It took all of Elisa's wits and intention to get the Generale to let her have ten minutes with the Contessa. Both Sergeant Cray and Dawson had stepped in to back her up and after much hand waving and protesting from Generale Rafelli and the crowd of Italian police surrounding him she was eventually granted the last interview on the grounds that they had already worked it all out anyway so a few more minutes of ineffective questioning from the 'English girl' wouldn't make much of a difference.
She raced to the Contessa's room and found her sat in the middle of her sumptuous four-poster bed with her head in her hands, her magnificent dress forming a lake of red satin around her. She let out quite loud sounds as she sobbed and groaned.
'Somebody has done this to me,' she weeped. 'I lost Rhys and now I lose my honor. Oh my God!'
She looked shocked when she looked up and saw Elisa standing at the foot of her bed adjusting her glasses on her nose with her index finger.
'What do you want?' she raged, eyes flashing. 'You police you already come into my room, search everything. No respect.'
She spun her arms in a theatrical gesture towards the remainder of her bedroom which was in a state of chaos and disarray. The pretty drawers were opened, a multitude of coloured underwear splayed across the floor. The family portrait where they must have found the poison hung lob-sided on the wood paneled wall.
'Itsa disgusting! And I did not put that poison there!'
The veins on her smooth, dark neck were bulging. Even in the height of rage she was undeniably one of the most beautiful women Elisa had ever seen. Everything about her was sumptuous and dramatic – her lips, her eyebrows, her flushed cheeks.
'Contessa Imelda,' said Elisa, moving forward and perching herself on the end of the bed as gently as she could.
'I can only help you if you tell me the truth.'
'Help me? You don't want to help me, you want to put me in a jail – forever. Make my family a disgrace –'
'Imelda,' said Elisa 'We do not have much time. A matter of minutes in fact. Just answer my questions honestly. Very soon a group of police are going to come through that door and arrest you anyway. You have nothing to lose.'
The Contessa took a deep breath and looked as though she were trying to find some strength inside herself.
'Why did you argue with Lord Rhys tonight?'
'Who told you that?'
'Just answer.'
'He told me to keep it a secret. I can not dishonor a man who is about to go to his grave.'
'Tell me.'
'It make me look guilty.'
'Tell me.'
'Ok, ok. I was mad because he confess to me he did something bad with someone.'
'They will come through that door at any moment...'
The Contessa let out a throaty cry.
'He slept with Alexandra – some time back in England.'
'I see.'
'He told me it only happened one time, a mistake. And that I must, must, must not tell the Prince.'
'Did you tell the Prince?'
'No!'
'Did the Prince know?'
'I don't think so.'
The Contessa looked level into Elisa's eyes.
'I tell the truth. I loved Rhys. So much. I didn't like the gambling but I still loved him but then this. And I had to keep it a secret in my own home. I had to have – that girl – under my roof. And then he is dead. Who did this Detective?'
Generale Rafelli once again burst into the room, closely followed by his entourage.
'It's time,' he said. 'She comes with us.'
'No, just hang on for one second. During the course of my investigation new evidence has come to light. It will not look good for you if this information is ignored. If necessary I will take it to the highest levels. All I ask is that we have one last meeting in the drawing room with you and myself present and the three suspects – positioned exactly where they were at the time of Lord Rhys' death.
_______
After a pantomime of blustery action from everyone involved Elisa finally got her wish. They were in the drawing room, the Prince stood by the fireplace, Alexandra sat close by, staring at him with unblinking eyes and the Contessa sat in the chair opposite – exactly where they agreed she had been sat around the time of death. Elisa and Generale Rafelli stood nearby.
They were all impatient to get on with whatever Elisa had planned especially the Generale who kept rolling his eyes and breathing loudly. Once she was satisfied she had the attention of the whole room she began.
'Many things came to light this evening.'
All three of them looked at her with round-eyed apprehension.
'Lord Rhys, although he is now dead, seemed to have some secrets of his own – secrets that in the highest probability contributed to his own demise.'
The Prince frowned. The Contessa placed her hands on her hips.
'All three of you have certain things in common. You all have something you would rather be kept hidden. You all had difficulties one way or another with Lord Rhys. You all withheld truths and you all potentially could have murdered him this evening.'
They let out gasps and cries.
'However, it is not my task to judge, only to see facts. There is one person in this room who not only withheld a truth but openly lied about a tiny but crucial detail.'
They were all silent.
