Giovanni's gift

by Bradford Morrow

Imagine a scene of rural serenity, a night scene. Above the mountains surrounding this faraway place, the stars are a menagerie of silver flickering motes. Imagine a solitary ranch, a man and a woman asleep. It would be hard to fathom a purer vision of people at peace in the natural world. Who could foresee that this tranquility would be so brutally shattered by the night visitors? When Grant hears of the campaign of malice being waged against his only living relatives, he abandons Rome and a crumbling marriage to do what he can to help them. His brash confidence is quickly bruised as the night visits escalate in violence, and the death of Giovanni Trentas, a dear family friend found mutilated in a gorge above the ranch, takes on new meaning. When his aunt presents him with Giovanni's legacy - an old cigar box filled with letters, photos, and seemingly random knick-knacks - Grant finds himself in possession of a puzzle that might hold the answers to much more than Giovanni's death. Gra