She shook her head. ‘I do not know where is Tucek. I never hear of this man Tucek.’ She lay back on the pillows. ‘Go now, please. I think it is not safe for you to stay any longer.’
I hesitated. But I couldn’t force her to talk, and it was quite possible she knew nothing about Tucek. Sansevino wouldn’t have told her more than he had to. I went over to the window. The world outside was very still in the red, mantle of the volcano. Nothing stirred. The search must have moved to the back of the villa. If so, perhaps I could get out by the front. I went over to the door and quietly unlocked it. The walls of the corridor outside were faintly tinged with the red glow from the window and there were deep shadows. The house was very quiet.
‘Dick!’
I swung round at the sound of movement by the bed. Zina was sitting up fumbling in her handbag. ‘Do not do anything foolish. I think this place is very dangerous for you now.’
I didn’t answer, but as I turned to leave the room, she hissed, ‘Un momenta. Wait.’
She slipped out of bed and came towards me in her bare feet. She held something in her hand. ‘Take this,’ she whispered. I felt the cold touch of metal against my hand and my fingers closed over the butt of a small automatic. Her hand touched my arm. It was almost a caress. ‘You think me very bad, yes? But remember, please, we come from two different worlds. Leave the villa now and do not come back. Get a plane very quick and go back to England where life is so easy and so secure.’ Her fingers squeezed my arm. Then she turned and went back to bed.
I went out into the corridor and closed the door behind me. The villa was deathly quiet. It was so quiet that it seemed to be full of sound. And then I realised that the sound was the sound of gases escaping from the crater vent high up on the summit of Vesuvius. It was a steady hissing sound that seemed to invade the place like an air-lock in the water system.
I went to the head of the stairs and started down. The stairs were of bare tile and it was difficult for me to manoeuvre my leg so that it made no sound. Below, it was pitch-black, for the shutters were still drawn over the windows. I didn’t dare use my torch in case they had come in from their search of the grounds, but the weight of it in my hand was comforting and I kept a tight hold of the little automatic Zina had given me.
There were two courses open to me — either to wait for Sansevino or to try and escape. Leave the villa now and do not come back. That was what Zina had said and I knew that it was the sensible thing to do. My courage was ebbing away in the dark stillness. Once I had got away I could contact Maxwell and tell him the whole thing. The proof was on me, strapped to my body in the shaft of my artificial limb. I was certain of that.
I felt my way to the front door. It was locked, and the key was not in the lock. The darkness all round me seemed suddenly alive. I had to get out. I couldn’t fight him alone here in the darkness. If he got hold of me. … I shuddered at the thought of the touch of his hands on my body. I turned in a panic and groped my way to the hall window. It was shuttered and the iron bar that secured the shutters was padlocked. I tried the dining-room. There, too, the shutters were padlocked. Again I had that feeling of being trapped, a nightmare sense of claustrophobia. I went back into the hall and there I hesitated. I was considering trying to get out through the servants’ quarters when I noticed a slight glow from the half-open door of the room where Zina had played to me earlier that evening. I crossed the hall and pushed open the door. Then I breathed a’ sigh of relief. A rectangle of red light showed opposite the door. The room was full of shadows. But I didn’t mind. All that mattered was that there were no shutters across the window. I went straight over to it and slipped the catch.
And then something about the stillness of the room made me turn. Was it my imagination or was there a figure seated at the piano? I stood there for a moment, quite still and rigid, the blood pumping against my eardrums. Nothing stirred. The room glowed faintly. I reached again for the window and pushed it open. The night air was cool on my face. The vineyards below the terrace were bathed in a macabre light. ‘You finding it hot to-night, Farrell?’
I swung round, my heart thudding. The voice had come from behind me, from the direction of the piano.
‘I couldn’t sleep either.’ The voice was almost American, but in the darkness I detected an unpleasant sibilance. The piano came to life, whispering the old Yankee tune Marching through Georgia. Shirer had whistled that tune, whistled it endlessly through his teeth to keep himself from crying out at the pain of his gas blisters. I switched on my torch. The beam cut across the glossy surface of the baby grand to the face above the keyboard — Shirer’s face; only not quite Shirer’s.
The man’s name was on the tip of my tongue — his real name. But I stopped myself in time. Maybe I could bluff it out. if I could make him think … ‘God! You scared me,’ I said quickly.’ What are you doing here? I thought you were in Milan.’
‘I live here. Do you mind switching that torch off. It’s a bit dazzling.’
For an instant I hesitated. If I kept the beam on his face maybe I could get Zina’s automatic out of my pocket without him seeing. But I might miss and then—’ The trouble was I couldn’t see his hands. But he wouldn’t have sat there waiting for me to be attracted to the open windows without having a gun. Somehow I had got to convince him that I’d no idea anything out of the ordinary had happened. I switched the torch off. The sudden darkness made me wish I’d chanced a shot.
‘Couldn’t you sleep?’
‘I slept for a bit,‘I told him. ‘Then I felt ill. I’m afraid I had too much to drink.’
‘ Where’ve you been — for a walk round the grounds?’
‘No. I tell you, I felt ill. Somebody was calling for Roberto and Agostino. Was that you?’
‘Yeah. That was me. Where exactly have you been? When I heard you were here I went up to your room to say Hullo, but you weren’t there. Where were you?’
‘I tell you, I felt ill. I was in the lavatory.’
‘ In the lavatory?’ He suddenly laughed. I think he was convinced then that I wasn’t suspicious.’ Well, what do you think of the local firework display?’ he asked. ‘Quite a sight, isn’t it? There’s tourists rubber-necking on the road between here and Avin.’
‘It’s incredible,’ I murmured. ‘Do you think it will get serious?’
‘Can’t say. Never seen anything like this in the two years I’ve had this place. The mountain’s always been quiet as a mouse.’
‘Are you the owner of this villa?” I asked him.
‘Yeah. Didn’t Zina tell you?’
‘No.’ And then I added, ‘I’m sorry. I wouldn’t have come if I’d known.’
‘Maybe that’s why Zina didn’t tell you. Zina’s an old friend of mine. If she wanted to bring you out here, that’s okay by me.’
I was getting accustomed to the weird light now and I could see that his eyes were watching me closely all the time. I think if I hadn’t been so wrought-up I’d have found the situation funny. There was I with whatever it was he wanted in the hollow of my artificial leg and he didn’t know how to get it out of me. ‘I think I’ll go back to bed now,’ I said.
He nodded and got to his feet. ‘Me, too. But first I’m going to have a drink. What will you have?’
‘Nothing, thank you.’
‘Oh, come on now. You’re not going to make me drink alone, are you?’
‘I’ve had too much to-night already,’ I reminded him.
‘Nonsense. I insist.’ He was over at the drink table. I couldn’t see what he was doing, but I heard the clink of glass. I started towards the door, but he stopped me. ‘Here you are, Farrell. A straight cognac. Just the thing you need.’
‘No, really — I’d rather not.’ I was edging towards the door all the time.