‘But how did you know she was heading for San Basilio?’ Nancy’s mind felt besieged. She was struggling to understand an evening that had become incomprehensible.
‘I didn’t. How could I? I had a crazy idea of finding a water taxi to follow wherever she went. But when she emerged from the canal, I could see she was heading for the harbour and keeping close to the shore. That’s when I started trying to win the marathon. It was clear you were a prisoner and the woman was up to no good, but what she intended I hadn’t a clue.’
‘She was after Salvatore, I think. In her eyes, he had committed a terrible sin. He was the last guilty person she had to rid the world of. Her plan was to kill him and then kill herself.’
Archie gave a soft whistle. ‘Two birds with one stone – or three birds. We mustn’t forget Dino.’
‘Angelica forgot him, but she had no compunction in killing him, too.’
‘And you?’
‘I’d had all my questions answered. I knew too much. And the Moretto name had to remain unsullied by scandal.’ Nancy paused, then said with a break in her voice, ‘If Angelica had known me at all, she would have realised I was the last person in Venice to spread vile stories about her mother.’
‘I presume it was Angelica who was behind Marta’s death?’ It was a tentative question, as though he couldn’t quite believe his own words.
Nancy wrapped her arms around her knees and curled in on herself. ‘It’s the most dreadful thing, Archie. She killed Luca, too.’
‘Good Lord!’ That had shocked him, though not for long. ‘Was there a reason, or did she simply hate her family?’ Archie was back to his flippant self.
Nancy couldn’t tell him, couldn’t say the words out loud, but his expression was questioning and demanded an explanation. She knew he deserved one.
‘Marta had organised thefts from churches, from convents,’ she said in a tremulous voice. ‘Your friend, Enrico, spoke of it. And Salvatore did the thieving for her.’
Archie’s eyebrows twitched. ‘Really? What an enterprising fellow he is. Forgeries one day, thieving the next, and a little luxury yachting in between.’
‘The Moretto business was in trouble. Trade was slow, but then Luca took out a huge loan the firm couldn’t repay.’
‘Well, it will certainly be repaid by now – and with interest. The stuff that was stolen, even melted down, must have fetched a great deal of money.’
Nancy felt her throat constrict. ‘She was sorry. Marta. She was a sad woman. I could see it in her face, hear it in her voice. And felt so guilty, I believe, that she had done such a dreadful thing. She called a halt to the thefts – she wanted to atone – but Luca disagreed.’
Archie nodded. ‘Francesca,’ he said.
‘I think so. Not that it did him the slightest good. Even before he was killed, he’d lost his wife. He’d lost everything – Marta had already left her estate to the convent and he knew it would take months, years, of legal haggling to recoup the money. I’m sure Mother Superior knew of the thefts. Angelica must have told her before she left the convent. That’s why the woman was so tight-lipped. But I know that if Marta had lived, she would have given everything she earned, everything she possessed, to the Church – it would be reparation, to make good the evil she’d done – but Angelica never gave her the chance.’
‘Then ended up even more evil herself.’
‘It’s a truly dreadful story.’ Nancy rocked herself back and forth, trying to find comfort in the rhythm. She could see pools of light in the distance, the flashing beams of police launches, and realised Archie had never explained their presence.
‘Why are the police here? How did they know there would be trouble?’
‘They’re here because I phoned the Guardia earlier this evening. They’re the ones who deal with fakes. When Leo mentioned that Di Maio was sailing tonight, I reckoned the journey was to offload his ill-gotten cargo. It was a great opportunity for the police to nab him, catch him in the act, as it were.’ He saw her expression. ‘Don’t worry,’ he said cheerfully. ‘I gave them a false name.’
‘And the police believed you – without evidence?’ She was astonished.
‘They weren’t keen on intervening, it’s true. Dino is still an important man in these parts and I could easily have been a crank. But I told them there was a crate aboard the Andiamo that might prove interesting to them, but if they weren’t bothered I was sure the art team of the Carabinieri – they deal with national heritage, that sort of thing – would be happy to investigate. That was spur enough. There’s a nice little rivalry going on between them. The Guardia is exiled to offices in Mestre while the Carabinieri team is based at San Marco. The ducal palace, no less.’
