The scarlet Lady

by Giada Trebeschi

  The captain took them into an internal courtyard to rest for a few moments.

  «My compliments, captain – said Alessandro wheezing – Without you I don’t know if we would have been able to find the ruby. I wonder if the scarlet Lady as she hid it there had the perception she could have finished her days in the same way. But I am even more astonished about the fresco! Incredible!»

  «Moses looks at the Messiah – added Letizia – and the key to the Seal’s Treasure was hidden in between them. My secret is a Jewish secret. My secret is protected by Christ. And his blood is its purest seal. Thinking about it now, the scarlet Lady couldn’t have been clearer».

  «What do we do now?» Alessandro asked de’ Risis who kept checking the street.

  «I’ll take you in a safe place and then I’ll find a way to make you reach Naples. From there I hope you can get on a ship taking you away from Italy. Staying in the country is too risky, Morelli will not let go before he finds you. And with all the means he has soon or later he will succeed. The only way is to leave the country now while you still have time.»

  Letizia was looking at Giulio with tears in her eyes. His words were wounding her soul. She knew he was right but she couldn’t stand the idea of having to leave him. She was feeling a real physical pain even though no one was brushing against her.

  «We can stay here for a few more minutes – he said holding her hand – can I see the ruby?»

  Letizia rummaged in her pocket. She went white.

  «Don’t tell me you’ve lost it!» Alessandro said angrily.

  «No… I don’t think I’ve lost it. It is only that I can’t find it. Maybe in the hurry or when we were running…»

  She looked at the captain who always seemed to know what to do. She couldn’t have lost it. She remembered perfectly that after putting the ruby back in the bag she thought about putting it in a safe place. Safer than her pockets, safer than her shoulder bag. She touched the medallion.

  «Wait a second! Here it is!» she said inserting her fingers in the neck line of her blouse and taking the stone out.

  Alessandro sighed in relief.

  «You have to try not to give in to panic. Until you are safe somewhere abroad you are going to live through a lot of moments of fear and tension. You can’t lose control of yourself as you just did» said Giulio softly.

  Letizia nodded.

  She opened the little velour bag and let the ruby out onto her palm. In the sun light it really looked as if it was made of fire. She gave it to the captain and took the medallion.

  With the help of the pointed hairpin the captain was able to put the ruby in the bezel. It fitted perfectly.

  «Ready for the moment of truth? Let’s see if we can turn it» said the captain looking at the impatient pair.

  Just like when they put the medallion on the metal door and turned it the second time, something moved: a mechanical spring turned the two triangles creating a star of David. «Solomon’s seal! Kornblum was right» observed Alessandro.

  «There are more letters now – said de’ Risis seeing more clearly the jewel in his hands – On one side of the star of David M N U G P U E at the other side N T H Z Q. Because on the corners of the hidden triangle there are the letters Q N T, the letters H Z on the first triangle cannot be read now two ways, confusing the reading of the corner with a number that could have been 60 or 09. Now the number is definitely to be read 09.»

  «Wait, I want to write down all the letters – said Alessandro taking his notebook – Then we’ll close the medallion again. It is not the right moment to carry around a Jewish symbol.»

  «You are right – confirmed de’ Risis giving the medallion back to Letizia – The Salomon’s seal confronts us with a new riddle to solve before getting to the treasure.»

  «Yes. Hopefully it is the last one».

  Letizia hoped that with the new letters revealed on the other David star’s corners they would be able to form some words that made sense. But the letters didn’t tell her anything. Not even the 09 seemed to make sense. It could have referred to a date, to the numbers of steps to reach the treasure or could just have a symbolic meaning. The captain looked at her and found her sullen face irresistible.

  «Don’t worry – he told her caressing her hair – I am sure you’ll find the solution. But now we have to move. Morelli is waiting for me and you have to stay hidden till I find the way to take you to Naples. For the moment, you’ll stay at my cousin’s roof loft.»

  They started walking again quite quickly in the direction of the city centre. They took Via dei Serpenti in the direction of the Quirinale and once past it they started going down towards the Archetto, following a convoluted route down minor streets. Not far away from Via del Corso they stopped to hide in the main door of a house not far from the crossing of three streets. They waited there until the captain moved in the direction of a woman walking up and down pushing a pram.

  «Hallo Mary. Let me see this beauty – said the captain kissing her on her cheeks – She looks exactly like aunt Pina. How are you?» he asked looking in the pram.

  «I am fine – she answered with a smile – if we don’t think about the morning sickness.»

  «Don’t tell me you are…»

  «Yes, I am pregnant again. Children are a great joy, my dear. You should start thinking of it as well, or you’ll be too old.»

  «I promise you’ll be the first one to know it» answered the captain smiling.

  Hearing those words Letizia blushed up to her ears and Giulio’s cousin clearly noticed it.

  «Very good. Your mother will be happy to hear it» she answered seeing Letizia more clearly.

  «Let me introduce you to your new guests –interrupted the captain knowing very well what his cousin would have said on the topic – Miss Cantaini and Mr. Romei. I am sorry to put you in a dangerous situation again but it won’t be for long. I hope only a couple of days.»

