Death of an Englishman by Magdalen Nabb Read Free Book Online Page A

you know …'
    They looked out of the window. Unless the Englishman had been shot in the centre of the courtyard and then brought back in, the child could have seen nothing. Her bedroom window was directly above that of the ground-floor flat. They turned away. Something black was sticking out under Giovanna's pillow; a plastic revolver. 'There's nothing to be done with her,' shrugged the distracted father, 'it's her passion.'
    'Well,' the Captain pointed out, 'she's been a great help to us in fixing the time of death. We're grateful for that.'
    'Yes, she's a very light sleeper, in fact. I've known her call out to me when I've come home well after midnight …' He blushed faintly.
    The Captain, whose tolerance normally almost amounted to indifference, could not have said exactly why that faint blush made him angry.
    'Might I ask your occupation, Signor Cipriani?'
    'Certainly. I'm an insurance broker; my offices are in the Piazza della Republica.'
    'And did you arrive home after midnight last night?'
    'I believe it was about one o'clock …' He blushed again, sensing the Captain's hostility. 'I dined with some clients at Doney's.'
    'You realize that we'll have to check that? And the time you left?'
    'You mean I'm a suspect?'
    'I mean that I must know where every tenant was after midnight last night. Was your wife awake when you got home?'
    'I think so … yes, she was reading a book.'
    The Captain's inexplicable anger subsided as quickly as it had risen. 'Do you know anything about your neighbour, Mr Langley-Smythe?'
    'Nothing, really, except that he was English.'
    'You didn't notice whether he had many visitors?'
    'Visitors? I never saw any. He seemed a solitary sort of man … Of course, he could have had, without my ever seeing them.'
    'But if he'd had an exceptional number of visitors, frequently that is, you'd probably have noticed?'
    'Perhaps … but in a building this size … and I'm out a great deal. I wouldn't care to say anything definite …'
    'I see. What about the other tenants? Do you know much about them?'
    'Not a great deal—oh, except that the Frediani upstairs are away—the wife is American, he's a jeweller on the Ponte Vecchio—they left yesterday, I met them when I was leaving in the morning. They were getting into a taxi with a lot of luggage. They wished me a happy Christmas — apparently they're spending theirs in America with her family.'
    'Do you know where in America?'
    'I'm afraid I don't … you could ask their neighbour, Miss White, she may know. It's possible she may know the wife as they're both English-speaking.'
    'Signorina White doesn't go away for Christmas?'
    'I don't think so, I think she's still here.'
    'Thank you. We'll try her … And what about your neighbour on this floor?'
    'The Judge?' They were making their way back to the front door. 'He's at home, as you can hear. He's retired and lives alone except for his housekeeper. I'm afraid I don't know much about him other than that he's fond of Verdi.'
    'Well, thank you, anyway, you've been very helpful …' An exaggeration, but the Captain was ashamed of his momentary loss of temper, which he felt to be a loss of dignity. 'Without a resident porter our job is very difficult.'
    'Ah, Captain — ' Signor Cipriani opened his hands in despair— 'you know how much a porter costs, these days? At least six million a year … and that's if you can find anybody to do it. Even with the present housing shortage, young people today wouldn't consider it. Well, we're always here, if there's anything else you want to ask …'
    The Judge could tell them nothing. Both he and his housekeeper had been in the house all night and had not been disturbed by any noise. The housekeeper confessed to taking sleeping pills and the Judge said he was a heavy sleeper and nothing ever woke him. They both retired early. They only knew the Englishman by sight, a nodding acquaintance. To the best of their knowledge he had never had any visitors.
    They had been