Murphy's Law by Lisa Marie Rice Page B

was in bed by 10:40. I remember looking at my alarm clock before turning out the light.”
    “Did you happen to hear anything unusual during the night?”
    “No, nothing. As I say, I was jet-lagged and I’d…ah…taken a melatonin pill to sleep better. I woke up around a quarter to eight and went downstairs for breakfast an hour later. It was around ten when I heard the news that…that something had happened to Roland.”
    A long, thin something. Plunged straight into Roland Kane’s heart. Dante changed tack.
    “So, I guess we can sum up by saying that you saw nothing, heard nothing and knew nothing. Am I correct?”
    A corner of her mouth lifted. “Put that way, Commissario , I sound guilty as hell. But actually, that’s the way it is. You’ll find the same holds true for the others as well. We were all tired from a long journey, we all had dinner together and we all went to sleep afterwards.”
    “Except one of you got up later and killed Professor Roland Kane.”
    Madeleine Kobbel started. “Well, ah—” she stammered. She shook her head sharply. “Surely it doesn’t have to be one of us who—who killed Roland? Surely it could have been—I don’t know…one of the staff perhaps? An outsider who sneaked in? Why one of us?”
    He sighed. “Because, Professor, ninety percent of homicides are committed by someone the victim knows. This year a new company won the contract to cater the conferences at the Certosa. The staff started in April of this year and they had never met Professor Kane—or any of you for that matter—before.
    “The Certosa was locked up last night. Of course, any building can be breached, but the walls are fifteen feet high and have glass embedded along the top. There are flowerbeds all around the perimeter of the walls and so far there are no signs of a break-in.” Dante looked at her, all affability gone, a cop. “We’re checking.”
    “Well.” Madeleine Kobbel blinked slowly once. Twice. She opened her mouth then closed it again. She didn’t look like a woman who was often at a loss for words. “Well, I, ah—” She sighed. “Put that way—”
    “Put that way, Professor Kobbel, the list of suspects narrows considerably.”
    “Put that way I guess it does,” she agreed.
    Dante put on his most charming smile. “But we don’t necessarily suspect you , Professor Kobbel. And forensics will be telling us a little bit more about the method of the murder which will undoubtedly bring us closer to who killed him. In the meantime, Professor Kobbel, I have asked the Public Prosecutor’s Office for a warrant to sequester your passports.”
    This was true and technically Dante had the approval of Marcello Sestini, the public prosecutor. The only thing was Marcello’s lazy secretary, Sonia, wasn’t going to draw up the warrants until tomorrow, something Madeleine Kobbel didn’t necessarily have to know.
    “I’m afraid I’ll have to keep your passport and the passports of Faith Murphy and Griffin Ball for the duration of our inquiry. I would also ask you not to leave the confines of Siena for the next few days.”
    “I’m hardly likely to, Commissario Rossi,” she said. “We’ve got a conference to organize and during the conference itself we rarely leave the Certosa.”
    “The conference isn’t going to be called off?” Dante asked.
    For the first time, a true expression crossed Madeleine Kobbel’s face—surprise. “Of course not,” she said blankly. “We’ve been working for a year for this. Something as—” She clamped her lips shut.
    Dante could figure out the rest of the sentence himself. Something as trivial as murder certainly isn’t going to stop us.
    “Well, Professor, I’m sure you will receive your passports back in a few days,” he said smoothly, rising. He stretched out his hand. Hers was dry and bony. “Thank you for your cooperation, Professor Kobbel. I might want to question you further in the next few days.”
    “That’s fine, Commissario