1952 - The Wary Transgressor by James Hadley Chase

Author:James Hadley Chase
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

chapter seven

As I drove along the narrow road that skirted the Lago and would eventually bring me to Arolo, I thought how lucky I had been that the surrender of the German armies in Italy had hit the headlines at the same time as the woman's body had been discovered. The German surrender had crowded out all other news.

From what I could make out from two small, separate paragraphs in a newspaper I got hold of, the General hadn't telephoned the police. He had waited until I had gone, then had left my identity tag by the bed, and had walked back to the hotel.

He had reported to the police that his car had been stolen, and had telephoned to Major Kay, telling him I had deserted. It was three days before the body was found. By then the General was back in Bologna. He was never even questioned about the murder.

I hadn't been in any danger. I had already reached Rome by the time the Italian police began a disorganized search for me.

In Rome I met Torrchi, who was picking pockets in St. Peter's.

It was he who suggested I should become a guide, and found me a room next to the one he shared with Simona.

I had told him I had deserted from the Army: an explanation that satisfied his curiosity. He had deserted from the Italian Army himself months ago, and considered no sane man would remain in any Army longer than he could help.

At that time there were scarcely any newspapers to be had, and the one I did find contained only a small paragraph about the murder and another about the General losing his car.

The paragraph covering the murder stated the police were looking for Sergeant David Chesham, who they thought could help them in solving the mystery.

As the police were apparently looking for Sergeant Chesham, I thought it safe to continue to use my own name, and I was satisfied few people would remember that small paragraph.

Thinking about it now as I drove along the narrow road, It didn't seem possible that this had happened to me six years ago.

For the first four years I had been content to remain in Italy, earning a living as a guide, and moving from town to town, collecting information for my book.

Then I began to think of the opportunities I was missing, and longed to get back to my home country. I began to investigate the possibilities of getting hold of a faked passport, but the price made it impossible.

When I reached Arolo I left the car in the wooden lean-to and went up to my bedroom.

For the first time in six years I was scared.

How Laura had found out that I was a fugitive I couldn't imagine. But she knew, and apparently I had been in her power without being aware of it ever since we had first met.

My immediate reaction was to pack my bag and bolt, but after a little thought I decided that wouldn't solve my problem.

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