Drawing Conclusions

Drawing Conclusions (2010) Donna Leon

And older woman is found dead in her apartment by her neighbor, and although her death is ruled a heart attack, something strikes Brunetti as wrong about the scene, and so he looks into the life of the woman, and why someone might want to do her harm.

Anna Maria had for years wanted to ask the older woman whether her refusal to have her hair dyed the obligatory red of women her age was another manifestation of her learned frugality or simply acceptance of how her white hair softened the lines of her face, adding to their dignity.
She looked down at the motionless woman, at the hand, the arm, the head. And she realized she would never get to ask her now.

This is another story that I don’t remember reading the first time around, and so enjoyed re-reading even more.

While looking into the life of the old woman, Burnetti finds suspicious everywhere, including a possible solution to a decades old mystery (not murder, just mystery).

‘Why would that be?’
‘Because he loves her,’ Brunetti said, remembering the way the old man looked at her. ‘That would be the obvious reason.’ Before Vianello could comment or object, Brunetti said, ‘One of the things Paola once told me is how prone we are to scorn the emotions of simple people. As if ours were better somehow.’
‘And love is love?’ Vianello enquired.
‘I think so, yes.’ Brunetti had still to fight against his reluctance to believe this wholeheartedly, as Paola seemed to do. He thought of it as one of his essential failures of humanity.

But we, of course, also get Signorina Elettra:

He explained what it was he wanted her to find, to which she answered, ‘Oh, wonderful, and I can do it legally this time,’ as delighted as if he had told her to take the rest of the day off and go home.
Uncertain how much she was baiting him, he said, ‘It’s always helpful for us to have new experiences,’ and hung up.

And Brunetti’s ruminations are always wonderful.

Usually people surprised us, he reflected, with the bad they did, when some dark impulse slipped the leash and brought them, and others, to ruin. And then how easy it became to find in the past the undetected symptoms of their malice. How, then, find the undetected symptoms of goodness?

I very much like the end of this story, of Brunetti’s reaction to the old man.
Rating: 8/10

Published by Atlantic Monthly Press

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