Palazzo: A Novel by Danielle Steel

Author:Danielle Steel [Steel, Danielle]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2023-06-27T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

—

“What’s happening?” Max asked Luca in a whisper after he hung up from talking to his sister. They were in Saint-Tropez together, staying with Max’s friends. Max had been with him since Venice.

“Nothing. They figured out that it’s arson, and they’re investigating my sister for insurance fraud. That’s pretty funny. It’ll do her good to be on the hot seat for a change,” Luca said harshly. He wasn’t concerned.

* * *

—

The police weren’t naive, and they sent detectives out to various quarters of Venice, to see what they heard about Luca Saverio. They checked the casinos, and discovered that Luca was well known at the Ca’ Vendramin Calergi and had been there on Friday night. The casino management said he was a high-stakes gambler, and he had been there with a friend. They vaguely remembered that his friend was French, but not much more about him.

It wasn’t a long jump from that to Luca’s chronic gambling debts and his two-hundred-thousand-euro loss two months before, and the police rapidly put together a portrait of a rich boy who was frequently in financial trouble, although he didn’t have a criminal record. But he had a dicey reputation as a bad guy, and a heavy drinker and gambler.

The police went back to the house to investigate further, and found cigarette butts in the rubble, and a silver flask near where the oil-soaked rags had been found, with Luca’s initials clearly engraved. LAS, Luca Alberto Saverio. It was incriminating evidence. They called the police in Saint-Tropez and had them pick Luca up for questioning. The Venetian police checked the flask for fingerprints. There were two sets, and they made due note of both and emailed them to the police in Saint-Tropez. Cosima had been fingerprinted too.

Cosima called Gian Battista again after they told her she could go home to Rome. She thanked him and asked him what he thought was happening. He had been making calls to officials he knew to find out.

“They’re trying to build a case for insurance fraud. I just hope your brother had no part in this. If he did, and they prosecute him, he’ll go to prison. The insurance companies don’t take this lightly, and neither do the police.”

“Have I been cleared now?” she asked, worried.

“No, you’re still implicated, but they don’t think you’re the prime suspect, and they don’t have enough evidence against you to win a case. Luca may be what they’re looking for. I just don’t want it to be you, and have you become his victim.”

“I don’t see how this could happen. And why me?”

“Because you’re related to someone who is capable of it, even if you’re not, and you could have planned it with him. I hope he has a rock-solid alibi for that night. He was at a casino earlier in the evening, with a friend, before the fire.” The police chief had shared the information with Gian Battista confidentially, and none of it sounded good.

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