The Da Vinci Deception (37 page)

“There is someone in that boat who interests you very much. But not in a friendly way.”

“A man I want to take back to England. He faces extremely serious charges.”

“You are a policeman—as I suspected. I think I saw that from the beginning.”

“Is it that obvious?”

“We Italians, especially those of us with military experience, have a nose for crime.” Caramazza ran a finger down his nose. “It's a national hobby with us, but there is a difference, depending on which side of the law you let your nose do the sniffing.”

“Will you help me?”

“Tell me more about yourself, and this man who you have come after.”

“I am from the Windsor police. One of the men in that boat is suspected of murdering a policewoman. I followed him to New York where this happened”—he held up his hand—“and now to Como. He knows I'm here.” Deats related how he had doctored Eleanor's car, then happened along to play the good samaritan.

“Will you arrest him?”

“With help. I don't have the authority.”

“Do you have papers?”

“A warrant and evidence we've filed for extradition. I'll need cooperation from the local police.”

“The
comandante
in Torno is a very suspicious man. I would not give your papers to him but to someone in higher authority. I have friends in Como.” Once more Caramazza put the throttle in neutral and the boat settled in the water. “Do you know why they have come here?”

“No, but if you could arrange a meeting with Professor Burri, I might find an answer.”

“
Sì,
I will do that.” He moved the gear to forward and accelerated away from the shoreline.

Tony had nearly given up hope that Ivonne would come for the bottle of wine on the off chance she had found one in the kitchen. He was behind an old chest less than ten feet from the heavy door. He brushed away the stones from the hard dirt floor. He did not want to risk kicking the smallest pebble across the floor in a room with the acoustics of an echo chamber. He heard a scratching noise, like a rake being dragged over gravel. A rat the size of a small squirrel ran past him to the wall, then disappeared into a hole. Then came another noise.

Ivonne was descending the steps. She hesitated briefly, then continued down to the locked door. A key turned, the door opened, and a light was turned on. Tony moved silently to the opened door. Hundreds of bottles lay on dozens of shelves. Ivonne was at the far wall holding up bottles until she was satisfied with her choice. On another wall Tony saw a break in the rows of shelves. The stone wall was interrupted by a section of wood several feet square. He felt certain he had found the vault. He retreated behind the chest. Ivonne locked the door and went back to the kitchen. The lights went out.

Tony followed her. He slipped into the kitchen, then back to the hall, where he continued his tour of Giorgio's collection.

Caramazza turned toward
Il Diodario
and set the throttle forward. Had he or Deats looked back, they would have seen two men get into the white speedboat and begin a similar route across the lake.

“I want to see the faces of the guards protecting
Il Diodario,
” Caramazza called out to Deats. “When we are running in front of the villa, I will ask that you take over.”

Tony pushed the powerful craft to full speed, thrusting Jonas back in his seat. The fat man clutched the leather case and urged Tony to go slower.

“Softly, Tony, we're in no great hurry.”

Tony ignored the admonition. His eyes were on a boat approaching the southern edge of the villa.

“There's no cause to hurry,” Jonas repeated. “It's damned uncomfortable on the kidneys when this torpedo slaps the water.”

“There's a boat prowling past our docks. I want to see who it is. Hold on to that bar in front of you.”

Jonas grabbed the chrome bar with one hand and tightened his grip on the case with the other. They spurted ahead, the propeller digging deeper into the water. Jonas felt as if he had sunk six feet under the surface.

Two hundred yards from Caramazza's boat Tony relaxed speed and came up on the stern of the slower-moving craft, now nearly abeam of the solarium. He drew alongside, closing the distance to less than a hundred feet. Deats glanced left to see the other boat closing on him and immediately dropped out of sight, calling to Caramazza to take over the controls. Caramazza maneuvered his boat very deliberately, as if he were searching for a fishing spot. He knew the waters and aimed for the old landing at Torno. His broad-bottomed boat took little draft and could venture into the shallow waters. At the far edge of the villa's property he saw a man dressed in khaki. “There's one of his guards, Mr. Deats. If my eyes see correctly, he is pointing his rifle at us.”

They watched Tony pull into the dock. They were a quarter of a mile away and would easily stretch that to a half mile before Tony could come after them.

