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They were soon back over the sea again and swinging round to follow the coast to the east. In another five minutes they began to lose height. Peering out of the side window, Ben had already guessed their destination. It was the Villa Rafallo again. As they came in to land on the lower terrace, Ben could see the red-helmeted Italian police swarming everywhere. The long arm of the law had arrived at last.
They touched down gently on the little circular landing platform, the engines were cut, and the helicopter settled forward onto its undercarriage with a sigh. The door was opened and the four of them were helped out. With profuse thanks and shaking of hands, they left the crew who had rescued them.
Half-way up the steps they met by a tall, grey-haired man. Donna said a few quiet words to him and turned back to introduce them. Ben supposed this must be the fellow she had mentioned during the flight. They were being passed on up the line.
For a few seconds further conversation was prevented as the helicopter’s engines were started up again and it rose into the air with a roaring whoosh of air from its busy rotors. Waves were exchanged and it pirouetted and headed out to sea. As the noise died away Donna spoke once more.
“Ben, this is my boss, Jacob Smith. Jacob, meet Ben Cartwright.”
“Hi!” They shook hands and the man turned back to Donna. “The house is clean. There’s nothing here of any interest.”
“What about the laboratory in the cellar?”
Smith looked at him sharply. “We haven’t found that yet. You’d better take us there.”
Obediently Ben led the way into the house. As they crossed the terrace Smith beckoned to an Italian police officer who joined them.
Ben took them to the coat cupboard, pulled the coats to one side and showed them the narrow stairs which led down to the basement. The laboratory was just as they had left it that morning.
“What are you looking for?” asked Ben.
The laconic reply was, “We’ll know when we find it.”
Nothing seemed to have been moved since they were here last. The crates of bottles were still stacked by the bench and the corking machine stood ready.
“Funny place to have a wine-bottling plant,” said Donna.
“I think they’re adulterating the wine. You know – mixing the good wine with inferior stuff and selling it off as original quality. I don’t know how long it’s been going on. We import some of this label to England. We’ll have to stop that straight away or we’ll get a bad name as well.” Ben felt the anger welling up inside him again as he thought of the damage the Vitelli were doing to the business that he and Toni had so carefully built up over the years.
Smith looked over the top of his spectacles at him. “So you think that’s what has been happening? That’s very interesting.”
“What do you mean?” The real truth was beginning to dawn on Ben.
“I don’t mean anything special.”
Ben faced up to him. “Yes you do. I think it’s about time that you did a bit of explaining to me and the Cimbroni.”
“Explaining? Like what?”
“Like what are two Americans doing running the show on the Italian mainland.”
“We’re not running the show,” said Donna. “We’re here with the agreement of the Italian government.”
“Just as we have with your own government.”
“And what’s the reason for all this happy co-operation?”
Smith considered him carefully for several seconds. “Well, Mr Cartwright, what I’m about to tell you is classified. But I guess it’s better that you know the facts rather than start poking around with half the story. Donna Carter and I are from the Federal Narcotics Bureau but we’re seconded to Interpol.” He paused. “We’re looking for drug trafficking routes. We’ve suspected the Vitelli family of being involved in this trade for some years. It was when they got involved with the Cimbrone family that we saw a chance of getting close to them.”
“Do you mean through my partner, Toni?”
He nodded.
“So that’s the reason he was killed.”
“You are responsible for his death,” accused Francesca.
Smith faced her. “Your brother volunteered to help us, Miss Cimbrone. He did that because he hated the way that his in-laws had taken over the Cimbrone family business and were using it for criminal purposes. Of course we had no idea that he was putting himself in such danger or we would have suggested he should back out.” He shook his head. “But I don’t think he would have backed out, even if we had given him the chance. I think you should be very proud of your brother, Miss Cimbrone, for being a very brave man and for stopping the Cimbrone name from being dishonoured.”
His comments made Francesca go quiet, but Ben noticed the look in her eyes.
“It’s incredible that the Vitelli should have killed Toni and tried to kill me just for drugs,” he objected.
