Page 22 of Murder at the Ponte Vecchio (Armstrong and Oscar Cozy Mystery #11)
WEDNESDAY MORNING
I got a call from Virgilio at eight-thirty, but it wasn’t to announce the arrival of the technician from the safe company or with news that Marco had woken up and started talking.
‘There’s been another murder.’ His tone was grim.
I found myself praying that it wasn’t Marco. Surely, the killer hadn’t been able to get past the officers on guard. Virgilio’s answer came as a relief, but also a surprise.
‘Axel Jacobs, age seventy-six, Dutch citizen, found dead in his room at the Grand Hotel.’
This came as a shock – but, given what had happened to David Berg, maybe not such a shock after all.
My mind was racing. Why would anybody have wanted to murder Jacobs?
This was surely too much of a coincidence.
Had Berg and Jacobs been involved in something particularly shady?
Jacobs had already told me that their deal had been clandestine, but had it maybe been more than an illicit transaction between two old acquaintances?
Had a third party been involved in the deal or even cheated by the two old men?
Had the same person who had killed Berg also murdered his associate ?
‘What was the cause of death?’
‘Strangulation. There were bruises to the victim’s face so he must have tried to put up a fight, even though he looked frail.’
‘Any fingerprints or DNA left behind?’
‘Not a thing. A clean, professional hit.’
This sounded ominously similar to Berg’s killing. ‘Time of death?’
‘Gianni says probably between ten and midnight, but he’ll know more after the autopsy.
The way I see it, Jacobs was in his room late last night when somebody came to his door.
He was either expecting the person or the visitor barged his way in.
Once inside, the killer strangled Jacobs, who struggled to defend himself, but in vain. ’
‘Any CCTV footage?’
‘We’re waiting for it to be passed to us now. The good news is that there are cameras on every floor so, with luck, we should be able to identify the killer.’
‘Anything taken from the room?’
‘It’s been thoroughly ransacked. The killer was definitely looking for something, but whether he found it or not, who knows?’
‘I suppose the obvious thing the killer might have been looking for is the cigar box with three hundred thousand euros’ worth of gold or jewels in it.
The question is, of course, how he knew about what was supposedly a very secret transaction between the two Dutchmen.
’ I felt I had to state the obvious. ‘Do we think it’s the same perpetrator who murdered Berg? ’
‘I’d be surprised if it isn’t. Forensics are going through the room as we speak. Let’s hope they find something, but if it is Berg’s killer, he’s unlikely to have been sloppy enough to leave a trace. That guy was a pro and this looks very much the same.’ Virgilio’s voice was gloomy .
‘Is there anything I can do? After all, I’m probably one of the few people Jacobs spoke to while he was here in Florence.’
‘It’ll be a good idea to give you a formal interview later on, but there’s no rush for now.
You’ve already told us the substance of your talk to Jacobs, and Marco’s put it on file.
I’ve put Inspector Faldo on the case. He’s busy interviewing the staff and guests in the hope that somebody remembers something. ’
From his tone, I could tell he wasn’t optimistic and neither was I. If the killer had been a pro, there was every chance he would have been able to slip in and out undetected. Even so, I offered a bit of encouragement. ‘At least this means you know where Faldo is going to be.’
‘Yes, indeed. I’ll catch up with him later on after we’ve had a chance to take a look inside Berg’s safe.
The flight from Switzerland arrives at nine-fifteen and I really want to go and see Marco first. The hospital tells me that he had a good night and he’s awake, so I’m hoping he might be able to tell us more about what happened yesterday.
If you’re still happy to come along to the villa, let’s meet there at ten and hope that we find something of interest in the safe.
If there’s a hold-up, I’ll call you. See you later. ’
Because of the continuing warm weather, Anna and I had decided to stay out at my house in the country for a few more days, so it was barely a ten-minute drive to Berg’s villa in Signa, and it was with a feeling of considerable anticipation that I arrived there at ten o’clock.
Virgilio’s car was already there alongside a blue and white squad car and I could see him talking to a uniformed officer.
As soon as he saw me, he came across to talk.
I had brought Oscar with me and he was so pleased to see Virgilio again, he stood up on his hind legs to be petted.
‘ Ciao , Oscar. Ciao , Dan. First, the bad news: Marco can’t remember anything about yesterday afternoon at all, apart from going home to work on the computer.
He can’t remember getting a phone call and he can’t recall anything of the accident.
The doctor I spoke to told me his memory may return in the course of the next few days, but there’s no guarantee.
The good news is that he’s recovering well and should regain full use of his limbs within a couple of months at most. For what it’s worth, I’m going to spread the word that he doesn’t remember a thing and that he never will.
Hopefully, that’ll put off the would-be killer from having another try.
I’m also keeping the officers outside Marco’s door until he’s well enough to leave hospital. ’
‘Good idea. It’s better to be safe than sorry.’ I nodded slowly. ‘What about the cars belonging to Verdi and Grande? Any signs of damage?’
‘Nothing at all, I’m afraid.’
I lowered my voice. ‘Did you manage to speak to the questore yesterday?’
‘He was at a conference in Venice and he’ll be back around lunchtime today. I’ve left word with his secretary for him to contact me as soon as he returns – as a matter of urgency.’
‘And the technician from the Swiss safe company?’
