Broken Chord

by Margaret Moore

“What do you think?”

  “In this horrific and absurd situation, I think I’ve suspected almost everyone of murdering my mother, including my brother, so yes, I’ve also considered Piero as a possible suspect. He’s a control freak. He’s been king of the castle here for years and Guido was the sort that would try to topple him from his throne.”

  “Everything would make more sense of Guido had been the victim.”

  “I agree. All of us might have had a motive for killing Guido, and none of us had one for killing mother, except Guido and even I don’t think he did it.”

  “What about Marta? Does anyone know how she feels about Piero?”

  “You could always ask her, but he’s her husband. I shouldn’t think she’d tell you even she knew something.”

  “And he’s got complete control over her, too.”

  “Well, if you mean she’s drugged up to the eyeballs, yes.”

  “What do you think about your brother’s death?”

  “I don’t understand it. Maybe Lapo killed mother and someone killed him for doing it.”

  “Maybe that someone was none other than you? Maybe Lapo realised that you’d killed her. Maybe you let something slip and you killed him because you didn’t trust him to keep his mouth shut.”

  “So who was it, me or Piero or Guido? Let me know when you’ve decided.” He grabbed the pen and small notebook from Dragonetti, scribbled rapidly and handed it to Dragonetti. “You’ll see yourself out,” he said and went to join his wife and children.

  Drago decided he’d had enough. Marta could wait until the next day. He got into his car and drove back towards Lucca.

  Marianna came down to the kitchen, got a glass, and opened the fridge. She took out a lemon, placed it on a wooden board and selected a large knife. She weighed the knife in her hand and then she sliced the lemon in two and squeezed the juice out of it into a glass. Her brother came in.

  “Do you want some,” she asked pointing at the glass.

  “Thanks.”

  She got another lemon and picked up the knife again.

  “That magistrate was back again,” said Teo.

  “Really! What did he want?” she asked.

  “What does he always want? I think he wants to trick one of us into confessing.”

  “Trick us?”

  “Well, trip us up.”

  “Well, if we’re innocent he can’t, can he?”

  “No, of course not.”

  “Teo, I was thinking in the shower. I’m not going to New Zealand and unless you tie me up and drag me onto the plane, you can’t make me. I need to be here for Roberto.”

  “Marianna, I’ve had enough,” exploded Tebaldo. “I’ll lock you in your bedroom and prevent you from leaving the house until you’re eighteen, if that’s what you want. So far I’ve been very patient and let you go and visit that clod every day but you’re going to lose your privileges if you don’t knuckle under.”

  “You’re such a bastard Teo, just like the rest of them. I must have been crazy to think you were any different.”

  “So… I win?”

  “For now, but believe me you’ll be sorry.”

  “Don’t try and threaten me.”

  “I’m not, but believe me, I’ll never see you again after my eighteenth birthday. Is that clear? You’ll be as good as dead to me.” Her hand clutched the knife convulsively.

  He grabbed her arm and said, “Why are you behaving like this? Can’t you see I’m only doing it because I care about you. It’s dangerous for you to stay here. I want you in a safe place where nothing can hurt you. I don’t know what’s going to happen, none of us do. I need you out of here, Marianna. Do you hear me?”

  “Do you think I don’t know we’re all in danger? I’m careful. I stay in my room most of the time and I lock the door.”

  “Good. You mustn’t trust anyone.”

  “So you see there’s no reason why I should go away. I want to enjoy what I’ve got.”

  “Look, we’ve all had a rough deal, growing up the way we did. It hasn’t been easy for any of us, but now we’re free. Try and understand. You don’t need to marry some little delinquent to be free. You’re already free. Just go away until the danger is over. I can’t answer for what might happen to you.”

  She shook herself from his hold and stared at him, the knife still in her hand. His eyes were drawn to it.

  “Free, I’ll never be free and neither will you. We’ll cart all this stuff around for the rest of our lives and you know it. Stop bullying me! Leave me alone!” Her voice rose hysterically with fear. He put out his hand.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

  As Dragonetti started the journey towards Lucca his mind was still teeming. He felt sure he had nearly solved this crime but something vital was eluding him. After a couple of kilometers he braked, turned the car and went back to the villa. He leapt out of the car and strode down to the pool where he found Isabella alone with the children.

  “Again!” she exclaimed.

  “Signora, it’s you I wanted to see.”

  “Me! What is this? I’ve told you everything.”

  “I think you’ve been honest with me, so far, but there’s something else I wanted to ask you about the night of your mother-in-law’s death.”

  “Ask away.” She sounded resigned.

  “You said that you were with your husband that night until about ten past one, when he thought you were asleep and crept out of the room, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “But you weren’t asleep”

  “No.”

  “How much did you sleep that night?”

  “Not a lot. I knew he was with the woman and I felt sure he was going to divorce me. No, I couldn’t sleep.”

  “You were lying there, thinking, and listening for his step on the stair, waiting for him to return.”

  “Yes, that’s about it.” She gave him a rueful smile.

  “How many times did you think you heard him come back?”

  “Look, I dozed on and off, and a couple of times I did think it was him, but it wasn’t.”

