‘But why try to kill Archer? I’ve spoken to him, and he strongly disagreed with the policies being advocated by Angel and Hicks. In spite of his chosen profession, I feel he’s a man of honour.’
When she answered, her voice was stronger, more strident. ‘As far as I’m concerned, anybody connected with that business deserves to die, just as thousands of people, tens of thousands of people, have died as a result of their dirty deals.’
For a moment, I read deep and burning hatred in her eyes, the sort of hatred that makes people commit murder. I had seen this sort of look before and I knew that there was no point in continuing the conversation any longer. I had all I needed so I reached forward to stop recording and pocket my phone. As I did so, I nodded towards the police officers at the top of the steps and saw them approach.
Marco escorted her away without fuss – in fact, few of the guests around the pool appeared to notice anything – and Virgilio looked down at me, a smile on his face.
‘Trust you to be in the right place at the right time, Dan. Did she admit everything?’
I nodded. ‘I’ve got it all recorded. I’ll send you over the file.’
He must have noted my bleak tone. ‘You should be celebrating, Dan. It’s not every day we manage to arrest a serial killer.’
I pushed back my chair and stood up. The fact was that I felt no sense of triumph whatsoever. There was a part of me – not the former police officer part of me – that understood and maybe even shared the depth of feeling emanating so clearly from Emilia Cortez. Some terrible things were happening in the world – of course, terrible things have always happened in the world, and ultimately, the fault has to lie with the people giving the orders, not the weapons they use to commit the atrocities. But the fact remained that without the materiel to commit massmurder, petty tyrants and ambitious warlords would be seriously handicapped. There was no way I could condone what she had done, but I knew that companies like TXA had to share responsibility for what gets done with the arms they provide, and Angel and Hicks had paid with their lives.
25
FRIDAY
Remarkably, the tour of the wedding venue continued as if nothing had happened – at least, as far as the events manager and Tricia were concerned. When I returned to the group, Anna didn’t ask any questions. She just caught hold of my arm and clung to me as we walked around admiring all the facilities. Oscar, as ever, had also sensed my dejected mood and he trotted at my side. Whenever I stopped, he leant against me to offer some support of his own. He really is a very good dog.
It was well after half-past eleven by the time we left the hotel and walked back down to where Anna had left her car. As we did so, I heard Tricia and Shaun exchanging notes. Both had been very impressed, but I have to confess to a feeling of relief when they concluded that a wedding in such a grand and opulent location wasn’t what they wanted. They agreed that they would direct their search towards something more low-key, and my relief had nothing to do with the effect this would have on my bank balance. I knew I would forever associate this charming place with a sad, desperate and disturbed person who had decided tocommit terrible crimes in the hope of preventing further terrible crimes in the future.
Anna appeared equally pleased with the decision, and it sounded as if she had reached a decision of her own. ‘I’ve been thinking, Dan, and I’m not sure that I want a big, glitzy wedding either. Would you mind if we went for something smaller and more intimate?’
I had absolutely no hesitation. ‘That sounds like an excellent suggestion but, as I’ve said all along, it’s your decision to make. Whatever you decide is just fine with me.’ I leant down and gave her a peck on the cheek. ‘I just want to get married to you. Where, when and how we do it doesn’t make any difference at all to me. You choose.’
And I really wasn’t thinking about my bank balance. Honest.
When we got back to Anna’s little Fiat, I told them that I would walk down to the villa to collect my own vehicle. Trying to squeeze four adults and a big dog into a Cinquecento would have been a struggle anyway, but I felt I needed a bit of peace and quiet in the fresh air. Anna could tell that the events of the morning had had a depressing effect on me. Before climbing into the car, she gave me a hug and a kiss and simply murmured in my ear, ‘You did your job,carissimo,’ before returning to more practical matters and reminding me that I had promised to pick up her daughter from the station at three-thirty.
