Death by Fountain

by Jennifer S. Alderson

  Death by Fountain

  A Christmas Murder in Rome

  Travel Can Be Murder Cozy Mystery

  Book Five

  Jennifer S. Alderson

  Traveling Life Press

  Amsterdam

  Copyright © 2020 Jennifer Stacey Alderson

  Death by Fountain: A Christmas Murder in Rome

  (Travel Can Be Murder Cozy Mystery Series, Book 5)

  All rights reserved. The moral right of the author has been asserted.

  Kindle Edition

  Published December 18, 2020

  ASIN: B08BF53KKL

  Available as paperback and eBook.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or actual events is entirely coincidental.

  Books by Jennifer S. Alderson:

  Travel Can Be Murder Cozy Mysteries

  Death on the Danube: A New Year’s Murder in Budapest

  Death by Baguette: A Valentine’s Day Murder in Paris

  Death by Windmill: A Mother’s Day Murder in Amsterdam

  Death by Bagpipes: A Summer Murder in Edinburgh

  Death by Fountain: A Christmas Murder in Rome

  Death by Leprechaun: A Saint Patrick’s Day Murder in Dublin

  Zelda Richardson Art Mysteries

  The Lover’s Portrait: An Art Mystery

  Rituals of the Dead: An Artifact Mystery

  Marked for Revenge: An Art Heist Thriller

  The Vermeer Deception: An Art Mystery

  Adventures in Backpacking Travel Thrillers

  Down and Out in Kathmandu: A Backpacker Mystery

  Holiday Gone Wrong: A Short Travel Thriller

  Notes of a Naive Traveler: Nepal and Thailand Travelogue

  Adventures in Backpacking Box Set

  Dedication

  To my American family and friends—I miss you!

  Table of Contents

  1 Christmas Shopping in The Eternal City

  2 Enough Bad Luck For A Lifetime

  3 Iconic Monuments

  4 World At Your Fingertips

  5 Meet the Parents

  6 Who is Rachel?

  7 The Spanish Steps

  8 Trevi Fountain

  9 An Unexpected Guest

  10 It Was No Accident

  11 Paranoia

  12 A Chase Through Rome

  13 Police Escort

  14 Expressions of Grief

  15 No One Deserves To Die

  16 Legal Advice

  17 Brotherly Love

  18 Video Surveillance

  19 Investigating Friends

  20 Checking In

  21 Heavenly Artwork

  22 Walking Among The Holy

  23 Shifting Priorities

  24 Channeling Rachel

  25 Emerging From the Shadows

  26 Alex to the Rescue

  27 The Best Intentions

  28 One Nasty Character

  29 A Simple Gold Band

  30 Who Did This?

  31 Mischievous Tourists

  32 Tracking A Killer

  33 A Wedding in Tuscany

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Death on the Danube: A New Year’s Murder in Budapest

  1 Christmas Shopping in The Eternal City

  December 17—Piazza Navona, Italy

  “Do they have one of those nativity scenes in a larger size? That baby Jesus is way too small.” Dotty Thompson’s voice crackled through Lana Hansen’s telephone speaker, making it difficult to hear her clearly. The wind whipping through the market stalls was not helping matters. As another gust took hold, several of the lighter ornaments flew off of their racks, to the dismay of the many shopkeepers crowding the space.

  Lana scanned the cramped stall filled with handcrafted Christmas decorations as she looked for a manger scene that would please Dotty, her boss and the owner of Wanderlust Tours. In addition to decorated glass balls, religious figurines, and miniatures of Rome’s most famous icons, this shop also sold a magnificent selection of nativity scenes. Her eyes zoomed in on two planks dedicated to tiny porcelain figurines portraying Joseph, Mary, and the three wise men, as well as cribs made from real twigs and straw, with a baby Jesus resting in each. Which one would Dotty like the most? she wondered.