  «Don’t worry Giulio. You know I do it willingly. Every person I help to run away from those damned fascists helps me to believe that my brothers didn’t die for nothing».

  The captain looked at his watch. It once belonged to Mary’s older brother.

  «I see you are still wearing it – she noticed – Egidio would be happy. And now go. Don’t think of them, they are in good hands. Pietro is waiting for you with the car at the third crossing. Just after that building with the big Caryatids on the front.»

  «Goodbye. I’ll come back soon to pick you up» said de’ Risis shaking Alessandro’s hand and staring at Letizia with a look that was going to stay with her for the rest of the day.

  Rome, War Ministry, Morelli’s office, 8.50 a.m.

  When Vittorio arrived Morelli was waiting for him at his desk hidden behind some papers.

  «Come in. I have good and bad news. Which do you want first?»

  «The good one news» answered Vittorio still in a very good mood after the night with Messalina.

  «They found Kornblum.»

  «Really? Where?»

  «At the station.»

  «And the bad news?»

  «I can’t interrogate him. He is dead» answered Morelli quite annoyed.

  «They shot him when he tried to run away. It looks like he wanted to get a train to go north. He had fake documents with him» Musone stated emerging from a dark corner of the room.

  Vittorio didn’t like him at all. He would have preferred to go back immediately to monitor de’ Risis instead who was nice and funny.

  «If they had only wounded him we could have at least been able to interrogate him. Even though, he didn’t speak the first time and I am not sure he would have spoken the second one» added Morelli.

  «Oh yes, we put him through quite some tortures when he was in our hands – commented Musone sniggering – If he had had something interesting to tell us it would have come out together with the castor oil. In any case, I don’t think he knew a lot about the treasure. I am sure the slut kept all the information for herself. You just have t
o find her; I’ll take care of making her confess everything».

  «Don’t be so impatient, Antonio. And remember that I want my fun with her as well» said Morelli.

  Vittorio, for the first time, was really disgusted with his boss.

  His association with Musone brought out some repugnant aspects of his personality. Vittorio knew that Morelli was arrogant but he had never thought he was such a despicable and wicked person.

  «Do you have news about our captain?» Morelli asked him.

  «No. Nothing particular. Yesterday I followed him to Santa Prassede where he went for vespers and then, seeing me, he invited me for dinner.»

  «I don’t like him – grumbled Musone – I don’t like him at all. He is too perfect, too cultivated, too rich. Did you see the car he is driving? And then he goes to church for vespers! He never drinks too much, his uniform is always perfect and it seems there is no woman in his life. I’m sure he never fucks.»

  Vittorio smiled.

  «Why are you laughing? Don’t you also think there is something strange about the man?» asked Musone.

  «I wouldn’t be so sure that he doesn’t allow himself distractions every now and then» said Vittorio with the tone of those who know more than they are saying.

  «Why? What did you discover?» asked Morelli very interested.

  «Well, yesterday night after dinner he invited me to follow him to the house of an old friend of him, Mrs. Dolores» answered Vittorio happy to say something positive about the captain.

  «Dolores?» Musone and Morelli asked together.

  «Yes, Dolores. She lives in a very nice and well-furnished flat.»

  «If it is the same Dolores I know, the furniture is not the first thing you notice in that house» commented Musone laughing.

  «In any case, I was never in that flat before, but the captain was» went on Vittorio.

  «In the end he is also a man like any other» commented Morelli.

  «What time did you stay there till?» asked Musone.

  «I don’t know exactly. It was three thirty, four maybe. Why?»

  «What did you do all that time? It is an expensive brothel» said Morelli.

  «Well, actually… – Vittorio began quite embarrassed – the captain knew I couldn’t pay for it and so…»

  «And so…?» asked Morelli.

  «He said he would take care of it.»

  «I can’t believe it! He offered you a whore?»

  «Not a whore: Messalina.»

  «You are a lucky one, my boy!» exclaimed Musone laughing loudly.

  Morelli laughed with him and then they went back to their papers.

  When the captain arrived at Morelli’s office it was already 10.30 a.m.

  «Good morning captain, did you sleep well last night?» asked Musone obsequiously.

  «Very well. Thanks.»

  «Vittorio told us about your evening. And since there is a lot of work to do today, we are a bit worried. You are probably exhausted this morning.»

  «Whatever I did last night it is not your problem. And even if I didn’t sleep the whole night it doesn’t make any difference. I would remind you that I am younger than you and better trained. Please drop your inappropriate comments or next time I will have to answer you more rudely.»

  Vittorio looked at the captain with admiration.

  Having to stay near him to control his actions was also going to give him the chance to learn from his exceptional behaviour.

  «We can stop the search: Kornblum is dead» Morelli informed the captain and changed the subject.

  «I know. They told me this morning at the base. They shot him on the railway meanwhile he was trying to escape, right?» said the captain looking at him straight in the eyes.

  «Yes, but how do you know? The details have not been divulged yet» answered Morelli.

  «The station is always full of soldiers at night. Some of them saw it and, as you well know, rumours in a military base go around very fast» answered de’ Risis pretending not to have realized he was saying too much.