  “How did you know this? Because you got up to look?”

  “No, because he didn’t come into the room, so obviously it wasn’t him. I thought my ears were playing tricks on me. I even thought I heard a car at one point, but I can’t have, because Lapo didn’t come in till four and I heard him alright. I think everybody did.”

  “But you never got up to look?”

  “No, I didn’t want Tebaldo to know that I was lying there waiting for him. When he came in, I pretended I was asleep.”

  “You didn’t go out yourself?”

  “No, why should I?”

  “You didn’t decide to follow him?”

  “Come on. Apart from anything else I’ve got two children. I couldn’t leave them alone.”

  “Weren’t you curious about the other woman?”

  “No, not really. It didn’t matter who she was. It was the fact that she existed that got me.”

  “I’m sorry if I’ve upset you.”

  “You haven’t… things are better now. We’re trying to make a go of it.”

  “I’m glad.” He pressed her hand and walked towards the house, going directly down to the basement where Piero and Marta had their flat. He knocked and waited. Piero opened the door. A weak voice from the bedroom called, “Who is it, Piero? Tell me who it is.”

  “Oh God, it’s you. What do you want? Have you come to tell us you’ve arrested someone?”

  “No. I must talk to Marta.”

  “She’s not at all well. Can’t it wait? You won’t get any sense out of her.”

  “I’ll risk that.”

  “Alright, but for God’s sake, don’t upset her.”

  “I’ll do my best not to.”

  Piero walked ahead and announced him.

  In the bed, an old woman looked at him. Her face seemed to have shrunk into empty folds. Her eyes had dark circles under them and shone with tears. Her dark
hair was loose and bedraggled. He was horrified at such a drastic change in such a short time.

  “Marta, do you remember me?”

  “Of course, of course,” she gabbled. “Have you found the man that killed my boy?”

  “Not yet, but I will. Please believe me.”

  She pulled him closer to her. “Piero’s trying to kill me,” she whispered.

  “He’s very worried about you.”

  “Is he?” she glanced at her husband.

  “Perhaps you would leave us, Signor Lotti.”

  Piero shrugged his shoulders and left the room.

  Marta muttered, “I don’t trust any of them. We’re all going to be killed in our beds.”

  “No, I don’t think there’s any danger now.”

  “So you know who it was.”

  “I’m almost there. Can I ask you about the night Madam was murdered?”

  “Madam? But we all know Guido killed her. Why haven’t you arrested him?”

  “Because I don’t have any proof that he did. Can you help me? Did you hear him come into the house that night?”

  “No, not Guido.”

  “What did you see or hear that night?”

  “People walking about all night. I told you I saw Tebaldo going out and Piero says he saw Lapo, but is it true? I can’t trust him anymore. No one’s what they seem. I’m so frightened.”

  “Piero told me he saw Lapo going out with a bag of stuff.”

  “Dear God, what was the poor boy doing?” she muttered to herself.

  “Did you hear anyone come in?” Dragonetti insisted.

  “Lapo. I told you Lapo came back at four.”

  “I know that, but what about earlier? You were listening out for Lapo, weren’t you?”

  “Of course I was. I couldn’t sleep till I knew he was safely back home. Lapo sometimes… got into trouble. I was always worried about him and now he’s gone. My lovely boy.”

  “What did you hear? You said you didn’t hear Guido.”

  “No, I didn’t and neither did Piero. He must have been quiet as a mouse. But how could he do all that to her and not make any noise?” She stifled a sob.

  “But while you were lying there worrying about Lapo, you did hear something, right? You heard a car well before four o’clock.”

  “How did you know that?” she stared at him. “I thought it was Lapo.”

  “But it wasn’t.”

  “No.”

  “How do you know it wasn’t him?”

  “I got up to look. I heard footsteps on the stairs but it didn’t sound like him. He walked differently to other people, you know, because of his back.”

  “Who did you see?”

  She suddenly froze and said abruptly, “Nobody.”

  “Come on, you know who it was.”

  “No. It wasn’t important. It’s got nothing to do with what happened.”

  “Shall I tell you why you won’t say the name?”

  She looked at him and said nothing.

  “The person you saw was breaking the law in quite a different way and you don’t want there to be any trouble about it.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “Come on Marta, there won’t be any trouble, I promise. I just need the name.”

  And so she told him.

  CHAPTER FORTY

  He climbed the back stairs into the kitchen. Tebaldo was there bandaging his hand.

  “You’re hurt, what happened?”

  “It was my own fault. I was arguing with Marianna. She was playing up, said she doesn’t want to go to New Zealand. Anyway she was cutting lemons at the time.”

  “She knifed you?”

  “No, I grabbed her, which was rather stupid when she had a knife in her hand. It was an accident. It’s only a scratch.”

  “Is she hurt?”

  “Not really. No more than I am. She was frightened I think, and, well, it was silly really. It ended up with both of us getting hurt.”

  “I’m not surprised she was frightened, are you?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Where is she?

  “She’s gone to the hospital. She goes every evening.”

  “But you can swear she’s alright?”

  “Of course she is! You don’t think I’ve done something terrible to her, do you?”

