Chapter 33
Detective Gallo lit up an MS cigarette and inhaled, the grey smoke drifting up into the cloudless Venetian sky.
The Casanova Bar terrace was almost full, with guests taking afternoon coffee and watching the preparations for the filming. It was all very exciting, with the crew rushing around, scribbling on clipboards and setting up equipment, pretending not to notice everyone’s curious glances. He was certainly a long way from Cannegia now, Detective Gallo thought, with the beauty of Venice across the water and the excitement of a Hollywood movie set within touching distance.
But of course, he wasn’t here as a tourist, and he couldn’t let himself be distracted by the glamorous comings and goings. He shifted in his seat, staring up at the White Palace, at the beautiful, enormous, ancient palazzo situated high on the rocky green island jutting out of the sea. He felt sure that the answers he was looking for were somehow connected to the hotel, but pieces of the puzzle were still missing.
Roberto was still berating himself for the way he’d dealt with Lucia de Santis. He’d been so certain that she had the answers; all the circumstances fitted. He should have formally brought her in for questioning, but he’d gone rushing in, so certain that his theory was foolproof. And then she’d given that ill-advised press conference – clearly all done so that she could bask in the resultant publicity. Her name being linked to a mysterious case kept her name in the newspapers, Detective Gallo thought cynically, as he took a sip of his coffee.
If someone out there did know something more, the blaze of publicity would surely have given them time to go to ground, to disappear once again before Detective Gallo could even get on their trail. Or perhaps, he thought optimistically, the press coverage would have a positive effect and generate a breakthrough, jogging someone’s memory.
‘Hello again, Inspector. Mind if I join you? It’s rather busy today.’
He glanced up to see Olivia Booth beaming down at him. She was wearing a lavender trouser suit with a quilted cream jacket, and leaning heavily on her stick.
‘Of course, of course.’ He stood up hastily, pulling out the chair opposite him, noticing that almost all the tables were now taken.
‘Isn’t it exciting?’ Olivia smiled, looking out from behind her sunglasses at the scene. ‘I hope it’s not all work and no play for you in this beautiful city. Are you here to watch the filming?’
‘For now, yes,’ he replied, giving nothing away. ‘And you? How are the wedding plans coming along?’
‘Oh, I’m leaving all of that in Gina’s capable hands,’ Olivia told him, speaking in fluent Italian. ‘That woman really is a marvel. I can’t wait to see what she has planned, but I’m sure it’s something wonderful. All I have to think about is marrying my darling Max.’
Detective Gallo nodded as he stubbed out his cigarette. He offered the packet to Olivia, but she declined. ‘Have you known her long?’ he asked thoughtfully. ‘This Gina, I mean?’
‘Oh, yes, for a number of years now. Max and I always stay at the White Palace when we come to Venice – we wouldn’t stay anywhere else – and Gina always makes sure everything is perfect for us. Not that we’re demanding, but she knows exactly how we like things, and the standards here are second to none. Look, there she is, Gina!’ Olivia called, waving as she spotted Gina amongst the film crew. She stood out in her camel-coloured jacket amidst a sea of black, the unofficial crew uniform.
Detective Gallo watched as Gina looked around to see who had called her. Her gaze landed on Olivia and she waved back, smiling warmly. Then her eyes slid to Detective Gallo and her expression seemed to falter – only momentarily, but Roberto didn’t miss much. She stopped waving and turned around, talking to one of the crew.
‘I expect she’s very busy,’ Olivia said, not seeming in the least bit offended. ‘She’s always on the go. She works so very hard. Anyway, here am I rabbiting on about myself and my wedding. What about you, Inspector? Are you any nearer to solving your case?’
‘Not yet, no,’ he said enigmatically, continuing to watch Gina. ‘But I’m getting closer, I think.’
‘It must be a thrilling line of work to be in. Like an Agatha Christie novel brought to life.’
Detective Gallo smiled politely, taking another sip of his coffee.
