The Vatican Rip

CHAPTER 26

Piero came on the line. There was no time left for mucking about, so I owned it was Lovejoy wanting to speak to Adriana.

'Where are you? If you're still in Rome—'

'Sod off, lackey,' I said, bone weary. 'Get her.'

'Lovejoy?' Adriana sounded breathless, not as furious as I'd expected.

'It's me, love. Listen. I've been held up.'

'Darling. Are you all right? Do you need—?'

'Nothing. I'll contact you tomorrow. I have to see you.'

'Darling. Just tell me where and I'll come…' There was more of this. In a daze I broke off and floated home to Anna's. Adriana was lovely in that spectacular Roman way I was coming to worship. And when she rose up so fragrantly to meet me swathed in the opulent creamy linen of her bedroom—

'You fucking swine!' Anna went at me, spitting and scratching.

'Eh?' I ducked among the furniture. 'What are you on about—?'

'You poisoned Carlo! Cretino! Assassin!' Poisoned? I moaned. Don't say I'd got the dose wrong, not after all this. She raged after me. 'He's in hospital again!'

'Put that knife down, you old lunatic!'

I had to belt her before she would stop. She sobbed un-controllably on the couch. I was so utterly tired, but credible lies were called for. My strong suit.

'It wasn't me, love,' I said. 'He'd had a whole pint of Scotch and threw up. I merely turned it to my advantage.'

'Is that true, Lovejoy?' she sniffed. With her aged make-up running uncontrollably she looked horrible.

'Honest,' I lied. 'Cross my heart and hope to—er, honest.'

'Poor Carlo.'

Well, quite. I argued persuasively, 'You know what he's like, Anna. By tomorrow he'll believe he pulled off the whole rip single-handed.'

'That's true.' She dabbed her face, making things twice as bad. 'Only… Lovejoy. If you didn't dose Carlo with that stuff, what was it for?'

'Last-minute varnish,' I lied. There was no answer to that. 'It's my secret,' I said as coldly as possible, to freeze her off. 'We're allies, Anna, but if I let on to you exactly how…'

The dear bird jumped to a woman's favourite conclusion in the pause and breathed,

'You are afraid that would be the end of our partnership?'

'Not really afraid,' I said nobly. In fact my greatest craving was to get shut of this maddening old crone and her goonish brother.

'I see,' she said, looking at me in a new way.

I cleared my throat after a year's uncomfortable silence. 'I'd, er, better have a lie down,' I said eventually. 'I've more night work ahead.'

She rose then and crossed to the dressing-table. 'Shower while I make up your bed.'

When I came tottering blearily back her alcove curtains were pulled aside. My couch wasn't made up at all. Uncaring, I reeled towards it, clutching my towel round my middle.

'Here, Lovejoy.' I felt her guiding touch on my arm and collapsed on her bed. She looked down at me, her make-up gone and only her lovely young face hovering. 'You'll sleep better here than on that old couch. Are you very tired?'

'Done in.' My vision blacked. 'What are you doing?' My towel had gone and a smooth lissom body was moving alongside my exhausted hairy neck.

'You need keeping warm, Lovejoy.'

Actually I didn't, but when your hostess offers you tea it's rude to refuse. And as it turned out I wasn't as tired as all that.

* * *

'That you, Arcellano?'

'Where the hell have you been, Lovejoy?'

It was my old friend all right. 'Pulling the rip.'

That shut him up, for about ten seconds. 'You what?'

'You heard.'

Another pause, then much quieter: 'Lovejoy. Are you serious or drunk?'

'Serious.'

'But it's impossible.'

'Was.' We both listened to heavy breathing.

'So you'll deliver—' But he was uncertain.

I cut in. 'No, Arcellano. No nice long trips to Bonn. I deliver here, in Rome.'

'You're off your head.'

'In the Colosseum. Exactly at sunrise. No sooner, no later.'

'Lovejoy.' His sibilant voice made my skin crawl. 'Lovejoy. If you're planning to work a fixer, I'll have you crisped. You do understand?'

'Perfectly,' I told him. 'And if I find you skulking in ambush when I arrive at the Colosseum, Arcellano, I'll take to the hills.' I put a whine of anxiety into my voice. 'I want no trouble.'

'Very well, Lovejoy,' that voice purred. 'I'll be there.'

'Alone, Arcellano. Agreed?'

'Agreed.'

I walked the half mile to Patrizio's garage. I had remembered to bring the keys to Adriana's workshop so Valerio and I could nick the winch and bring it over in his van. I walked quickly. It was already dark, and I still had work to do.