Page 23 of Murder in Portofino

‘Yes, I got the results a couple of hours ago. Definite traces of blood and in fact some faint bloodstains still visible on the floor of the dinghy. The lab has analysed the blood and confirms that it matches the victim’s. He was either knifed in the dinghy or it was used when disposing of the body.’

‘Yes, but if somebody came with him in the dinghy from the Regal Princess and murdered him en route to the shore, or if somebody knifed him on the yacht and then took the body away in the dinghy to dispose of it, how did they get back to the yacht? The German on watch says no other boats came near that night and the yacht was several hundred metres from the shore.’

‘More like eight hundred metres: a good long way.’

I let my mind roam for a few seconds. None of these scenarios seemed very likely but, without evidence, there was little we could do apart from come up with hypotheses and try to shoot them down. My thoughts were interrupted by the lieutenant’s voice.

‘What about Susie Upton, the comedian? What was that you said about her maybe having had a relationship with the victim? Might that have gone sour?’

‘Your guess is as good as mine, but my gut feeling – and that’s all it is – is that I think it’s unlikely she was involved with the victim, but anything’s possible, I suppose. When she spoke to me about him, she made it clear that she found him repulsive. Yes, she might have been lying, but I tended to believe her. I didn’t see her as that venal. To be honest, I rather liked her, but I’ve been wrong before.’ I glanced across the desk at him. ‘What’s your next move?’

‘I can’t keep the Regal Princess here much longer without charging somebody, so I’ll have one more go at questioning everyone on board, including Susie Upton, and if nothing new emerges then I’ll have to give the captain permission to carry on with the cruise.’

I remembered something that had occurred to me earlier. ‘I had a very nice fillet steak for lunch on board the yacht today and I noticed that the steak knives correspond pretty closely to the description you gave me of the murder weapon. I don’t know whether you think it might be worth getting them to check if they’re missing one?’

‘It can’t do any harm – but I must make sure we tell the person doing the check to say nothing to any of the guests. The less gory detail gets out to the media, the better. Mind you, even if one’s gone, it doesn’t really get us any closer to knowing who might have stolen it and used it.’

I glanced at my watch and stood up. ‘I’m sorry I haven’t been able to give you a positive ID on the voices I overheard, but maybe that was a red herring anyway. It could be the people I heard were from a completely different group – there were loads of English speakers in Lucca that night for the concert – and even if they were from the Regal Princess, maybe they were just letting off steam. From what I’ve seen and heard today, there’s been a pretty tense atmosphere on board all week – and a lot of alcohol being consumed. Anyway, I’ve promised my girlfriend and my dog a decent walk so I’d better go. Sorry I haven’t been able to help more.’

‘You’ve been a lot of help. I look forward to saying thank you properly at dinner tonight. See you at seven. Tell your girlfriend that my wife will be there so she won’t be left to her own devices if you and I start talking shop. La Conchiglia, okay?’

‘If we start talking shop, I’m afraid you might find me in the sea with a steak knife sticking in my back.’

Anna and I spent the rest of the afternoon together and I worked hard to get back into her good books. My original idea had been to climb up the steep hillside above Portofino and walk for two hours to the Abbey of San Fruttuoso and then return to Portofino by ferry, but a helpful notice at the bottom of the hill indicated that it was a ‘moderate to hard’ climb. The temperature was in the low thirties and I knew Anna wasn’t very keen on hiking, so I wisely chose an alternative route. This was the Passeggiata dei Baci – the Path of Kisses – that led from Portofino around the rocky coastline to Santa Margherita. It was almost pan flat and the views across the bay to the south towards the distant Cinque Terre were delightful. There weren’t too many people using the path and we even managed to stop in one or two secluded places for a few baci of our own.

I had brought Oscar’s bowl, a small bag of dog food and a big bottle of water in my backpack and the highlight of his walk was without question when I gave him his lunch, now delayed by several hours. He has an impeccable internal body clock and it had been telling him that he was hungry for some time now – and he had been telling me with insistent prods of his nose. Needless to say, he hoovered it up in a matter of seconds and then finished off his meal with a bellyful of water – not quite as nice as lobster and fillet steak, but he’s always been more interested in quantity than quality.

When we got to Santa Margherita, we walked along the harbourside until we found seats at a table under the trees directly overlooking the marina. Like Rapallo, it was packed with pleasure craft ranging in size from rowing boats to what I would formerly have described as ‘gin palaces’ – although I now knew they were small fry in comparison to where I had recently been wined and dined on something three or four times their size. The buildings ringing the harbour were the same mix of ochre colours as Portofino but it lacked the beautiful little bay and the old castle on the hill. The busy road running parallel to the harbourside further detracted from the charm of the place, but it was very pleasant all the same and I sensed that Anna might be beginning to forgive me for allowing work to encroach on our precious free time together.

There was more of a general family holiday vibe here and there were kids at most tables with nervous parents constantly checking that they didn’t run out into the road. As for Oscar, he happily sprawled on the cool stone beneath our feet as we ordered freshly pressed lemonade for ourselves.

We had only been there for five minutes or so when Anna’s phone started ringing. I heard her say, ‘Hi, Tamsin,’ and then a few seconds later, she passed the phone across to me. ‘It’s Tamsin, she says one of the men on the yacht wants to speak to you.’ She didn’t look impressed.

I took the phone from her. ‘Hi, Tamsin, thanks again for your hospitality today. We’ve just been trying to walk off all the wonderful food.’

‘Hi, Dan, you’re very welcome. Listen, I’ve got Neil beside me: Neil Vaughan from Accounts? I don’t know if you remember him. He’d like a word, if you can spare him the time.’

‘Yes, of course I remember him. I’d be happy to talk to him.’

Now what, I wondered, was this about? A couple of seconds later, I heard a man’s voice. In spite of what I’d just said, I was still trying to place Neil Vaughan, but as soon as I heard the voice, I recognised it. It was the man who had originally been sitting alongside Tamsin, one of my possibles for the Lucca restaurant conversation, and the one I had notionally pigeonholed as a serious lawyer type. So he was an accountant rather than a lawyer – my first guess had been a good try, but no cigar.

‘Hello, Mr Armstrong, this is Neil Vaughan. I’m one of the GreyratTV group on the Regal Princess. I wonder if I could have a word with you about a serious matter.’

‘Hello, Mr Vaughan, how can I help?’

There was a momentary hesitation and when he spoke, it was in muffled tones. I had a mental image of him leaning out over the side of the boat so as not to be overheard. My curiosity increased as he murmured into Tamsin’s phone. ‘I believe you said you’re a private investigator. That’s correct, is it?’

‘Yes, although, as I said, I’m a private investigator on holiday at the moment.’ My eyes caught Anna’s for a moment and I saw her nod in approval at mention of the word ‘holiday’.

‘Yes, I’m sorry to interrupt your break, but we have a situation here that needs to be looked into urgently.’

‘What sort of situation?’

‘I work in the accounts department and I’ve been getting increasingly worried over the past months about irregularities.’

‘When you say irregularities, do you mean that money’s been going missing?’

‘That’s exactly what I mean.’ There was another long pause. ‘And I’m afraid that Jerome’s death might be connected with it.’

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