  «In the end it is good that this problem is solved, one way or the other. We now can focus on searching for the other two art historians» contributed Musone.

  «It is very important to find them. We have to discover urgently if they know where the Olgiati’s treasure is hidden and find it» said Morelli.

  «Good. Where do you think we should start from? If I am not mistaken the last time someone saw them was in Poggio Catino» said the captain.

  «We searched the entire region with no result. My men looked everywhere as well as in Frosinone: nothing. We now believe they are in Rome».

  «In Rome?» said de’ Risis pretending to be surprised.

  «Yes – said Musone giving him a paper – Exactly in Rome. As you can see, here is the transcription of the sonnet which was found with the skeleton. We asked our experts to analyse it and they think it refers to the Moses statue sculptured by Michelangelo and placed in the church of Saint Peter in Chains.»

  «Moreover, this morning very early we received a very interesting denunciation from the priest of Saint Peter in Chains. Here his deposition» went on Morelli passing him another paper.

  The captain went quickly through it.

  The priest affirmed that he saw in the church, just after the matins, three people, two men and a woman, who were behaving suspiciously at the end of the nave. Moving closer to observe what they were up to, he saw that they had ruined the wall. He then started shouting to make them stop destroying the house of God and the three ran away. The priest tried to follow them but was old and not very fit and he soon had to stop. Going back in the basilica and checking the damage he was very surprised: the hole in the wall was, in reality, a niche he had never seen before. The plaster was removed and under it there was a metallic door similar to the ones in the tabernacles and on it the symbol of the Trinity was engraved. The door was hiding a niche with a fresco of a man’s head. After having informed his superior he immediately called the police.

  The description of the three people he saw followed. The one description of the woman perfectly matched Letizia and the captain wondered how the old priest could have managed to see her so precisely. One of the man’s size clearly indicated it could be Alessandro but there was no clear description of the second man because he was hidden behind the first one and the priest only could say that he was quite tall and maybe blond.

  «As you see – said Musone as soon as the captain lifted his eyes from the paper – the descriptions correspond. Miss Cantarini and Mr. Romei were in Saint Peter in Chains this morning very early together with a third man who is probably the person who helped them to arrive and hide in Rome. I am sure that in that niche there had to be something extremely important linked to reaching the treasure, a map or a key for…»

  «…the Olgiati treasure – concluded Morelli – A treasure that belongs to our Duce, to our beautiful Nation, a treasure that we can’t let fall in the wrong hands.»

  Vittorio looked the captain who was unperturbed until that moment. The captain had listened to Morelli and Musone and read the papers with indifference but now a new light seemed to shine in his eyes. Vittorio thought that de’ Risis was examining with analytical precision the new elements they had just given him.

  He wasn’t too far from the truth. The captain was examining all the data not to find a good track to follow, but to read them in a plausible and at the same time totally misleading way.

  It was a pity that the description by the priest was too precise to be disputed. It was not possible to deny either that that morning Letizia and Alessandro were in Saint Peter in Chains or that they had probably found in the niche new information to get to the treasure. He was now in a very difficult position. The only positive thing was that Morelli and Musone were still convinced they were dealing with the Olgiati’s treasure. He decided to choose a waiting strategy.

  «Where do you plan to start the search? It is nearly eleven and probably they are still in R
ome» he said finally.

  «We don’t yet have a precise idea. My men have already organized check-points on all streets leading out of the city» answered Morelli.

  «We also gave their descriptions to the Carabinieri and to the Royal army offices hoping that with so many men alerted someone will recognize and arrest them» said Musone.

  «Considering their job, they might have tried to contact some of their connections in the field, maybe someone who works in an archive or in a public library. I believe we have to keep an eye on these places» proposed the captain.

  Morelli wondered why he didn’t think of it himself. The two fugitives knew a lot of researchers and scholars in Rome.

  «Maybe we should also control the faculty of Literature and Philosophy which is a place swarming with antifascists. I am sure there will be someone willing to help them» said Morelli showing he had a better idea than the captain.

  «Let’s then organize some teams. I will go to speak with the dean of the faculty. Maybe he will give me some interesting information» concluded de’ Risis.

  «Agreed. We’ll take care of the public libraries. We’ll meet here again this afternoon at four o’clock. Vittorio, you go with the captain» ordered Morelli.

  Vittorio was quite happy about that order and immediately collected his hat and coat. He really hoped he would not have to spend the day working with Musone and when they went out of the office he had the feeling the air felt lighter.

  Rome, House of Mary and Pietro, 10.00 a. m.

  Letizia and Alessandro followed Mary to the entrance of an elegant XIX century building.

  During the short walk Giulio’s lovely cousin chatted with Letizia to satisfy her curiosity: in between the good-looking woman and her deeply well-loved cousin there was a particular bond and she wanted to know more. Letizia gladly went along with the confidential conversation succeeding in obtaining some more information about the man she had fallen in love with.

  Mary went alone into the apartment on the first floor to leave the child with the nanny telling Letizia and Alessandro to wait for her at the end of the corridor to the stairs. Then she took them upstairs into the attic under the roof.