Death by Fountain

by Jennifer S. Alderson

  She dialed his number, confident he would be able to find out more about Jake’s criminal past.

  “Hey Jeremy, how are you doing?” Lana asked in the most cheerful voice possible when he answered. They were good friends, but she still hated getting him involved in her off-the-cuff investigations, knowing how little free time he had for his family. However, she also knew from previous experiences how much he enjoyed burrowing down to the truth and helping her catch a killer.

  “Great,” he said. “In fact, I haven’t felt this good in years. The kids are staying with my parents for the week. Kitty and I have had to work so much overtime these past few days, we didn’t know how we were going to juggle our schedules. Luckily, Mom offered to take the kids off our hands. The grandparents love pampering the girls, who love having so much attention, and we can get our work done without having to burn the candle at both ends. It’s a win-win for all of us, frankly. We’ll have to arrange more of these sleepovers in the future.”

  “I am so glad to hear that,” Lana replied. She knew that Jeremy’s wife, Kitty, had recently started a new job at a local microbrewery and they were all still adjusting to her working full time instead of being a stay-at-home mom. “Say, listen, since you have so much free time on your hands, could I ask a favor?”

  Jeremy groaned. “I’m almost afraid to ask what it is.”

  Lana winced, feeling like a heel for ruining his good mood. “I wouldn’t ask, but Randy is in police custody and—”

  “Randy, as in the guy who’s about to get married? What happened?”

  “Yep, one and the same. His ex-girlfriend turned up in Rome yesterday, they had a nasty fight in public, and she was found dead in the Trevi Fountain late last night.”

  “That’s heavy.”

  “I know. I’m sure it’s all a misunderstanding, but the police arrested him last night, and we are afraid they won’t look for other suspects now that they have Randy in custody.”

  “So you decided to take the lead?” Jeremy said in a teasing voice.

  “Yes, well, Randy is Alex’s baby brother. I’m doing a background check of the other guests to see if anyone else might have wanted Rachel dead. So far, I’ve come up with nothing sordid about any of them, with the possible exception of a guy named Jake Segers. It looks like he has been in trouble with the law in Oregon and Illinois, and I would love to know more about the incidents, charges, and punishment. Could you maybe ask one of your police reporters to check him out?”

  “Anything for Randy, especially if it will help get him to the altar on time. I’ll call my crime desk editor right away. She’ll get her team on it.”

  Lana released the breath she didn’t know that she’d been holding in. “Thanks so much, Jeremy. I really appreciate this, and I know Randy and his fiancée do, too.”

  “If you really want to thank me, get me two tickets to one of your fancy tours. Kitty and I haven’t been on vacation in years, and those Wanderlust packages are way too expensive for my meager salary.”

  “It’s a deal. After all you’ve done to help me out, I’ll work something out with Dotty.”

  Lana could hear him smiling through the phone. “Will you give me a ring when you find out more?”

  “Of course. Talk soon.”

  20 Checking In

  “Hey gang, how are you holding up?” Lana asked Randy’s friends, now gathered together in Katherine and Bruce’s hotel room. Heather had called to let Lana know that they would wait for her there, before heading down to breakfast.

  When Lana knocked on the door, she had expected to see everyone still reeling from the news of Rachel’s death. Yet no one seemed overly distraught this morning. Bruce sat against one bed’s headboard with Katherine in his arms. Jake was perched on the end of the other one. Heather and Craig sat in the two chairs placed next to a small table.

  Could one of them really be the killer? Or was Rachel’s death a terrible accident? The missing wallet and figure in a Straight Up Climbs jacket made the latter unlikely.

  After investigating all of their backgrounds, Lana felt a little funny in their presence, even though she’d found out nothing sordid about the most of them. Jake was the one exception, and she could feel the hair on the back of her neck standing on end as she looked sideways towards him. Yet until Jeremy found out more about his background, she could not treat him differently. For all she knew, he had been taken into custody but released without being charged. Neither of the newspaper articles provided many details about the incidents. Craig appeared to be uncomfortable in Jake’s presence as well, Lana noted, as he twisted into a strange sitting position so that the mountaineering guide was out of his vision.