‘And that’s enough to make them rivals?’
‘Completely. Anyway, they obviously had a slack night and sent a couple of launches. The fireworks display came as a bonus.’
Nancy turned to face him. ‘It’s wonderful that Dino will be brought to justice. And Salvatore, too.’
‘But the police being here isn’t so wonderful for us.’
‘Why not? I can tell them everything I discovered.’
‘First off, they’ll want you to go to hospital to be checked. That was quite a jump to make at speed. You can break bones like that.’
‘I know. That’s why I jumped vertically.’
‘Clever girl. How did you know to do it?’
‘I’ve no idea. Some book I read,’ she said vaguely.
‘Okay, but even if they don’t insist on you visiting the hospital, they’ll expect you at their offices tomorrow to make a statement. How is that going to play with Leo?’
Leo! In the chaos, he had slipped from her mind, utterly. Now the implication of what she had done came rushing at her and she bowed her head. ‘He’ll get to know everything,’ she said brokenly.
‘Not necessarily. We could just about make it back to the palazzo before him, if you think you can walk.’
‘But the police – they won’t allow us to leave.’
‘If we go now, who’s to stop us? They don’t know our names, nor do the blokes who dragged us out of the water. At the moment, it’s bedlam over there.’ He pointed to a huddle of people, and amid the flashing lights Nancy could see the men who had helped them. ‘But if we hang around too long, we’ll be the centre of attention.’
‘The police will need us to make their case.’ Her law-abiding soul balked at not seeing this through.
‘They’ll find enough evidence for themselves. The lagoon is afloat with bits of paintings, quite sufficient to nail the pair. And the police have ways of getting a confession. You can bet that Salvatore will squeal if he’s promised a lighter sentence.’
‘And Renzo?’
‘Still on about him? He’ll be in the Caribbean by the time the case gets to court. We should move, if you’re willing to give it a go.’
Archie was right, she thought reluctantly. If their identities were unknown, if they could arrive home before Leo rolled in from his dinner with Signor Trevi, he need never know a thing.
And there was Marta to consider, too. Always Marta. Angelica’s death would almost certainly be pronounced a terrible accident. The poor woman had been under severe strain with her mother and brother dead, it would be said, had taken her brother’s boat out for an evening ride and then lost control. And it would be for the best. There would be no mention of missing statues, no mention of Marta’s crimes. She would continue to lie in her grave, her reputation unsullied, a pious lady and a revered patron of Venice.
Nancy tried to get to her feet, swaying dangerously, and Archie put his hand under her elbow to steady her. ‘Are you sure you can walk?’
She nodded, but fatigue was getting the better of her.
‘We must be quick. Let me help.’
He slid the blankets from both their shoulders and, taking her weight on his arm, hurried her towards the warehouses she’d noticed the fateful day they’d gone to Burano. Against a moon now
fully emerged from its blanket of cloud, the buildings cast a dense black shadow. Passing from pool of darkness to pool of darkness, Archie guided her out of the dock area.
‘The nearest stop is San Basilio,’ he said. ‘We’ll make for that. You won’t want to walk too far.’ She was grateful. She was without shoes and her legs were wobbling in a worrying fashion.
The vaporetto landing stage was better lit than the port area and for the first time she had a clear sight of Archie. Dismayed at what she saw, she looked down at herself, barefoot and ragged. The blankets had soaked up much of the water, but their clothes were stained and creased and clung to them awkwardly. She could feel her hair plastered to the sides of her head.
‘Do you think the ferry will take us in this state?’
‘Why not?’
‘But we look so disreputable.’
‘No worse than a couple of Saturday night revellers. Come on, the boat’s here.’
The vaporetto’s lights were a welcome sight and when Archie offered his arm to help her climb aboard, she reached out for his hand instead.
‘Thank you for saving my life,’ she said simply.
