Dangerous Games

by Gillian Godden

  ‘It’s not often I get to work with such beauty, Mr Tony, and I doubt I ever will again.’ Solomon clasped the diamond in his hand. ‘It is a pleasure to get the chance to show my skill as a jeweller. Give me a couple of days.’

  ***

  Back in Italy, Miriam received a parcel. When she opened it, she found a small box containing a pair of diamond stud earrings. She held the box to her chest and looked up at the heavens.

  ‘Thank you, Antonias,’ she said. She took out the earrings she was wearing and put the new ones in at once. It wasn’t the diamonds she liked so much, it was the sender, and the gesture. Maybe now, they could put the past behind them.

  ***

  Don Carlos was handed a parcel as he sat at his large desk. It was a wooden cigar box, full of his favourite Cuban cigars. He opened the box and noticed in the middle of all the large, fat cigars, one of them was missing the paper hallmark band. Don Carlos picked it up and looked at it.

  Replacing the cigar band was a man’s gold signet ring, and in the middle of it, was a beautifully shaped diamond.

  Don Carlos sat back in his chair and smiled. He knew exactly who it was from, especially as it bore a UK postmark. He put the thick, gold ring on his middle finger and admired it. So, this young Antonias Lambrianu had taste. He found himself smiling as he sat back in his chair and looked at the ring.

  HOMEWARD BOUND

  Tony, Jake, Sharon and Elle had all booked their flights to Italy. This was to be an adventure. None of them had ever been on a holiday abroad, before. Passports had to be sorted for the women, and Elle and Sharon had done their shopping.

  This was what they all needed, after all the turmoil there’d been in their life, lately.

  Elle was a little concerned; she wondered how Tony would feel to be back in his homeland after so many years. It had to be done, though, he couldn’t run forever.

  They had found a resort not far from the vineyard and booked in to a hotel. Instantly, from the moment they stepped off the plane, the mood seemed more relaxed. The sun was hot and bright, and seemed to ease their tense muscles.

  The fine hotel hosted two swimming pools, and fantastic food. What more could they ask for? They swam, ate and relaxed on sunloungers, soaking up the sun. It was pure bliss. It was also a honeymoon for Sharon and Jake.

  It was Elle who eventually brought up the subject. ‘Tony, love, we leave in a few days. Don’t you think you should go and see Miriam?’

  Tony was pensive; he had thought the same thing every morning he had got up, yet each day he had put it off.

  ‘We could all go together, if you like.’ Tony kept his sunglasses on; he didn’t want Elle to see that he was a little nervous, or embarrassed.

  ‘That’s a lovely idea, I’ll go and tell the others.’ Elle left straight away to tell them. She thought it was best to strike while the iron was hot, and before Tony changed his mind. She knew he had been avoiding the issue.

  The vineyard wasn’t hard to find; everyone knew it. It wasn’t just some old farm that grew grapes.

  They had hired a car for the day and when they saw it from a distance, they were amazed. It was a huge operation, rows of vines as far as the eye could see, surrounded by factories, and populated by hundreds of workers.

  When they arrived, there were lorries parked outside of the factories, some unloading materials for wine-making, others being stacked with boxes of wines.

  ‘Wow!’ said Jake, ‘I never expected anything like this, it’s mind-blowing.’ Jake was just a kid from London who had never ventured much further than that. Places like this were inconceivable.

  They had all stopped talking and were just looking around at the scene before them.

  Tony shouted out to some workers loading the lorries, ‘Where’s the house? We’re looking for Miriam Lambrianu.’ He noticed the confused look on their faces and shouted out to them again, this time in Italian.

  He saw them smile and point to the far side of the site, away from all the factories and the vineyard.

  They drove for what seemed like a couple of miles, and then they saw it: a large house with a long driveway leading up to the door. It was enormous, the biggest house they had ever seen.

  The parked at the front, then looked at one another nervously, wondering which one of them was going to use the great big iron knocker on the wooden door.

