‘Afternoon, gents. Welcome to our humble abode.’ Humble was pronounced without the ‘h’. In spite of his choice of vocabulary, he didn’t look particularly welcoming. I translated for Virgilio’s sake, although his English is pretty good. After all, my stated reason for being here was to act as interpreter as needed.
Virgilio introduced himself and continued in English. ‘I understand that you are the right-hand man to Mr Tristan Angel. Is that correct?’
The big man produced an ironic smile. ‘Among other things. I’m what you might call a jack of all trades, master of none. I suppose you’ve come to see the boss, or are you after one of the family?’
‘The family?’
Eddie grinned, and I counted a fourth gaping cavity. Ireckoned he must have taken quite a pounding in his time. ‘We’re all one big happy family here – well, not a real family and not always happy, but we’re what’s known as a close-knit group.’
Virgilio double-checked for the sake of clarity. ‘But none of you are actually related?’
The bodyguard – or whatever he was – was still grinning. ‘No, but sometimes, it feels like it. So, it’s the boss you want to see, is it?’
Virgilio shook his head. ‘I’m afraid I come bearing bad news. It would appear that Mr Angel has been murdered.’
The grin disappeared off the big man’s face in an instant, to be replaced by a look that combined shock and maybe something more – like fear or even guilt?
‘The boss murdered? Where…? How?’ If it was an act, it was a good one. He looked genuinely gobsmacked.
Virgilio didn’t go into any great detail. ‘In Florence this morning. If there’s nobody here related to him, do you have details of his next of kin?’
Eddie was still looking stunned, so stunned that Oscar must have put aside his reservations as he emerged from behind my legs and trotted over to rub his nose against the man’s knee. Eddie reached down to scratch his ears remarkably gently while he answered.
‘You’ve got me there, squire. I’ve known the boss for almost ten years now, and he’s never once spoken about his folks.’
‘Was he married?’
‘Yes, but that all went down the Swanee years ago.’ I translated for Virgilio’s benefit, and he nodded in comprehension.
‘Did they have any children?’ Eddie shook his head, and Virgilio went on with his questions. ‘Did Mr Angel live here full time along with you and the people you call the family?’
Eddie shook his head again. ‘No, we’ve only just got here.’
‘Exactly how long have you been here?’
‘We flew in from London first thing yesterday.’
‘All of you?’
‘Every last one of us, guvnor.’
‘You go everywhere together?’
‘The boss hardly ever goes anywhere alone. I’m pretty much always with him.’ He grinned at us and flexed his impressive biceps. ‘I provide protection. This week, there’s a whole heap of us in the group. Like a travelling bleedin’ circus, we are. London last week, Italy this. God knows where we’ll be next week – probably Africa or somewhere in the back of beyond.’ He paused for thought while I translated. ‘Leastways, that’s how it’s been up till now. Now the boss has snuffed it, who knows?’
Again, I translated for Virgilio’s benefit before asking Eddie a question of my own. ‘So if you provide protection, how come you weren’t with him this morning?’
His expression darkened. ‘I can’t protect him if he don’t want me with him, can I? I told him I’d come with him this morning, but he said no, he had something he wanted to do on his own.’
‘Did he tell you what that was?’
Eddie shook his head. ‘Just that it was private.’
‘Did he often go off on his own?’
‘Sometimes, but I didn’t like it. Anything could have happened to him… and I was right, wasn’t I? Something did happen, didn’t it?’
He looked genuinely unhappy, so I changed the subject back to him. ‘So, apart from providing protection, what does a jack of all trades do in a set-up like this? I imagine you do more than flex your muscles and polish the silverware. Are you the lion tamer, or the ringmaster to your travelling circus?’
