The Medieval Murderers - The Deadliest Sin

‘By making him reveal himself. Watch this.’

Cat watched as he strode into the crowd of sycophants around the Doge, and began to shake hands like an eager candidate for election. When a hand was not immediately proffered, he grabbed the reluctant man’s arm and took his hand anyway. She observed in bewilderment as he worked his way through the inner circle of Soranzo’s friends, even grasping the Doge’s own hand. Surely he didn’t think that the Doge was involved in the murders?

She noted how he held each hand for a long time, always gazing down as he shook it. Soon he had finished with the group around the Doge, and moved swiftly on, shaking hands as he went. She began to wonder if he had gone mad, and was trying to get elected after all, because she had no idea how his actions would help him find the murderer. Unless he was testing for a sweaty palm. All she could do was trail after him as he bore down on Sofia Tron and her family. Once again he was shaking hands, much to the disgust of the elderly matriarch of the family. Now Cat could believe Sofia Tron capable of murder. The look in her eyes suggested she would cheerfully murder Zuliani before the whole case vecchie . He did pause for a long time over squeezing Marco Tron’s hand, and Cat wondered if Nick had divined something about the man’s guilt. But then he moved on.

Soon he had worked his way almost entirely down the hall, until he spotted someone else. It was the banker, Antonio Perruzzi, who had a similar circle around him as had the Doge. They reminded Cat of buzzing flies hovering around a corpse. In fact, it was an apt analogy, because the banker was quite old, and his face resembled nothing more than a skull with parchment-like skin drawn tightly over it. His cheerless smile exposed a set of yellowed teeth, completing the image of a death’s head. Of course, none of the sycophants around him would dare to tell him this, and Zuliani for his part seemed delighted to encounter Perruzzi at last. As Cat drew closer in order to listen to Nick, she saw a faint aura of horror creeping over the banker’s face as his hand was pressed. He wrestled it away from Zuliani, at the same time responding to his obsequious address.

‘I think your entreaties are ill-placed, messer. I have no influence over the selection of the Council of Ten, being a mere Florentine.’

His voice was grating, and carried a note of disdain. Zuliani responded ingratiatingly.

‘I would not say that, Messer Perruzzi. A man of your wealth and influence wields power wherever he desires.’

Perruzzi narrowed his eyes, not sure if what this ridiculous man in his outrageous garb said was meant sincerely, or as a criticism. Cat, who was now at Zuliani’s shoulder, smiled at Perruzzi reassuringly. Zuliani meanwhile pressed on.

‘You trade in such great amounts of silver coin and gold that we mere mortals can only stand back and admire. They do say that the King of England is so indebted to you that his whole realm could not pay you back what is owed.’

Perruzzi’s thin lips tightened so much that they were all but invisible. Even as he replied, he began to cast around for one of his minions to come to his rescue.

‘I do not trade, sir, and any debt owed is to the bank, not to myself. Now if you will excuse me…’

A hand fell on Zuliani’s shoulder, and he looked round to see it was Agnolo Rosso who had come to the banker’s aid. He turned, taking the man’s hand in his as he did so. He looked down at the heavily ringed fingers, and shook the hand vigorously.

‘Rosso, so good to see you again. I hope you got your profits from Baglioni before his unfortunate demise.’

Rosso nodded curtly. ‘Yes, as a matter of fact I did. A bad business that. Such blatant street robbery as that would not be allowed in Florence. But I am not in the mood for such depressing matters. How about a drink to celebrate our mutual good fortune?’

A servant with a tray of drinks was close at hand, and Rosso took two, passing them to Zuliani and Cat, before taking one for himself. Behind him, Perruzzi slipped away into the throng, and Rosso turned his attention to Caterina.

‘Tell me, Domina Dolfin, is your granddaughter well?’

‘She is very well, Messer Rosso. Thank you for your enquiry. I was not aware you knew I had a granddaughter.’

Rosso’s smile was broad, but somehow unreal.

‘Ah, well, the Doge mentioned her in conversation. And Domina Tron, also, I believe. There is so much to learn about the grand families of Venice.’ He turned his false grin on Zuliani. ‘Is she related in any way to you, Zuliani?’

Zuliani’s face froze.

‘Why would you even ask such a question, Rosso? That would presuppose some family connection with Domina Dolfin, who is, as you rightly observe, a member of one of the grandest families of La Serenissima.’ He paused momentarily. ‘While I am a mere member of the merchant class.’

Rosso flicked a beringed finger at him.

‘And yet you are a candidate for the Council of Ten, and this charming lady is by your side.’

Zuliani shrugged. ‘Merely as a sponsor to smooth my path into the top echelons. And you will have to excuse me now. If I am to win this election, I will have to ingratiate myself some more with the great and the good.’ He took Cat’s arm firmly. ‘If you will introduce me to Domina Tron, I should be obliged.’

As he hustled Cat away from the Florentine, she whispered in his ear, ‘What was all that about? And if you want to win over Sofia Tron, you are going in the wrong direction. She is over there putting the Doge in his place.’

She indicated off to their left, where the matriarch of the Tron dynasty was bending the ear of a glum-looking Giovanni Soranzo. The Doge glanced over at Cat Dolfin and Zuliani with a pleading look in his eyes. But Zuliani was in no mood to come to his assistance. He didn’t know who to trust any more in this palace of greed. And he was suddenly afraid for his granddaughter, Katie, whose name was apparently on the lips of the Doge and the Trons. Perhaps her presence on his trip to the Arsenale wasn’t as secret as he had hoped.

‘We are going home, if you want to know. And as swiftly as possible.’

Not wishing to alarm Cat unnecessarily, he came up with an excuse for his sudden change of plans.

‘This gang of crooks has depressed me.’

Cat beamed at him. ‘I’m glad you said that. I am as tired as you of them all.’

Zuliani did not want to wait for the Dolfins’ barchetta , so the couple exited the palace by the land gate, and hurried home through the dark streets of Venice. Reaching Ca’ Dolfin, Zuliani called out Katie’s name, and when there was no response, ran to her room as fast as his ageing legs could carry him. The room was empty, and the only sign she had been there was the book by Dante Alighieri lying open and face down on the floor. It looked to him as if it had been hastily discarded, or dropped in a struggle. He slumped down on the bed beside it.

‘What’s going on, Nick? Why are you so concerned about Katie?’

Cat stood in the doorway, a dark look on her face. Zuliani hesitated for a moment, not sure whether he wanted to share his fears with her. But then he knew she would never forgive him if he didn’t do so and something terrible had happened.

‘I know who killed Baglioni, Saluzzo, and the old man. And I think he knows about Katie and me uncovering the secret hoard of gold in the Arsenale. Even if he doesn’t, I think he is going to use Katie as a pawn to draw me out, and kill me, too.’

Cat felt the heat of her body falling away, and being replaced by an icy coldness. She leaned on the door frame for support, her legs quivering.

‘What is all this about, Nick. Whose gold is it?’