‘I didn’t…you can’t just…’ I break off, terrified he’s about to accuse me. ‘Wait, Barney was talking to one of the stallholders, I saw him.’ I play the memory back, transporting myself to the table under the olive tree, a cup of strong, sweet coffee in my hand. ‘The guy gave Barney a load of cash. I assumed it was change for something he’d bought Simone for her birthday, but he and Victoria gave her honey.’ My eyes widen. ‘He was selling the Rolex and Simone’s earrings, wasn’t he?’
Demetriou doesn’t confirm it, but he doesn’t deny it either.
‘You need to give a statement detailing everything you saw,’ he says, and I know I’m right. Barney, furious he’d lost all his money to one of Felix’s get-rich-quick schemes, tried to recoup what he could by stealing the two most expensive things he could lay his hands on at Villa Paradiso.
‘What about my amber necklace?’ I ask.
‘What about it?’
‘Barney must have stolen it too!’
‘I’m sorry, Miss Miller, but the stallholder said the only items shown to him were the watch and earrings.’
‘That’s because Barney knew he wouldn’t get anything for my necklace. Victoria told us all on the first night it was probablyonly worth a hundred quid. But just because he didn’t try to sell it doesn’t mean he didn’t take it.’
Demetriou grunts, then drops a bombshell.
‘We have also recovered the murder weapon. One of Sergeant Griva’s men found it hidden in a pile of rubble during the search of the construction site.’
I sit up straighter. ‘How do you know it’s the murder weapon?’
‘Because it has traces of Mr Pearson’s blood on it.’
For a moment, his words don’t register. I’m too busy picturing coppery smears on the stainless-steel blade of a shovel or the rounded end of a baseball bat. That’s the kind of thing murderers use, isn’t it?
‘…I find it strange that no one noticed it was missing.’
My head jerks up. ‘I’m sorry. What’s missing?’
‘The marble bust of Athena.’
I frown at him. What is he talking about? The only bust of Athena I can think of is the one with all the others, gracing the stone plinths in the villa’s hallway.
‘Wait, are you saying Athena’s head was used to kill Felix?’
‘I am.’
‘Bloody hell.’
‘Quite.’
‘Was he killed in the villa?’
Demetriou exhales, rolling his shoulders. ‘If he had been, we’d have sealed the place off days ago. There was no blood splatter, no signs of a struggle inside. Whoever struck the blow did it somewhere else, then moved him. As you would expect, we have carried out a detailed forensic examination of the murder weapon and we found a set of prints which we ran against the ones we took on Sunday. We got a match.’
I sit forwards, my hands on my knees, holding my breath. Whose prints were a match? Barney’s? Victoria’s?Dominic’s?
‘Your fingerprints were found on the bust.’
I blink at him. ‘What?’
‘Your prints, Miss Miller. On the cheek of Athena’s face. You claim you didn’t kill Mr Pearson, so why are your fingerprints on the weapon that did?’
60
AMBER
‘But that’s impossible!’ I jump up and begin to pace. ‘I’ve never even been near—’ I stop, because Idoremember the feel of Athena’s cold cheek, the faint dusting of marble powder on my fingertips. ‘Oh my God.’
