Murder at Christmas (An Armstrong and Oscar Cozy Mystery #16)

Chapter 1

My phone started ringing as Oscar and I were on our way back from an early-morning assignment.

An American would have referred to what we were doing as a stakeout, but I try to avoid using that word unnecessarily, because my ever-hungry Labrador is all too familiar with the word ‘steak’ and I don’t like to get his hopes up.

This assignment had involved hanging around in the cold and dark for almost an hour in the shadows opposite a house just outside the historic centre of Florence, waiting to see the identity of the man who finally emerged from the door, climbed into a BMW and headed off.

I had managed to take half a dozen photos of him and I recognised him as the husband of my client, leaving the home of his mistress.

His wife had been right to be suspicious of his alleged ‘conference in Rome’.

I would send her the photos later, and it would be up to her to decide what would transpire between her and her husband from then on.

As for me, I just wanted to get back home and warm up.

After my decision to set up Dan Armstrong, Private Investigations two years ago, it hadn’t taken me long to realise this line of business isn’t anything like as glamorous as it looks in the movies.

It was a frosty morning, and this at least meant a clear sky after a grim week of cloud and rain, more reminiscent of London than Florence.

I took off a glove, reached inside my jacket and pulled out the phone to see that it was a call from a number I recognised.

It was also a number that I knew to be highly confidential and reserved for only a very select number of people. It belonged to Selena Gardner.

Selena was one of the most famous – and beautiful – women in the world.

She was without doubt one of the best-known and most talented actors in Hollywood, her face familiar to millions of cinemagoers all around the globe.

I had met her two years back when she had been in Florence shooting a movie.

We had got on well, and Selena had been instrumental in encouraging the budding relationship between me and my now wife, Anna.

When the movie had come out last winter – to great critical acclaim – Anna and I had been flown over for the premiere and put up in the lap of luxury by the film company – all because I had managed to help the Florence police stop a crazy killer.

I swiped green. ‘Selena, hi. Great to hear from you.’

‘Dan, you lovely man, it’s absolutely wonderful to hear your voice.

You’re still sounding very English – you haven’t picked up an Italian accent yet.

’ I had only been living here in Tuscany for three years and, although my Italian had improved immensely in that time, I had no doubt that I would retain my English accent till the end of my days.

As for her voice, it was warm and charming, and I knew it to be capable of reducing far stronger-willed men than me to putty, so I decided to get straight down to brass tacks. There had to be a reason for the call.

‘To what do I owe this honour? Don’t tell me you’re about to come and visit us at long last.’

There was the slightest hesitation before she answered. ‘Not so much me coming to visit you as you coming to visit me… hopefully. What are you and Anna doing around Christmas? Would you be free for three or four days?’

I thought quickly. Anna and I were already booked for the Christmas period for a skiing holiday with her daughter, Virginia.

She and her brand-new fiancé, Guy, were coming to Italy and had asked us to join them.

Their chosen destination was the upmarket resort of Courmayeur, high up in the Italian Alps.

I used to do a lot of skiing, and the week promised to make a welcome break from the detective business.

Anna hadn’t sounded so keen on the skiing, but I knew she was looking forward to spending some quality time with Virginia.

I chose my words carefully. After all, Selena was a big-name star and used to getting her own way.

‘Anna and I would love to see you again, Selena, but we have a bit of a complication this year. We’re supposed to be having a week’s skiing with Anna’s daughter, starting just before Christmas.

It’s all booked.’ I went on to tell her that we were going to be in Courmayeur, to the north of Turin, and her response came as a considerable surprise.

‘That’s perfect, Dan. You could come and stay with me a few days before that and then you can go off to meet Anna’s daughter, and it’s all pretty much in the same place.

’ I queried what she meant, and she explained.

‘I’m going to be in the Italian Alps as well, not exactly where you’re meeting Anna’s daughter, but close enough.

I’ll be staying with a bunch of people in a villa in the mountains to the north of Turin – that can’t be too far from Courmayeur, can it?

What do you say? Maybe you could come around the twentieth? What do you think?’