  “Did you? There’s a rather bloody knife here and you’re bleeding. Are you quite sure you didn’t hurt her?”

  “She has a small cut, that’s all. What do you think I am?”

  “I don’t know, Signor von Bachmann, but I hope to find out.”

  *

  Marianna got out of the taxi and walked towards the hospital. She was a familiar figure to the porter who nodded at her as she entered the hall. Dressed in white with her cape of golden hair, he thought she looked like a fairy-tale princess.

  She was trying not to think about Teo and what had happened in the kitchen. The memory of his move towards her, the way he’d grabbed her and then the blood. She looked at the plaster on her arm and shuddered. She couldn’t shake off a terrible feeling of fear.

  She waited for the lift and forced herself to think, instead, of Roberto and the future they would have together. In this way she achieved a sort of serenity as she was wafted to the top floor. She imagined Roberto waiting for her to come and how he would smile at her, but when she got out of the lift and began to walk down the corridor, she knew that something was wrong. Two nurses glanced at her and then whispered to each other. One of them moved swiftly to a phone. The corridor seemed endlessly long and she felt like the only person in the world. There was a strange hush and the only sound was her footsteps. Suddenly, a doctor appeared at the end of the corridor and began to walk quickly towards her, his white coat flapping. She knew he was coming to talk to her. As though in a silent slow replay they approached each other. She could feel her mind reeling. She didn’t want him to speak. She knew exactly what he was going to say. She could feel a surge of grief welling in her chest and as he reached her and touched her arm it erupted in a massive scream.

  They put her in a private room and sedated her. As soon as she realized Roberto was dead, she’d gone completely crazy. She’d raked her nails down the doctor’s face and screamed obscenities and accusations at him. A phone call was made and Tebaldo arrived shortly afterwards.

  “But I don’t understand, she said he was fine, well, getting better.”

  “I’m sorry, he never regained consciousness.” The doctor looked apologetic.

  “This is appalling. I think we need to consult her psychotherapist.”

  “Yes, that wouldn’t be a bad idea. Do you want to transfer her to somewhere else, to a private clinic?”

  “Oh God, I don’t know. Probably, but I think I’ll wait and see her doctor before making any decisions. I had no idea she was so close to the edge. No idea at all. She’s been so cheerful and she said he’d been discussing marriage with her.” He looked at the doctor as though expecting confirmation.

  “I’m sorry, that would have been impossible. She spent a lot of time at his bedside, talking to him but he was unable to hear her or respond. He was on life-support but his condition had deteriorated and his family decided to turn it off this morning.”

  Teo ran his hands through his hair. “I can’t believe it. She was so… clear about it all.” He looked at the doctor again as though hoping he would change his mind and say something different. There was a heavy silence, then Teo said, “Alright, I understand. I’ll go and phone her doctor. I suppose she’ll be asleep for some time.”

  “Until tomorrow. If he can come tomorrow morning we can consult with him and decide how to move, what therapy is best and where she should be taken.”

  “This coming on top of everything else, well, it’s so unexpected.” But as he said it, he realized that perhaps it wasn’t, really. Isabella had already voiced her concern over Marianna’s mental state and he too had been disconcerted by her serenity. Obviously, she had been living
in some imaginary place that had sustained her until now. When the harsh reality of the facts had shattered her make-believe world, she’d had a total breakdown. He phoned Isabella and told her.

  “My God, the poor girl. I told you I was worried. She took everything in her stride, it wasn’t normal, Teo.”

  “Well, she’s fallen to pieces now. It must have all suddenly overwhelmed her. She’s not strong and with all that’s happened in the last week or so, it’s not really surprising.”

  “Are you staying with her tonight?”

  “No, there’s no point. They’ve sedated her. I’ll be home shortly.”

  *

  Because it was so late, Dragonetti phoned Vanessa and told her he’d grab a pizza in Lucca. He also made another phone call and listened to what he was told with great interest. As he ate the pizza, he drew the threads of the case together in his mind and made a decision. At the end of the meal, he turned his car once again towards the Villa.

  Tebaldo got back to the house in time for the evening meal. His family were eating on the terrace. Isabella had ordered the promised pizzas and the children were delighted. They’d had a wonderful day: a picnic at the pool, their parents’ full attention and now pizza. Camilla expressed her happiness. “It’s been the mostest, bestest day of all.” She took a huge bite from her pizza and chewed noisily.

  “Darling, I do think you could try to make a bit less noise. Look, Papa’s arrived.”

  “Papa, Papa we’ve got pizza and you too.”

  “Camilla, please don’t shout with your mouth full of food.”

  “Mmm, pizza, lovely.” Teo shot an anguished look at his wife over their heads.

  “Come and eat. We’ll talk later after these two are in bed.”

  Teo sat down heavily. He opened his pizza box and looked gloomily at his mushroom pizza.

  “Papa you’ve got a bandage.”

  “Yes. I cut myself.”

  Isabella glanced at it. “How did you do that?”

  “I was cutting a lemon.”

  “Papa, if you aren’t hungry, can I eat your pizza?”

  “Certainly not. You’re only half way through your own and I bet you don’t even finish it.”