Sansevino turned to face us. ‘Maxwell — you and Miss Tucek better get back to your car right away. You, too, Mr. Racket. The sooner we’re out of here the better.’
‘It sounds like good advice, Mr. Shirer.’ Hacket was already moving towards the door.
I glanced at Maxwell. He hadn’t moved. He was watching Sansevino. ‘I’ll come with you,’ I told him.
Hilda Tucek moved close to me. Her hand gripped my arm. ‘Please, Mr. Farrell — is he up here?’ Her eyes were fixed on the horrid glare of the mountain slopes. ‘I must know.’ I could feel her trembling and I began to think of Tucek. Was it possible that he was here in this villa?
But before I could decide what to do Zina had rushed forward. ‘Quick!’ she said, clutching hold of my hand. ‘We must get out of here. Roberto! Roberto, where are you?’ Her voice had risen to a note of hysteria. ‘Get the car. Presto, Roberto — presto!’
Her fear seemed to paralyse the others. They stood rooted to the spot, staring at her. I could see her breasts heaving at the thin silk of her dress, smell the sweat of her fear through the strong scent of her perfume. Her eyes were bulging as she tugged frantically at my hand. She swung round on Roberto who was standing quite still, staring at us, his face sullen and passionate. ‘Don’t stand there,’ she screamed at him. ‘The car, you fool! The car!’
Sansevino moved then. He moved very quickly. ‘Control yourself,’ he hissed at her in Italian. Then he was at the door. ‘There is no hurry. We can make an orderly evacuation. Maxwell, will you take Miss Tucek to your car. Hacket, you go with them, too.’
But Zina’s terror was too great to stomach any delay. She dragged at my hand, screaming at Roberto to get her car. And I went with her for my one desire was to get out of the villa where I could talk to Maxwell alone. Roberto was moving towards the door now. The three of us were converging on the door and Sansevino stood there with his hand on the handle, his eyes narrowed to two angry slits that seemed to bore into me as though he were saying — ‘ You will have no anaesthetic. First the knife, then the saw. …” I felt the blood hammering in my ears. And I knew suddenly that this wasｻthe moment that all that night had been leading up to.
Sansevino shut the door in our faces. ‘Pull yourself together, Zina.’ He took her by the shoulders and shook her. Then he whispered something to her. I heard the word morfina. She seemed suddenly to relax and I felt her fingers slide out of my hand. His eyes were staring into her face, willing her to be calm, hypnotising her into a state of relaxation. ‘Now,’ he said, ‘go and get the car, Roberto. You can go with him, Zina.’ He had the door open and I was about to follow Zina when he stopped me. ‘You will come with me, Farrell.’
All my fear of the man returned as I stood there staring into his eyes.