Chapter 14 #2
Finally, we all shook hands, and Paolo told the two officers he would drive them back to their vehicle at the restaurant.
I asked him if he wanted company, but he waved away my offer and told me to stay here and relax.
I was very impressed to hear that he had somehow found time to prepare tonight’s meal, and he told me that Marina would make sure we were well fed.
I did as instructed and went back into the lounge, and from there to the dining room.
There were no name cards tonight, and I found myself sitting between Selena and Valentina at dinner.
Both were understandably subdued, and the first part of the meal was conducted in nearly complete silence.
In her husband’s absence, Marina – still looking stunned by the day’s events – was working like a woman possessed, almost running from the kitchen to the dining room and back, and I was delighted to see Valentina jump to her feet to help her, refusing all Marina’s protestations that she could cope on her own.
I was pleased because this was not only good for Marina; it was also good for Valentina, giving her something else to think about apart from her dead father.
In her absence, I chatted to Selena, deliberately trying to keep the conversation away from today’s events.
I managed to get her to tell me about her career, which was going from strength to strength, and I even succeeded in bringing a smile to her face a few times.
The food and drink probably contributed to bringing a smile, not only to her face, but to the faces of many of the people around the table as well.
Tonight’s antipasti started with a mixed platter of different salami and a particularly tasty duck paté, accompanied by freshly made focaccia.
This was followed by acciughe al verde, a potentially lethal sounding mix of anchovy fillets in a sauce made of olive oil, finely chopped parsley and garlic, but which proved to be excellent.
This was all accompanied by a bowl of wonderful mixed salad composed of red and green lettuce, endives, rocket, walnuts, blue cheese and artichoke hearts.
I noticed that Selena helped herself to this rather than the other stuff and I gave her a wink.
‘Still on the rabbit-food diet?’
When Anna and I had first met her, Selena had told us about the rigorous diet she had had to follow most of her adult life. In a profession where appearance is everything, staying beautiful takes dedication and hard work.
She smiled back. ‘For now, but I’m giving myself a break on Christmas Day itself. Bring on the turkey with all the trimmings.’
I wondered what Christmas lunch here would consist of.
Apart from anything else, Italians tend to celebrate Christmas Eve as much as – or even more than – Christmas Day itself.
They aren’t big on turkey and Christmas pudding and they tend to go for ravioli or similar, but maybe, in a cosmopolitan household like this, Paolo would have other ideas.
I asked Selena whether she would still be here, and she shook her head.
‘No, I’m going back to California. Orlando has booked me a helicopter on Thursday afternoon to take me to Geneva airport, from where I’ll fly home. After what’s happened, I can’t wait to leave this place.’
When Valentina returned from helping Marina in the kitchen, she was looking a little brighter, and I did my best to get her talking as well – partly to cheer her up, but also partly to see how genuine her grief might be.
I’m a detective and we have to do that sort of thing.
Although she appeared a sweet, friendly girl, appearances can be deceptive, and she was definitely still a suspect.
I started by telling her about the Americans at the bar.
‘Did you hear that Paolo had to tow a pickup out of a snowdrift?’ She shook her head and I related the story, noticing that William and Fiona across the table were listening in.
I went on to relate what Paolo’s mum had said about the men being mineral hunters, and this definitely stirred a spark of interest in Valentina.
‘Presumably, they’d been looking for minerals in the old mine.’
I decided to capitalise on her evident interest in her pet subject to keep her talking. ‘What sorts of minerals would these guys have been looking for in an old iron mine?’
There was definitely more animation on Valentina’s face when she replied, and I was secretly delighted that my choice of topic appeared to have taken her mind off her father’s death – at least for now.
‘Where there’s iron, there are all sorts of other minerals.
This whole area of the Alps is very diverse from a geological perspective, and I’ve found some lovely examples of magnetite, diopside and vesuvianite, as well as semi-precious gemstones like garnets.
After dinner, I can show you my collection, if you like. ’
I thanked her and expressed my enthusiasm to see what she had found – although the names had meant little or nothing to me.
The fact that I had been able to shake her out of her apparent grief so relatively easily made me wonder how sincere her tears had been.
Had I been talking to an incredibly deceptive murderer?