Chapter 1 #2
‘Valle di Mezzo, that’s in the mountains to the north of Turin, up in Piedmont near the French border. I’ve heard the name, but I’ve never been there. That sounds lovely. As you say, we’re going up that way anyway, so why not?’
I glanced down at Oscar and gave him a thumbs-up, but he appeared far more interested in an itch behind his ear and was otherwise engaged.
Given Anna’s enthusiastic reception of Selena’s invitation, I thought it only fair to spell things out a bit more clearly, but I did my best to give it a positive spin.
‘Excellent, I’ll go back to her and say yes.
The good news is that I’m actually going to be paid for my time.
Apparently, Selena has a friend who’s worried about something and he wants me to investigate it.
’ I thought it was wise at this stage not to mention that he was worried for his life.
‘Well, hopefully, you’ll get some time off.
’ Anna sounded pretty relaxed, but I could tell that her mind was on other things.
‘Depending on how high up it is, there’ll probably be snow.
’ A more cautious note appeared in her voice.
‘I hope they don’t expect me to ski. I’ve only been skiing once in my life.
That was on a school trip in the Apennines and they called me the snowplough because I spent most of my time on my face, ploughing a furrow in the snow with my chin.
It’s all right for you; you’re an expert. ’
‘I’m hardly an expert, but I get by.’ I allowed myself a moment of self-satisfaction.
‘That sounds rather good, and it reminds me, I need to look out my skiing clothes, even though it must be at least seven or eight years since I last put them on.’ My ex-wife and I had both enjoyed skiing, and we had gone to various ski resorts in Europe almost every winter.
My smugness didn’t last long as Anna replied, her voice heavy with disapproval. ‘I’ve seen your ski clothes. I almost put them in the charity bag last summer but in the end, I didn’t, as I felt sure no charity would take them. They looked as though you tried to set fire to them.’
This stirred a memory in me. ‘A torchlight descent in Leogang in Austria. The torches had a tendency to drip burning oil or wax. Anyway, clothing apart, are you happy if I reply saying yes?’
She replied at once. ‘Sounds good to me. Tell her I’m looking forward to seeing her again, but I just hope you don’t end up having to work too much. You need a break.’
She was probably right. My private investigation bureau here in Florence had been very busy of late.
After taking early retirement from my job as a detective chief inspector at Scotland Yard and going into the private sector over here, I had been building up the business and I couldn’t complain about how it was going.
Although the lion’s share of cases involved marital infidelity, my time was increasingly being taken up with online scams and social media spats.
The idea of spending a few days in the mountains certainly had considerable appeal, even if it was likely to involve some work – but at least I would be paid for it, and I wondered yet again what this was all about.
Anna had been thinking. ‘What about Oscar? Does he get an invite too?’
‘Absolutely. She sounded keen to see all three of us again.’
‘Has he ever seen snow?’
That was a good question. I had got Oscar when he had been about nine months old, and now he was four.
Since my arrival here, it had never snowed in Florence – apart from occasional flurries of sleet that disappeared almost as soon as they hit the ground – so snow promised to be a novelty for him.
‘It’ll be interesting to see how he reacts.
He loves water, and snow’s just frozen water, so hopefully, he’ll enjoy running about in it.
I’m not sure I see him on skis, though. Anyway, I’ll let you get off to work and I’ll reply to Selena now. ’
I sent Selena a text confirming that the three of us would be delighted to join her on the twentieth.
At the same moment, an email appeared on my phone from Selena’s hardworking PA, Amanda.
Anna and I had both met her when we had been invited over for the premiere and had been mightily impressed by her commitment.
A rough calculation told me that it was probably about midnight in LA at present, but Amanda was still hard at it.
No doubt she got a hefty salary, but nobody could say that she didn’t earn it. The email was brief and to the point.
Hi, Dan.
Selena asked me to send you this address. She says she’ll be in touch with more details in the next day or two:
Villa Delle Coppelle, Pian delle Marmotte, Valle di Mezzo, Torino, Italy
All best
Amanda
Anna and I are very fortunate to have a choice between her apartment in the old heart of Florence and my more modern – but still a couple of hundred years old – stone house in the hills to the south-west of the city.
Although we tended to stay in the country throughout the warmer months – Florence can get decidedly hot and sticky any time from Easter until late autumn – since early November we had been living here in the city during the week and going out to my place at weekends.
Florence isn’t a huge city and it took me only about ten more minutes to get back to her apartment, barely a few metres from the Ponte Vecchio, and I was only too happy to get inside into the warm.
First things first, I gave Oscar his breakfast. Like so many Labradors, he lives for food, and I had long ago decided to split his rations and feed him three times a day rather than have to put up with big, reproachful brown eyes every time I sat down at a table.
I made myself a mug of tea and a bacon sandwich – old habits die hard – and grabbed my laptop, turning to Google Maps to see exactly where we were going to be staying.
It took me a while and a lot of searching and zooming in but, finally, I was able to identify Pian delle Marmotte, and it looked remarkable.
I could remember Selena telling us two years ago how difficult it was for somebody in her position with such a recognisable face to arrange a private break away from the spotlight.
Everywhere she went, somebody would recognise her and, inevitably, the media would soon be snapping at her heels.
Pian delle Marmotte looked like the ideal solution – remote and secluded.
After studying the map, I glanced down at Oscar, now happily stretched out on the floor at my feet.
The fact that I had given him the bacon rinds had no doubt contributed to his happiness.
‘Any paparazzi who track Selena to this place are going to need skis – or at least snowshoes.’
He opened one eye in response, saw that no more food was on offer and closed it again with a sigh, while I carried on studying the map.
Pian delle Marmotte, presumably named after the little furry creatures who lived up there, was a side valley running off a bigger valley named Valle di Mezzo.
This was one of three valleys in the province of Turin in the north-west of Italy, leading up into the high Alps.
As far as I could see, Valle di Mezzo climbed steeply until it came to an abrupt halt at a height of over two thousand metres.
The scenery was distinctly mountainous with vertical cliff faces, fast-flowing torrents, and little villages composed of stone houses, roofed with what looked from the satellite like stone slabs.
Pian delle Marmotte led off to the west about halfway up the main valley, and it was accessed up a series of no fewer than eight hairpin bends before the narrow road – and the Street View images – petered out in a tiny collection of houses at the mouth of the side valley.
According to the map, this hamlet was named San Giorgio and its only interesting feature was a bar/restaurant named La Vecchia Miniera – the Old Mine.
From here, what looked like a dirt track continued up the narrow valley of Pian delle Marmotte until it reached the only building I could spot – presumably, Villa Delle Coppelle.
I could only get an overhead satellite view of the building, but it looked like a substantial square construction with a couple of vehicles parked outside – both of them 4 x 4s.
The date on the image was April of this year, and there were still large patches of snow to be seen all around.
On that basis, I had a feeling we were in for a white Christmas, and that would be a novelty, not only for Oscar, but for me as well. It promised to be an exciting few days.
Little did I know…