Page 38 of Murder in Venice

I was pleasantly surprised to hear Mary answer the question. ‘Really well. You can probably imagine how stunned I’ve been to realise that my true parents are two of the best-known faces in the world. That, also, is going to take me some time to digest, buthe’s been super – considering that it all must have come as such a shock to him as well. He had to go back to the US this evening because he’s working on a movie over there, but I’m going to meet up with him again in a few weeks’ time.’

Alice added a few words. ‘My plan was to get Dirk here and only then to sit down with Mary and tell her the truth. I thought I owed it to her to give her the opportunity to meet both of her real parents at the same time.’ She wiped her eyes and even managed to produce a hint of a smile. ‘I must confess that I was a bit apprehensive – make that scared stiff – about how Dirk was going to receive the news, but I couldn’t have hoped for better. Maybe he’s not such a bad guy after all.’

Something else occurred to me. ‘Talking of bad guys, did you manage to sit down and speak to the people you mentioned in your autobiography? How did they react?’

The little smile returned to Alice’s face. ‘A few surprises. Desmond Norman apologised profusely, and I genuinely got the impression he meant what he said. Under pressure from Greg, Carlos finally told me what happened that night up on top of the tower at his house. That was before he’d come out as gay, and he’d been up there with his boyfriend of the time. They argued and his boyfriend turned away in a huff, tripped over something, slipped, and fell to his death. Carlos tried to catch him as he fell, but without success. The reason he didn’t tell this to the police was depressingly similar to my own experience. He knew this would have meant revealing his sexuality, probably seriously damaging his career. Hollywood wasn’t anything like as liberated then as it is now.’

‘So does this mean you’re going to leave Norman and Rodriguez out of your book?’

Alice nodded. ‘They both get a mention, but nothing negative. Alastair Groves and his devil wife are staying in. Would youbelieve they both refused even to speak to me before they left? I owe it to Lucy to hang them out to dry. If it hadn’t been for Alastair, Lucy would probably still be alive today and a bigger star than I ever was.’

‘And Maggie McBride?’

‘There’s no way she’ll ever change. She is what she is but, deep down, she’s not bad with it. She had the decency to apologise for her affair with Dirk and, in return, I’ve wiped her slate clean. She’ll still get quite a few mentions in the book, but I’ll tone down the language.’

‘And the comment on her card last night about her poisoning her husband. Was that based on fact, or just for the sake of the murder mystery?’

Alice shook her head. ‘I made that up. She may be many things, but she isn’t a killer.’ Her smile broadened. ‘You might be interested to know that you’re going to get a mention as well – and Oscar, of course.’

I smiled back. ‘Oscar and I thank you. I look forward to reading it at leisure when it comes out.’

As the sun began to set behind us, we carried on talking – or, rather, Alice and her daughter did a lot of talking while I sat quietly, reflecting on the events of the last forty-eight hours. Behind us, Diego and Guido fired up the barbecue while Gabriella prepared a table for seven people. I was touched to see that Alice was including Valentina’s family and me in tonight’s celebration dinner.

At just before seven, my phone started ringing. It was Giulia Trevisan and she had news.

‘Ciao, Dan. Forensics have just finished searching Baker’s speedboat, and guess what they’ve just found in there? A little plastic bag scrunched up in a waste bin with some specks of grey powder still caught in the corners. No prizes for guessing whatthat is. He can cry to his lawyer as much as he likes, but we’ve nailed him, and I’m just calling to say a huge thank you to you for everything you’ve done, and for making sure he didn’t escape. I couldn’t have done it without you.’

‘That’s very nice of you to say so, but you would have got him without me, I’m quite sure. Remember to give Virgilio and me a shout if you’re ever in Tuscany, and we’ll see that you get a good meal.’

A few minutes later, Valentina arrived to call us to table. This was laden with different salads, dishes of roast vegetables, and a silver salver in the middle piled high with everything from spare ribs and grilled chicken to lamb chops and fillet steak, but, fortunately, no cauliflower. Before Diego started serving, he looked across the table and caught my eye.

‘Here, Dan, you asked me to do something special for Oscar. Miss Graceland thought this might be suitable.’ He handed me over a plate on which there was a huge chunk of fillet steak. As I placed it down on the floor at my feet, his eyes opened wide with anticipation and he glanced up at me for a moment.

I gave him a grin. ‘All yours, Oscar. You earned it.’

I swear he winked at me before burying his nose in the reward he so richly deserved.

He really is a very good dog.