Death by Fountain

by Jennifer S. Alderson

  “Do you remember what streets you took or monuments you passed? I lost you right before I reached the Trevi, but it had started to rain pretty heavily.” Lana prayed he had chosen another path and had proof to back it up. That would make the police interrogation go so much smoother and decrease the chance that he would be arrested.

  “Oh, gosh, I don’t know.” He was silent a moment before blurting out, “Wait—I did stop to check my map after I’d hung up with Gloria. I remember because the rain had just started to pour down. I do recall stopping in front of the fountain when I was putting my map away.”

  Lana’s heart sunk. She had been a few streets away from the fountain when it began to rain, meaning he could have already reached the Trevi by then. Which meant he could have been at the scene of the crime.

  Randy gasped. “What if Rachel climbed up onto the fountain to try to get a better view of where I was going? What if she slid off one of the rocks and fell into the water?”

  Lana held the phone away from her ear and stared at it in disbelief, before answering her friend. “Are you blaming yourself for Rachel’s death? Snap out of it—you had nothing to do with it! Even if that’s how she died, it wouldn’t make it your fault. Hopefully, the police will find someone who saw what happened to her. They’re also going to look at the surveillance videos taken in the vicinity. It’s too bad it was raining so hard right then. Otherwise there would have been more people out on the streets.”

  “Lana, if the cops find out about Rachel and me fighting in the hotel lobby, and that she followed me to the station, then they might suspect I had something to do with her death. Dang it—I’m getting another call. I better answer it, especially if it’s the police.”

  “Take care of yourself, Randy. I’m certain you’ll be back with Gloria before breakfast.”

  “I hope you are right. Thanks for looking after my friends.”

  Lana hung up, wondering why she’d just lied to her friend. The chances that Randy would be back with his fiancée by morning were slim to none.

  16 Legal Advice

  “Hey, Dotty. Did I catch you at a bad time?” Lana asked.

  “Course not. I always have time to chat with you. How is the trip going so far?”

  “It’s not as relaxing as we had hoped. Randy’s ex-girlfriend Rachel showed up at our hotel and made a big scene last night.”

  Dotty gasped. “Do you mean the stalker?”

  “How did you know about that? His friends told me about Rachel and what she did to him, but Randy’s never mentioned it.”

  “He wanted me to know about her behavior and the restraining order before I hired him. He was worried she might show up at the office and start asking questions about his schedule. She called a few times and tried to wheedle information out of us, but once I made clear that I am on a first-name basis with Seattle’s chief of police, she left us alone. I figured Randy’s troubles with Rachel weren’t anybody’s business but his, so I promised not to say anything.”

  Lana felt horrible. Here she’d thought she and Randy were good friends. “I had no idea—he’s never said a word about Rachel or having a stalker. He’s such a friendly and upbeat guy. I guess that can be misinterpreted, at least by the wrong kind of woman.”

  “I didn’t press him for details, but I know Gloria is terrified of Rachel. Which makes her showing up in Rome a major concern for everyone.”

  “Not anymore. The police found Rachel’s body in the Trevi Fountain this morning.”

  “Oh, no! Drowning seems like a horrible way to die,” Dotty cried.

  “Frankly, every way seems pretty horrifying, when you think about it for too long. The rub is, I was there when the police pulled her out of the water, so they know why she was in Rome. They just finished interviewing me and Randy’s friends and said they are going to pull Randy off the train and bring him back to Rome so they can question him further.”

  “But why question him? Randy didn’t do anything wrong. Rachel is the psychopath.”

  “That fight in our hotel’s lobby was pretty nasty and very public. At one point, he pushed Rachel away, and she cut her head open when she fell. Anyone who witnessed it would probably think Randy was the crazy one.”

  “What? I can’t believe he pushed her like that. He doesn’t seem the type. Though Rachel was a thorn in his side for so long, he must have snapped.”

  “I hope the police don’t come to the same conclusion,” Lana said glumly.

