A Death In Tuscany (Sarah Woods Mystery Book 13) (7 page)

Chapter 15

The sun had disappeared behind a thick blanket of clouds and the smell of rain hung in the air. Better make this a quick run unless I wanted to get soaked.

I started out with a slow jog just to get my muscles warmed up. Passing through the courtyard and toward the main resort office, I noticed the trail to the hot springs was still closed. Apparently the police hadn’t had a chance to take the “closed for maintenance” sign down yet.

Since there would be no further investigation into Dick’s death, I figured there was no harm in me heading down there. Besides, I couldn’t see a soul around to stop me.

Half-way into the trail, I stopped in my tracks when I heard the faint sound of voices speaking rapidly in Italian. Apparently, other people had not heeded the sign to keep out but, as I got closer, I realized these people were not here to relax in the warm water.

There were about six or seven teenaged boys, all squatting along the edge of the stream. A few of them were actually standing in the lower pool area. When I realized they all had the same green bowl in their hands, it dawned on me. They were panning for gold.

The boys were chatting to each other and, of course, I couldn’t understand a word they were saying. By the tone of their voices, however, I could tell they were probably complaining to one another. They didn’t want to be there.

It was obvious to me that someone must have hired these boys to look for gold, probably paying them a few euros an hour.

I wonder if Eduardo knew this was going on. Should I go back and tell him about the trespassers? Would these teenaged boys get in serious trouble if the police came? Or should I go down and warn them? Would they even understand me?

Maybe I should do nothing. I didn’t want to get involved. I decided to turn right around and head back up the trail. I convinced myself that there was no harm in panning for gold. It’s not like they were digging up the earth, making a mess, or destroying the ecosystem.

Yet there was something about the situation that left a bad taste in my mouth. I decided to head back to the villa and run it by Carter. He’d know what to do.

As I rounded the main courtyard and passed by the parking lot to my right, I noticed Calvin was loading a suitcase into the trunk of a Mercedes.

I slowed my pace and casually walked over. “Leaving so soon?”

He looked up, startled to see me standing there. He cleared his throat as if he were nervous. “Yes, I’m heading out. There’s no reason for me to stay.”

“So you’re not going to dispute the coroner’s findings on your brother’s autopsy?”

“What’s the point?” he said. “He’s gone and there’s nothing I can do to change that.”

“So does that mean you have no hard feelings toward Brittany?”

He paused, as if choosing his words carefully. “I made a bunch of calls this morning and found out my brother was in debt up to his eyeballs! After all his creditors are paid off, there won’t be anything left of Dick’s estate. If Brittany expects to get anything, she’s going to be disappointed.”

Why was he was telling me all this? Did he think I’d break the bad news to her so he wouldn’t have to? “I’m sure Brittany will have a lot to deal with when she gets home. One day at a time.”

“Yeah,” he said, halfheartedly. “Something like that.”

“By the way, you haven’t seen Brittany since you got here, have you?”

“No, why?”

“Well, it might mean a lot to her if you just stopped by and said hello before you left. I think she’s a little hurt that you haven’t made an effort.”

“Why should I? She’s not really family. My brother barely knew her before he tied the knot. After the funeral, I hope I’ll never have to see her again.”

No point in trying to change his mind. Time to wrap this up. “So you’re flying back to the states tonight?”

“No. I’m heading to Rome for a day. I’ve always wanted to go there. Who knows if I’ll ever get to Italy again?”

“I don’t blame you. Have to make the best out of a bad situation, right? Where are you staying in Rome?”

He retrieved a folded piece of paper from his briefcase and opened it. “The Hotel Tiber. It’s supposed to be within walking distance of the coliseum.”

“Sounds great. Carter and I are planning to go there at some point. Hopefully tomorrow.”

“So,” he said, extending a hand for a final farewell. “Once again, I’d like to thank you and Carter in regard to my brother. I hope you’ll be able to enjoy the rest of your vacation. ”

“Thanks,” I said. “And I hope you have a safe trip back home.”

It was getting dark as I watched the Mercedes pull out of the parking lot. I thought it was a little strange that Calvin was staying in Italy another day, sightseeing. His brother just died. You’d think he’d be too distracted to enjoy himself. With all the details of the funeral, getting affairs in order, I’d hardly be interested in ancient architecture. Then again, it sounded like he and Dick were never very close. Perhaps he just came to Italy because he felt a brotherly obligation.

I checked my watch. It was almost six. As I headed back to the villa, my cell phone buzzed. Probably Carter wondering where I was. But the number didn’t look familiar. I answered it.

“Sarah?”

I immediately recognized the frantic voice as Jamie’s. “Hey,” I said. “What’s wrong?”

“Can you come to Brittany’s villa right now? We have a situation on our hands and we need your advice. Please, can you hurry?”

“What happened?”

She didn’t respond because the connection cut out.

I just stood there for a second, dumbfounded. Had Brittany had an accident? If so, why didn’t Jamie just call the police or the paramedics?  Shit, I wanted to run back to get Carter but that would take too much time. I decided to call him instead.

“Sarah, where are you?” he asked.

“Jamie just called me. Something has happened at Brittany’s place and they need my help. Can you meet me over there?”

“Putting shoes on now. I’ll be right there.”

As soon as I ascended the stairs to Brittany’s villa, the door flung open and Jamie stood there. She ushered me in inside and closed the door behind me. I followed her to the kitchen. When I got there, what I saw nearly stopped me cold. Hope Dillard was sitting in a chair, her hands tied behind her back. Lauren sat beside her, wielding a small steak knife. It reminded me of a scene from a movie, where a person is held hostage and pretty soon fingers would be cut off one by one.

“What in the heck is going on here?” I said, not sure if I should take this seriously or not.