‘I mean, who knows what secrets these people have,’ Olivia said, darting dramatic looks around her. ‘You never know who you’re sitting next to. Anyone could be a murderer, couldn’t they?’
‘Statistically not,’ Roberto smiled, amused by how Olivia seemed to be getting carried away. He didn’t want to shatter her illusions and admit that – most of the time – his work was terribly dull and involved piles of admin work.
‘Do you know,’ Olivia continued, as though she hadn’t heard him, ‘just the other night, Max and I were chatting to this fellow at the bar, who was ranting and raving about how his father had passed him over for the family business, and how he’d put some other fellow in charge who wasn’t even his son. He seemed most unhinged, talking about how much he hated this other chap that had killed his sister and he was planning to sabotage a helicopter to have his revenge. It sounded quite insane. Perhaps it was a plot from this movie,’ Olivia chuckled, as she indicated the gleaming black helicopter sitting on the helipad.
Detective Gallo didn’t laugh. A memory was tugging at his brain. Something didn’t seem right, he was sure of it. He looked around, his mind grasping for a connection, but the key to unlocking the riddle was frustratingly out of reach. He’d finished his coffee and had originally planned to leave, but he now felt rooted to the spot.
‘Oh … look,’ Olivia said. Gallo followed her eyes to a group of people close to the set, watching the scene. ‘That’s him!’
‘That’s who?’ Gallo asked, a cold feeling flooding his veins.
She raised a finger, pointing towards the scene. ‘The man from the bar, the one who said he was going to get his revenge. It’s that man there with the ponytail.’
Gallo was gripped with the sense that something was about to happen. Detective Gallo was never truly off duty, and right now his instincts were telling him that something was very wrong indeed.
Gina’s heart was pounding as she saw that Detective Gallo was nearby. It made her uneasy. After his questioning of Lucia, then Lucia’s subsequent press conference, not to mention her threat to reveal Gina’s secret if she didn’t give up Marco, Gina felt as though she was constantly treading on eggshells. Recently she’d been having trouble sleeping, dark circles under her eyes that she’d been hiding with make-up. She’d thought she’d outrun her past, but now it appeared to have finally caught up with her.
She waved to Olivia, trying to keep her expression calm, as though nothing was wrong, but inside her pulse was racing.
‘Gina?’
She turned to see a member of the crew approaching her and was grateful for the distraction. ‘Yes? Is everything OK?’
‘We’re running behind schedule – the first AD’s advised me to let you know that you won’t be able to re-open this area for at least another couple of hours.’
‘OK. Is everything all right?’
‘Just a few delays – it always happens.’ The guy smiled reassuringly. ‘One of the cruise ships has dropped anchor in the wrong spot and is just sitting in the Giudecca Canal, so we’re waiting for it to move. We’re in touch with the port authority.’
Gina looked across the water to see the enormous white liner that was dwarfing the ancient buildings below, and saw at once that the stunt couldn’t be safely performed while it was in the way.
‘Thank you for letting me know. I’ll ask the bar to bring out coffee for the crew while you’re waiting.’
‘That would be appreciated,’ the guy smiled. ‘We’re having to stand this scene down until the ship is moved – bloody cruise ships. I’ve asked Marco to take the helicopter back over the square, we’re going to have to shift some of the shoot around a bit.’
‘Sure, I understand.’
‘Ginaaa!’ There was an excited squeal behind her, then a small pair of arms flung themselves around her waist, squeezing her tightly. It was Daniela, and she was thrilled to see Gina. ‘I was hoping you’d be here today. This is my nanny, Rosina.’
‘ Piacere ,’ Gina smiled, as she took in the older woman whom Daniela clearly adored. ‘Are you here to watch your dad?’ she addressed Daniela.
‘Yes, I can’t wait. Look, there he is.’