'In the photograph taken this evening both ladies wore gloves. Yet when I arrived here this evening only one lady wore gloves. All three of you claimed to have been only to the bathroom once and never to any other room before Lord Rhys' death. And yet lying across the dressing table of Alexandra there are a pair of gloves exactly like the ones from the photograph.'
Alexandra clenched her jaw, visibly this time.
'If I can be my suspects, I can know my suspects and to know them is to know their crimes.'
'You don't know me,' said Alexandra.
Elisa nodded calmly.
'You didn't go to the bathroom this evening did you? You went to your bedroom – took off your gloves and picked up the poison.'
Alexandra let out a kind of scream.
'How dare you? This is lies.'
'How did you feel this evening knowing that Lord Rhys was about to tell the Prince at any moment?'
The Prince frowned.
'I have no idea what you are talking about,' said Alexandra.
'If Rhys told the Prince what you had done it would all be over wouldn't it? The jewels, the trips to Venice, the prospect of becoming a real Princess.'
She held her lips tight.
'Shut up!'
Her voice was shrill.
'Now look here, Detective,' said the Prince. 'You might be taking this a bit far.'
'The reason the Contessa and Lord Rhys argued this evening is because Lord Rhys and Alexandra had sexual relations in England.'
The Prince looked stunned.
'Imelda?' he said, turning to the Contessa.
'Its true.'
The Prince looked towards Alexandra, his eyes round and sad. She frowned before bursting into tears and burying her head in her hands.
'Enough tears,' he said.
She looked up from her hands.
'It was a mistake. All I want is to be with you. Please!'
The Prince turned his back from her.
'So that's what old Rhys wanted to tell me.'
'In all likelihood,' said Elisa. 'Alexandra placed the poison found in the Contessa's room earlier today and because of a lack of a chance to discard the bottle she used tonight....'
Elisa stepped forward to where Alexandra sat, leaning over her in the chair as she let out cries of protest. Elisa placed her hand down the side of the plump cushions and after a few moments of searching pulled out a small bottle, similar to the one already found behind the family portrait.
The Prince, the Contessa, the Generale and Elisa all stared at Alexandra. She held her chin up, the tears had dried.
'I wasn't about to let that creepy lord and his mad girlfriend spoil everything I had worked for.'
The Prince raised his eyebrows.
'Worked for?' he said.
'I have wanted to be with you, my Prince, since I was a little girl. I saw you on the TV, in the newspapers and all I wanted was to be yours. I watched everything you did all those years. I always knew one day you would be mine. You don't think I chose History because I like it do you? Of course not – I chose it – carefully and I worked damn hard to make it to the same university as you. So we could finally be together.'
The Prince's eyes widened in horror.
'I am destined to be a Princess.'
'You killed old Rhys?'
'Yes, to stay with you – don't you see? I did it so we could be together, so he wouldn't make you unhappy. All I care about is your happiness.'
Elisa looked towards the Generale who was a picture of confusion.
'You can arrest her now,' she said.
The Generale coughed and frowned, looking annoyed.
'We have a confession, it is time to make the arrest.'
'Very well,' he said.
He opened the doors and called out:
'We have found the murderer, please – take her in,' he said, pointing towards Alexander.
Elisa raised her eyebrows as she heard him say the word 'we' and he looked back at her with arms folded stubbornly across his chest. She shrugged her shoulders. Moments later handcuffs were placed around Alexandra's delicate wrists and she was led out of the room as she gave one last look over her shoulder, resting her chin on her bare back which was exposed by the plunging dress.
As she left the room surrounded by police and followed by Generale Rafelli, the Prince stepped towards her.
'Well, Detective Hartwood,' he said. 'I don't think any of us were expecting that. Apart from you of course. Hard to believe. Should've seen it before. You got me out of a bit of a scrape there. We must keep this whole thing under wraps of course, wouldn't want the Great British public worrying. Anyway Detective, admirable work. Should we ever have any trouble at the palace I will know who to call.'
'Sure,' she said.
The Contessa then came to her with open arms, embracing her and even kissing her on both cheeks.
'You did help me,' she said.
Elisa smiled and gave a few last words of parting before finding Sergeants Cray and Dawson and heading back to England.
________
She arrived home by lunchtime. Terry the cat was prowling along the living room windowsill, his ginger tail swaying in the air. He halted dead still and stared at her when she walked in the room and threw down her satchel.
'Hey Terry. I'm home.'
She called for her Mum but received no answer, seeing the note she had left earlier now crumpled and moved.
'Now where were we?'
Terry jumped up on the sofa beside her and plopped down onto it.
'Ah yes.'
She reached into the satchel and took out her book.
'We were just about to get to the end.'
________