The Italian Affair (25 page)

Galleria
Umberto, Naples – 6.30pm 2nd October 1986

Giuseppe and Francesca eventually reappeared from their siesta and looked refreshed and well rested. Acting as if THE difficult conversation had never happened or that they had any inclination that both their guests now knew they were carrying a gun.

“Allora,” Giuseppe said with a cigar in between his lips seemingly without a care in the world as he turned the boat around in the direction of Naples. “We now go to opera. You must change the clothes to go to the San Carlo. Dan this trouser is for you and Issy we have the dress for you.”

“Er, no that’s fine,” said Issy relieved that he wasn’t taking them further out to sea. “If you just drop us off at the marina where we met you at we’ll race home and get changed and then see you there.”

Despite trying to sound casual, Issy’s voice sounded at least two octaves higher than it needed to be and Dan wondered if Giuseppe would guess that they had inadvertently become aware of the contents of his drawer. But interestingly, their host seemed relatively calm despite being determined that they needed to get out of their swimwear and change for the opera.

“It eez impossible Issy for you to get ‘ome and change,” Giuseppe insisted. “You change the clothes down there and we wait,” he continued whilst nodding that she should go below deck.

“Look Giuseppe,” said Issy flustered at the thought of going below deck and being stark naked in the vicinity of a loaded gun. “If you give us the tickets we’ll just make our own way to the opera. We
REALLY
do need to go home first” Issy demanded in her strictest voice.

“Ok.” said Giuseppe said responding well to being told what to do by his teacher. “If you ‘ave to go home we see you at the San Carlo. It eez not a problem for me, but for you it eez a problem.”

And the escape from the boat really was as simple as that in the end, because as soon as Issy demanded they needed to go home, Giuseppe put the boat into full throttle and sped back to the Bay of Naples.

As they disembarked Issy turned back to look at Giuseppe and Francesca who looked as if butter wouldn’t melt in their mouths and said. “We’ve had a glorious time, thanks for dropping us off and we’ll see you tonight at the San Carlo.”

As Giuseppe handed them the tickets for Tosca, he kissed them both on each cheek and waved them goodbye.

As they walked away from the boat Dan spoke first. “Christ. I cannot believe how lucky we’ve been to get off the boat alive. Maybe they had no intention of killing us both off at sea. What next, though. Surely we can’t go to the opera now?”

“I can’t answer questions like that at the moment” Issy replied “I just need to collect my thoughts. Let’s go to a bar and have a drink.”

“Ok,” Dan said taking her by the arm and steering her across the chaos on the road. “Let’s walk over to the Galleria Umberto near to the San Carlo, get a drink and think about what we do next when we’re sat down. There’s a quiet café just in here under the dome” Dan said as he led her into a large shopping gallery and sat her down at one of the empty tables.

In the relative calm and coolness of the Galleria, Dan started to try and make sense of things. “Ok, well my view for what it is worth is that it looks very much like Giuseppe is the person who put the shot through Pasquale’s shop window. He was also probably involved in the murder on Via Maria Magdala and even if it wasn’t him, he is part of that the underworld that did as he has the gun and the bits of paper to prove it.”

Issy nodded her head. “Yes. You’re probably right. He was in the vicinity the day the murder happened because I taught him and interestingly he’d arrived at school earlier than normal. He also reacted badly to it when I asked him about it and if he could shed any light on why it may have happened or who could have done it. He was the one who ordered me to be silent.”

“But,” said Dan scratching his head “why is he learning English if his business is so local and so profitable? It’s hardly like he needs a foreign language to shoot a gun and exhort money from local shop owners.”

Issy shock her head and looked up. “I don’t know the answer to that question. I really don’t know Dan anymore about a lot of things and how they connect to each other. All I definitely know is today Giuseppe’s drawer contained a gun and his fridge was full of packets of white powder so maybe that gives us a clue about what this is all about?.”

