The Sands of Time by Sidney Sheldon Page A

ended, Judge Giovanni Buscetta, an astute political animal, sentenced the other Mafia members to long prison terms and Angelo Carmine and his two sons to the maximum permitted by Italian law—life imprisonment, a mandatory sentence of twenty-eight years.
    For Angelo Carmine it was a death sentence.
    All of Italy cheered. Justice had finally triumphed. But to Lucia, it was a nightmare beyond imagining. The three men she loved most in the world were being sent to hell.
    Once again, Lucia was allowed to visit her father in his cell. The overnight change in him was heartbreaking. In the space of a few days, he had become an old man. His figure had shrunk and his healthy, ruddy complexion had turned sallow.
    “They have betrayed me,” he moaned. “They have all betrayed me. Judge Giovanni Buscetta—I owned him, Lucia! I made him a wealthy man, and he did this terrible thing to me. And Patas. I was like a father to him. What has the world come to? Whatever happened to honor? They are Sicilians, like me.”
    Lucia took her father’s hand in hers and said in a low voice, “I am Sicilian too, Papa. You shall have your vengeance. I swear it to you, on my life.”
    “My life is over,” her father told her. “But yours is still ahead of you. I have a numbered account in Zurich. The Bank Leu. There is more money there than you could spend in ten lifetimes.” He whispered a number in her ear. “Leave cursed Italy. Take the money and enjoy yourself.”
    Lucia held him close. “Papa—”
    “If you ever need a friend, you can trust Dominic Durell. We are like brothers. He has a home in France at Béziers, near the Spanish border.”
    “I’ll remember.”
    “Promise me you’ll leave Italy.”
    “Yes, Papa. But there is something I have to do first.”
    Having a burning desire for revenge was one thing; figuring out a way to get it was another. She was alone, and it was not going to be easy. Lucia thought of the Italian expression Rubare il mestiere —You steal their profession. I must think the way they da
    A few weeks after her father and brothers had started serving their prison sentences, Lucia Carmine appeared at the home of Judge Giovanni Buscetta. The judge himself opened the door.
    He stared at Lucia in surprise. He had seen her often when he was a guest at the Carmine home, but they had never had much to say to each other.
    “Lucia Carmine! What are you doing here? You shouldn’t have—”
    “I have come to thank you, Your Honor.”
    He studied her suspiciously. “Thank me for what?”
    Lucia looked deep into his eyes. “For exposing my father and brothers for what they were. I was an innocent, living in that house of horrors. I had no idea what monsters—” She broke down and began to sob.
    The judge stood there uncertainly, then patted her shoulder. “There, there. Come in and have some tea.”
    “Th—thank you.”
    When they were seated in the living room, Judge Buscetta said, “I had no idea that you felt that way about your father. I had the impression that you were very close.”
    “Only because I had no idea what he and my brothers were really like. When I found out—” She shuddered. “You don’t know what it was like. I wanted to get away, but there was no escape for me.”
    “I didn’t understand.” He patted her hand. “I’m afraid I misjudged you, my dear.”
    “I was terrified of him.” Her voice was filled with passion.
    Judge Buscetta noticed, not for the first time, what a beautiful young woman Lucia was. She was wearing a simple black dress that revealed the outlines of her lush body. He looked at her rounded breasts and could not help observing how grown up she had become.
    It would be amusing, Buscetta thought, to sleep with the daughter of Angelo Carmine. He’s powerless to hurt me now. The old bastard thought he owned me, but I was too smart for him. Lucia is probably a virgin. I could teach her a few things in bed
    An elderly housekeeper brought in a tray of tea and a