68 00:04:15,640 --> 00:04:18,400 Speaker 1: the door and pushed the host to the server just 69 00:04:18,480 --> 00:04:22,080 Speaker 1: waited beyond the entryway. He was so handsome. I stumbled 70 00:04:22,120 --> 00:04:24,599 Speaker 1: a little as I followed him through the crowded room 71 00:04:25,000 --> 00:04:29,040 Speaker 1: to the one empty table. Jucy caught me and pinched 72 00:04:29,080 --> 00:04:32,240 Speaker 1: my hip. I get it, it's hard to look at him, 73 00:04:32,440 --> 00:04:36,080 Speaker 1: she whispered. He's a beautiful sexy man. You think he'd 74 00:04:36,200 --> 00:04:38,599 Speaker 1: leave this town already. But he has a sick mama 75 00:04:38,640 --> 00:04:41,279 Speaker 1: and a slutty sister, and nieces and nephews with no papas, 76 00:04:41,600 --> 00:04:43,719 Speaker 1: and they need the money and a man to stay 77 00:04:43,720 --> 00:04:47,640 Speaker 1: with them. The beautiful sexy man pulled out both of 78 00:04:47,680 --> 00:04:51,440 Speaker 1: our chairs and whisked away the centerpiece, a bowl holding 79 00:04:51,560 --> 00:04:57,120 Speaker 1: absurdly large plastic fruit. There is no menu. He'll bring things, 80 00:04:57,560 --> 00:05:00,720 Speaker 1: Juicy explained, and placed her elbows on the in front 81 00:05:00,720 --> 00:05:04,440 Speaker 1: of her so she could lean closer to me. Juicy 82 00:05:04,560 --> 00:05:06,880 Speaker 1: was the town gossip and travel guide you always wanted 83 00:05:06,920 --> 00:05:09,400 Speaker 1: to meet on a trip but never did. With her, 84 00:05:09,560 --> 00:05:14,280 Speaker 1: everything was either insanely beautiful or a terrible disaster. Cecily's 85 00:05:14,320 --> 00:05:17,039 Speaker 1: beaches were the most gorgeous in the world, but two 86 00:05:17,120 --> 00:05:20,600 Speaker 1: crowded with fat tourists and trash washing down from the 87 00:05:20,600 --> 00:05:24,920 Speaker 1: filthy mainland. They also had the most magnificent beach clubs, 88 00:05:25,320 --> 00:05:27,720 Speaker 1: if you didn't mind dancing with a bunch of coked 89 00:05:27,800 --> 00:05:32,120 Speaker 1: up Brits. I absolutely had to visit the cursed village 90 00:05:32,160 --> 00:05:34,960 Speaker 1: just ten miles to the north. A priest had recently 91 00:05:34,960 --> 00:05:39,040 Speaker 1: performed an exorcism by helicopter to save all ten thousand 92 00:05:39,160 --> 00:05:44,920 Speaker 1: souls who lived there from their utter depravity. As Juicy promised, 93 00:05:44,960 --> 00:05:48,040 Speaker 1: the food began to just appear. No one asked if 94 00:05:48,080 --> 00:05:52,000 Speaker 1: we had preferences, or nut allergies or gluten free diets. 95 00:05:52,600 --> 00:05:56,159 Speaker 1: I loved it. The beautiful sexy man brought platters of 96 00:05:56,240 --> 00:06:00,880 Speaker 1: anything he wanted from inside the kitchen. Eggplanned prepared seven 97 00:06:00,920 --> 00:06:05,800 Speaker 1: different ways stuffed cuttlefish and anchovy's fried and crispy breadcrumbs. 98 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:09,680 Speaker 1: By the third caraffe of house wine, Juicy began to 99 00:06:09,720 --> 00:06:13,400 Speaker 1: reveal secrets to me. Just then, a platter of what 100 00:06:13,480 --> 00:06:17,640 Speaker 1: looked like a deconstructed cannoli, a pyramid of cannoli shells, 101 00:06:17,680 --> 00:06:21,640 Speaker 1: separated by thin layers of amaretto cream and smothered in 102 00:06:21,760 --> 00:06:26,360 Speaker 1: dark chocolate sauce, grased our table. A new guest pushed 103 00:06:26,400 --> 00:06:29,440 Speaker 1: his way through the beaded