‘Wasn’t Shirer the man who escape with Alec?’ Hilda Tucek asked.
‘Yes,’ I said.
‘And you are suggesting this Walter Shirer has something to do with my father’s disappearance?’
‘No. I mean—’ I shrugged my shoulders. Probably he had nothing to do with it. But I wanted Caselli to investigate. That was all I wanted. ‘Reece thinks he escaped with his friend, Shirer,’ I said. ‘But he didn’t. He escaped with that man.’ I pointed to the photograph. ‘He was an Italian doctor. He wanted to escape from being tried as a war criminal. Now he pretends he’s Walter Shirer. But he isn’t. He’s Doctor Sansevino. Go and see him,’ I told Caselli. ‘Check the details of his escape. You’ll find—’
‘I do not have to,’ Caselli interrupted. His small eyes were looking at me hard. ‘I know Signer Shirer.’
I turned to Hilda Tucek. She was staring at me blankly. I felt suddenly as though they were all against me. It was no good telling them the truth. They didn’t believe it. No one would believe it.
‘Steady.’ Hacket’s hand gripped my arm. Then he turned to Caselli. ‘A word with you,’ he said. He shepherded them across to the other side of the entrance hall. I could see him talking to them and they were staring at me. Then he was coming back to me and they were leaving the hotel. Hilda Tucek paused momentarily in the doorway, looking at me with a strange uncertainty as though she were reluctant to leave. Then she was gone and Hacket was at my elbow.
‘What did you tell them?’ I asked angrily.
He shrugged his shoulders. ‘I just explained that you were a little upset this morning — that you weren’t yourself. It’s all right. They won’t worry you now.’ He grinned. ‘I said I was your doctor and had advised a holiday. Have you settled your hotel bill?’
I felt helpless as though I had no will of my own and was drifting on the tide of Hacket’s good nature. I turned and looked at the bill the clerk was pushing towards me.