‘Think of it as fair exchange.’ He shepherded them forward into the closed cabin.
He was being generous. Dragging an unconscious man to the side of the lagoon with a boat hook hardly compared to Archie’s dive into deep waters to save a drowning woman. But she was too thankful to argue. And there was something deeper, too: Archie had been angry with her, resentful of her appearance in his life, but it hadn’t stopped him sharing her troubles. Sharing her danger. She felt a closeness to him, a sense of amity, of belonging, though it was a feeling she would be wise to bury.
They were fortunate the mist had gradually dissolved and the night become warm. By the time the boat reached San Zaccaria, they were both almost dry.
‘How are you feeling now?’ Archie asked, as they disembarked.
‘Better. Able to walk in a straight line at least.’ Archie had deliberately slowed his usual pace, but she was glad the walk to the palazzo was a short one.
The streets they passed through were narrow and mostly unlit, but it was a darkness broken by patches of light flooding from the several bars still open. People had spilled out onto the pavement, taking advantage of the improved weather. Glasses clinked, chatter floated on the air. All so normal, Nancy thought. As they made their way across the campo, strains of music reached them from the open door of the San Zaccaria church – musicians, a quartet perhaps, playing baroque music. She felt the notes flowing through her and with them a degree of calm.
‘We should make it to the palazzo in time,’ Archie said, as they rounded the last corner.
‘I hope so.’
The trouble in her voice made him turn to her. ‘You should have told Leo, you know,’ he said. ‘Told him everything.’
‘I couldn’t. He expressly told me not to get involved.’
‘But still… you were involved. And if you’d told him how you felt, he would have come good eventually.’
‘I couldn’t. I wasn’t sure…’ She faltered.
‘Sure about what?’
They came to a halt and she breathed deeply. She was finding the walk difficult, even at a slower pace. ‘I wasn’t sure if Leo had any part in it,’ she said awkwardly.
Archie shook his head. ‘You said something like that before, but Leo! You have to be kidding.’
‘He was odd about Marta,’ Nancy protested. ‘She mentioned how well she knew Leo, yet he said he’d had little to do with her. And he was quite cold about her death even though he went to her funeral.’
‘He could have picked up gossip. He might have suspected something bad was going on and wanted to distance himself.’
‘But there was his attitude to Dino. He refused to accept what I told him about the crate. He said Dino was his friend and I needed to forget it, then he went off with him to Rome and when they got back Leo didn’t come home but went to the casinò and wouldn’t really explain why…’ It all came tumbling out, but then she paused. ‘He’ll be shocked when he hears about Dino, won’t he? It’s odd he made such a friend of the man – Leo is clever but he can’t have had a clue about Dino’s true character.’
‘He’s clever when dealing with pictures, not always so much with people.’
Nancy looked at him sharply. ‘You mean me?’
‘No, I don’t mean you. But Leo is as straight as a die. How could you think badly of him?’
‘I didn’t want to, but I couldn’t understand why he acted the way he did. It’s different for you. You’ve known him for years.’
Archie pulled a face and she rushed to say, ‘I know what you feel about my marriage, Archie. I can imagine what you’re thinking.’ Her voice shook a little.
‘You’ve no idea what I’m thinking.’ He took her hand in a firm clasp. ‘But we’ll keep this little adventure quiet?’
‘A secret between us?’ She felt warmth, relief, guilt.
‘A secret,’ Archie said, and they walked on together.
Acknowledgements
Thanks are due to my wonderful critique group – Margaret Kaine, Jay Dixon, Clare Flynn and Jill Rutherford, whose helpful feedback made my transition to a new genre less painful. Thanks also to my copy editor, Federica, whose knowledge of Italy stopped me from making too many mistakes.
First published in the United Kingdom in 2019 by Canelo
Canelo Digital Publishing Limited
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Beaconsfield, Bucks HP9 2DU
United Kingdom
Copyright © Merryn Allingham, 2019
The moral right of Merryn Allingham to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN 9781788632713
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places and events are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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