  “I never liked Rachel, so don’t expect me to be sorry that she’s gone,” Heather growled.

  “We’re okay, Lana, but I would love to be distracted from all of this,” Katherine said. “Did you have anything planned for today?”

  “How can you think about sightseeing? What about Randy—shouldn’t we be trying to help him?” Heather pressed.

  “What do you mean? The police are questioning him; they didn’t arrest him,” Bruce said.

  “Well, actually, there has been a new development,” Lana replied. “Gloria just called to tell me the police did arrest Randy.”

  “What? Why!” Heather cried.

  “Because of the video footage they’d found. In it, they can see Rachel being pulled towards the Trevi by a man they believe is Randy.” Lana couldn’t bear to tell them that her voicemail messages helped to land him in jail. The fact that the suspected killer was wearing a Straight Up jacket was also a point Lana felt she’d better keep to herself for the time being. If one of them was responsible for Rachel’s death, that clue might alert them to be on their guard. And Randy was supposed to be getting married in five days—there was no time to lose.

  “The owner of Wanderlust Tours is going to find him a lawyer,” Lana added. “We simply don’t believe he killed Rachel, intentionally or accidentally. If he had pushed her in the water, he would have helped her out—no matter how mad he was.”

  Heather nodded emphatically as she rubbed at her red-rimmed eyes. “That’s the kind of guy Randy is.”

  Craig snorted. “You could have fooled me. He shoved Rachel pretty hard back at the hotel.”

  “Because she pushed and pushed and pushed, until he lost it. Rachel was a sick person,” Katherine stated.

  “The police were quite vague about what exactly they saw on that video, and it doesn’t sound like they have footage taken at the Trevi,” Lana continued. “We’re keeping our fingers crossed that his lawyer can sort this out, preferably before his wedding day.”

  “It must have been an accident,” Bruce insisted. “Who would have wanted Rachel dead?”

  A wave of sadness washed over Jake’s face. Lana suspected he was more in love with Rachel than he’d originally let on.

  Katherine untangled herself from her boyfriend’s embrace and plopped down next to Jake on the other bed. “We didn’t always get along, but she was my sister. I wouldn’t have murdered her, no matter how much I may have wanted to.”

  The evil glare she shot back at her boyfriend confused Lana. What in the world did Bruce do to deserve that? she wondered. And what was with the unsolicited plea of innocence? No one was suggesting she may have harmed her sister.

  “I didn’t hurt Rachel, if that’s what your look is implying,” Bruce replied in an annoyed tone when he noticed the rest were watching him intently. “What about Jake? Maybe he got jealous of Rachel’s obsession with Randy.”

  “Why would I have harmed her? You were there when we talked to the cops—we were dating. I had no reason to be jealous of anyone; I’d already landed the babe. Randy was the fool for letting her go,” Jake said firmly.

  Lana was astounded by their reactions. Why did they all feel the need to assure the others that they hadn’t harmed Rachel?

  “Randy is the only one of us who would have wanted to hurt her,”
Jake continued. “I know none of us want to consider it, but if Rachel confronted him, he may have hit her—in a fit of anger, of course. He had already done it once. And he’s under a lot of pressure right now, with the wedding and all.”

  Lana looked at Jake through narrowed eyes. He was one to talk about hitting women.

  “I know Randy didn’t do this, no matter what evidence the police come up with,” Heather said resolutely. “But I know none of us did, either. Rachel was a tease who loved to be in control. She probably flirted with a tourist, it got out of hand, and the stranger pushed her into the water. I wouldn’t be surprised if we never find out who killed her.”

  Lana nodded along, knowing that what Heather said was a lie. Whoever pulled Rachel towards the Trevi was wearing one of their jackets.

