Page 14 of Vengeance in Venice
“That is what the police told me when I called,” he said calmly.
“I came to warn you not to go there,” Giusti said, “but clearly, I was too late. In my defense, the police kept me back withquestions, so I came as soon as I could. I am so sorry to have brought this trouble to you.”
Constance flitted away to pour another glass of wine, which she brought to Solomon before all but pulling him down onto the elegant sofa beside her. “What happened? What did they ask you? What did you learn?”
Quite suddenly, the situation became familiar, almost comfortable. Silver and Grey exchanging facts and ideas of a crime. They had done this so many times before. He just hadn’t really expected to be doing it on their honeymoon.
A half-smile tugged at his lips. “I was invited into the palazzo and interviewed by a Venetian called Foscolo and an Austrian by the name of Lampl, who seems to be his superior in some way.”
Giusti snorted. “Foscolo does the work and Lampl carries it to his government. As if they cared. It is unnecessary oversight.”
Solomon inclined his head politely. “Savelli seems to have been killed during the night or very early this morning. But whenever it happened, it seems that we three were among the last to see him alive. And we all have considerable motive.”
“I should go,” Giusti said uneasily. “We do not want to be accused of conspiracy. Foscolo is suspicious enough.”
“They will want to interview you, too,” Solomon said to Constance. “And the servants.”
“Signor Giusti did not tell them about your part in the fight or my abduction,” Constance said. “I presume you did?”
“I saw no point in trying to keep it quiet. It was bound to come out. They did not appear to be terribly surprised about the fight, although your abduction did seem to throw them. They asked after you, so they might believe me. Just to be clear, Giusti, what did you do when you left us last night?”
Giusti did not take obvious offense. “I had a bath and went to bed, where I slept like the dead until I was wakened at someungodly hour by policemen battering at my front door. What did you do?”
“Much the same,” Solomon replied. “With a gentler awakening. Then you were not tempted to go out again and remonstrate with Savelli? Did you not feel that your little feud had got out of hand?”
His deliberate disparagement of the quarrel as “a little feud” did not appear to provoke Giusti.
“Of course I feel that. But it was not something I could resolve that night, with anger and no doubt shame running so high.”
“What exactly was your quarrel with Savelli?” Constance asked.
“I told Mr. Grey. Jewels and women and politics.”
Solomon kept his gaze on the Venetian’s bruised face. “I spoke to Signora Savelli.”
Giusti tore his gaze free. Some sort of internal struggle clearly went on. In the end, the words seemed to be dragged out of him as though he couldn’t help them. “How is she?”
So, Savelli’s wife was the woman in question, not some mistress or actress as Solomon had half suspected.
“Dazed, I think. Definitely shocked. She went out alone. Does she have no family to be with her?”
“They disowned her when she married Savelli.”
“So now she is entirely alone,” Constance said quietly.
Giusti’s gaze flew to her face, then fell back to his wine glass. He took a drink, almost blindly. “Yes. I think so.”
“How long have they been married?” Solomon asked.
“For four years.” Abruptly, Giusti set the glass on the table beside him and rose. “I will go. I’m sorry. This mess is poor recompense for being the Good Samaritan you were to me. We must hope the police solve the murder quickly and to everyone’s satisfaction. Signora.” He bowed. “Goodbye!”
Chapter Four
After walking withGiusti to the door, Solomon returned to the drawing room to find Constance by the window, watching his departure.
“What is she like?” Constance asked. “The wife?”
“I don’t know. Dazed but not broken. Or not yet.”
