currency there is. It might have been his brother. It might have been this woman. It might have been another gamer from the Palace.
I looked at Anna again. There was something cold and calculating about her. I had noticed it when I had mentioned inheritance.
‘Those months before Ricky went missing, anything happen?’
‘How do you mean?’
‘Any unusual behaviour? New friendships?’
‘Unusual behaviour was all there was in Ricky’s life.’
‘You make him sound pretty shallow.’
‘No,’ she fixed me. ‘No, he wasn’t. He was unpredictable. He did unexpected things. If he won a lot of money he couldn’t sit on it. He would have to invite everyone around, have a big party, show he wasn’t a loser.’
‘And that summer he went missing. 1995. Anyone new in his life?’
She looked at me with tired eyes. ‘I don’t suppose he was any more faithful than other men. But I didn’t ask and he didn’t say. I would see him getting all dressed up to go out and put two and two together. But there was nothing new about that. He had been doing that ever since I was pregnant.’
‘Was he asking for money at the time?’
She closed her eyes, as if this were the first question she had thought about. ‘No, no he wasn’t.’
‘Wasn’t that unusual?’
‘Yes, I suppose it was. I didn’t think much about it because he was always saying that he was turning the corner, that this time it was for real. That he had everything sorted out. I didn’t listen to him because I had heard it all before. I recognised that excitement in his voice. It was all self-deception. We always had more money in the summer anyway. It was the only season we had regular work at the hotel. And he was a master at soliciting tips. He didn’t have time to gamble. He had even given me back some of the stuff I had lent him.’
‘How did he manage to do that?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘How much?’
‘Small change. A few million lire.’
‘And that day he went back to the city for San Giovanni. Where were you?’
‘I was in the caravan. He left early morning, before I was even awake. I was here all weekend.’
‘On your own?’
‘With Elisabetta.’
‘Your girl?’
‘Sure.’
‘Who was how old?’
‘Two.’
‘Not much of a witness.’
She looked at me with a sour look. ‘I’ve been through all this before. He got on a train that Saturday morning and I never saw him again.’
‘He never came back?’
‘When he wasn’t home that night, I assumed he had stayed with his mother. It happened often enough.’
‘He didn’t call?’
‘No. And I wasn’t going to call her house.’
‘And when did you report him missing?’
‘On the Monday night. He missed a shift at the hotel. He didn’t always come home, but he never missed a shift at the Palace. He was due to do the Monday night, and he didn’t show. They called me and—’
‘What did you do?’
‘I called his mother.’
‘I thought you didn’t do that kind of thing.’
She stared at me through her thick eyelashes.
‘What did she say?’ I asked.
‘That she had dropped him at the station on the Saturday night.’
Her eyes had filled up and were about to overflow. As she blinked tears fell on to her cheeks, bringing with them burnt matchsticks of mascara. ‘That’s when it all started. She made all manner of accusations.’
‘Meaning?’
‘She thought I had failed to look after him. Umberto was coming round here every other night. So was Tonin.’
‘Who?’
‘Some old guy. Massimo Tonin.’
‘What did he want?’
‘Same as all the others. Wanted to know where Ricky was.’
‘Who was he?’
She laughed. ‘Ricky used to call any new friends investors. He was probably in on some project or other. He was from one of those tiny villages near the Po. He came round here demanding to know where Ricky was.’
‘When?’
‘The first week after he disappeared. Made the same sort of accusations that everyone else has made, said I must
I looked at Anna again. There was something cold and calculating about her. I had noticed it when I had mentioned inheritance.
‘Those months before Ricky went missing, anything happen?’
‘How do you mean?’
‘Any unusual behaviour? New friendships?’
‘Unusual behaviour was all there was in Ricky’s life.’
‘You make him sound pretty shallow.’
‘No,’ she fixed me. ‘No, he wasn’t. He was unpredictable. He did unexpected things. If he won a lot of money he couldn’t sit on it. He would have to invite everyone around, have a big party, show he wasn’t a loser.’
‘And that summer he went missing. 1995. Anyone new in his life?’
She looked at me with tired eyes. ‘I don’t suppose he was any more faithful than other men. But I didn’t ask and he didn’t say. I would see him getting all dressed up to go out and put two and two together. But there was nothing new about that. He had been doing that ever since I was pregnant.’
‘Was he asking for money at the time?’
She closed her eyes, as if this were the first question she had thought about. ‘No, no he wasn’t.’
‘Wasn’t that unusual?’
‘Yes, I suppose it was. I didn’t think much about it because he was always saying that he was turning the corner, that this time it was for real. That he had everything sorted out. I didn’t listen to him because I had heard it all before. I recognised that excitement in his voice. It was all self-deception. We always had more money in the summer anyway. It was the only season we had regular work at the hotel. And he was a master at soliciting tips. He didn’t have time to gamble. He had even given me back some of the stuff I had lent him.’
‘How did he manage to do that?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘How much?’
‘Small change. A few million lire.’
‘And that day he went back to the city for San Giovanni. Where were you?’
‘I was in the caravan. He left early morning, before I was even awake. I was here all weekend.’
‘On your own?’
‘With Elisabetta.’
‘Your girl?’
‘Sure.’
‘Who was how old?’
‘Two.’
‘Not much of a witness.’
She looked at me with a sour look. ‘I’ve been through all this before. He got on a train that Saturday morning and I never saw him again.’
‘He never came back?’
‘When he wasn’t home that night, I assumed he had stayed with his mother. It happened often enough.’
‘He didn’t call?’
‘No. And I wasn’t going to call her house.’
‘And when did you report him missing?’
‘On the Monday night. He missed a shift at the hotel. He didn’t always come home, but he never missed a shift at the Palace. He was due to do the Monday night, and he didn’t show. They called me and—’
‘What did you do?’
‘I called his mother.’
‘I thought you didn’t do that kind of thing.’
She stared at me through her thick eyelashes.
‘What did she say?’ I asked.
‘That she had dropped him at the station on the Saturday night.’
Her eyes had filled up and were about to overflow. As she blinked tears fell on to her cheeks, bringing with them burnt matchsticks of mascara. ‘That’s when it all started. She made all manner of accusations.’
‘Meaning?’
‘She thought I had failed to look after him. Umberto was coming round here every other night. So was Tonin.’
‘Who?’
‘Some old guy. Massimo Tonin.’
‘What did he want?’
‘Same as all the others. Wanted to know where Ricky was.’
‘Who was he?’
She laughed. ‘Ricky used to call any new friends investors. He was probably in on some project or other. He was from one of those tiny villages near the Po. He came round here demanding to know where Ricky was.’
‘When?’
‘The first week after he disappeared. Made the same sort of accusations that everyone else has made, said I must
Similar Books