  Since arriving in Rome a few hours earlier, Lana and her fellow Wanderlust Tours guide, Randy Wright, had spent most of their time in Piazza Navona’s Christmas and Epiphany Market, doing Dotty’s holiday shopping. The long, rectangular space was filled with the sounds of shoppers, musicians, happy children, and the twinkly jingle of a wooden-horse merry-go-round. Lights shaped like stars, Christmas trees, and comets topped most of the market stalls. The smell of sugar-coated desserts and hearty bread filled Lana’s nostrils.

  Luckily, the market was located in one of Rome’s most popular tourist spots, considered so thanks to the iconic fountains and buildings that filled the square. In the center of the Piazza Navona rose an Egyptian obelisk, a stone dove with an olive twig in its beak perched on its crown. The gigantic monument rested atop a mass of carved stone, which rose out of an enormous fountain decorated with palm trees, papal symbols, a lion, a serpent, a crocodile, and a dolphin.

  Lana knew from her guidebook that it was the Fountain of the Four Rivers by one of Rome’s most famous artists, Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Four God-like figures, each representing one of the world’s major tributaries, rested on the rocks holding up the obelisk. Staring down at her was the river god Ganges, casually holding an oar as he gazed over the busy market. To Lana, he appeared to be watching the masses of tourists with a mixture of awe and disdain. Water poured out of the rocks and into a large basin surrounding the mythical figures’ feet. In the shallow pool, the water appeared to be more green than blue.

  Buildings painted in soft yellows and oranges lined one side of the square, contrasting nicely with the Sant’Agnese in Agone, an ivory white church situated on the other. In front of that masterpiece of baroque architecture stood a Christmas tree at least five stories tall wrapped in lights and dusted in artificial snow. Based on the sunny blue skies and mild temperatures, Lana doubted they ever got much of the real thing in this part of Italy.

  “Do you see any nativity scenes that are about three feet wide?” Dotty pushed, bringing her attention back to the task at hand. “That would block out the base of my tree.”

  “No, I don’t see anything bigger than a foot,” Lana replied. “Besides, how would we get something that big back to Seattle without it breaking?”

  “You do have a point,” Dotty said, her tone divulging her disappointment.

  Lana scanned the cramped stall again until her eyes rested on a manger scene big enough to please her boss, yet compact enough to fit into a suitcase. “What about this one?” She aimed her phone’s camera towards the intricate scene, took a photo, and sent it to her boss.

  “It’s perfect—I can see baby Jesus’s face! Add it to the pile,” Dotty squealed.

  Lana turned to the shopkeeper, already busy packing up their other purchases, and pointed to the nativity scene. “We’ll take that one, too.”

  The man’s grin intensified as he carefully lifted the massive object from the shelf. When he rang it up at the register, Lana startled at the hefty price, glad that her boss had given her permission to charge it all to the company credit card.

  Randy whispered in her ear. “If Dotty keeps this up, we’ll need to take a taxi back to the hotel.”

  Lana eyed the Christmas decorations, figurines, and nativity scene they had chosen and nodded in agreement. There were at least twenty pieces on the counter
that still had to be wrapped for transport.

  “I heard that, Randy,” Dotty called out. “Get yourself a taxi and I’ll pack an extra suitcase so I can get it all back to Seattle in one piece. I do appreciate you doing this for me. Those Italian decorations are so unique, I know they will be the perfect gifts for my good friends and family. I should have planned more time in Rome so I could have shopped for them myself.”

  “They really do have a gorgeous selection of decorations here,” Lana agreed. She had already purchased several hangers shaped like the Colosseum and Saint Peter’s Basilica. However, her favorites were the ornaments featuring “La Befana,” a big-nosed, broom-riding witch who brings presents to Italian children on January 6. Lana had gotten several for her own friends and family. Like Dotty, she was glad to be able to give them something unique on Christmas Day.

  “It’s not a problem, Dotty. We’re just surprised by the quantity, that’s all,” Randy teased his boss. “How many friends do you have, anyway?”

