Page 38 of Murder in Verona

The inspector got to his feet and thanked her for her time, finishing with the words, ‘As far as any possible risk to you is concerned, it’s my intention to station one of my officers here for the next few days and nights so you can be sure of your safety.’

‘Thank you, Inspector. By the way, have you been invited to the Midsummer Concert tonight? It’s going to be in memory of Rodolfo and I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. I’ve invited his agent, Paolo Ruggieri, and his wife as well. They were very close.’

To what extent Violetta was likely to enjoy the concert when she discovered that her long-lost daughter was going to be there remained to be seen.

21

FRIDAY LUNCHTIME

The next two names on our list of interviewees were Clarissa – to quiz her on the exact nature of her relationship with the victim – and Romeo, to ascertain if he and Rodolfo really had crossed swords over a woman a couple of years earlier and to discover the exact nature of the argument he had had with Rodolfo just before his death. We found Romeo in the bar and so we started with him. Ventura flashed his warrant card and the three of us went over to a table in one corner of the big room. As we sat down, I kept my eyes on Romeo’s face. He was still wearing his trademark cocky smile and I wondered how long that would last once he discovered that he was being treated as a suspect in a murder inquiry. In fact, it lasted only a few seconds until the inspector produced a voice recorder, placed it on the table in front of us and switched it on.

‘Can I have your full name, please?’

‘Zanin, Romeo.’

Ventura asked for his age and address and then things got interesting. ‘Are you a full-time student or do you have a job throughout the rest of the year?’

‘I help my father and my uncle in the family business.’

‘And that is?’

‘We sell cars. The garage has the franchise for several different makes.’

‘So presumably you also service and repair cars?’

‘Not personally, I only work in the office but, yes, we offer a full service to our clients.’

For a second or two, I caught the inspector’s eye. Romeo had suddenly catapulted himself way up our list of suspects. He had opportunity because he was here close to where the Jaguar had been kept, and it now seemed very likely that his background in the motor trade would mean that he also had the means to drain the brake fluid. All we needed now was a convincing motive and the inspector got straight onto that.

‘How well did you know Rodolfo Argento?’

‘Reasonably well. I’ve been coming to these summer courses for three years now, and he was often around. Of course, he was a major celebrity, so it was rare for him to speak to somebody like me.’

‘I’ve been told that he did indeed speak to you just a few minutes before his death. I understand that there was an argument between the two of you. Would you be so kind as to fill me in on exactly what provoked the argument?’

This time, when Romeo looked up, it was with an expression of considerable concern. Presumably, he was starting to realise how serious his position potentially was. ‘It was all because of something I said. I told his wife I liked the dress she was wearing and Rodolfo went ballistic.’

Ventura didn’t give him any time to collect himself. ‘The way it was reported to me, your comment was rather more about her body than her clothes. Tell me, did you leave the dining room before him or after him that day?’

There was now a look of panic on Romeo’s face. ‘Before, I think, but, look, it was just a bit of a squabble, nothing serious. I certainly had nothing to do with the accident.’ A more pleading tone entered his voice. ‘You have to believe me. I just said something stupid, he snapped at me, and I apologised. That’s all. I promise you.’

‘I’ve also heard that this wasn’t the only little “squabble” between the two of you.’ Ventura deliberately highlighted the word with his fingers. ‘I believe there was another one two years ago and it concerned a female student here called Rosanna. Does that ring any bells?’

Sweat was beading on Romeo’s brow now and he was looking furtively from side to side, desperately hoping somebody would come along to bail him out. I spotted his cousin, Veronica, standing by the bar, staring across at us, but neither she nor anybody else came to his aid. ‘Two years is a long time but, yes, I remember Rosanna. I thought she was into me but I very soon found out that Rodolfo had turned on the charm and lured her away. At the time, I was angry and I said some stupid things, but that’s long forgotten.’

The inspector picked up on his words. ‘It seems that you make a habit of saying stupid things, Signor Zanin. I think it would be fair to say that you and the victim didn’t get on very well. It’s clear you disliked each other. What I need to ascertain now is just how deep your animosity towards him ran. I’m trying to catch a murderer, and, the way things are looking, the finger of suspicion is definitely pointing in your direction.’

‘No, really, you’re wrong.’ He was actually wringing his hands in desperation. ‘I could never do anything like that. You have to believe me.’ I wondered if I did believe him. The inspector had managed to drag him sufficiently far from his normal smug self that I felt he might even be speaking the truth – but I wasn’t goingto let him off the hook yet. Ventura probably felt the same way because he moved the conversation on.

‘If it wasn’t you, Signor Zanin, can you think of anybody else here at the villa who might have wished to see Rodolfo Argento harmed?’

Romeo immediately shook his head and lapsed into silence but Ventura made no comment and let him stew until Romeo finally looked up at us again. ‘You didn’t hear this from me, right? There may be nothing to it, and I certainly can’t imagine her as a killer, but the fact is that Clarissa and Rodolfo were carrying on for quite some time until Alessia came along.’ For a moment, a touch of his former conceit showed through. ‘I know a thing or two about women and it was plain to see that Clarissa was bitterly hurt and furious with him after he dumped her.’

‘Then tell me, please, Signor Zanin, from the depths of your understanding of the female psyche, why she should have waited over a year to take her revenge.’ The mockery in Ventura’s voice banished the smug expression from Romeo’s face.

‘I don’t know… Maybe Alessia was the murderer. What if Clarissa and Rodolfo had started up again? Alessia travels around quite a lot. Maybe Rodolfo went back to Clarissa while she was away. Alessia came back, found out, and took her revenge on her cheating husband.’

‘Can you substantiate that claim? Any proof?’

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