Jacob Smith turned to him. “Is it? The profits made from importing drugs is huge. This wouldn’t be the first time that traffickers had killed someone who stood in their way.”
Donna chimed in. “I don’t think drugs are the reason why they have been chasing Ben.”
“What do you mean?”
“As you instructed, Jacob, I’ve been keeping very close to Ben since we left London.” She winked at him. “And it’s obvious the Vitelli have been after you ever since you landed in Italy, haven’t they?”
“Was it you who put them on to me?”
“It certainly was not.” She grinned. “But they’ve been watching you every step that you took, and I’ve been watching them just as closely. That’s why I kept appearing in your life when you least expected it.”
Francesca laughed. “So, that’s the explanation.”
“I’m sorry, Ben. But I’ve got to say you had no idea what you were doing or where you were going. The Vitelli could have easily left you to stumble around and get lost without causing them any trouble. Yet they pursued you from the moment you got off the plane at Naples airport. Why did they attack you in the middle of Naples? Why did they follow you to Pompeii? Come to that, why did they chase you all the way into the crater of Solfatara? They sure have been trying real hard if they just wanted to catch you and tell you they intended to take over your company – which is what you already knew, in any case.”
There was a silence while they all digested this point. At last Smith said, “Well, Donna, you’ve been close to this guy. Have you got any ideas?”
She shook her head. “Ben didn’t know anything about the drugs until just now. I’m sure of that. I’ve never come across anybody more innocent than this guy.”
“Perhaps you’ve got some information they wanted.” Smith looked at him. “You may be in possession of something of theirs without knowing it. You may even have the courier route from Afghanistan. We’d sure like to know that if anybody’s written it down.”
“I don’t have the least idea what you’re talking about. Toni never said anything to me about drugs or trafficking or courier-routes. I thought we were just importing wine.”
“Have you got anything on you that might carry a message? Perhaps it’s something your partner gave you to look after for him.”
Ben shook his head. “No. I’ve got nothing with me which I had from Toni. We didn’t bother with birthdays or anything like that.” Then suddenly it dawned on him. “Wait a minute. Mancino Vitelli did say that I had something that he wanted.” He stuck his hand in his pocket. “Here it is – this metal thing. It’s called the Wolf of Hades.”
He handed it over and Smith examined it carefully.
“I’ve already looked at it several times,” said Ben. “I can’t find anything special about it. It looks just like a heavy piece of metal with a pretty picture on it to me. There are some rough scratches on the back like Roman numerals but they don’t seem to make any sense.”
Francesca came forward. “It is the badge of the Vitelli. It is their family motto since – oh, si
nce more than a hundred years.”
“I described it to Francesca’s blind grandfather. He told me that the legend says that whoever is struck by it will become a victim of the wolf from the underworld.” He joked without humour. “I suppose you could say that’s what happened to the Vitelli when they were chasing us.”
Smith and Donna laughed at the joke but Francesca was furious.
“You should not laugh.” Her eyes were sparkling. “In this part of Italy we are very close to the underworld. The Lake of Avernus is only twenty kilometres from here and we are told that is the entrance to hell. We know better than to joke about things like that.”
“Sorry,” said Donna contritely.
Smith was concentrating on the emblem. “It looks straight enough,” he agreed. “But I’d like our boys to give it a once over if you don’t mind. They may come up with something.”
Ben nodded. “That’s OK with me.”
The American pocketed the badge. “Now let’s turn our thoughts to finding the drugs.”
“You want to find the drugs?” Francesca asked.
“We certainly do, ma’am.”
She addressed a question to her father who replied at some length. She spoke again and he pointed to the bench.
“There are your drugs,” said Francesca. “They are put into the bottles of wine. Papa says he has been told it is a thirty per cent solution.”
“What – these bottles standing on the bench?”
“That is right. They are the ones with the Wolf of Hades badge on the seal. They are the drugs which have been exported by the Vitelli to the rest of Europe and to North America.”
The Mafia Emblem Page 60