  She began tapping her toe, unable to hold in her curiosity any longer. However, when she opened her mouth to ask Heather whether she had been following Rachel or Randy that night, the younger woman turned on Jake.

  “You must not know Randy as well as you think you do. If you did, you would know that he couldn’t harm a soul. Even after all those horrid things that Rachel did to him, he still didn’t want her dead—just out of his life.”

  “Okay, everybody. We all care about Randy, otherwise we wouldn’t be here.” Lana raised her voice as she glared at Jake and Heather. “Now that he’s been arrested, we need to decide what we want to do—stay in Rome or go home?”

  “Stay, of course. The police will soon see that Randy didn’t do this and he’ll be released in time for his wedding.” Heather was adamant.

  Lana looked to the rest, and they all nodded in agreement.

  “Well, what are we waiting for? There’s no point moping around here. We only have two days to explore Rome before we leave for Florence,” Katherine said.

  Lana jumped up, energized by their positivity. “Let me check today’s itinerary and see what time our first tour starts. I’ll be right back.”

  As soon as Lana was outside, she texted Dotty, “Tour going ahead as planned.”

  Seconds later, her boss responded with a smiley emoji and a thumbs up. “Well done—keep me informed!”

  “Will do,” Lana replied, then set off for her room.

  21 Heavenly Artwork

  The Vatican Museums were far larger and grander than Lana had imagined. She had not realized before coming that they housed the world’s largest collection of art, much of which had been purchased or commissioned by the popes who had once lived within this city-state’s walls.

  The artwork had been divided into twenty-six museums, spread across fourteen hundred rooms, chapels, galleries, and gardens. The lavishly decorated spaces were filled with exquisite art, archeology, and ethnography. Each room was in itself a work of art, and no surface seemed to have been left untouched. The ceilings and walls were richly painted, chandeliers made of glass and precious metals hung everywhere, and swaths of intricately designed fabrics covered the windows and floors. Most rooms were dedicated to a different style of furnishing and artwork—from classical sculptures up to contemporary paintings by living artists. Walking from one space to the next was a sensory experience that bordered on overload. All of the rooms left her heart singing, though the presence of so much history and beauty was making her head spin.

  Standing under the heavenly ceiling of the Sistine Chapel was certainly a highlight of her trip. Lana could have stared for hours at Michelangelo’s masterpiece, a visual depiction of several scenes from the Bible’s Old Testament. Lana’s favorite was the Creation of Adam, a scene gracing the center of the ceiling, in which God reached out to touch Adam’s finger.

  Unfortunately, she was not the only one. Guards dotted around the hall constantly reminded visitors not to sit or take pictures, but instead to view the paintings and then leave so others could enter. Still, the chapel was a highlight of the afternoon.

  It was only too bad that the group didn’t seem to be enjoying it as much as she was. Today, their dynamic was off, and the atmosphere felt wrought with tension. Was it their conversation in Katherine’s room this morning that had set everyone on edge?

  Jake was more quiet than she remembered him normally being, but then again, he was dealing with the loss of a girlfriend. Craig wasn’t making things easier for him. Whenever Jake opened his mouth, Craig was ready with a mean gibe. His snarling remarks were making everyone uncomfortable.

  Why was Craig being so rude? He barely knows Jake, Lana thought. They obviously knew each other via Randy, yet it didn’t sound like Jake was a regular at Randy’s parties, but more of a climbing buddy. And Craig had no interest in climbing, biking, or hiking. He was more at home in a museum or library, she reckoned. She doubted the two men had ever had a real conversation.

  Heather was also far more somber than her usual bubbly self. Her brow was knitted fast, and she was constantly checking her telephone for new messages, as if she expected Randy to get in touch at any moment. The fact that he was currently in police custody seemed too much for her to deal with.