Oscar and I walked back along the same old mule track we had taken before, and he was only too pleased to stop for a drink and a shower when we got to the fountain halfway down the hill. Going in this direction, we were regularly presented with views of Florence, the bulk of the duomo gradually getting larger and larger as we descended towards it. From here, it was a scene of exceptional beauty and it seemed surreal to think that only a few days ago, a man had been murdered there. It’s fair to say that Iwas in a reflective mood as I walked back down, but the combination of fresh air, sunlight and the beautiful surroundings gradually began to cheer me. At least now the people in the villa could get on with their lives again and, hopefully, this would serve as a salutary lesson to all of them.
Back at the villa, things had already changed. There was no longer a guard on the gate, and it was Amedeo who pressed the button to let me in when I rang the bell. There was now only one squad car along with Virgilio’s car left in the parking area, and inside the villa, I felt sure there would be an understandable air of relief. I found Diana Dini, who had just finished handing back phones, passports and ID documents to the occupants, and she gave me a triumphant smile.
‘Well done, Dan, I hear you caught the fugitive single-handed.’
I smiled back and pointed at Oscar, who was happily rubbing his nose against her leg. ‘It was sheer chance and, besides, I had backup.’
She told me that Virgilio was in the dining room, and I went on through. I found him in there, surrounded by the remnants of the personnel of TXA Supplies, and I immediately received a couple of kisses on my cheeks from Penelope and a bear hug from Peter Schneider that lifted me off my feet. Returning me gently to the ground, he grabbed hold of my hand and pumped it up and down.
‘Thank you for everything. We’re safe now.’ Spotting Oscar beside me, he grabbed a handful of biscuits from a plate on the table and handed them down to my grateful Labrador as I headed over to Virgilio’s side. He also greeted me warmly.
‘Ciao, Dan. What did your daughter think of the wedding venue?’
‘I’m relieved to say she’s going to go for somewhere else. I’mglad – that place will always have memories for me now. Did you get the audio file I sent you?’ He nodded and I went on. ‘I don’t know about you, but I don’t really have the usual feeling of satisfaction after apprehending a murderer. She was a sad woman.’
His expression became more serious and he nodded in return. ‘I know what you mean, but you still can’t go around killing people like that.’ He pointed across towards Rosina, who had emerged from the kitchen and was busy setting the table. ‘We’ve been invited to stay for lunch. Apparently, we’re going to be the first guinea pigs to try Carl Sinclair’s gnocchi. Oh, and there’s going to be another guest for lunch as well. I phoned Angel’s ex-wife to give her the good news that we had apprehended the perpetrator, and she’s on her way up here now.’
At that moment, I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to find Eddie standing behind me, his face once more sporting a broad smile. ‘See, Chief Inspector, I was right about the Spanish woman, wasn’t I? Maybe I should join the police.’
I decided not to spoil his moment of triumph by reminding him that Emilia Cortez hadn’t been his first suggestion and shook his hand instead. ‘With your experience, Eddie, the police would be lucky to have you.’
There was a clink of glasses, and Amedeo emerged from the kitchen carrying a tray of wine glasses. Among them were champagne glasses and the significance of these was immediately revealed when he went back into the kitchen and returned with a massive magnum of top-of-the-range French champagne. He opened it most professionally and filled the glasses before handing them around to everybody. When everybody had a glass in their hands – although I noted that Eddie’s contained water – an expectant hush fell over the room and Vincent Archer stepped forward.
‘What can I say? It’s been one hell of a week. We’ve lost twogood friends, and you almost lost me yesterday. I count myself very lucky indeed. Anyway, it seems strange to drink a celebratory toast in the week when two of our number have been murdered, but the very good news for the rest of us left behind is that the Italian police have done a great job and apprehended the perpetrator.’ He held up his glass. ‘Cheers to the Florence murder squad – with a little bit of help from the Metropolitan Police.’
We all raised our glasses and Archer carried on, his tone now noticeably more serious. ‘I would just like to reassure all of you that TXA will weather the storm and carry on, but I can promise you this. As long as I’m at the helm, we will choose our customers as ethically as possible and never let profit decide who we work with. As far as the next few days are concerned, I think we’ve all earned some time off, so enjoy a bit of a break before we get back to work again later next week. Cheers.’