‘His flight was on time and he’s inside the villa at the moment, fiddling with the assortment of gizmos he’s brought with him.
He’s confident he can get it open this morning, but he wasn’t prepared to hazard a guess as to how long it’ll take.
’ He gestured back in the direction of the villa.
‘I thought in the meantime, it might be useful for me to speak to the members of the family. You’ve met them already, of course, but I’d quite like to get a look at them before we get sight of the will. Feel like coming with me?’
We went over to the front door and rang the bell.
Ines, the housekeeper, greeted us and showed us into the lounge where the family were once again sitting on the two sofas in exactly the same positions as before.
At first sight, it looked almost as if they hadn’t stirred for three days.
I introduced Virgilio and translated for him when necessary, although his English was well up to the task.
Casper Berg was quick to ask if there had been any developments. Virgilio answered with a question.
‘Does the name Axel Jacobs mean anything to you?’
All three siblings nodded and Emma spoke for them all. ‘He’s a well-known trader in jewels and precious metals. He used to be based in Amsterdam like we are, but he’s now moved to Antwerp. We occasionally buy gemstones from him.’
Casper went on to clarify. ‘Most of our business these days is buying and selling finished jewellery. Back in our father’s day, the company also did a lot of diamond cutting, manufacture of rings, bracelets and necklaces, often using gold and precious stones purchased from Jacobs.
He knows our father, but he’s never spoken about him with us. ’
Emma added dryly, ‘Mainly because he knew we didn’t want to speak about our father to anyone. Why do you ask? Is Mr Jacobs involved in some way?’
‘I’m afraid he was found dead in his hotel room here this morning.’
Casper looked genuinely shocked. ‘You mean he was here in Florence? Do you think his death was suspicious?’
Virgilio nodded. ‘I’m afraid he’s been murdered. There’s no doubt about it. Can you think of any reason why anybody might have wanted him dead?’
They all shook their heads and, as they did so, I studied their faces without seeing any immediate signs of guilt.
Virgilio then moved on. ‘As you may have seen, the technician from the safe company has arrived, so we should gain access to your father’s safe later this morning.
We understand that your father and Mr Jacobs had some kind of deal going on involving a considerable value of gold or precious stones.
Now that Jacobs has been killed, we’re afraid that there may be a connection between the two deaths, and we would advise you to be very cautious if you go out anywhere. ’
Emma looked appalled. ‘You think we might be in danger?’
‘It seems likely that the two deaths are connected in some way, so it’s a sensible precaution for you to take care when you’re out and about.
You’re most probably in no danger at all, but I felt I needed to warn you to be careful.
Stick together as far as possible and avoid wandering around lonely places, especially in the dark.
Have you been visiting Florence while you’ve been waiting around? ’
Casper nodded. ‘Yes, on and off. It’s a beautiful city and none of us have been here before.’
I asked a question of my own. ‘As the commissario says, it’s probably best if you stick together. Do you usually go around as a group or individually?’
Casper answered. ‘A bit of both. Helga and I and Emma and Guido mostly go around together while Luuc prefers to be on his own.’
Luuc spoke up. ‘I find I can see so much more if I’m on my own.’ The suspicion dawned on me that maybe the others preferred it that way. Was Luuc a bit of a loner and, if so, did that make him suspicious?
I tried to keep my tone as friendly as possible. ‘Well, just be careful. What about food? Have you been dining out? I must say, since coming to live here, I’ve fallen in love with Tuscan food.’
They all nodded and a brief conversation ensued during which it was clear that they had been out most evenings, including last night.
Although the two couples spontaneously and conveniently provided alibis for each other, Luuc told us he’d been on his own and so had no alibi for last night around the time that Jacobs had been murdered.
Whether this was significant or not would no doubt emerge in due course, but there was something about him that didn’t sit well with me.
Virgilio asked them when they had arrived in Florence and it turned out that the two couples had travelled here on Friday and had stayed in a hotel on the night when their father had been murdered, while Luuc claimed to have set off later, arriving before lunch on Saturday.
I met Virgilio’s eye for a moment. On this basis, it was clear that, travelling alone, Luuc Berg might even have set off earlier and got here in time to murder his father and dispose of the body before meeting his siblings the next day.
The big question was why – just hatred of the man who had destroyed their happy family or something else?
Virgilio told them that he would inform them when the safe had been opened and he had had a chance to look at the contents. At that point, he would relay his findings to the family. There was an air of anticipation in the room. It looked as though their father’s will would finally be read.
We left them there and went up to the old man’s study where we found a uniformed officer standing guard while the Swiss specialist was hard at work with a stethoscope and a strange electrical contraption clamped onto the door of the safe making a humming/clicking sound.
The technician looked around as we came in.
He was probably around my age with a receding hairline and one of those funny little beards that just circled the jaw, without a moustache. He greeted Virgilio.
‘ Commissario , perfect timing.’ He spoke Italian with a strong Germanic accent. He glanced down at the mystery machine attached to the safe door. ‘It’s just past ten-nineteen. In exactly forty-two seconds, the safe should be open.’
Virgilio handed me a pair of disposable gloves and produced a satisfied smile. ‘Not long now. Thirty seconds and counting. ’
And then we might finally learn more about why David Berg and Axel Jacobs had been murdered.