“What you mean his fridge was full of drugs?” asked Dan almost falling off his seat.

“I guess so. I don’t know,” Issy said. “I didn’t stop to find out. All I could think about was the gun and the bits of paper with death threats written all over them. It was all the evidence I needed to know we had to get off the boat as quickly as we possibly could” Issy replied wearily.

“Christ Issy. You know what this all means don’t you?” said Dan with his eyes wider than she had ever seen them before.

Issy shock her head “No not exactly. I’m not sure I know what anything means anymore.”

“It means that Giuseppe will want both of us dead if we don’t play his game. I reckon he invited us onto the boat to try and bribe us in some way so he could have a hold over us.”

“What are you saying exactly?” Issy said not following his logic.

“I mean,” said Dan “I bet you anything he invited us onto that boat to buy favours and to see if he could entice us into his world. The fact that you then went and blurted out the bit about the murder probably meant that he lost his moment and decided against us being involved in his business. I was angry with you on the boat but in retrospect it was probably a piece of genius.”

“I’m not sure about that” countered Issy. “Think about it Dan. At the moment I said those words about the murder, I wasn’t aware that Giuseppe was firing gun shots through people’s shop windows. So in retrospect it was a flawed bit of genius as he will probably now need to kill us or me anyway given that so far we haven’t exactly done him any favours whatsoever.”

“Um,” said Dan. “I have to say I probably agree with you. When you started speaking about the Via Maria Magdala affair his eyes looked murderous.”

Issy knocked back her Sanbiter. “That is precisely why I and probably you are both now marked people. I was at the murder scene and talked about my horror of it openly with him the day it happened and again on the boat today. There was definitely someone watching me when I went back into the street that night to look at the gun shot and that was probably him too – I now have proof that it was his writing on the bit of paper next to the mannequin’s thigh. We have to get out of this city before we get killed.”

Dan played with his glass. “I don’t want to leave here,” he said “but I think you’re right. It’s getting too dangerous. For whatever reason we’ve become embroiled in something bigger than we are, I don’t feel safe here anymore and I’m getting increasingly paranoid about being watched and overheard.”

Issy nodded her head “You’re right. As much as it pains me to admit it we can’t change things here. Everything is embedded too deep into the system. Even if we found out who really killed the journalist who would we go to? Everyone plays the game to survive. And that is my assessment of what we should do even though I think I have fallen head over heels in love with Bruno. So my remaining question is how can I possibly leave that behind?”

“Let’s go and see Tosca and treat it as one of our last nights in Naples,” Dan said trying to make the best of things while they still could and neatly avoiding the question about Bruno.

“Don’t you think it is dangerous being in an opera house with Giuseppe and Francesca?” asked Issy amazed that after everything they’d just been through Dan still wanted to go.

“He’s not exactly going to kill us in front of everyone at the opera is he?” Dan replied laughing. “I mean think about it…”

“I guess not,” Issy said. “It’s just such a shame it’s come to this. I had only just started enjoying myself. Everything here is so beautiful so long as you don’t scratch the surface or ask too many questions and if I leave I’ll never see Bruno again.”

“Well as far as I am concerned THAT may well be a blessing in disguise and not a bad thing” said Dan. “Whatever you say about him, and I know you like him, it does not detract from the fact that he knew too much of what was going on around the time of the murder.”

“But there is definitely something really special there,” replied Issy. “He felt and feels like he could be my soulmate you know THE ONE. I can’t help feeling what I feel. But I can’t solve that tonight so let’s just go to see Tosca and enjoy it. It’s supposed to be one of the best opera houses in the world. Do you think we’ll be ok to go dressed like this?”

“Well we’ve got no choice now,” said Dan looking at his watch. “It’s too late to go and get changed. I don’t suppose anyone will care about us and what we’re wearing. So long as we just slip in and out quietly I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

“Ok. Let’s go.” said Issy as she pulled him up with both hands and led him by the hand towards the magnificent San Carlo Opera House which shimmied in the sunshine.

