“Isn’t she there now?”
“She wanted the day off. She will be at Helen’s apartment around ten o’clock. She said the old man wanted the place cleared.
“That’s what he does want. Okay. I’ll go over there and send hex back. Then you can get off.”
“I should have thought you would have wanted to have handled this yourself,” Maxwell said. “It’s the biggest story in years.”
“As you’re taking over the Rome office,” I said, “this is now your story. I’ll get Gina back to you by half-past eleven. There’s a plane to Naples at two o’clock. You’d better get yourself a reservation.”
He said he would do that.
I got out of bed, took a shower, shaved and dressed, then went down to the garage. I got to Helen’s apartment and rang the bell. Gina opened the door.
“Why, hello, Ed,” she said. Her smile was a little uncertain.”
“Hello, there,” I said, and, following her into the lounge, I went on, “How are you getting on here?”
“I’m packing. There’s so much to clear. I’ll be through in about half an hour.”
“Have you got rid of it all?”
“Yes.” She sat on the arm of a chair and looked at me. “What’s been happening, Ed?”
I dropped into an easy-chair.
“Plenty.” I went on to tell her about the capture of Setti. “Maxwell wants to get down to Naples. He’s waiting now for you to relieve him. You’d better get off, Gina. I can handle what you haven’t finished here.”
“He’ll have to catch the two o’clock plane, so there’s plenty of time,” Gina said firmly. “Ed, how did you know that Setti was in this villa?”
I looked at her.
“Why should you worry how I knew?”
“I’m asking you, Ed,” she said. “It’s too good to be true. You must see that. Every policeman in Italy has been looking for Setti. Then you find him. How did you know he was there? If I don’t ask you, someone else will.”
I could see the sense in that. Now she had put the question, I was surprised that Grandi hadn’t asked me.
“I guess you’re right,” I said. “Well, it’s a long story.”
“I want to hear it. You have deliberately kept away from me. Please, don’t deny it. You have. You’re involved somehow in this business, aren’t you? You knew she was falling herself Mrs. Douglas Sherrard. There’s something wrong somewhere. I’m worried. You must tell me.”
“You’ve got to keep clear of it,” I said. “Don’t ask questions. Helen was murdered. I didn’t kill her, but the police have an idea that I did. You must see I can’t tell you anything without getting you involved.”
Her small hands turned into fists.
“Do you think I care about that?” she said. “I want to know. Ed, please. What kind of trouble are you in?”
“I’m in a lot of trouble. But I can’t tell you the details. You’ve got to keep clear of it, Gina.”
“Did that girl mean anything to you?”
I hesitated.
“At one time I think she did, but not when I found out what she really was. I guess I was acting like a…”
“Don’t say it. I know how it was. Tell me what happened, Ed.”
“Forget it!” I got to my feet and wandered over to the window. “I stuck my neck out, and now I’ve got to take what’s coming.”
“Are you scared il Signor Chalmers will find out?”
“I’ve got beyond that. He’s offered me the foreign desk. When he knows what I’ve been up to, I won’t get it. The foreign desk is important to me, Gina.”
“You’ll leave Rome?”
“That was the idea, but it looks now as if I won’t have a job at all.”
There was such a sharp silence that I turned and looked at her. She had lost colour and her eyes were full of unshed tears.
“Don’t look like that, Gina. The end of the world hasn’t come.”
“Not to you perhaps.”
I realized for the first time since I had known her what she really meant to me. I went over to her. Putting my hands on her hips, I pulled her to me.
“Okay, I admit it. I’m in a hell of a mess. It’s my own stupid fault. You’ve got to keep clear of it. If you know too much, they could hang an accessory rap on you.”
“For heaven’s sake, Ed,” she said, beginning to cry. “Do you think I care? It’s you I care about.”
My hands slid around her back. She raised her face, glistening with tears, and my lips came down on hers. We stood like that for a long moment, then I pushed her back.
“This isn’t the way,” I said. “I guess I must have been crazy to have chased after that little tramp. Now I’ve got to take what’s coming to me. Keep clear of me, Gina. You must keep clear of me.”
Her fingers moved up into my hair and she smiled at me.
“I can help you. I know I can. Do you want me to?”
“I want you to keep clear of it.”
“Ed, do you love me a little? Do I mean anything to you?”
“I guess you do. I’ve taken a long time to find that out, haven’t I?” I pulled her to me. “But that’s beside the point, Gina. I’ll need a lot of luck to beat this rap. Carlotti is more or less convinced that I’m the guy he’s looking for.”
“Won’t you tell me what really happened? Right from the beginning?”
I sat down and told her. I gave her the whole story. I didn’t hold a thing back.
She sat listening, her face pale, her lips parted, and when I had finished, she drew in a long, slow breath.
“Oh, darling, it’s been dreadful for you!”
“It’s been bad, but I asked for it. If I could only pin Helen’s death on Carlo I would be in the clear. I just can’t see how I’m going to do it”
“You must tell Carlotti the whole story just as you’ve told it to me. It rings true. He’ll understand. You must tell him.”
I shook my head.
“There’s too much evidence against me. I should have told him before. Hell only think my nerve’s cracked and I’m trying to get out of it. He’ll arrest me, and then I won’t be able to get after Carlo. I’ve got to fix Carlo myself if that’s possible.”
“No, please, Ed. You must tell him. I am sure it’s the only thing to do.”
“Well, I’ll think about it. I’m not going to tell him yet.”
“Ed! I’ve suddenly thought of something,” Gina said, jumping to her feet. “Yesterday while I was here the postman brought a carton of film addressed to Helen.”
I stared at her.
“A carton of film!”
“Yes. She must have sent it to be processed.”
I was aware that my heart was beginning to thump painfully. “Have you got it?”
She opened her handbag and took out a yellow carton.
“It may be a film she took in Sorrento,” she said, and held out the carton to me.
As I reached for it, the door swung open. We both turned quickly.
Carlo stood in the doorway, his thick lips parted in a grin.
“I’ll have that,” he said. “I’ve been waiting days for that damn thing to turn up. Give it here!”
III
Gina’s reflexes worked a lot faster than mine. She must have recognized Carlo from my description the moment she saw him. She whipped the canon into her bag and was on her feet by the time Carlo was half-way across the lounge.
She spun on her heel and made a dash for the bedroom door.
Snarling Carlo jumped forward, his thick fingers reaching for her. As he passed me, I shot out my foot and hooked his leg from under him. He sprawled headlong, his fingers closing on Gina’s blouse. She gave a frantic twist of her body. The thin material tore from her shoulder and she broke free. She didn’t attempt to take the longer way around the room to the front door. She dashed into the bedroom, slammed the door, and I heard the key turn.