  Elle felt she should take the lead. Jake was still turning around and around, pointing things out to Sharon and looking at all of the goings on near the factories, and Tony still sat in the car, looking dazed. Elle felt he looked like he wanted to drive off. She was just about to knock when the door opened.

  ‘Mr Antonias, come in. Please, all of you, come in. Miriam saw your car from the window. You are all most welcome.’ Rosanna, smiling, beckoned them inside.

  Miriam sat in her chair, waiting. She wanted to savour this moment. At long last, her grandson had come home. This was a memorable day.

  Rosanna showed them all in to the lounge, where Miriam waited. She, too, was nervous. It had been a long time since Antonias was in her lounge. She stood up and greeted Antonias and his friends. She understood why he had come mob-handed, it must all be very strange for him. He was lurking at the back, hidden behind Jake and Sharon. He looked like he was trying to go unnoticed.

  It was almost lunchtime; Miriam instructed Rosanna to make coffee and prepare some food, then she walked forward. ‘Antonias, my beautiful grandson. Welcome home.’ She held out her arms to him and hugged him, as tears flowed down her face.

  The tension was broken. They took seats and made their introductions.

  Rosanna was quickly back and she brought in far more food than was necessary. She broke any awkward silences by chattering away about the vineyard and how she would arrange for some of the workman to give them a tour.

  She was a typical Italian woman. She wandered around, making herself busy, while chattering away to anyone who would listen.

  Tony noticed Miriam was wearing the diamond stud earrings that he had sent her. When she saw that he was looking, she raised a finger to her ear and touched one, and smiled. Not a word was spoken between them.

  ‘I hope you will all be staying for a few days,’ Miriam said. She paused, and watched them all look at Tony; he said nothing.

  ‘Well, maybe you will all indulge an old woman and at least stay for dinner, now that Rosanna has slain the fatted calf?’

  Tony nodded his head, and they all agreed that they would love to stay for the evening.

  Tony stood and began looking at all the photographs that were in Miriam’s lounge. The mantelpiece was full of silver photo frames, containing images of his mother, father and himself. Some were of Miriam and a man, who he presumed was his grandfather. He wished he could remember his time in Italy and his Italian family better.

  ***

  That evening, they were all enjoying the amazing meal prepared by Rosanna and the cook. The talking was easy, the mood relaxed. Miriam sometimes slipped up and spoke in Italian, and was impressed when Jake answered her. Antonias had taught his friend well.

  It was starting to get dark and, cleverly, Rosanna had put out some different wines for them all to taste.

  ‘You have to stay the night, all of you, the roads are dark and you are not familiar with them,’ said Rosanna, who had joined them at the table to eat and be merry. ‘Plus, you have been drinking. You cannot drive, you must stay.’

  Elle looked at Miriam from across the table, she gave her a secret smile. She knew she had planned this with Rosanna. Tony and Jake both had to agree to stay the night; they had been so carried away with tasting the different wines that they had forgotten they were driving.

  They all talked till late and then Miriam said she was going to retire for the night. She kissed each, in turn, on the cheek.

  The rest of the party decided that they, too, were ready for bed. Rosanna showed them all upstairs to their bedrooms; again, she had been clever. All the beds were made up for them, an
d the rooms had been aired.

  Tony stopped suddenly at the top of the stairs and stared. He didn’t know why it was, but there was a bedroom door at the far end of the landing and he couldn’t take his eyes off it. There was something vaguely familiar about it, like some flashback of memory.

  ‘What’s in there, Rosanna?’ He pointed to the door. the others looked at the door, then at Tony, and saw the puzzled look on his face.

  Rosanna flushed red; she didn’t know what to say, so ignored Tony’s question and carried on showing the others their rooms.

  Tony grabbed her by the arm. ‘Rosanna, what’s in there?’ he asked again. He stared directly into her face, waiting for an answer.

  ‘Tony, stop it, you’ll hurt her,’ said Elle. This was a strange situation. They all looked at Tony, confused.

  Miriam came out of her bedroom and saw Tony holding Rosanna’s arm. She looked at all their faces and saw the confusion on them.

  ‘Show Antonias his bedroom, Rosanna,’ she said calmly.