San
Carlo, Naples – 7.30pm 2nd October 1986

Walking into the San Carlo in a Miss Selfridge bikini top, denim skirt and flip flops to watch Tosca was not something anyone had ever done before (apparently).

And as soon as Issy and Dan entered the grand golden plated building it became clear that going to the opera in Naples was about the same, in terms of dressing up, as going to the Oscars.

The gowns, make up, shoes and shawls were the most exquisite that Issy had ever seen. Some of the women were also wearing face masks to add to the sense of the theatrical. The men were smartly European in evening wear.

“This is excruciating,” Issy said with her head buried in her chest. “Just lead me to my seat and allow me to die of embarrassment quietly when I get there.”

“Ok,” said Dan stifling his laughter. Pulling Issy through the crowds of opera lovers in her bikini top he said. “It looks like we’re sitting up here in the dress circle and have our own box thanks to Giuseppe. At least we’ll be on our own.”

“I bloody well hope so, but I assume Giuseppe and Francesca will be sitting with us which means if we are too alone just with them it could be problematic. Oh God Dan this is excruciating. Everyone’s staring and laughing at me. This is horrendous. Just keep walking,” hissed Issy desperate for the ground to open up and swallow her.

Eventually after some circuitous navigation, Dan found their seats, and as they entered the box it was clear that Giuseppe had gone to great lengths to ensure they had the best seats in the house.

This was good and bad.

Good because the views of the stage and the rest of the auditorium were incredible. Bad because they had been given what looked like the Royal box which jutted out into the theatre itself making them much more visible than either of them wanted to be.

“Ok,” said Issy as they finally arrived. “I’m sitting on the floor for now. That was more than embarrassing and we’re not out of the woods yet. How can I watch the opera from this box wearing a bikini top?”

Dan guffawed. “Look just lie low for now,” said Dan “and I’ll have a good look round and work out how you can watch and listen without being seen.”

“Good idea,” Issy said wryly. “Now I’ve walked through the crowds and done the really painful bit it would be disappointing if I had to remain on the floor during the performance.”

Dan scanned the theatre and stuck his head over the balcony and then said. “Ok, Issy, this is what I suggest you do, when the opera starts, you just need to haul yourself as anonymously as you can onto one of these opulently covered seats and rest your chin on the red velvet ledge of the box, that way anyone looking down on us or up at us will just be able see your head and not realise you’re practically naked from the neck to the waist down” he chuckled.

“It’s not funny Dan,” Issy replied. “What if someone from the school sees me? And I’m not sure that is an answer. Don’t you think that it is going to look very odd if all anyone can see is my head?” said Issy.

“Probably,” grinned Dan “But let’s face it. You’ll look even odder if you sit up and watch Tosca in a bikini. So it’s up to you darling. The alternative of course is you just listen to the music and sit on the floor all evening. Either way, I’ll get you an ice-cream in the interval.”

“Well, I’m definitely remaining on the floor until the lights go down,” said Issy. “I’ll never live this down.”

Dan laughed as he took in the beauty of the San Carlo from the inside. Opulently gold and ornate he stared at the magnificent domed ceiling and watched as beautifully dressed Neapolitans old and young flirted with each other and took their seats. “It’s a shame if you spend the next few hours on the floor,” Dan said to Issy in awe. “This place is totally amazing. Everything is red velvet or gold plated and the ceiling is basically an oil painting.”

As the orchestra started to limber up, the atmosphere became heavy with expectation and Dan took the opportunity to nip to the loo. Issy remained still in the far corner of the box hoping that no-one sitting above her could see her wondering when Giuseppe and Francesca would arrive. And then oddly for Naples, everything started bang on time. The lights went off and the opera house was plunged into momentary darkness. Italian chatter and the sound of fans being fluttering across hot faces could be heard rippling across the auditorium as conversations came to an end