The Unraveling of Julia

Julia is able to get Gianluca’s room number and looks at a map, trying to figure out how to get there without seeing his family. When she gets to his floor, a nurse thinks Julia is Gianluca’s cousin from San Francisco. The nurse says Gianluca is in a medically induced coma to help his brain injury heal. The coma will probably last two weeks, but the nurse doesn’t know his prognosis.

Julia looks in Gianluca’s room from a window, but doesn’t go in because his parents are also in the room. She realizes she’s falling for him and thinks, “I, too, want Your Heart” (245) at him, hoping that they have a psychic connection and he can hear her.

Julia drives home, checks on Bianco the dog, and hears banging upstairs. She remembers that she didn’t lock up when she rushed out to the site of the accident. Julia aims Piero’s gun at the staircase as footsteps grow closer.

Courtney descends from the staircase, shocked that Julia is pointing a gun at her. Julia lowers the gun. Courtney says she didn’t call ahead because she knew Julia would tell her not to come. They joke about Courtney’s new red cowboy boots. They both apologize for their argument and Courtney demands that Julia come back to the US. Julia tells Courtney about Gianluca’s accident. Courtney laughs at the idea that Julia has telepathic abilities with him.

Next, Julia tells Courney that she and Bianco were drugged, and it’s probably still in her system. They talk about the men that have been following Julia and Mike’s murderer. The underground cell has Julia convinced that Rossi is evil; Julia no longer hopes they are related. Courtney is willing to work virtually and stay to help Julia. She is impressed at Julia’s progress with going out in public and dealing with her trauma.

When Courtney sees the watercolor of the well, she remembers her grandmother’s neighbor had a well and a corpse was discovered inside it when the neighbor moved the previous year. Julia suggests that they look for the well in the picture on the property.

Courtney thinks the well will be close to the villa. They look at the background in the watercolor and try to match up the hills. Courtney gets a compass on her phone and they go in a straight line between the villa and the matching hills. Julia gets a call from Gianluca’s cell phone, but it’s not Torti, it’s Sherry. She said Raffaella researched Julia online and learned she is a widow. Sherry apologizes for the way Julia was treated because of her rings. Julia apologizes for not being able to explain at the time.

Sherry discovered that Julia was pretending to be the San Franciscan cousin, and says Julia can continue to do so in order to see Gianluca later that night. After they end the call, Julia returns to looking for the well.

Courtney and Julia find a shovel, scythe, and machete in the tool shed. As they cut through the plants, they discover the well. Julia shines her phone flashlight into the well and doesn’t see a body. Courtney notices a chain and they pull on it slowly. A black shoebox is attached to the chain, but it’s locked. Julia hits the lock against the side of the well until it pops open. There are several envelopes inside. One contains a thick stack of liras, the currency Italy used before the euro. The second envelope contains passports. However, Emilia Rossi’s passport says “Elena Ritorno.” The other passport is for Patrizia Ritorno, a baby.

The third envelope contains photos documenting domestic abuse. Courtney guesses that they are looking at a go-bag and Rossi was trying to get herself and her child away from an abuser. The underground cell might have been an attempt to hide Patrizia from the abuser. Emilia could have been driving around looking for her daughter, rather than to kidnap girls. The different name could have been part of Emilia hiding from her abuser. Julia calls Poppy and tells her about the names on the passports. Poppy has learned that Julia’s birth certificate was amended; she might have been born somewhere other than Philadelphia. Poppy has also set up a meeting with the medium for that afternoon. Courtney demands to drive the Ferrari to Florence.

Courtney goes sightseeing while Julia meets with the medium, Helen. Helen says spirits may or may not answer when she tries to contact them. She doesn’t want information before contacting spirits. Poppy told Helen about Mike’s death, and Julia says she’d love to talk to Mike. Helen explains that if he doesn’t communicate, it’s not a rejection. Helen goes into a trance. After a few minutes, Helen emerges from her trance and says Julia is the medium that the spirits want to talk to.

Julia is shocked to learn she is a medium. She recounts her premonition about Mike’s murder and knowing she was adopted before she was told. Helen says the gifts of mediumship are usually hereditary. Julia wonders if her mother is a medium. Helen guesses Julia was channeling Caterina at her castle because she knew the way around. Julia tells Helen about the hallucinogen. Helen still thinks Julia has gifts, including being able to psychically communicate with Gianluca.

Helen explains that there aren’t clear binary states of life and death. There is “a spectrum of consciousness” (272) including trance states, induced coma states, and sleepwalking states. Psychedelics are just another state and can open up psychic abilities. Helen offers to help Julia develop her gifts and suggests Julia get out an artifact on which to focus. Julia chooses a photo of the baby’s abused arm, holds it, and closes her eyes. Helen encourages Julia to allow the visions to come. Julia feels the pain of the abuse in her own arm. Helen helps bring Julia out of her trance. Julia is upset by the pain and isn’t sure she wants to be a medium. Helen says she already is and welcomes her back for more training in the future.