  “I know it’s a lot, but I don’t want anyone to feel left out. Which reminds me—could you pick up one more ornament? Something manly—maybe Randy can choose it for me,” Dotty said.

  “Sure,” he said and began scanning the wares for another gift.

  “What’s going on? Do you have a new boyfriend?” Lana teased, expecting her boss to laugh off her remark.

  “Yes, well, I do have a new man in my life, and I want to get him something special.”

  Lana’s mouth dropped open. “Oh, yeah—what’s he like? How tall is he? Is he retired? Is he handsome?”

  “Hush, child, you’re making me blush. He is quite tall and a true gentleman. You’ll meet him at Randy’s wedding next week.”

  “It must be serious if he’s flying over with you.”

  “We are getting pretty close, that’s true,” Dotty said, her tone noncommittal.

  “That’s great; I’m happy for you.”

  Her boss, six times a widower, had been single for the past two years and, as far as Lana knew, had not been on the lookout for a new partner. Lana couldn’t blame her. Though all of Dotty’s marriages had been happy ones, her husbands did have an unfortunate tendency to die soon after they tied the knot. Not that Dotty was a black widow. In fact, all of her husbands had been killed when she was nowhere near them. Lana wasn’t certain how all six had passed, but knew that one had been trampled by elephants in India, another had been knocked off a sailboat during a Seattle storm, and a third had sustained shark bites while diving in Fiji. She hoped whoever Dotty had her sights set on next was luckier and less accident-prone than her other husbands.

  Dotty whispered through the phone, “Hey, Lana—how is Randy holding up?”

  Lana took the call off speaker and stepped away from her fellow guide. “Randy is a bundle of nerves. But who wouldn’t be, a week before their wedding day?”

  “I sure hope leading that tour through Naples didn’t make things worse.”

  Lana looked to Randy and considered Dotty’s question as she reviewed the ten-day tour in her mind. She and Randy had just completed a fascinating tour of Naples, including excursions to Vesuvius, Pompeii, and Herculaneum. After they’d gotten their guests to the airport this morning, they’d jumped on a train and headed north to Rome.

  “He was a bit jittery the first night, but as soon as the tour started, he was in his element. He did a great job guiding, as usual, and was his normal jovial self almost all of the time. If anything, the guests’ questions helped keep him distracted from the week ahead. Gloria did call quite a few times with questions about the wedding, some of which he couldn’t answer. It is a good thing that he is able to go to her family’s village a few days before it takes place. They have so much to get ready before their big day. And by working this tour, he’s had time to adjust to the time zone so he won’t have to deal with jet lag when meeting Gloria’s extended family for the first time.”

  Randy had told Gloria, when she’d accepted his proposal, that he wanted to make her ideal wedding come true. He didn’t realize at the time that her perfect day included getting married in a foreign country. Her dream of exchanging nuptials in the same village that her parents had was incredibly romantic, but did create a few extra hurdles they would not have had to deal with if they had married in Seattle.

  “That’s true. I’m glad to hear it. Why don’t you—” Dotty’s voice was momentarily drowned out by barking. Seconds later, she yelled out, “Chipper! Rodney! You leave Seymour alone.”

  “Dotty? Are you still there?”

  “I’m sorry, Lana. My boys are having fun chasing your cat around. But I promise they haven’t actually caught him. Seymour is one fast feline,” Dotty said, admiration in her voice.

  “Don’t worry, I know they are just having fun.” Lana knew from experience that Dotty’s pug and Jack Russell terrier loved to chase after her cat, but that Seymour was always several steps ahead.

  “Mary Sue is moving in tomorrow, so she can get used to the boys’ routine before I leave.”

  “That’s great. I’m so glad your new tenant is also able to look after our pets while we’re in Italy. Is she nice?”

  “She seems pleasant enough but doesn’t have much spunk. I’ll have to work on that. But don’t worry, Lana, she could never replace you,” Dotty rushed to add.

  “You’re sweet. I miss our chats, too.”

