Chapter 12 #2
There was a pause before she replied, her eyes trained on Oscar at our feet.
‘From what you’ve both said, it sounds like it was an accident, and I agree that he would never have taken his own life, but I suppose it could have been murder.
’ She looked up towards me, wide-eyed as the implications of what she had said began to dawn on her.
‘But we’re the only people here. Does this mean somebody here in the villa might be a murderer?
’ She looked around apprehensively. ‘Is somebody here a killer… and might they kill again?’
Her voice began to rise in pitch, and I was quick to step in to reassure her.
‘I’m sure you and Paolo have nothing to fear.
If it really turns out to have been murder, whoever did this didn’t pick their target at random.
Bartolomeo was killed for a reason.’ I did my best to produce an encouraging smile.
‘Besides, it wasn’t necessarily somebody here at the villa.
I don’t think he would have climbed up on that boulder in the snow, so Paolo and I reckon he died around about the time the snow started.
The valley was accessible to anybody until the snow came, so somebody could easily have come up the valley to kill him.
’ I remembered the other thought that had occurred to me.
‘Like the man who burst in here uninvited last night, for instance. It’s my job to work out what reason somebody might have had to murder Bartolomeo but, and I can’t stress this enough, at the moment, all the signs are pointing to it having been an accident, so don’t let’s get ahead of ourselves.
’ Now it was my turn to look around to check that we were still alone.
‘I’d like you both to do something for me, please.
To the best of my knowledge, the only people here to know my true profession are my wife and Selena and now you two.
Please, as far as everybody else is concerned, I’m just another guest. All right?
And the other thing I would ask of you is to play down any hint of foul play until we know more.
As far as anybody else is concerned, it was an unfortunate accident. All right?’
They nodded in agreement and went back towards the kitchen, while I headed for the lounge.
When I got there, I found the atmosphere heavy, the mood understandably subdued.
They were all here, some sitting on the sofas, some standing, and most with glasses of liquor in their hands.
The tears appeared to have subsided, but Valentina, in particular, was still looking distressed at her father’s death.
Standing by the window with a glass of whisky in his hand, her brother couldn’t have looked more different – his expression impassive.
Ingrid, sitting alone on the far side of the room, was flicking through a magazine, apparently without a care in the world.
Calogero and Cinzia Naselli were sitting in a corner, looking stunned, while Umberto and Gloria were side by side on a sofa, engrossed in a hushed conversation.
Neither looked particularly visibly upset.
Anna was sitting on one of the sofas between Fiona and Selena, with Oscar sprawled at their feet, apparently dead to the world.
I went across to them and they both spotted me at the same time, jumping up to greet me – Oscar enthusiastically, Anna more tenderly.
While I fended off Oscar with one hand, Anna caught hold of my other arm and wrapped herself around me, stretching up to murmur in my ear, ‘How’re you doing? Was it horrid?’
I kissed her softly on the top of the head and repeated what I had told Marina, conscious that Fiona and Selena and maybe others might hear.
‘He must have died instantly, which is a consolation. No, it wasn’t horrible, just sad.
’ I could have told her that I’d seen far worse in my time, but that would have revealed my background as a police officer to anybody listening in to our conversation.
Instead, I tried to sound a more positive note.
‘A tragic accident, but at least he died in his favourite place. He told me last night that he loved to come here to the valley to recharge his batteries.’
‘Come and let me get you a drink.’ Anna led me across to the bar and reached into one of the fridges for a bottle of beer. ‘Here, have this – or would you prefer something stronger to warm you up?’
I took the beer willingly and swallowed half of it before replying.
‘To be honest, I’m sweating. It isn’t as cold out there as it was last night, and,’ I gave her a wink, ‘don’t forget that I’m getting a bit old for carrying heavy weights around.
’ I checked, but we were now well out of range of any inquisitive ears.
‘Marina and Paolo now know I’m a detective, but nobody else apart from you and Selena. I’d like to keep it that way for now.’
She nodded. ‘Was it an accident?’ She spoke in hushed tones.
‘I honestly don’t know. So far, everything points towards it having been an accident, but I’m not totally convinced.
Coming so soon after the death of his partner, you have to agree that it is one hell of a coincidence.
’ I try not to talk shop with Anna as far as possible and I hadn’t mentioned Bartolomeo’s suspicions about his children and Ingrid.
She nodded again, and I carried on. ‘What I need to do now is to try and find out where everybody was this lunchtime. By my calculations, he probably died around two o’clock, give or take half an hour either way.
The problem I have is that as soon as I start asking those kinds of questions, my cover will be blown, and if there is a murderer here, they’ll retreat into their shell.
’ I gave her a little smile. ‘Any help gratefully received.’
Help – if that was what it was – arrived from an unlikely source as Umberto’s voice echoed across the room. ‘Well, Chief Inspector, what do you think? Did my brother jump or was he pushed?’
So much for my plan to remain anonymous. I saw all heads turn towards me and realised that my secret was out. At least, I told myself, I could now start asking the questions I needed to ask – one of which would be how Umberto had learnt of my former profession.
I produced a friendly smile. ‘It’s ex-Chief Inspector, Umberto. As for what I think, it looks as though it was a tragic accident. He slipped and fell. What about you or your wife? Do you have a view on what happened?’
He shrugged. ‘How should I know? You found him, and your online bio says you used to be a big-noise detective and now you’re a private investigator.
’ In response to my raised eyebrows, he smiled.
‘I’ve just bought one of your books, and your background was all there.
All I can tell you is that Bartolomeo hadn’t been himself for the last few weeks.
He’d been moody and snappy with everybody including me, and he’d been drinking like a fish.
It wouldn’t surprise me if he had decided to end it all.
’ He glanced across at his wife. ‘What do you think, Gloria?’
She took a sip from her glass before answering.
‘I have no idea.’ She raised her eyes and looked across the room straight at me, her eyes cold and devoid of emotion.
‘Besides, why should I care? I never liked the man and I see no point in pretending that his death interests me one way or the other.’
There was a sharp intake of breath all around the room, and Fiona was the first to respond, her tone appalled. ‘Gloria, please! Have some respect for the dead.’
Gloria shook her head slowly. ‘Why should I? I had no respect for him when he was alive, so why should I have any now?’
Umberto reached over and laid a pacifying hand on his wife’s arm, but all that achieved was for her to get to her feet, swallow the last of her drink and walk determinedly out of the room.
I caught Anna’s eye for a moment. Things were getting interesting.