Through a half inch slit I could see that the scene had not changed. They were still seated, facing each other, with Keramikos blinking like an owl in the glare of the torch. '… loosen off this cog,' the stranger was saying, still in Austrian. He shone the torch on a heavy, grease-coated cog that engaged the main driving cog on the rim of the cable drum. Then all we have to do is to knock it out when the sleigh has started down. It will be on the steepest part. There will be an accident. Then I will close the rifugio. Afterwards we can search without fear of interruption.'
'You are certain it is here?' Keramikos asked.
'Why else did Stelben buy the place? Why else did his mistress want to buy it? It's here all right.'
Keramikos nodded. Then he said, 'You didn't trust me before. Why should you trust me now? And why should I trust you?'
'Case of necessity,' was the reply.
Keramikos seemed to consider. 'It is neat,' he said. 'That would dispose of Valdini and the Contessa. And then—' He stopped abruptly. He was gazing straight at me. 'I thought you shut the door. There's a draught coming through it.' He got to his feet. The torch followed him as he moved towards the door.
I slipped quickly into the shadows among the piles. The door was thrust open and the light from the torch made the snow glisten. I peered out from behind the support that sheltered me. Keramikos was examining the ground outside the door. He bent down and felt the snow.
'Anything wrong?' The other's voice sounded hollow from the interior of the concrete room.
'No,' replied Keramikos. 'I suppose it was not latched properly.' He closed the door. It was dark again and the silence of the night drew closer to me.
A few minutes later they came out. A key grated in the lock of the door and the two shadowy figures disappeared along the path that led back to the belvedere.