  “Poor Randy. He should be worrying about his wedding, not answering police questions.” Dotty was silent a moment before exclaiming, “I’ll have to tell his parents what’s going on. They are going to be so worried! And Gloria—how is she holding up?”

  “I’m not sure; I wanted to call you first. I don’t think she knows that the police are going to question Randy. As far as I know, he’s not under arrest. But could you recommend an Italian lawyer, in case he needs legal help?”

  “I’ll ask my lawyers to recommend one,” Dotty said before clicking her tongue. “Gloria is going to be a mess when she finds out. I’ll give her a call, too, when we’re done.”

  “That would be great if you did. Do you think it’s better to continue the tour of Rome? Or should I cancel it?” Lana asked, knowing what her boss’s answer would be.

  “The tour must go on,” Dotty said as Lana mouthed the words along with her.

  “If any of his friends want to leave, then I’ll help them change their tickets. But we have to assume Randy will be back at the vineyard in time for his wedding. As soon as the police talk to him, they’ll come to their senses and release him,” Dotty continued. “I cannot believe they would make him miss his wedding, unless they find definitive proof that he did it. Which I doubt they’ll find—that boy catches spiders and takes them outside whenever he comes by, just so I don’t squish them. He just doesn’t have a killer’s instinct.”

  “He was pretty angry about Rachel showing up, but you’re right about him—Randy’s not the murdering type. Yet, the police don’t seem to think it was an accident. I hope they find a witness or surveillance videos that shed more light onto what happened to Rachel or who might have harmed her,” Lana said.

  She then drew in a deep breath and let her eyes close as she focused on her next, and possibly most painful, task. “Before I talk to Randy’s friends, I have to call Alex and let him know that his brother is being questioned by the police.”

  “I hope it doesn’t upset him too much.”

  “Oh, I’m quite certain it will. Alex takes his role as big brother quite seriously.”

  17 Brotherly Love

  “I’m coming to Rome.”

  “Alex, you will lose your job if you walk out on your clients,” Lana said, trying to reason with her boyfriend despite knowing that it was a waste of breath. He had that determined tone in his voice, the one that meant arguing with him was futile—his mind was made up.

  “I don’t care! I should have bowed out of this week’s conference as soon as Randy told me about his wedding plans. And now this!” Alex raged.

  Lana’s heart went out to him, wishing she could somehow reassure him that it would all work out, so he didn’t leave the conference early and get fired. “Sweetie, there’s not much you can do for him right now. The police want to talk to him, they aren’t arresting him. I know you two are close but—”

  “Randy is my baby brother! I won’t be able to concentrate on my work knowing he is in trouble. I’m coming to Rome. Period.”

  “We don’t even know if Rachel was murdered yet. It might have been a crazy accident, especially if she climbed up onto the fountain.”

  “If the police do think Rachel was murdered, they won’t look any further than Randy,” Alex insisted. “I’m sure that’s why they are taking him into custody. Foreigner kills foreigner is the best outcome for the Italian police. And once they find out about the restraining order and their fight in the lobby, they’ll have even more reason to suspect Randy. They might not even c
onsider the possibility that it was an accident.”

  “The lead investigator said they were collecting surveillance videos from shops in the vicinity. I have to believe that the police will be able to find out more about the last minutes of Rachel’s life once they’ve reviewed them all. Hopefully one of the cameras caught her killer on tape—if she was indeed murdered.”

  “Randy is getting married in six days to the love of his life, and I am not going to sit around twiddling my thumbs, hoping the police release him in time. Rachel destroyed his life, and I’ll be damned if she ruins his wedding, as well.”

  Lana hesitated a moment, letting him calm down before she asked a question she couldn’t suppress any longer. “Alex, why didn’t you ever tell me about Rachel?”

  “Because Randy forbade us from talking about her. She’s caused him so much pain, he couldn’t bear to hear her name. All he wanted to do was forget about that chapter in his life.”