  “Hey, thanks a bunch for picking up all of those presents for me,” Dotty said. “Treat yourself to a nice dinner tonight—on me.”

  “That’s really generous of you,” Lana said as she looked at her watch. “Gosh, we’d better pay for these and grab a cab. It’s already three in the afternoon. No wonder my stomach is rumbling.”

  “You two take care. I’ll see you next week,” Dotty sang out before hanging up.

  2 Enough Bad Luck For A Lifetime

  December 18—Day One of the Wanderlust Tour in Rome, Italy

  A loud knocking caused Lana’s eyes to spring open.

  “Lana, are you awake?” Randy shouted through her hotel room door. “My friends are here!”

  “Yep, I’m up,” she responded in an equally loud voice as she kicked her legs over the side of the bed. According to her world clock, it was seven in the morning. After ten days of rising early, Lana had been looking forward to sleeping in. Randy’s friends’ arrival had put the kibosh on that.

  “We’ll be downstairs in the breakfast room. Why don’t you join us after you’ve freshened up?”

  “Sounds great,” Lana said and stretched her arms out over her head. “I’m going to jump in the shower and I’ll be down in fifteen minutes.”

  “No rush. They just arrived.”

  “Thanks for letting me know, Randy. See you soon.”

  Lana rushed anyway, driven by a need for caffeine as well as a desire to see Randy’s fiancée and friends again. She’d met all of them at different parties and hiking trips over the past year, and enjoyed their company.

  Randy had invited several friends to attend his Christmas Eve wedding in Tuscany, though he had expected most to bow out because of the travel costs. To his delight, many had agreed to come. Unfortunately, a few of his best friends had also expressed an interest in seeing more of Italy before the wedding. Because of the international location, Randy really needed that time to help his fiancée put the finishing touches on their wedding. He’d felt as if he had to choose between getting ready for his big day or entertaining his friends.

  Luckily their boss had stepped in and offered to set up a three-day budget tour of Rome for his pals, in order to free up Randy’s time. Seeing as she was dating Randy’s older brother, Alex, Lana had also planned to come to Rome for the wedding. And that was also why Dotty felt that she was the natural choice to lead Randy’s laid-back friends around the city. Lana was thrilled at the chance to spend some time sightseeing in Rome, as well as get to know his friends even better. In comparison to the wealthier and somewhat demanding clients she usually accompan
ied on these trips, leading them around was going to be a cinch.

  After showering, Lana pulled on slacks and a loose-fitting blouse, knowing she needn’t worry about dressing to impress. To most of Randy’s friends, wearing a clean T-shirt and long pants was formal enough. She did hesitate at her choice of a short-sleeved top, but one look outside confirmed her selection was appropriate. The sun was already out, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Lana could hardly believe it was the second week of December. A sunny, seventy-degree day felt downright balmy, especially compared to Seattle’s cold and wet winters.

  When she entered the breakfast room, Randy and his friends cheered. They were all seated around a long table, and most were wearing matching jackets made of a shiny black fabric. On the back was an outline of Mount Rainier with the Space Needle in front of it and “Straight Up Climbs” embroidered underneath.

  “Great to see you,” Gloria squealed and rose to squeeze her tight. She looked so pretty in her sky blue dress with her springing curls dancing around her shoulders; she was certainly going to be a beautiful bride.

  “You, too. Alex sends his love. He really regrets not being here for the preparty.”

  “It’s okay. We understand that he’d already committed to working this week. At least he’ll be here for the wedding. How is it, living with Alex? He is quite a neat freak.”

  “Yes, well, I am, too, so it all works out.” Lana blushed as she reviewed the past three glorious months in her mind. It was so easy living with Alex, she felt as if they had already been together for years. “It’s wonderful. I’m glad we decided to go for it.”

  Gloria squeezed her shoulder. “You just wait, I wouldn’t be surprised if Alex pops the question before you two leave Italy. We’re going to be sisters-in-law before you know it!”