We stayed with the group as it left the cloister and wound its way back through the narrow passageway and into the cathedralpiazza. There was no sign of the man. Mass had just finished in the cathedral and the congregation was pouring out of the building, filling the square and the nearby streets. It was the perfect cover. We slipped into the crowd and got away.
The hotel Clio booked us was a small place, in the ancient center, but on a quiet street, a little off the beaten track. The room was small and bland but clean, two double beds made up with gold, satiny quilts that felt gross to the touch. It had a view of the Castelvecchio and its bridge, the rows of swallowtail merlons lit up like rows of jagged teeth.
We logged onto the Wi-Fi. “We need to find out where the Nogarola family had their country villa,” I said.
It didn’t take Sid long to figure it out. “They had a house in a village called Castel d’Azzano. It’s still there, but it’s not a private home anymore. It looks like it’s used by the town council and they call it Villa Violini.” He pulled up Google Maps. “Castel d’Azzano is about a half hour south of here by car.”
“We’ll go there first thing in the morning.” It was too late and too dark now.
“We should try to get some sleep,” Clio said. She’d been very quiet since we got to the hotel, watching us and listening to our conversations, but not contributing. It reminded me that she was a stranger, and a cop, and that we really didn’t know her at all.
She took one of the beds, and Sid and I shared the other. I couldn’t sleep. My mind kept picking over my latest plan, finding reasons that a countryside location was dumb, that it wouldn’t work just to show up at this house, which looked huge and mostly locked up. I became convinced it was just another dead end. I felt in over my depth, slapped by waves of panic and self-doubt.
I was also desperate to speak to Mum. She’d told me not to call her, but she was the only person who might be able to help. I knew it wasn’t a smart move, that it might even be a dangerous move, but I got out of bed and locked myself into the small bathroom.
Viv answered.
“Could you give Mum the phone, please.” I had no bandwidth left to generate politeness.
She laughed. “I’m not your personal assistant.”
“Viv!” I was shocked. “I’m not joking. I need to speak to her urgently.”
She snapped. “No! You listen to me, you ungrateful little bitch. You can’t speak to your mother because she’s not here.They have her. Do you know why? It’s because you prioritized yourself and your career. You were so self-important, it was beneath you to care for your own mother, your own flesh and blood. Did you ever wonder whether I really wanted to spend all my days caring for her? Did you really believe that was enough for me? Big mistake, Anya. I’m an esteemed member of the Order of St. Katherine. I matter!”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Where’s Mum?”
“Gone. Good luck finding her.”
“Where is she?” I shouted. “Tell me!”
“You heard me, and guess what, Dr. Anya Brown, everyone knows that Folio 9 was forged. They did it to lure you in. And now you know how it feels to be used, you can stop pretending how clever you are, because you’re not!”
She was screaming. I felt sick to my stomach. She hung up, and when I tried to call back, it went to voicemail. It was the same when I tried her number. We had no neighbors at the cottage, no one I could ask to go and check on Mum. I threw my phone at the bathroom door.
Sid rattled the handle. “Anya! What’s wrong?”
I unlocked the door. Clio was standing on the other side with Sid. I told them everything.
“I should call this in,” Clio said.
“What if that puts Mum in more danger?”
“We need to find out what’s happened here.”
“No,” I said. “Please. Let’s just think about this. If the police getinvolved, the Katherine people might do something to Mum, but if I find this hidden book, I can offer it to them to get her back.”
“If a crime’s been committed, it’s my duty to report it,” Clio said, but then she seemed to reconsider. “Okay. We think, but when I say it’s time to report it, we do.”
I told them what Viv said about Folio 9. “She can’t be serious, can she?” I asked Sid. “Surely she was just trying to get at me.” My stomach dropped when I saw how he looked. “Oh, my God. You knew this already? Is it true?”
“I’ve seen it said before, in a chat room online. Someone claimed that Alice Trevelyan had the forgery made. I thought it was gossip. It probably is!”
“When did you see it? Why didn’t you tell me? What the hell, Sid!”
Clio interrupted. “Can I interject?” Her voice was calm. Her training was showing.
I couldn’t let it go.“This makes me a fraud,” I said. “I was right all along.”