Marco had spotted Daniela arrive and strolled over to the small group. His eyes darted to Gina’s face for a moment, before focusing on his daughter. Gina couldn’t mistake the tenderness still in his look, it was almost painful. She just wanted to reach out and hold him, tell him that she felt the same way. Damn Lucia de Santis! She longed to kiss him again like she’d done in the jazz club … but today there was something different about the way he looked, something about his eyes …
‘Well, well,’ a voice hissed in her ear. ‘Everywhere I look, there you are, Maria .’
Gina turned in horror at hearing her real name, to see La Leonessa standing behind her. Hearing the name that she hadn’t heard in so long confirmed her worst fears. Lucia knew everything, and now Gina was standing beside Marco and the look on Lucia’s face showed there would be no mercy.
‘We’re standing this scene down for now,’ Marco said. ‘Shifting to some of the action over the square. Wanna come with me, Daniela?’
‘Yes, Pap à .’ Daniela jumped up and down with excitement at being part of the action. ‘Gina, will you come with us?’
There was a buzzing sound in Gina’s head, and she found herself struggling to concentrate.
Be calm … just get through this. You’ve done it before …
‘What’s that, darling?’ she asked Daniela.
‘Pap à ’s going to take me in the helicopter to St Mark’s Square. Rosina’s scared of flying so she’ll go in the boat, but will you come with me? Please?’
‘I …’ Gina didn’t know what to say. She was having trouble processing what was happening; there was a loud rush of noise in her ears.
Dense forest, she couldn’t see in front of her, brambles scratching her legs, breathing ragged . Run, Maria, run – don’t look back …
‘We need to get going,’ Marco explained. ‘If this ship doesn’t move soon, we’ll lose the light.’
‘Please say you’ll come too,’ Daniela begged. ‘Have you ever been in a helicopter? It’s amazing.’
‘I …’
‘ I’ll come with you, Daniela,’ Lucia announced, looking victorious.
Gina and Marco turned to her in confusion. Daniela looked torn between being devastated that Gina wouldn’t come with them, and thrilled that they’d have La Leonessa on board.
‘I believe you promised me a ride around the lagoon when we first met, didn’t you Marco?’ Lucia said breathily, batting her long eyelashes as her gaze trailed over him.
‘Marco, we need to get going now,’ a crew member said as he strode over. ‘Brad’s waiting on the launch near the square for you.’
‘Of course,’ Marco nodded. He locked eyes with Gina, taking Daniela by the hand, then rushed towards the helicopter.
‘I was on my way to have a little chat with our policeman friend over there,’ Lucia murmured to Gina, nodding in Detective Gallo’s direction. ‘Think of this as a temporary reprieve.’ Then she sashayed off after Marco and Daniela, as Gina watched, her mind racing as she tried to process everything that had just happened.
Up on the terrace, the hotel guests were standing up and moving to the railings for a better view, as it became clear that something was about to happen. There were murmurs of excitement as La Leonessa was spotted, and the anticipation rippling through the crowd was tangible.
But one person wasn’t looking towards the helicopter – they were looking straight at Gina. She locked eyes with Detective Gallo, a shudder running down her spine as she realized he was watching her, and she tore her gaze away, blinking to try and clear her thoughts as she looked towards the helicopter.
Lucia had climbed into the back and was buckling herself in, pulling on her headphones as the crew swarmed around. She looked impossibly glamorous, her platinum-blonde hair falling around her shoulders as she peeked out of the window, waving at the fans on the terrace who gave a little cheer in response.
Marco was helping Daniela, who was beaming beside him, before he began to run through the pre-flight checks, flicking switches and toggles as the rotor blades began to whir, speaking over his headphones to request clearance.
The crew began to push everyone back from the area, while the observers on the terrace held onto their hats and scarves, as discarded serviettes were whisked off tables, whipped into the air by the updraught from the helicopter.
The noise from the engine was so loud that at first no one noticed the two men running across the gardens, shouting and waving, panic etched on their faces. Gina turned to see Edoardo sprinting towards the helicopter, followed by his father.
‘What’s the matter?’ Gina yelled, alarmed by their looks of terror.
‘Stop them,’ Nicolò shouted desperately. ‘Something’s wrong!’