  Rosanna did as she was told. She walked to the door, turned the handle and opened it slowly. She switched on the light, then stood back, to allow Tony to walk in. They all waited on the landing as Tony walked forward and entered the bedroom.

  The room had never been touched since the night he had left it. There were huge cobwebs hanging from the ceiling, and the surfaces were covered in dust. The wallpaper was a brownish faded colour, worn through the years.

  Tony walked in and looked around, it all seemed familiar, like something from a dream. He noticed in the far corner, near the wardrobes, were boxes of once gaily wrapped presents, all with his name on the labels.

  Tony looked at the wall above the small bed; there was a crisp, brown piece of paper pinned to it, and it was a child’s drawing.

  He suddenly couldn’t breathe, his lungs wouldn’t fill with air. Miriam had kept his room exactly as he had left it. It held all the memories of his childhood.

  Miriam stood in the doorway, watching him. She hadn’t wanted him to see it, not yet, anyway. The room had been her way of keeping Antonias alive, and not just a memory.

  Tony sat on the dusty bed, and cried. The rotting bed clothes tore under his weight.

  Jake walked forward. He could see the pain in Tony’s face, and it hurt him, not knowing how to ease it.

  ‘Rosanna, you can clear this room, now. Antonias is alive and well, he is no longer a memory to us,’ said Miriam. She turned and walked back into her bedroom; there was nothing more to say.

  Jake put his arm around Tony. ‘Come on, mate, it’s been a long day, time for bed.’

  ‘Look around you, Jake, look at all those presents, look at this room. This could have been my life. Don’t you understand?’

  ‘That’s just it, Tony, I do. Somewhere, someone is living in the house where I lived with my parents, before they were killed. My memories will be in those rooms. Believe me, I understand better than anyone.’

  Tony dried his eyes, and put his arms around Jake. Yes, he was being selfish. Jake had his own demons.

  ***

  They ended up staying with Miriam for a few days.

  The next day, Miriam took Tony to the little church on the vineyard, and showed him how to take Mass and thank God for his safety. Later, they all took the tour around the vineyard, and Jake couldn’t believe his eyes. It was truly a lovely homecoming. Antonias and Miriam were reunited at last.

  On the day they were all due to leave, Don Carlos came to visit. He asked if Miriam would like to show her guests some areas of the vineyard they might have not yet seen.

  Miriam knew this was his way of asking everyone to leave except Antonias; they all understood and made their excuses.

  Jake would have liked to stay with Tony, but he was enthralled by the vineyard. Besides, he knew Tony would tell him everything later, anyway.

  Don Carlos had another man with him this time, though Tony didn’t think he looked like a member of the mob; he looked quite plain, in comparison.

  After sitting down and asking if Tony was enjoying his stay in Italy, Don Carlos got straight to the point.

  ‘There’s a fly in the ointment, Antonias. I need to make a man disappear, if you get my meaning.’ Don Carlos waited for Tony to indicate that he understood. There was a pause, and Tony nodded.

  ‘It makes no difference whatsoever to me how or when this man disappears, but I thought you might like to do it, given the circumstances.’

  Tony was astounded; this man that he thought he could trust was asking him to kill someone.

  ‘I’m not a murderer, Don Carlos, as well you know. Why are you asking me to kill a man I don’t know?’ He spoke with respect, keeping his voice low. This was not a man to be crossed.

  Don Carlos nodded his head. He looked at the other man who he had brought with him, then back at Tony. ‘That is the point, Antonias, you do know this man. It seems that your good friend, Eddie, is the one who betrayed you. Granted, he was possibly under threat, but he never warned you, as a friend should.’

  Don Carlos waited for Tony’s reaction; maybe he already knew it had been Eddie who had made the telephone call to the police, giving Tony’s name.

  Instantly Don Carlos knew he didn’t; he saw the look of disbelief on Tony’s face. He carried on.

  ‘He has laughed and drank with you, my friend, he has sat at the same table as your family and eaten with you all, watching, day after day, as their houses were searched and torn apart.’

