Page 25 of Murder at the Ponte Vecchio

‘Does the name Axel Jacobs mean anything to you?’

All three siblings nodded and Emma spoke for them all. ‘He’s a well-known trader in jewels and precious metals. He used to be based in Amsterdam like we are, but he’s now moved to Antwerp. We occasionally buy gemstones from him.’

Casper went on to clarify. ‘Most of our business these days is buying and selling finished jewellery. Back in our father’s day, the company also did a lot of diamond cutting, manufacture of rings, bracelets and necklaces, often using gold and precious stones purchased from Jacobs. He knows our father, but he’s never spoken about him with us.’

Emma added dryly, ‘Mainly because he knew we didn’t want to speak about our father to anyone. Why do you ask? Is Mr Jacobs involved in some way?’

‘I’m afraid he was found dead in his hotel room here this morning.’

Casper looked genuinely shocked. ‘You mean he was here in Florence? Do you think his death was suspicious?’

Virgilio nodded. ‘I’m afraid he’s been murdered. There’s no doubt about it. Can you think of any reason why anybody might have wanted him dead?’

They all shook their heads and, as they did so, I studied their faces without seeing any immediate signs of guilt.

Virgilio then moved on. ‘As you may have seen, the technician from the safe company has arrived, so we should gain access to your father’s safe later this morning. We understand that your father and Mr Jacobs had some kind of deal going on involving a considerable value of gold or precious stones. Now that Jacobs has been killed, we’re afraid that there may be a connectionbetween the two deaths, and we would advise you to be very cautious if you go out anywhere.’

Emma looked appalled. ‘You think we might be in danger?’

‘It seems likely that the two deaths are connected in some way, so it’s a sensible precaution for you to take care when you’re out and about. You’re most probably in no danger at all, but I felt I needed to warn you to be careful. Stick together as far as possible and avoid wandering around lonely places, especially in the dark. Have you been visiting Florence while you’ve been waiting around?’

Casper nodded. ‘Yes, on and off. It’s a beautiful city and none of us have been here before.’

I asked a question of my own. ‘As thecommissariosays, it’s probably best if you stick together. Do you usually go around as a group or individually?’

Casper answered. ‘A bit of both. Helga and I and Emma and Guido mostly go around together while Luuc prefers to be on his own.’

Luuc spoke up. ‘I find I can see so much more if I’m on my own.’ The suspicion dawned on me that maybe the others preferred it that way. Was Luuc a bit of a loner and, if so, did that make him suspicious?

I tried to keep my tone as friendly as possible. ‘Well, just be careful. What about food? Have you been dining out? I must say, since coming to live here, I’ve fallen in love with Tuscan food.’

They all nodded and a brief conversation ensued during which it was clear that they had been out most evenings, including last night. Although the two couples spontaneously and conveniently provided alibis for each other, Luuc told us he’d been on his own and so had no alibi for last night around the time that Jacobs had been murdered. Whether this was significantor not would no doubt emerge in due course, but there was something about him that didn’t sit well with me.

Virgilio asked them when they had arrived in Florence and it turned out that the two couples had travelled here on Friday and had stayed in a hotel on the night when their father had been murdered, while Luuc claimed to have set off later, arriving before lunch on Saturday. I met Virgilio’s eye for a moment. On this basis, it was clear that, travelling alone, Luuc Berg might even have set off earlier and got here in time to murder his father and dispose of the body before meeting his siblings the next day. The big question was why – just hatred of the man who had destroyed their happy family or something else?

Virgilio told them that he would inform them when the safe had been opened and he had had a chance to look at the contents. At that point, he would relay his findings to the family. There was an air of anticipation in the room. It looked as though their father’s will would finally be read.

We left them there and went up to the old man’s study where we found a uniformed officer standing guard while the Swiss specialist was hard at work with a stethoscope and a strange electrical contraption clamped onto the door of the safe making a humming/clicking sound. The technician looked around as we came in. He was probably around my age with a receding hairline and one of those funny little beards that just circled the jaw, without a moustache. He greeted Virgilio.

‘Commissario, perfect timing.’ He spoke Italian with a strong Germanic accent. He glanced down at the mystery machine attached to the safe door. ‘It’s just past ten-nineteen. In exactly forty-two seconds, the safe should be open.’

Virgilio handed me a pair of disposable gloves and produced a satisfied smile. ‘Not long now. Thirty seconds and counting.’

And then we might finally learn more about why David Berg and Axel Jacobs had been murdered.

15

WEDNESDAY MORNING

The man from Switzerland was true to his word. At exactly ten twenty, there was a final beep from the machine followed by a solid clunk. The technician spun the handle and the safe door swung open. The door and walls were about four inches thick and I could see how difficult it would have been for a thief to get in without destroying the contents – and probably half the villa as well. This had been built to withstand most things. Virgilio and I stood there and studied the contents closely while the technician set about packing his tools away as if safe cracking were the most normal occupation in the world. I wondered idly how much he would be able to make if he ever decided to embrace the dark side.

There were three shelves inside the safe and just about the first thing I spotted on the top shelf was a yellow and brown cigar box, roughly the size of a big book. Alongside it was a little pile of five shiny gold bars, each roughly the size of a pack of cards. Next to these were a number of jewellery boxes and clear plastic bags containing different-coloured precious stones. The middle shelf held a pile of documents, while on the bottom shelf, there werethree large gold ingots, each almost the size of a packet of biscuits. I wondered how much these might be worth – certainly these alone fully justified the installation of such a secure safe. Virgilio reached in and picked up a handful of the documents. On top of them all was a long envelope and I heard him give a grunt of satisfaction. He held it up and I could see that it hadCasperhandwritten on it.

‘This looks like David Berg’s will.’ He set it down on top of the safe and started flicking through the other documents.

I grabbed the rest of the pile in my gloved hands and started to go through them. It didn’t take long to realise that they were mostly certificates of authentication, in particular, certificates attesting to the place of origin of each of the jewels and precious metals in the safe. My eye happened on a certificate headedEmirates Gold, confirming the authenticity of a 99.9 per cent pure gold bullion bar with a weight of 400 troy ounces. I had no idea what this meant in real terms so I squatted down and lifted one of the gold bars on the bottom shelf – and it wasn’t easy. I pulled it out and weighed it in my hand, reckoning that it had to be at least ten kilos. That meant that this relatively small piece of metal weighed the same as half a dozen full bottles of wine, if not more. This meant that these three bars amounted to at least thirty kilos of pure gold. These plus the smaller gold bars and the gemstones were the proof that Berg had been a very, very wealthy man. I replaced the gold bar and glanced at the envelope markedCasperon top of the safe. Who was going to inherit the gold and all the other stuff belonging to David Berg?

I returned the pile of papers to the middle shelf and glanced across at Virgilio. ‘All right with you if I take a look inside Jacobs’s cigar box? I’m dying to see what’s in it.’

---