“There’s a twenty seconds’ shot of you two meeting,” I said. “As this shot is on the last few feet of film, it’s my guess she went back to the villa, put in a new film, dropped the completed film into the mail box that is outside the villa, then returned to the cliff head in the hope of getting more shots of you.”
“Yes, that is what must have happened. Carlo heard the motor of the camera running. He caught Helen. There was a dreadful scene. She told me that Carlo had shot Menotti. She threatened to tell the police. She said she had taken pictures of Setti on the terrace of the villa below, and he would have to pay for the film if he didn’t want her to hand it to the police. She seemed half out of her mind, screaming and raving. Carlo slapped her face. He was trying to stop her screams. She dropped the camera. She turned and ran. It was horrible. She kept running until she went over the cliff. She didn’t kill herself. She just didn’t see where she was going. She was half out of her mind. Carlo didn’t kill her. You must believe that.”
I ran my fingers through my hair.
“Yes, I believe it. Carlo took the film out of the camera but he didn’t think to look in the mail box?”
“We didn’t think of the mail box. When I got back to Naples I kept thinking about the possibility of her having more films of us somewhere. When Carlo called me on the telephone later in the evening, I told him to go to the villa and destroy all the films he could find just in case she had taken others. I believe that was when you were there. He also went to her apartment. He found the four letters she had taken — the letters I had written to him — and he destroyed them. I want you to believe I had no idea he was trying to incriminate you, Mr. Dawson. I want you to believe that. He was always good to me, but I do know he had a rotten streak in him. There was nothing I could do about that. It was my bad luck that I loved him.”
She stopped speaking and stared out of the window. There was a long pause.
“Thank you for telling me all this,” I said. “I can understand the jam you were in. I know how you must have felt. She got me in a jam too.” I got to my feet. “Get rid of that film. I don’t know what will come out at the inquest. Your husband is trying to fix it. Knowing him, he’ll probably succeed. As far as I’m concerned, you have nothing to worry about.”
Chalmers did fix it. The verdict was wilful murder against Toni Amando, known as Carlo Manchini, with insufficient evidence to show motive. The pressmen, had been tipped off not to be too inquiring. Carlotti was bland and non-committal. The whole affair evaporated into a puff of illusive smoke.
I didn’t see June Chalmers while she was in Naples. She and Chalmers left as soon as the inquest was over and I returned to Rome.
I went right away to the office. Gina was there on her own.
“It’s over and I’m in the clear,” I told her. “I fly to New York on Sunday.”
She struggled to smile.
“It’s what you want, isn’t it?” she said.
“It’s what I want, providing I don’t go alone,” I said. “I want to take something of Rome with me.”
Her eyes began to sparkle.
“What sort of thing?” she asked.
“Something that is young and lovely and smart,” I said. “Will you come with me?”
She jumped to her feet.
“Oh, yes, darling! Yes — yes — yes!”
She was in my arms and I was kissing her when Maxwell came in.
“Now I wonder why I never thought of doing that,” he said, sourly.
I waved him towards his office.
“Can’t you see we’re busy?” I said, and pulled Gina closer.