  They exited the Vatican Museums via a winding staircase that reminded Lana of a snail’s shell. She walked out of the building, feeling at peace with the world. Then the doors to the outside world opened, and the beeping traffic of downtown Rome brought her crashing back down to earth.

  They circled along the high walls surrounding Vatican City to Saint Peter’s Square and joined the long lines of visitors wishing to enter Saint Peter’s Church. Swiss Guard members dressed in what looked like colorful pajamas stood at attention by metal detectors and x-ray machines that checked everyone. Lana could hardly believe that it was free to enter, but then again, it was the most important place of worship to millions of Catholics. Charging all of those pilgrims an entrance fee did seem unfair.

  Last night’s sudden downpour had kicked off a night of rain that was luckily now a soft drizzle. When the drops increased again in intensity, several of those in line popped open their umbrellas, forcing visitors to give each other more space. Lana wished her Straight Up jacket had a hood; she had left her umbrella on her hotel bed. She never forgot things like that; Randy’s arrest was throwing her off balance in more ways than one.

  While they slowly snaked their way across Saint Peter’s Square, Katherine made a show of photographing the incredible colonnade of two hundred and eighty-four columns surrounding the space, and the massive statues of the apostles mounted on top of it.

  “Did you know that Bernini designed the columns, fountains, and statues?” Katherine said, sighing in happiness as she turned slowly, taking in the magnificent architecture surrounding them. “This was the top destination on my list of places to visit.”

  “Great choice, Kat. It’s really quite spectacular. Did you notice anything strange about that nativity scene—the one next to the obelisk?” Bruce asked as he pointed to the massive holiday décor set up next to an Egyptian obelisk and a Christmas tree standing in the center of the square.

  Katherine would have to be blind not to see it, Lana thought; the nativity scene was one of the largest she’d ever seen. The buildings and figurines were life-sized, and the entire decoration was brightly lit with stars and a comet hanging above an empty manger.

  “There’s no baby Jesus in the crib yet,” Bruce said without waiting for his girlfriend to guess. “The figurines are added to the display as they happen, so Jesus appears on Christmas Eve and the Wise Men don’t show up until January 6.”

  “I didn’t know that!” Katherine replied enthusiastically as she stepped closer to the railing and zoomed her camera in on the religious display.

  With Bruce and Katherine distracted, Lana saw her chance to find out why Heather and Jake had been following Randy. Yet with Craig present, she would have to tread carefully. Luckily, he had pulled out a guidebook and seemed to be boning up on the church they were about to see. She hoped he would be too distracted to follow their exchange.

  “How was dinner, Heather?”

  “Deliciou
s,” she responded immediately but avoided Lana’s gaze as she answered.

  “I’m not normally a fan of pesto, but theirs was pretty good,” Jake added.

  Craig looked up from his book, a snide expression on his face. “Are you a food critic now, too? You excel at everything, don’t you?”

  Jake looked away and ignored his barb.

  Lana shook her head. What was with Craig’s annoying remarks? Ever since Rachel died, he had been at Jake’s throat. Craig’s comments were grating on her nerves; she could imagine Jake was getting sick of them, too. But Jake seemed to just take it and made no attempt to respond verbally or physically.

  “I heard you mention food. Were you telling Lana about dinner? It was a wonderful restaurant, wasn’t it?” Katherine asked as she and Bruce rejoined them.

  “It was heavenly. Thanks for the recommendation, Lana,” Bruce said.

  “It’s too bad you couldn’t make it,” Katherine added. Oddly enough, she seemed to look past her. Given her new burst of self-confidence, Lana had expected Katherine to have made eye contact.

  “Yeah, well, it sounds like Lana was busy helping the police,” Heather cut in.

  Katherine’s eyebrows furrowed at Heather’s remark. “I meant, all—”

  “Speaking of food, I’m starving. After we see this church, I would love to grab some lunch. Lana, do you have any recommendations for a good café in the neighborhood, or should we keep our eyes open while we’re walking around?” Jake asked as he patted his belly.