Chapter 33

T hey were liberated from their bonds, and they had at least one gun and a knife between them, but they didn't have a plan. Now that Xander and Martha knew they were not alone in the building, they would be hyper-alert to even the slightest sound. Next time, the pair might not be so reticent about shooting.

"They believe we are tied up. Have we really lost the element of surprise?" Melody asked more hopefully than she felt.

"I heard Xander close the stairwell door behind him. With that creaking, he'll hear us open it again. It's amazing that he didn't hear it the first time. I'm sure it is only because he and Martha were otherwise amorously engaged. We cannot take that chance again."

Melody reluctantly acknowledged the wisdom of his words. "We could go out the back door and come around to the front of the building. If they hear any noise from that direction, they will assume it is Herr Peetz or perhaps a security guard."

Looking at his watch, Rat saw that it was already past ten o'clock. "We must assume that Herr Peetz is already here. I haven't heard a shot, but they may have already killed him." Melody shuddered at his words. She still could not get past the idea of a daughter murdering a parent in cold blood, and for no better reason than a difference of political opinion.

Rat continued, "I do not doubt that Xander and Martha will have no qualms about shooting at a supposed security guard. Their only reason for not killing us immediately was a concern about alerting Herr Peetz. And they have an extra gun now, so more bullets. I think they would be perfectly content to shoot their way out of the gardens if necessary." As he said this, Rat turned off the overhead light. Whatever they did, they were better doing under cover of dark.

Then, they stood there, incapacitated by doubt. Rat tried to imagine what Wolf and Bear might do in a similar situation. What would Lord Langley do? What was the smart move? Rat realised that they had to make a decision of some sort; Herr Peetz's life might still depend on their intervention. If Melody hadn't been with him, Rat would have had no doubts about charging back upstairs and risking his life. However, she was there, and if he had to choose between Dieter Peetz's safety and his sister's, then he knew what he needed to do. Even as he felt a pang of frustration that Melody's company so hobbled his actions, Rat acknowledged, to himself at least, that he could never have escaped from those ropes alone. The truth was that he was glad to have a partner; he just wished that it wasn't someone with whose safety he was so consumed.

Just as he was about to agree with Melody's idea if only for want of a better one, they heard a noise above. Whatever was going on in the exhibition rooms, it was evident that Martha and Xander no longer felt the need for stealth.

"Give me your gun," Rat demanded. "Then, go into that far corner and hide."

"I am not going to let you face them alone," Melody said indignantly.

"Melody, we do not have time for this. Whatever my feelings when we each had a gun, now we do not. We have one revolver and a small knife between us. That is no match for their two guns. Worrying about you puts me at a further disadvantage. Please, just do as I ask," the young man pleaded.

It was this tone, far more than the earlier overprotective one, that convinced Melody. She realised that Rat was plagued by self-doubt about his ability to handle this situation, and he didn't need one more thing holding him back. Melody handed him her gun and moved further into the room to hide. She had barely found a box that might provide some cover when they both heard the creaking of the door again and footsteps on the stairs.

Rat pressed his back against the wall, hoping to take whoever it was by some kind of surprise when they entered the room. Of course, if it were Xander he would have already realised that the light was no longer on and have surmised that they had escaped their bonds. However, Martha didn't know he had left the room illuminated, and this was the sliver of hope onto which Rat clung.

As the footsteps moved closer, Rat held his breath and had the revolver at the ready. Suddenly, a voice called out, "Mr Sandworth, Miss Chesterton… Melody?"

Melody knew that voice and leapt out of her hiding spot, crying out happily, "Alessandro? Is that you?"

Rat didn't share his sister's immediate relief about Conte Foscari's appearance in the pavilion. While they had known that the conte was aware of their plans to come to the gardens that evening, he hadn't given any indication that he planned to follow them. Had Rat's willingness to concede Foscari's likely innocence been premature? Rat's thoughts were interrupted by Melody rushing forward and turning the light back on.

As the room was again flooded by the harsh light of the bare incandescent lightbulb, they saw Alessandro standing just outside of the doorway, a gun in his hand. The three of them stood still for a moment, looking at each other, Rat and Alessandro both with guns at the ready. Was this a rescue or another standoff?

Answering this question, at least temporarily, Alessandro lowered his gun and said, "I am so relieved to find you unharmed."

"What has happened to Ashby and Fr?ulein Peetz?" Rat asked.

"They are in police custody," he assured them. "I was able to intercept Herr Peetz before he entered the building, and he is safe. In shock at the perfidy of his daughter, but physically unharmed."

"You brought the police with you?" Melody asked, unsure if she considered this an act of betrayal.

"No signorina," a voice said, appearing out of the dark hallway behind Alessandro. It was Ispettore Paolo Moretti and the young policeman, Appuntato Cavalli. The ispettore continued, "Appuntato Cavalli kept the eye on you."

Moretti then said something in rapid Italian to the appuntato, who translated, "Ispettore Moretti said to tell you that I followed you after you came to talk to him yesterday." Rat looked shocked at this admission. He wasn't sure what was more galling, that they had been followed for almost two days or that he had not realised.