After leaving Helen’s office, Julia meets up with Courtney at the Basilica. Julia tries to light a candle for Mike, but her hand is shaking too much. Courtney lights it for her, and is disappointed in Julia’s returning anxiety. When they get to Machiavelli’s tomb, Julia demands that they leave. She wonders if she’s channeling Caterina, Machiavelli’s enemy.

On the drive to the hospital, Julia tells Courtney what happened with Helen. Courtney recalls a time when Julia had a dream about Courtney’s father the night he had a heart attack. Courtney believes Julia’s gifts come from God and encourages her to train with Helen. Julia is worried about developing them. Courtney points out that Julia is basically a superhero or a jedi. Once again, Courtney notes how Julia refuses to be happy.

Courtney and Julia meet up with Gianluca’s family in the waiting room. Sherry says Gianluca is developing pneumonia and is on antibiotics. Raffaella expresses her condolences for Julia’s loss, as well as her protective feelings over Gianluca. Tonio interrupts when Rafaella says someone who doesn’t wear wedding rings would care more deeply for Gianluca. Julia goes into Gianluca’s room; she is given 10 minutes.

Julia tries an exercise Helen told her about. She takes Gianluca’s hand, closes her eyes, and tries to telepathically tell him she loves him. She begs him to live. Then, Julia has a vision of the accident. A white van tailgates him and a police cruiser pursues him. The two cars force him off the road and into nearby rocks. She telepathically tells him that she is sorry. He telepathically responds that she’s next and needs to be careful. The nurse comes in and tells Julia her time is up. Torti is in the waiting room.

Torti claims he is there because the police are concerned about accidents. He says he’ll pray for Gianluca, and Tonio says he’ll keep Torti updated. After Torti leaves, a nurse comes in and says there are too many people and they are limiting Gianluca’s visitors to immediate family, hinting that she knows Julia lied about being a cousin.

Julia speaks privately in the hall with Raffaella, telling her that Gianluca was run off the road. Julia also informs Raffaella about the men following her and Gianluca, as well as that the police might be involved. Raffaella insults Julia, saying she’s a drama queen. Julia points out that it’s odd Torti came by for a random accident and that he might be reporting Gianluca’s condition to the conspiracy. Lastly, Julia tells Raffaella to watch out for someone impersonating his nurse or doctor. Raffaella walks off.

Courtney says Gianluca’s family, apart from Raffaella, seems to like Julia. Courtney reassures her that they are both drama queens because they were in drama club.

They go to the cafeteria to get coffee. While walking to the bathroom, Julia sees children’s drawings on the wall about their dreams to work in the medical profession. At the end of them, there is a professional portrait of a woman, the children’ s teacher, who looks very much like Julia. She thinks it’s a picture of her birth mother. Julia goes to an information desk and asks about the paintings. The woman working there doesn’t know which drawings Julia is referring to and can’t leave her desk to look.

When Julia walks back to take pictures of the paintings, they are gone. She walks around, thinking she might have walked the wrong way, but can’t find the paintings. Courtney appears with their coffees.

In the car, Julia tells Courtney about her visions. Julia thinks the hospital is a “thin” place, which is a term Helen used to talk about where spirits can easily come through to the living. Julia is worried that a reunion with her birth mother could be unhappy, but looks up elementary schools on her phone. There are nine near the hospital. Julia wants to visit them tomorrow to look for her birth mother. Courtney wonders if Poppy could check them out, but Julia wants to do it herself.

Julia thinks the conspiracy is connected to her mother. They can’t go to the Florence police with only her visions as evidence. Julia wonders if Courtney is in danger, but Courtney refuses to leave her alone in Italy and reminds her that they have a gun.

Back at the villa, Julia checks on Bianco, who is walking more steadily. Courtney takes pictures of the frescos for her husband, Paul. Julia gathers information about the schools and widens the search range for a total of 15 schools to visit. Courtney and Julia let the dog go out to the bathroom and stay outside with him. Courtney shows Julia her pictures. There are flickers of light in the frescos, and Courtney thinks they are hidden cameras. They wonder if there are also microphones and agree to not discuss the conspiracy in the villa. Courtney goes to take pictures of the rest of the frescos to check them for cameras.

There is a camera in Rossi’s bedroom, and every other bedroom’s fresco. Julia lies in bed, closes her eyes, and tries to telepathically tell Gianluca that he has to live. She doesn’t have a vision or hear anything, and worries her gifts were merely the drugs and they are now out of her system. She worries that she will be responsible for the deaths of two men.

In the morning, Julia and Courtney head out to visit the schools. While in the car, Rafaella texts Julia and says Gianluca’s fever is a little worse. Julia sends her love and says she’ll visit later that day. There is no one who looks like Julia at the first school, and their school didn’t have a field trip to the hospital. Over the next three hours, Julia and Courtney visit three more schools, without any luck.

At the fourth school, Courtney checks the car for a camera or microphone. Julia finds a tracker under the bumper. Courtney finds a microphone, but not a camera. They agree to not discuss the conspiracy in the car anymore. However, Julia refuses to give up. Courtney says Julia’s back to her old self and they should get lunch.