entryway. He had to duck 104 00:06:29,480 --> 00:06:32,760 Speaker 1: as he entered and shift his body sideways because his 105 00:06:32,839 --> 00:06:37,440 Speaker 1: torso was as wide as two men. This man didn't 106 00:06:37,480 --> 00:06:41,880 Speaker 1: just fill the doorway, he filled the entire room. The 107 00:06:41,920 --> 00:06:44,880 Speaker 1: waiter led him to a table in the corner. Now 108 00:06:45,000 --> 00:06:47,800 Speaker 1: that's who you need to talk to, Juicy nodded in 109 00:06:47,839 --> 00:06:52,320 Speaker 1: the man's direction. What about what? He's the detective in 110 00:06:52,400 --> 00:06:56,320 Speaker 1: charge of the local police. Her words startled me. I 111 00:06:56,400 --> 00:06:59,640 Speaker 1: glanced nervously over at him. Why would I need to 112 00:06:59,640 --> 00:07:04,760 Speaker 1: talk to police? Non so care la fronte stringere iltuo 113 00:07:04,839 --> 00:07:11,080 Speaker 1: bucco doculo. Don't furrow your brow, Juicy said, you'll clench 114 00:07:11,120 --> 00:07:13,720 Speaker 1: your asshole, and no one wants to walk around with 115 00:07:13,760 --> 00:07:17,800 Speaker 1: a clenched asshole. I'd had too much wine and it 116 00:07:17,840 --> 00:07:20,840 Speaker 1: was scrambling my thoughts. But when Jucy looked at me, 117 00:07:20,880 --> 00:07:23,960 Speaker 1: her gaze was sharp, like something inside her brain had 118 00:07:24,040 --> 00:07:26,760 Speaker 1: just decided to wake up, and I grasped that I 119 00:07:26,840 --> 00:07:29,760 Speaker 1: was much much drunker than my host. I was a 120 00:07:29,760 --> 00:07:32,520 Speaker 1: woman alone in a strange country, without a full grip 121 00:07:32,560 --> 00:07:36,800 Speaker 1: on my faculties. I cursed myself for making such bad decisions, 122 00:07:37,320 --> 00:07:42,360 Speaker 1: for always making bad decisions. Juicy kept talking. You go 123 00:07:42,520 --> 00:07:45,840 Speaker 1: over there and talk to that man. I don't understand 124 00:07:45,840 --> 00:07:48,680 Speaker 1: what you're telling me. When she spoke again, I realized 125 00:07:48,760 --> 00:07:51,120 Speaker 1: Juicy knew much more about me and why I'd come 126 00:07:51,160 --> 00:07:55,480 Speaker 1: to Sicily than she'd previously let on. She stared me 127 00:07:55,600 --> 00:07:58,360 Speaker 1: dead in the eye. Who else are you going to 128 00:07:58,400 --> 00:08:03,680 Speaker 1: ask about Sarah's murder? Now we're going to skip ahead 129 00:08:03,800 --> 00:08:05,920 Speaker 1: a little bit, just a little bit. This is me, 130 00:08:06,000 --> 00:08:11,559 Speaker 1: This is Joe editorializing. Now the two women are able 131 00:08:11,600 --> 00:08:15,840 Speaker 1: to obtain the police report, and here it is. It 132 00:08:15,880 --> 00:08:18,760 Speaker 1: was a photocopy of something that looked like a police report, 133 00:08:19,240 --> 00:08:24,000 Speaker 1: all scribbled in Italian official looking type, marched across the top. 134 00:08:24,680 --> 00:08:31,800 Speaker 1: Polizia di Menisipale, Commune dicotoballesa, thick lines, redacted entire sections. 