“Guess who was inside Brittany’s villa when we got back from dinner?” Lauren said, pointing the steak knife a little too close to Hope’s face. “This nosy little witch.”

Hope’s bulging eyes were a clear indication that she was frightened. “I didn’t mean to upset anyone.”

“Where’s Brittany?” I asked, looking around.

“She’s in the bathroom,” Jamie said. “She still isn’t feeling well. She asked me and Lauren to deal with Hope and we’re not letting her go until she tells us the truth about why we found her in Britt’s villa.”

Hope rolled her eyes. “You guys are making a big deal out of nothing. It’s not like I was going to steal anything.”

“Look guys,” I said to the sisters. “I appreciate how protective you are of Britt but this is going a little overboard. Can we ditch the steak knife, please? It’s making me nervous.”

Lauren placed it on the counter behind her. “It’s not like I intended to use it. I mean, unless I had to.”

I took a moment to think this through.  I turned to Jamie. “Carter will be here any second so please let him in when he gets here.”

Lauren went to the door and looked out the small window. “I see him. He’s coming up the stairs.”

When Carter walked in and saw the scene before him, he raised an eyebrow. “Okay, I didn’t know what to expect but this wasn’t it.”

I filled him in. “Lauren and Jamie claim they caught Hope inside Britt’s apartment snooping around.”

“Wait a minute,” Hope interjected. “First of all, the door wasn’t locked. I would never break and enter. It’s against the law, even in Italy.”

Jamie took a step toward Hope. “That doesn’t give you the right to waltz right in.”

“I agree,” Hope said. “And I’m very sorry about that.”

“What were you looking for?” Carter asked her.

She squirmed. “Would you mind untying me? My hands are practically numb.”

Carter got busy cutting the twine. “This doesn’t mean you’re free to go,” he said firmly. “Brittany may decide to press charges.”

Hope rubbed her hands together briskly. “If you’d just let me explain, you’ll understand why I came here in the first place.”

“Then I suggest you start talking,” Carter said.

“It has to do with the gold. I know that Brittany’s husband found it down at the hot springs a few days ago.”

“How could you possibly know that?” Jamie asked. “Who told you?”

“Because I overheard Eduardo talking about it to someone on the phone this morning. He obviously has no idea I speak fluent Italian. I understood every word of his conversation.”

Carter grabbed a chair and sat down directly across from Hope. “What did he say?”

“Well, I don’t know who he was talking to, but he said that one of his guests had found a gold nugget on his property. He said the man showed it to him and wanted to know what it was worth. Eduardo estimated only two hundred bucks, but the man thought it was worth much more. The
n—
this is the chilling par
t—
Eduardo actually chuckled when he mentioned the fact that this man drowned while he was trying to find more gold in his river. He thought it was funny. Like Dick had it coming.”

Everyone remained quiet, as if we all were trying to understand the ramifications of her statement. 

“I just came from the hot springs,” I said. “A bunch of kids are down there panning for gold. I wonder if Eduardo hired them.”

Jamie interjected. “Wait a second. I’m completely lost.”

“Hope is implying that Eduardo feels unsympathetic about Dick’s death.” Carter said, turning back to Hope. “But I think I know what you’re up to.”

Hope donned an innocent expression. “What do you mean?”

“You’re trying to make Eduardo look guilty of something. You are creating drama where there is none.”

“I’m all about the facts,” she said. “I never exaggerate the truth.”

“And what kind of information were you expecting to find inside Britt’s villa?”

“I was simply trying to gather information about Dick and Brittany to use for the book I’m writing.”

Lauren crossed her arms over her chest and huffed. “You have some nerve, lady. A woman just lost her husband and you want to profit from that? You disgust me.”

“It’s my job,” she said, her tone unapologetic. “If it’s any consolation, I am sorry about what happened to Dick - but there’s a story to tell and I’m the best person to tell it.”

“What story?” Jamie said. “Dick drowned. It was an accident. I don’t believe for a second that an owner of a resort conspired to kill a guest because of a small hunk of precious metal that’s barely worth the effort.”

“That’s not entirely true,” Hope said. “Don’t you want to know the truth about what happened?”

At that moment, Brittany appeared in the doorway, her face pale and eyes sunken in. All heads turned in her direction.

Jamie was beside her in an instant. “How are you feeling?”

“Better,” she replied in a whisper, as if she didn’t have the strength to speak in her regular voice.

“What do you want to do about Hope?” Lauren asked. “Do we let her go or are you going to call the police and have her arrested for trespassing?”

Brittany stared at Hope for a few seconds. “Maybe I’d like to know more about your theory.”

Hope straightened in her chair and puffed out her chest slightly. “Thank you for hearing me out. What I need to do next is try and prove that Eduardo had somebody go down to the hot springs when Dick was alone. He wouldn’t do the killing himself so he would have to employ somebody that he trusts implicitly. Could be a family member or even one of his staff.”

“I’m sorry,” I said, shaking my head. “But I can’t listen to this anymore.”

Hope directed her attention to Brittany. “What happened to the gold your husband found? Do you still have it?”

Britt paused. “Actually, I can’t find it. I’ve looked everywhere.”

“Well, there you go,” Hope said, with increasing excitement. “When was the last time you saw the gold?”

Brittany took a moment to think. “I remember that Dick put it inside the safe. He was very paranoid about anyone knowing about it. He warned me to keep my mouth shut so I had no idea he had spoken to Eduardo about it.”

Hope beamed. “It makes perfect sense now. When you and Dick went back to the hot springs the second time, Eduardo had the cleaning lady come into your villa to look for the gold. Of course, the first place she would look is the safe. She probably had some kind of code to override the password to get inside.”