I answered cautiously, fearing that Anna might throw up her hands in horror at the thought of mingling with the stars – assuming that the ‘bunch of people’ were also Hollywood folk.

‘Whereabouts are you going to be?’

‘It’s a really private place. Apparently, it’s less than an hour to the north of Turin airport.’

This sounded good, because Courmayeur was only an hour and a half north of Turin airport, so we really should be quite close. Selena continued. ‘I’d very much like it if you could come and join us – with Oscar as well, of course.’

On the face of it, this sounded great. I had no doubt that any villa where Selena was planning on staying would be luxurious and comfortable.

I immediately found myself wondering whether this meant that she had a new man.

She had a long and checkered history of relationships and, although she was already in her mid-fifties, I had no doubt that she would still be fighting off prospective suitors for decades to come.

However, I sensed an ulterior motive here and gave her a gentle nudge.

‘That sounds great, but can I ask, would that be me in my professional capacity or just for a Christmas break?’

I heard her chuckle. ‘You can read me like a book, Dan. The honest answer is that I would love to see you both again – sorry, three of you including Oscar – but the guy I’ll be staying with needs your help.

This is business and he’s happy to pay whatever it costs.

Do you think you might be able to manage it? ’

I thought quickly. I had already made sure that I had no important work commitments scheduled for the Christmas period, but I still answered cautiously.

‘The dates sound fine, but I’ll have to run it past Anna first. I can call you back in the next half-hour.

So, tell me, why does this guy need my help? ’

There was a slight pause before she replied. ‘It’s far too complicated to tell you the whole story over the phone. He’ll give you the full low-down when you come but, basically, he’s worried that his life may be in danger.’

This sounded ominous, and I thought I had better spell things out straight away. ‘I’m a detective, Serena, not a bodyguard. Tell him he needs a security company for that.’

‘He has security, or so he tells me – besides, between you and me, I think he’s just a bit paranoid.

There’s probably nothing to it. I’ve never been to his villa, but he assures me that it’s just about the most secure place in Italy, tucked away in the high mountains.

It’ll just be his family members and a few senior colleagues. ’

This sounded good – maybe not a bunch of Hollywood folk after all.

‘Please say that you’ll come; I’ve told him you’re the best private eye in the business.

He would appreciate your help, and I’d love to see you and Anna and good old Oscar again.

Talk to her and let me know.’ There was a brief hiatus before she came back to me.

‘I’m sorry, I have to go now. I have another call waiting.

I’ll get Amanda to email you the address.

It’s in a place called Valle di Mezzo. Ciao. ’

After the call had ended, I realised that even though I didn’t know where I was supposed to be going, the name of the man I was supposed to be helping, or what sort of threat he might be facing – if any – I was keen to do it.

It was hardly the most auspicious of starts to an investigation, but it promised to be intriguing, and I’ve always liked a challenge.

I glanced down at Oscar as we continued our walk towards home.

‘How do you feel about spending a few days in the mountains, Oscar?’

He looked up, and the end of his tail wagged.

I took that as a yes, although he was probably thinking of his breakfast – and he wasn’t the only one.

I returned my attention to my phone and called Anna at home.

I was mildly surprised to hear her answer almost immediately but I could tell from her tone that she was in a hurry, so I kept it short.

She teaches Medieval and Renaissance History at Florence University, and she had been trying to get into work early as end-of-term assignments loomed.

‘Ciao, bella. I’ve just had a call from Selena in Los Angeles.

We’ve been invited to spend a few days with her before Christmas – she’s coming over to Italy.

Are you up for it?’ After three years here in Tuscany, my Italian’s pretty fluent, but Anna’s English is better, so we normally speak English together.

‘Selena? How wonderful. Is she coming here to Florence?’ I was pleased to hear her sounding excited.

‘No, I haven’t had time to check exactly where it’ll be. She wants us from the twentieth of December for three or four days, so we could go straight on from there to meet up with Virginia in Courmayeur. The address of the villa is in Valle di Mezzo, but that name means nothing to me.’