  “Okay, I get that. But we are in a committed relationship and do live together…”

  “And you work with Randy. If I’d told you, you might have treated him differently or accidentally mentioned it. I’m not saying that you’re a blabbermouth, but it’s only human nature to want to know more. And you are more curious than most.”

  “I understand,” Lana said, suppressing a grin. She did have trouble letting things go once they piqued her curiosity. And Alex was right; she would have had a difficult time not asking Randy about it. “I hope you aren’t keeping any more secrets from me.”

  “Oh, hon, it was never my intention to keep anything from you. Rachel is Randy’s business—not mine. Trust me, you know all of my secrets. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  Lana felt a rush of warmth as she took in the sincerity in his voice. Alex was an incredible guy, and she was lucky to have found him. “Darling, when do you think you’ll be arriving in Rome? I can meet you at the train station or airport.”

  “I love you, Lana Hansen,” Alex said, his voice breaking with emotion. “I’m going to find my boss and tell him there’s a family emergency and that I need to leave right away. With a little luck, he’ll be compassionate and I won’t lose my job. Either way, I’ll do my best to get a train or flight from Lisbon and should be in Rome by tomorrow night. I’ll let you know as soon as I have a ticket booked.”

  “Be safe. I love you.” Lana held the phone to her chest, even after Alex hung up, grateful he was on his way to Rome.

  18 Video Surveillance

  December 19—Day Two of the Wanderlust Tour in Rome, Italy

  “They’ve arrested Randy!” Gloria cried.

  Lana pulled the phone back, her ear ringing from her friend’s shrill cry, as she sat up straight in her bed. Gloria’s call had woken her up from a deep slumber. By the time she’d gotten off the phone with Alex last night, it was one in the morning. Too exhausted to deal with anything else, she had called it a night, figuring everyone needed a good night’s sleep before they decided what to do next. “Why? He didn’t hurt Rachel.”

  “The police think he did. Several shops in the vicinity have security cameras, and the police viewed their surveillance tapes. They said they were tracing Rachel’s movements and saw that she seemed to be following a man in a Straight Up Climbs jacket.”

  “Randy,” Lana mumbled as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

  “Yes. Apparently the jacket made it easy for the police to find Randy in the video footage. They said they spotted Rachel following him towards the Trevi, but lost sight of both of them a block before they would have reached the fountain. They did find footage of Rachel ducking under a hotel’s awning when it began to rain. It was one of the boutique hotels around the corner from the Piazza di Trevi.”

  “That’s the little square in front of the fountain, right?”

  “It is. The police claim a man wearing a Straight Up jacket grabbed Rachel’s arm and pulled her in the direction of the Trevi. But the camera was hanging off a café to the left of the hotel, and the rain made it impossible for them to get a good look at the person’s face.”

  “That doesn’t sound good.”

  Gloria continued recounting her conversation with the police, as if she was in autopilot mode. “They don’t have any video footage of the fountain itself, nor did they see anyone else interacting with Rachel. According to the cops, after Randy had disappeared from their view for about five minutes, they spotted him leaving the area, but not Rachel. That gap would have given him enough time to have killed her, the police think.”

  “That doesn’t make any sense. Why didn’t they check the rest of the cameras across from the Trevi? There are several cafés and hotels on that little square.”

  “That’s what I said! The police claim most of the shops on the Piazza di Trevi don’t have video surveillance. The only hotel that had a clear shot of the fountain is having trouble with its surveillance equipment. The bottom line is the police don’t know exactly who attacked Rachel or how she ended up in the water. And they aren’t going to let Randy go until they figure it out.”

  That poor woman, Lana thought. Gloria should be stressing about her wedding day, not about her husband getting arrested for murder.

  “Wait a second—I was following them, too. Right before I reached the Trevi, it began to pour down rain. It was like someone turned on the shower, it was coming down so hard. That would have definitely affected the camera’s visibility and must have made it more difficult for the police to track their movements. Randy did tell me that he stopped and checked his map when he reached the Trevi. Maybe that’s why he supposedly disappeared from their view. Are they one hundred percent certain that the person they saw pulling Rachel away is Randy?”

