Frame-Up (25 page)

"Signorina, I underestimated you. Please accept my apologies. Pass me
Fausto again."

I hand the iPhone to him.

"
Capo
, I trust Signorina Walker. I beg you to trust me too. In a week’s
time or so, we should know who did the scam."

"All right, but I heard some disturbing news about you. Massimo
reported that you have become involved with this woman. Is that true?"

"No,
capo
, I am not, and Signorina Walker is a very honorable woman.
I hold her in the highest respect."

"He saw you dining out together."

"Yes, we did, but Massimo drew the wrong conclusion. We were
making detailed plans for tonight’s operation. Even I have to eat,
capo
.
And Signorina Walker knows local restaurants offering real
cucina
italiana
that even you would approve of."

"All right, Fausto, but I warn you, prove yourself!" He disconnects. No
goodbye!

Fausto grins. "I bet no woman has ever dared chide him like this
except his mother many years ago. He may never forgive you for it."

"He will once he has the money." Although I sound assured, I have
some misgivings. It might have been wiser not to let my mouth run away.
Getting mad and acting on it seems to be one of my weaknesses.

Before Fausto leaves, we agree that we will try Long again the coming
night. I decide to pick up the van in the morning and then also check if
the Fiat is still there. If it is a rental car, it’s almost certainly Massimo’s.
I might even give the rental company an anonymous call and tell them
where they can pick up the car. They might tell me in which hotel he is
staying. Fausto can then check out his room and remove anything that
could compromise us.

Wednesday, 5
^th
November, 7:15
a.m.

Silvio will be back today, is my first thought upon opening my eyes. It is
still dark outside. After a light breakfast, rather than do my usual run in
Kensington Gardens, I jog all the way to Chelsea to recover my van,
although that means traversing a mile and a half of built-up areas. On the
way there, I quickly check on the Fiat. My assumption that it is a rental
car is correct. Ace Budget Rentals the discreet sticker inside the rear
window advertises. I note down the phone number and the car’s
registration.

Back in my apartment, I call them, identifying myself as a police
officer of the South Kensington Station. I inform them that Mr. Conci has
been assaulted and is in hospital under sedation, and that no, his rental car
was not damaged. I indicate its location and ask them to remove it. They
give me the local address he provided on the rental contract, Hotel Duke
on Duke Street.

Next, I call Fausto and give him that information and ask him to
remove from Massimo’s room anything that could link the man to us or
to Carvaggio.

On my way to my appointment with Tony Greggs of ADTSecurity
Ltd., I drop by the Snow Hill Police Station — the third time. Some
twenty minutes later I walk into the offices of ADTSecurity Ltd. I have
dressed up for the role — the professional women. My stockbroker’s
‘business uniform’ with a fashionable, fair-size red handbag, high heels
for a change, and my large dark sunglasses are just right for it. I make
sure to park my old van a fair stretch away from their premises.

Greggs lectures me for half an hour on the advantages of various forms
of home security, from burglary and intrusion protection, to fire, carbon-monoxide and wetness alerts, and the indispensable remote monitoring
via their 24-hour monitoring center, as well as protection of the safe
against unauthorized opening. I prick my ears when I hear that. It might
be important, since Garland is most likely to keep any evidence, such as
details on numbered bank accounts in Liechtenstein or elsewhere, in his
home safe.

"How does that work?" I ask.

"Before opening the safe, the alarm for it has to be deactivated by a
secret code. Unless this is done, opening the safe will send a signal to our
monitoring center, which in turn will trigger our response, i.e., reporting
to the cell phone of the owner that the safe has been opened without
deactivating the alarm."

"Clever. I’m sure my husband would want that. We also have a dog."

He assures me that a cat or a dog won’t trigger their motion detectors,
unless the dog is over forty kilograms.

"But ours is big. I think closer to fifty."

He scratches his head. "That causes a problem. I’m afraid, you may not
be able to have the internal motion detectors turned on while you are
asleep, unless you restrict the dog to a single room in the house."

I make a concerned face, but inside I’m triumphant. The Garlands’
motion detectors are most likely off while they are asleep.

At the end of the session, he hands me his business card and invites me
to call back if I have any questions, that he would be happy to inspect the
house we contemplate buying and advise me on the best security system.
If he is not in, I should ask for Paula Finch, his secretary.

While I drive back to Bayswater, the iPhone sounds its melody. I don’t
like using it while driving. So I get into the nearest parking space and
check the number of the missed call. It’s Silvio. My heart starts beating
faster. I immediately return the call, and we arrange that we will lunch in
my apartment at 12:30. He promises to bring some delicatessen.

Wednesday, 12:30

I’m at the window, watching Silvio park his station wagon. I’ve already
been waiting there for several minutes before he arrives. He looks up to
my floor when he gets out. I wave. He waves back, a big smile on his
face.

I meet him at the apartment door and before even saying a word we are
in each other’s arms, kissing.

"I missed you, Ceci," are his first words.

"And I missed you," I reply, kissing him again. "Come, to the kitchen.
The table is set." I take him by the hand. He chuckles and hands me a
large carry-bag.