Jonas, relieved the ordeal was over, stumbled to the stone dock. “Tie up and meet me in the solarium.”

“But Deats is in that boat. I swear it!”

Jonas glared down to a defiant face. “My orders are to tie up.”

Tony looked out to see the slow-moving boat turn out to the middle of the lake. Reluctantly, he secured the boat and followed.

Jonas placed the precious leather case on the table next to his command chair. A glower was spread over his face and his eyes still squinted from the bright sunlight on the water. “You were ready to chase the boat down and ram it broadside. I could see it.”

“I wanted to follow them. I want to know where to find that bloody bastard.”

“You're frightened. That's when you become dangerous.”

“You sit there like a raja telling me I'm frightened because some zealous detective is trying to yank me back to face a murder charge.” He moved in front of an impassive Jonas. “That might frighten a weak man, but I'm not weak.”

“Your bravado is very becoming, Tony. Sit down and let me explain how we shall handle the inquisitive superintendent without violence. We can assume that they have commenced extradition proceedings through their embassy in Rome and that Deats has all the proper papers, including a warrant for your arrest. But where will he take those papers? To the provincial police? To Como? Neither. He must go to the local authorities. We are within the jurisdiction of the town of Torno. The chief of police is named Luciano Pavasi, with whom I have made a contract to protect
Il Diodario
from curious outsiders. Luciano is a very understanding man, particularly now that he has an account in the Suisse Banca in Lugano which grows each month by a million lire.”

“If Deats doesn't get cooperation from Pavasi, he'll go to someone higher up.”

“But Pavasi will smother him with cooperation. When the superintendent visits Pavasi, they will talk about crime and punishment and the low state of morality in their respective countries. Pavasi will dutifully contact the officials in Rome and receive authorization for Deats to serve out his warrant. They will come to
Il Diodario
and place you under arrest. When Deats is assured you are in custody in Torno, he'll return to Windsor, wait for the extradition process to grind away, then return and escort you to England, where you will stand trial for the murder of Sarah Evans.” Jonas looked up. “Would you size it up differently?”

Tony had listened to the scenario in total disbelief. “I sit waiting like the fatted calf?”

“You weary me, Tony. You are so bright, yet so dull. You will sit here but not as a fat calf—”

“You've gone mad! If you think I'm going to be your sacrifice—to protect your ass—”

“Enough!” Jonas propelled himself from his chair and crashed his huge belly against Tony, sending him reeling backward. “I'm protecting you! Let them find you. Let them take you to jail. Let the goddamned Englishman go back to his Windsor. He'll rot waiting for you to be extradited.”

Tony gained a modicum of composure. “Stop talking in riddles. What are you telling me?”

“If you continue to run, Deats will continue to chase. So we shall arrange a convenient arrest. You will spend several nights in the jail in Torno. When Deats boards his plane for London, you will simply walk away and join me in the car waiting in front of the police station.”

“How do I know Pavasi will go along?”

“All Swiss accounts are not secret, specifically one in the name of Luciano Pavasi. It would be a devastating revelation.”

“But when it's discovered I'm not in jail?”

“That will take weeks. Luciano will say you have become critically ill, that you cannot be seen. Eventually he will say you have escaped. By then you will be a thousand miles away. Getting rid of Superintendent Deats is a simple matter.” His expression turned again to a glower. “It's Giorgio who presents a difficult problem. He has changed. I saw it in London when he brought his damned copies. Then he tells us there is a version with the words Leonardo might actually have written and another for practice.” Jonas's skin had turned pink from the sun, now it was flushed red with anger.

“Either he wants out or is going to demand a larger share. Neither is acceptable. He will be surprised to learn I discovered the hiding place of his drawings.”

“You found it?” Tony asked incredulously. “I saw into his wine cellar and there is a vault there. I'm positive.”

“While Giorgio was absorbed in Curtis's drawings, I surveyed his collection. I was attracted to one in particular. It's a large pen-and-ink of stones and massive fortifications by a long-forgotten artist. But I was intrigued by the thick frame and heavy backing. Too much for a simple drawing on paper.” He spread his thumb and index finger apart several inches. “I'm positive that's where they are.”