135 00:08:32,720 --> 00:08:36,560 Speaker 1: The words swam in front of my eyes. Eighteen Lulio, 136 00:08:37,120 --> 00:08:44,160 Speaker 1: nineteen twenty five, am Chidio murder. I sucked in deep breaths, 137 00:08:44,200 --> 00:08:47,080 Speaker 1: trying to calm the intense emotions welling up inside of me. 138 00:08:48,000 --> 00:08:51,160 Speaker 1: Do you want me to translate it, she asked, I 139 00:08:51,200 --> 00:08:54,080 Speaker 1: can do it. I focused harder on the page and 140 00:08:54,120 --> 00:08:57,240 Speaker 1: translated in my head. I didn't want to hear the 141 00:08:57,280 --> 00:09:01,760 Speaker 1: words out loud. I read about an unnamed witness who 142 00:09:01,760 --> 00:09:05,880 Speaker 1: discovered the female victim approximately a half a mile from town. 143 00:09:06,840 --> 00:09:11,120 Speaker 1: A hand drawn map had an actual X marking the spot. 144 00:09:12,320 --> 00:09:15,600 Speaker 1: According to the witness, the woman's body was tied by 145 00:09:15,640 --> 00:09:18,960 Speaker 1: the neck to a stake outside the entrance of a 146 00:09:19,000 --> 00:09:26,160 Speaker 1: small cave. Come oncapra japertato al masacro like a goat, 147 00:09:26,559 --> 00:09:30,959 Speaker 1: led to slaughter. I couldn't stop until I reached the end. 148 00:09:31,800 --> 00:09:34,120 Speaker 1: As my aunt Rosie used to say to me, when 149 00:09:34,120 --> 00:09:36,760 Speaker 1: you've stepped in the shit, you've got no choice but 150 00:09:36,840 --> 00:09:40,480 Speaker 1: to keep walking until you get home to clean yourself up. 151 00:09:41,800 --> 00:09:46,280 Speaker 1: I kept reading. The victim was naked from the waist down. 152 00:09:46,880 --> 00:09:50,760 Speaker 1: Her left ankle was shattered with something heavy, possibly a rock. 153 00:09:51,600 --> 00:09:54,520 Speaker 1: There were slash marks from a dull knife up the 154 00:09:54,559 --> 00:09:58,680 Speaker 1: insides of both of her thighs. Her midsection was partially 155 00:09:58,720 --> 00:10:03,280 Speaker 1: sliced through. There were purple bruises on her neck, a 156 00:10:03,360 --> 00:10:12,240 Speaker 1: smashed windpipe stranglomento question mark strangulation. Whoever blacked out the 157 00:10:12,240 --> 00:10:15,240 Speaker 1: document did a terrible job. The name of the victim 158 00:10:15,320 --> 00:10:17,240 Speaker 1: was missing from the top of the page, but not 159 00:10:17,600 --> 00:10:26,160 Speaker 1: the bottom. Victim Age thirty two. Name Sarah Fina, my 160 00:10:26,280 --> 00:10:33,360 Speaker 1: great grandmother. And that's it. That is how I imagined this happened. 161 00:10:34,200 --> 00:10:37,480 Speaker 1: We are finding out new details every day about what 162 00:10:37,640 --> 00:10:42,360 Speaker 1: actually happened to Lorenza, who when I created a fictional 163 00:10:42,480 --> 00:10:45,640 Speaker 1: version of her story, I named her Sara Fina. I 164 00:10:45,679 --> 00:10:47,679 Speaker 1: think all of you will love this book. It is 165 00:10:47,720 --> 00:10:49,960 Speaker 1: a murder mystery, It is an adventure. It is filled 166 00:10:49,960 --> 00:10:53,760 Speaker 1: with delicious food and delicious wine, and most of all, 167 00:10:54,240 --> 00:10:55,679 Speaker 1: it is going to make you want a book a 168 00:10:55,720 --> 00:10:58,199 Speaker 1: trip to Sicily. The New York Times actually said that 169 00:10:58,280 --> 00:11:00,640 Speaker 1: in their book review. They said, it will make you 170 00:11:00,679 --> 00:11:03,000 Speaker 1: want to fly to Sicily. Maybe we're all going to 171 00:11:03,040 --> 00:11:06,400 Speaker 1: go together. Maybe that is our plan. So please stay 172 00:11:06,440 --> 00:11:09,280 Speaker 1: tuned to this podcast. Like I said, we have so 173 00:11:09,360 --> 00:11:12,280 Speaker 1: many more episodes, with twists and turns and brand new 174 00:11:12,320 --> 00:11:16,720 Speaker 1: details emerging every single day. I love that you're joining 175 00:11:16,760 --> 00:11:20,600 Speaker 1: us on this adventure, my adventure. Stay subscribed for the 176 00:11:20,640 --> 00:11:21,400 Speaker 1: next installment.