  Eddie? His good friend Eddie had betrayed him? Don Carlos must be mistaken, they had been good friends for many years, and Eddie wouldn’t do that.

  Seeing Tony’s confused look of disbelief, Don Carlos put his hand out to the other man in the room. The man opened his briefcase, took out an old-fashioned tape recorder and handed it to Don Carlos.

  Don Carlos put it down on the table before them and pressed the ‘play’ button, so that Tony could hear for himself.

  Tony raised his eyebrows and looked at Don Carlos, then turned to the other man in the room. He recognized Eddie’s voice instantly, there was no mistaking it. He listened to the tape.

  How on earth Don Carlos had managed to get his hands on the original telephone call made by Eddie amazed Tony, but then again, with this man’s connections, nothing surprised him.

  Tony felt sick inside when he heard his old friend telling the police that the Italian man involved in the robbery was Tony Lambrianu. His face flushed red, deepened by the blondeness of his hair, and he was angry. He couldn’t believe his ears and asked Don Carlos to play it again, just to make sure, and then he watched as Don Carlos switched off the machine and handed it back to the other man.

  ‘Did you not know, Antonias, that your friend was also in Amsterdam with his bossman? They set you up. The diamonds had already been given to the bossman in England – he took them back to Amsterdam and arranged for you to go and collect them, and he and your so-called friend watched you and your associate being arrested.’

  Tony stood up; he was fuming. He started pacing the room and punching his fist into the palm of his other hand, while shouting about what he was going to do to Eddie.

  Don Carlos knew Tony had a reputation for being quick-tempered and feisty; he waited for him to calm down a little.

  ‘Sit down, Antonias. It seems your friend Eddie—’

  Tony was about to speak, but Don Carlos put his hand up to stop him and allow him to finish.

  ‘It seems your friend Eddie is a witness for the defence, and he is going to swear an oath that he drove you to the hotel that night. Now do you see why he needs to disappear?’

  How many times had Eddie sat in Elle’s kitchen, eating with them? How many times had he comforted Elle about how her lovely new bungalow had been searched, and left in such a mess, by the police? And all the time he had known it was his fault. He’d been laughing behind their backs, and still was, by the sound of it.

  ‘Thank you, Don Carlos, for telling me this, I appreciate it. I
will kill him, truly I will, with my bare hands, if necessary. If not for myself, I’ll do it for all the pain he’s put my family through.’

  Don Carlos smiled at the other man in the room, and then he shook his head and waved his finger at Tony.

  ‘No, Antonias, stop thinking about what you will do to this friend of yours and sort out your alibi. Never do a deed like this without careful planning. Never show your feelings, especially anger. It shows weakness and lets other people know what you are thinking.’

  As angry and upset as he was, Tony knew this man was right; he had no alibi, and he would be playing right into the hands of the bossman and the police. It would prove to them all he had been involved and that he was as guilty as them. Nothing he could think of would hold up in court; he was at a loss. Eddie was going to get away with it.

  Don Carlos stood up; he could see that he had given Tony a lot to think about. ‘I’ve kept you from your friends and grandmother for far too long. But hear me, Antonias, I will let you do your deed, and I will take care of your alibi. Okay?’

  ‘How? And why would you want to do that for me? I hardly know you.’ Tony looked at him warily. Why would a man like this help him out with an alibi?

  Don Carlos gave him a knowing smile. ‘We are almost family. Ask Miriam, maybe she will fill you in on the details one day. By the way, Antonias, what’s your ambition? What is it that you are striving for in life?’

  Don Carlos waited, he knew this wasn’t all Antonias wanted, and he was an ambitious young man.

  Tony swept his hands through his hair. Telling Don Carlos what he would like seemed rather pathetic, but he had asked and so he would answer him truthfully.

  ‘I would like to take over the bossman’s club one day, Don Carlos. I have always felt it was wasted on him, and with the location and the right management, it could be a goldmine. That’s what I would like to do, but there’s no way he would let me manage it, or buy it, if I had the money.’

  Tony laughed, to lighten the mood. He felt childish telling Don Carlos what he had always thought to himself, each time he had gone into the club.