"How did it go? How is your mother? And Teresa?" I question while
putting the contents of the bag on serving dishes.

"Teresa is fine. She loved your Koala. He now has a special place in
her bed. And my mother has a hard time walking. While I was there, I
managed to book her into a private hospital. They had an opening just
after New Year."

"That’s good. Who will look after Teresa then?"

"That still has to be arranged. I have a cousin —"

"Why don’t you bring her over? If I’m not in prison, I would love to
look after her. She could stay here with me … and so could you."

"Ceci, this is very generous of you, but you don’t have to do that. My
cousin has two children, just a bit older, and Teresa would be fine there."

"But I really would like to. Don’t say no yet. We’ll talk some more
about it."

"OK. I had another surprise," he starts, hesitating. "My ex-wife is back
in Belluno. I can now initiate divorce proceedings."

I’m confused at my own reaction. I can’t tell whether what I feel is
relief or anxiety. If my relationship with Silvio is going to be for good, I
want to marry him and that requires his divorce, but at the same time I’m
apprehensive that her sudden reappearance might result in them getting
together again. There is a bond between them, their child.

"Did you see her?" I ask cautiously.

"No, but my mother told me that she asked after me last week."

"And has she seen Teresa?"

"No, Teresa was at Kindergarten when she called and she didn’t come
by again."

I leave it at that.

While we are eating — he brought Italian cold cuts, marinated
artichoke hearts and black olives, and a Brie — he wants to know what
I’ve been up to and I give him a summary. His face tells me quickly that
he doesn’t like what he hears.

"You are getting far too involved with this
mafioso
. You even had
dinner with him, although you said you wouldn’t. And what you’re
planning is outright crazy. Don’t do it. You’ll just be asking for trouble."

"Silvio, the police seem to be doing nothing —"

"Then they will have to drop the charges sooner or later."

"But then the suspicion of fraud will remain hanging over me. I will
never get a job that requires a level of trust. I have no choice if I want to
be cleared."

"Why don’t you tell this detective inspector what you’ve learned so far
and who might be behind it, and also tell them about the Mafia threat to
you and your family?"

"Because I doubt they would believe me; because I don’t know enough
yet, and if they start investigating half-heartedly, they will simply alert
the culprits. Then even the last shred of evidence left behind will
disappear. No, I need hard evidence. Only then can I involve the police."

"Then hire a professional, a detective."

"This isn’t a simple case of catching a husband or wife in a
compromising situation. This requires breaking and entry."

"Please, Ceci, don’t do it. Don’t do it if you love me."

His eyes are pleading, but I feel that he is blackmailing me
emotionally, that I have to prove my love for him by abandoning my
quest. I’m dismayed by the sudden hurt rising inside. I’ve not the slightest
doubt that I love him. Do I have to prove it to him this way and remain
professionally crippled, and as a consequence never be able to use my
hard earned business knowledge in a challenging career again?

My face must betray what is going on inside me. Silvio rises quickly
and pulls me up, embracing me. "I’m sorry I said that. I have no right to
ask you for that. Please, forgive me."

Yes, that feels better. I smile, my eyes misting up. "I’ll forgive you. I
know you only said it because you worry about me."

We kiss again. I taste the salty flavor of the prosciuto on his saliva. I
don’t want to let go. I want him now and here. He is a strong man, and I
let myself be carried to the bedroom.

Wednesday, 4 p.m.

Mrs. Garland answers the phone. I introduce myself as Paula Finch from
ADTSecurity Ltd., apologize for disturbing her and ask her whether, as
one of our valued customers, she would be willing to answer a few
questions for our quality assurance survey. She agrees after ascertaining
that I’m Tony Greggs’ secretary.

"Mrs. Garland, before I ask a few questions, is there anything, which
offhand you are dissatisfied with or which you wish were different?"

"Not really. I just wish that somebody would always remind me to set
the alarm before I leave the house," she replies with a chuckle. "I
sometimes forget and have to go back."

"Yes, that is a common problem. We have this remote monitor that
beeps if you get too far away from the house without setting the alarm
—"

"I got one on my key ring. That’s what usually reminds me of failing
to set the alarm. There is though one other thing my husband recently
mentioned. We have a big dog. He weighs close to fifty kilograms, which
means that he triggers the motion sensors if he is in the house while we
are away. Couldn’t the detectors be adjusted to accommodate that
weight?"

"Unfortunately this would risk that any intruder who weighs less than
that would also fail to trigger the alarm. A slight young woman could
easily weigh less than that; even some men of southeast Asian origin
might slip through. No, that is not advisable. The only solution is to
restrict the dog to one room where the motion detector is turned off if the
dog is alone in the house. What do you do right now at night?"

"The sensors are not turned on."

That was easy. She volunteered it.

"You mean the internal motion detectors, is that right?"

"Yes."

"Where is the dog at night?"

"Most of the time in the bedroom of our oldest daughter, but he
sometimes wanders down into the kitchen for a drink."

"But you have the window and glassbreak sensors on at night, both
upstairs and downstairs, haven’t you?"

"Yes, but there are no glassbreak detectors upstairs."