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"If I had come from a war zone, I’d want to stay," Lynn said
"She’s probably attached herself to soirl Maybe she will find her dream"
Raphael stood up suddenly "I’ll call Roberto"
He left the table Anna Maria shook her head "Suppose, Jordan, that the contessa is an evil woman?
We have no proof You left her palazzo and went to the police The police went to her palazzo They found nothing There has been graffiti in Venice Tourists come in, and they don’t want to leave How can you prove anything there?"
"I can’t," Jordan said "But I believe that soot into the water because of the contessa"
Raphael slid back into his chair He looked at Jordan "Roberto called in sick today I tried his ho machine" He passed a piece of paper to her across the table "Here’s his home number, if you wish to try later"
"Thank you Thank you very much" She pocketed the paper in her jeans "And!" She said suddenly,
"Tiff Henley is still "
"Well, I’," Anna Maria said "Tiff has been known to swear she’ll be at a function, and fly to Zurich the same day I’m afraid that Tiff isn’t at all dependable"
"The other cop I met, Alfredo Manetti, said that he would look into Tiff’s disappearance," Jordan said
"That’s good," Anna Maria told her "That will h the book "I wonder howeach year In Venice, the govern in People sleep on theh to eat When they leave, it is hard to have a real count of people And some who come inthey are from very poor areas They have no relatives, or their relatives are fighting to survive, and nofor those who may be lost They must think that their fa with other students Maybe they have found an American, or a wealthy Japanese or Gerh
He looked up at her "Remember when Carlotta stopped by for her costue around the church that had been so vandalized She heard noises, and saw shadows at night"
"Shadows, in Venice, at night, iine that!" Lynn teased
Raphaelat Jordan "I work ers to the bone She sells a marionette and makes a fortune!" Jordan decided not to tell them that she saw shadows and heard noises
"I think that you are all being far too " He paused, searching for the word he wanted in English for Jordan’s benefit "Skeptical! That’s it, skeptical! Jordan is right?there are bad people out there And look how hosts Or believe in spirits And as Father Vesco once said at ood, there is also a force of evil To the Chinese, yin and yang Who is to say that soone about doing evil to people ould not be et Jordan upset," Anna Maria protested again with a sigh
"I’lad that Raphael understands why I am so concerned?especially about Tiff"
Lynn looked at Anna Maria "It is better that we ads happen Then Jordan doesn’t feel like a fool"
"Maybe you areputting egg inyou on, I think," Lynn said
Anna Maria nodded "I do not like the contessa" She hesitated and gave a little shiver "It is ridiculous, but I think "
"Yes?" Jordan persisted
"If evil is in people, then evil is in the contessa Whatever ives, no matter that she is a benefactor of the arts"
As Jordan was listening to Anna Maria, ahtened Where she sat at the table in the trattoria, she could see clearly out the glass door just behind the counter with the cash register
She was sure that she saw Ragnor Not ht-haired Venetians and tourists, feere as blond as he
She rose, kissing Anna Maria on the cheek "You do have great instincts!" she told her "The contessa is evil, I’lad that others feel it I think even Cindy knows it, she just pretends that it isn’t true because of Jared Excuse me, please, all of you I think I just saw a friend" Raphael started to protest, but she was already out of the trattoria She rushed out to the street
It was definitely Ragnor He was in the calle, about a block before her She started to follow, then stopped dead in her tracks
A wo, Venetian Carnevale cape She wore a large hat that obscured her features, but no nor by the ar earnestly He lowered his head to listen
As Jordan watched, he slipped an ar her down the next narrow alley