Mayne laughed. It was a wild laugh. He was white and very tense. 'First you accuse me of trying to 164.
murder Blair and planning to murder Carla. Now you—'
'It is true,' Carla interrupted him hoarsely. 'Everything he has said is true. I know it is true.' She had struggled to her feet. Her face was grey under her make-up and she was very close to tears. 'You wished to keel me. You said you would find out where the gold was. You said you loved me. You said we would discover the gold and then we would marry and share it. But you lied.' Her voice trembled on the edge of hysteria. 'All the time you lie to me. It was you who bought Col da Varda at the auction. I discovered that yesterday. And — it is you who know where the gold is. You — you,' she screamed. 'May it do you the good it has done the others.'
Mayne went across to her. There was no doubt of his intentions. He was livid with anger. He was going to hit her, but as he took his hand out of his pocket, Valdini, who had recovered consciousness, went for his gun. It was in an armpit holster and because he was still dazed he fumbled the draw. Mayne was quicker. He shot him before he had even got his gun out of its holster. He shot him in the chest. A little black mark appeared suddenly on the brilliant blue of Valdini's jacket, and he gave a grunt and rolled over.
Nobody moved for a moment. The smoke curled up blue from Mayne's gun. The shattering sound of the shot seemed to have immobilised us all. Valdini began to whimper and cough up blood.
Carla was the first to move. She gave a little cry and knelt down beside Valdini. We watched her lift his head and wipe the blood from his mouth with the yellow silk handkerchief from his breast pocket. He opened his eyes and looked up at her. 'Carla — car a mia.' He tried to smile at her and then his head fell back, loose and relaxed.
'Stefan!' she cried out. 'Stefan! Don't leave me.'
But he was dead.
She looked up then, still holding his body in her arms. And she was crying. I think that was the most shocking part of the whole business — that she should be crying because Stefan Valdini was dead.
'Why did you have to kill him?' Her voice sounded tired. 'He loved me. My poor Stefan! He was all I had really. All I've ever had. He was mine. He was the only one who really loved me. He was like a puppy. Why did you have to kill him?'