Affair In Venice Part 19

'Of course, Inspector. I have given you my word on that'

'What word?' Claudia demanded.

'We had to have the spectrum machine flown here from Naples,' the Inspector replied. 'We refused to go to the expense unless the Conte promised to press charges if you were found to be guilty.'

Erica turned away, not wis.h.i.+ng to hear the next outburst from Claudia. But there was silence and only as it lengthened did she turn round. Claudia was still by the window, looking from Filippo to the Inspector and then back to Filippo again.

'I don't understand what game you are playing,' she said in a shaky voice.

'It is no game, Claudia,' Filippo replied. Under normal circ.u.mstances I would not have given Vittorio my promise to prosecute. You know how much I hate publicity. I would even prefer to let a thief escape - providing I had my jewels back - than have the notoriety of a court case. But where the name of the woman I love is at stake, then I have no choice.'

'Her name isn't at stake! No one knows what happened last night.'

'Vittorio knows, Signora Botelli knows and you know. And you, I am sure, would see that all our friends knew too. Because of that it was not enough for me to believe in Erica's innocence; I had to prove it for everyone else to know. And that meant finding the real culprit.'

'It hurts me to think you should have suspected me,' Claudia said sadly. 'I thought we were fond of each other.'

'I was fond of you, Claudia, but I love Erica.'

'Erica!' Claudia spat out the word. 'Erica, Erica. I'm sick of that name. Is that all you can think about - that pale- faced fool with the big innocent eyes! You're mad to be in love with her. She will bore you to death in six months and in a year you will be running around with other women!'

'Be quiet!' Filippo thundered.

'Please, my friend,' the Inspector said. 'We are digressing from the point. I suggest you and Signora Medina come to police headquarters while we do this a.n.a.lysis.'

'So that you can arrest me?' Claudia gave a cry and tried to push past the Inspector to throw herself against Filippo. 'Will your conscience let you send me to prison? The widow of your greatest friend - the man you loved as a brother!'

'I will destroy anyone who threatened to destroy Erica.' Filippo almost snarled the words. 'And you haven't even got the courage to admit your guilt. If you force me to prove it I'll -'

'I don't care about your proof!' Claudia screamed. 'And I don't care about you! If you can love a stupid little nothing, then you deserve her!' The dark eyes were no longer limpid, but flas.h.i.+ng with fire. 'I should never have put the emerald in her apartment. If you hadn't found it you would never have been able to prove it was me.'

Filippo fell back a step. The anger had gone from his face, and blanched of all colour and emotion it looked like a mask.

'You could have got away with it,' he muttered. 'You could have had a million lire if you had been content with money rather than destroying Erica.'

'Destroying her was worth more to me than the money,' Claudia said, and she was bereft of emotion too. All anger had drained from her and she stood in front of them as devoid of feeling as a zombie. 'You were mine, Filippo, and I wasn't going to let any other woman have you. Being your wife meant more to me than a hundred emeralds!'

'Indeed it would,' he said quietly.

'Not because of the money,' she said. 'But because I wanted you. You.' She put out her hands in a blind gesture and the Inspector caught hold of them and led her to the door.

'Take her home,' Filippo said harshly. 'Then sit with her while she packs and leaves Venice.'

Only then did Claudia appear to hear what was said, for she turned and looked at Filippo. 'You are letting me go?'

'Yes. As you just said, you are the widow of the man who was my closest friend. It is for his sake that I am doing it, not yours. But you are to leave Italy for the next five years, and even when you return, you are not to live in Venice nor to mix in my circle of friends.' He looked at the Inspector. 'I suggest you take a statement from Signora Medina and put it on record. If she does not keep her side of the bargain I am sure you will always be able to find the file again.'

'We never close a case,' Vittorio agreed, and held open the door for Claudia to step through it She did so and the Inspector glanced over his shoulder at Erica. 'I hope we meet again under more pleasant circ.u.mstances, Miss Ray- burn.'

Erica nodded, but was too overcome to speak. She searched round wildly for somewhere to sit, afraid that she was going to faint. Strong hands came around her and she was half lifted into the office. The door was closed and she was alone with Filippo at last 'Forgive me for what I did, cara mia,' he pleaded. 'But I dared not tell you what was in my mind last night for fear you would give yourself away when I came in here with Claudia this morning.'

'You mean you - you were planning it then?'

'Of course. I knew you had not taken the emerald.'

'You never said so.' Tears poured down her cheeks, but she didn't wipe them away and he came over and, taking his handkerchief from his pocket, did so for her.

'Did I need to say it?' he asked. 'Didn't you know I could never doubt you any more than you could ever doubt me?'

'Oh, Filippo,' she cried, 'I've been so blind!'

'You have always been blind about me. That's why we will be married quickly. Only when you are truly mine will you have sufficient confidence in yourself to realize how much I love you.'

She leaned against him and felt his arms come around her. His heart was hammering and she pressed close to his chest, hearing in the fast beat the echo of her own and knowing that for him too this last dreadful scene had been a taxing one. 'It was clever of you to suspect, Claudia.'

'Didn't you?'

'Yes,' she admitted. 'I nearly came to tell you last night, but I was afraid you wouldn't believe me.'

'I would have been furious with you if you had left your apartment. I told you not to do so.'

She glanced up at him. 'You were very insistent about that, Filippo. Why?'

He hesitated and for the first time she saw genuine fear in his eyes. 'I had a feeling Claudia might harm you; that she might realize my love for you would make me want to many you regardless of what you had done.'

Erica moistened lips that had suddenly gone dry. 'You thought she might have killed me?'

He nodded. 'I had one of the servants stand outside your apartment all night and watch you until you were safely in the shop this morning.'

His words made her tremble and she burrowed against him. 'You would never have been able to prove it was Claudia without that new fingerprint a.n.a.lysis.'

'Indeed not.'

'Then there'd have been no way of establis.h.i.+ng my innocence.'

'Indeed not.'

'I can't believe it,' she went on, and tilted her head to look into his face.

'Indeed not,' he said again. 'You would be exceedingly simple if you did.'

She looked up and saw the twinkle in his eyes and the laughter which, bubbling within him, made his shoulders shake.

'What are you saying, Filippo?'

'That the whole thing was a lie, my darling. A great whopping lie which my brilliant friend, Vittorio, dreamed up.'

'You mean you can't tell the age of a fingerprint?'

'Neither the age nor the s.e.x. It is possible to tell the age of many other things, as I'm sure your father knows. Pottery, metal, bones, trees - but fingerprints and women keep their age to themselves!'

Erica started to laugh, but the laughter changed swiftly to tears and she turned her face into Filippo's shoulder and wept 'Have a good cry,' he said tenderly. 'It will make you feel better.' 'I feel better already,' she gulped. 'I'm so happy, Filippo. This morning when I woke up I thought my life was over.'

'It's just beginning,' he whispered, and placed his mouth gently upon hers. 'I don't think we will have that big engagement party after all. We'll fly to London today to see your father and make arrangements there for a special licence. How long will that take?'

'Three days, but-'

'As long as that?' he protested.

'Filippo!' she cried.

'Erica,' he said softly, and with his lips on hers gave her no chance to protest any more.

end.