  “I don’t think they are, but they won’t admit it. When I pushed them about how they identified Randy in the video, they said through his Straight Up Climbs jacket. They don’t have any close-ups of his face—just that blasted windbreaker. I told them that we are all wearing those jackets during this trip, but the police didn’t seem to care. They know about the fight in the hotel lobby and Randy’s restraining order. It sounds like they’ve already decided he did it and aren’t going to bother to look for another suspect!” Gloria screamed and wept at the same time. “But those jackets are so loose-fitting, it could have been any one of them!”

  Lana gulped as she realized what Gloria was saying. “So if Randy didn’t do this—”

  “One of his friends did,” Gloria finished her thought. “It’s horrible to think so, but I don’t see any other explanation. It’s not like one of our jackets was stolen. And the general public can’t buy the version we were wearing—those are only available for guides. Heather had to beg the owner to let her order two for you and Craig.”

  “Gloria, I think I saw Heather and Jake following Randy, as well.”

  “You have to tell the police!”

  “The cops already interviewed us, and they both denied seeing Rachel after that fight in the lobby.”

  “Why would they lie—unless it was one of them?”

  Lana chewed on her lip as she considered Gloria’s words. “I don’t know. But they are Randy’s best friends. Let me talk to them first, before I throw them to the wolves. There might be an easy explanation. For all we know, those two are romantically involved and were meeting up on the sly. What does Randy have to say about all of this?”

  “The police won’t let me talk to him directly, but they did tell me that he maintains that he did not see Rachel at any point during his walk.”

  “Why don’t the police believe him? How can they keep him in custody if they have no proof that Randy knew Rachel was following him?”

  Gloria was silent a moment before whispering, “Because of your voicemails, Lana. They convinced the police that Randy knew Rachel was following him. They think he waited for her in one of the small alleyways, attacked her when she ducked under that hotel awning, and then drowned her in the Trevi. Can you believe it?”

  A wave o
f shame rolled over Lana, temporarily numbing her body and mind. This is all my fault, she thought. If I hadn’t identified Rachel, the police wouldn’t have known why she was in Rome, and Randy would be helping Gloria hang up streamers for his wedding day instead of being locked up in a Roman jail cell.

  “No, I cannot. Randy wouldn’t hurt a fly. Although…” Lana’s voice trailed off as she recalled his violent confrontation with Rachel in the lobby.

  Gloria cut in, as if she could read Lana’s mind. “He told me about the incident at the hotel and how everyone in the lobby saw it happen. I couldn’t believe it either, at first. Randy is not a violent person and he feels horrible for hurting her. But that woman turned our lives into a nightmare. The police think her showing up at his hotel could have pushed him over the edge. But I know he wouldn’t have killed her, no matter how mad or upset he was! I don’t understand why Rachel was following him, but he swears he didn’t see or speak to her on the way to the station. For most of the walk, he was on the phone with me! I would have heard her voice if she’d tried to speak to him.”

  Lana paused a moment, feeling as if everything was spiraling out of control. “When Randy left the hotel, I noticed Rachel was following him, so I chased after him to warn him. He wasn’t answering his phone because he was talking with you. But I kept losing sight of him, which is why I left those messages. If I had known my voicemails would help land him in prison, I never would have left them. You know that, don’t you?”

  “Of course I do. You were trying to help him, and we both appreciate it. No one could have known it would have come to this. Unfortunately, Randy was so mad that he erased your messages off his phone, which made the police even more suspicious. They reckon if he hit Rachel at the hotel, then it’s entirely possible he did it again. It’s as if they have already decided he murdered her and are viewing all of his actions in the most negative light possible. The police are never going to look for another suspect because they are certain they have her killer in custody. You have to help me prove Randy’s innocence, Lana!”