The young policeman continued in a disapproving voice, "You talk too loudly in public places. When you ate lunch outside today, you talk like no one around you understands English." Both Melody and Rat looked suitably ashamed at the chastisement. It was true; they had been talking about the investigation with no regard for who might overhear. "Then, I follow you to the hotel and I wait outside. You come out in a hurry, run around to the back, and I follow you down a short way. I do not want to come too near, in case you see me. But even from where I was standing, I could hear you talk about the note you find. You need to talk more quietly."

Rat and Melody hung their heads in shameful acknowledgement of the man's words. The policeman then said in a kindly tone, "But, because you are loud, we know where to come to arrest the bad man and woman."

"So, you believed what I told you yesterday?" Melody asked hopefully.

The policeman quickly translated for his superior, who answered, "Sì E no. But we come and then the pistole."

Alessandro picked up the story, "I intercepted Herr Peetz just as he was approaching the pavilion and then was myself intercepted by Ispettore Moretti and his men." He paused, then added vaguely, "We have had some interactions over the years."

Melody would have loved to hear more about those "interactions". Alessandro continued, "We quickly realised that we had a common cause and stormed the pavilion. If the ispettore had been in any doubt as to Ashby's guilt, the gunfire that greeted us was sufficient proof that there was some kind of wrongdoing afoot."

Ispettore Moretti indicated that he needed to return upstairs to deal with his prisoners. Alessandro made to follow him. Rat and Melody exchanged glances, and a silent communication passed between them; they were not ready to hand over the reins of their investigation completely and so they also followed.

The lights had been turned on in the exhibition rooms, and now Melody had a better view of the landscape paintings in the first, smaller room. She didn't like them any more for being able to see them clearly. The ispettore hadn't commented on Rat and Melody's inclusion in the group and led everyone through to the main exhibition hall, where they found Xander and Martha in handcuffs and under the stern watch of two policemen.

As soon as the group entered the hall, Martha began yelling out in a combination of German and English, "I was kidnapped by this man. He is crazy. He was going to kill my father."

The ispettore replied in his broken English, "No tedesco. Inglese." While he might not understand German, Melody wasn't convinced he understood English much better, but at least his young policeman could translate.

Martha then continued in an increasingly hysterical tone, "Ashby is a spy for der Kaiser. He killed those two men." Earlier, Melody had thought Martha the brains of the partnership, but now she wasn't sure. If she was claiming to be merely a victim of an abduction, how did she explain knowing such details about Xander's nefarious activities?

It seemed that this fact had just occurred to Martha, too late. She began again, "I overheard him talking about it. He bragged about shooting those two men."

While it was evident, at least to Melody, that Moretti was very sceptical of Martha's protestations of innocence, nevertheless, the inspector said something to Cavelli, who translated, "Why did he say that he shot them?" Given the highly circumstantial evidence Melody and Rat had provided when they had visited the inspector the day before, it made sense that he was making as much use as possible of Martha's attempt to exonerate herself.

Martha paused; this was her one chance, or at least she must have believed it to be so. She had to be convincing and provide enough details to make Xander a persuasive scapegoat.

Up until that point, Xander had been surprisingly quiet, making no attempt to defend himself. Now, he used Martha's hesitation to exclaim, "Martha, my love. What are you saying?"

"Love?" the woman spat. "You really thought I loved you? Englischer Schn?sel!"

From what Melody remembered of her German, Martha had just called Xander an English snob. Well, she couldn't disagree with the woman there; he was a terrible snob. She remembered how he had called Alessandro a mongrel half-breed at Lady Bainbridge's party and wondered how he rationalised his half-British, half-Austrian bloodlines as being any different from Alessandro's half-Italian one.

Now that Martha had started, the woman's voice became increasingly crazed, "I knew from the moment we met what a useful idiot you would be to der Kaiser." In her agitation, Martha seemed to have forgotten her earlier claims of innocence. "I am surrounded by idiot men," Martha sneered. "I thought that my father's delusions about what is best for das Vaterland were bad enough. But your sudden conversion to the cause of ?sterreich made me nauseous. No true patriot would accept money for his services."

It seemed that Ispettore Moretti had understood enough of what was being said and now exclaimed, "Enough. Finito. We go."

Turning to Melody and Rat, he said, "Grazie mille, signor et signorina. Thank you for this help you give." Then, in Italian, he told his men to take their prisoners away. With a quick bow, the ispettore followed them out, leaving Melody and Rat alone with Alessandro.

Suddenly, the situation felt very awkward; what did they all do now? There was an uncomfortable silence for a few moments, until Alessandro said, "I suggest that we all return home. Do you have a way to return to Lady Bainbridge's palazzo or would you like me to take you?"

They had almost forgotten that Giovanni was waiting patiently for them by the side entrance to the gardens. Or at least they hoped he was still waiting. Rat indicated that they had no need for transportation, and Alessandro nodded. He turned to leave, then pivoted back, "I will call on you tomorrow morning if that is acceptable." Melody felt a surge of joy before Alessandro added, "Mr Sandworth. We have things to discuss." As quickly as her hopes had soared, they now came crashing down. And then Alessandro was gone.