Michael White - The Medici secret

'In that case, why haven't you told the police about the mobile phone message?' 'Because I don't see how it can help, and…' 'And what?' 'I don't know, some instinct. Maybe it's silly He gave her a quizzical look. 'I feel I can't trust anyone.' The sun hung low in the sky as they left the cafe and returned to Edie's car. She pulled out on to Via del Giglio heading south-west towards the Ponte alia Carraia and her apartment across the river. The Arno was a blazing orange, the stone of the bridge had turned grey-black and was flecked with the red tail lights of hundreds of cars. Edie took them on to the bridge and they were immediately gridlocked.

She leaned on the horn in a futile effort to shift the cars ahead of them. A tiny opening appeared and she sped into it before swinging left off the bridge. They drove beside the river towards Piazza Frescobaldi. There they turned right before doubling back and taking another right into a narrower street relatively free of traffic.

Jeff peered into his side mirror and glanced through the back window. 'This may sound a bit ridiculous,' he said, 'But I think we're being followed. Look in the mirror. A grey Mercedes with darkened windows, two cars back. It took off after us on the bridge.'

Edie took the next left, then, without indicating, turned a sharp right into a side street. A few seconds later, the grey Mercedes reappeared and accelerated towards them. 'Shit,' Edie exclaimed and put her foot down.

At the end of the street they turned left on to a major road, Via Romana and headed south towards a broad piazza. There they hit traffic again. It gave them a moment to think, and, as soon as they started moving, Edie took the first turning off the main road. She sped along the street and swung left at the end, skirting the Piazzale di Porta Romana.

Jeff looked back and his heart sank as he saw their pursuer turn into the same street no more than twenty metres behind them.

'We can't go to the apartment,' Edie said. 'I've got to lose them.'

She was about to accelerate when a woman pushing a pram stepped out on to the road. Edie slammed on the brakes. The woman pulled back with phenomenal speed and cursed them as" Edie changed down to second and shot away. 'Head for the motorway,' Jeff said.

The Al was just a few miles south along a broad road. They slipped into the traffic, and for a moment they lost sight of the grey Mercedes. Edie drove fast and Jeff found himself gripping the plastic dashboard every few moments. 'Can you try not to enjoy this quite so much?'

'Believe me, this is not my idea of fun,' she snapped back.

As they approached the motorway, they caught sight of the car with the darkened windows again. It was dodging between slower cars and gaining on them.

They took the Rome exit on to the A1 and headed east.

'Perhaps this was a bad idea. We can't outrun that thing,' Jeff said.

Edie ignored him and floored the accelerator, shooting past the cars in the inside lane. The dark fields flashed past. Far off to their left they could see the lights of Florence. 'If you have any ideas, this would be a good time,' she said.

Jeff saw a sign for a service station 200 metres ahead. 'Turn off there.'

She slowed a fraction and left it to the last second before swinging the wheel. Tyres screeched as they careened off the motorway.

It was darker here, but ahead and to their left they could see a multicoloured glow: a gas station and food hall.

Edie killed the headlights and they were suddenly thrown into a tunnel of darkness as trees obscured the service station. Barely slowing, she took a hard left and then dodged between two lanes of parked cars. Jeff looked back. There was no sign now of the other car. Edie spun the wheel and they skidded through a sharp bend with a line of parked trucks to their right. She brought the car to a halt. Between the trucks they could see the Mercedes speeding along the stretch of road they had just left. It shot past the narrow turning.

'What now?' Edie's face was cast in deep shadow. Just a sliver of light came through the window.

'Leave the car here. We can't risk going back to the motorway without being seen. Head for the service station. We've probably only bought ourselves a couple of minutes.'

The entrance to the food hall was no more than ten metres away up a covered stairway. It was busy and they blended in with early evening travellers, families and people stopping off for a quick coffee on the commute home.

Upstairs, a small galleria consisting of a pharmacy, a bar, a cafe and some toilets formed a bridge across the motorway. The whole place stank of cigarettes and fast food. They kept looking behind them, but they had no idea who their pursuer was or what he looked like. They walked quickly across the bridge trying not to attract attention. On the far side, they descended the stairs and found themselves in a lorry park. An articulated truck turned slowly right in front of them and they had to step back. The air was rank with diesel fumes. Around a corner, they saw a white van. The driver, a man in jeans and a sheepskin jacket with a cigarette dangling from his lips, was pulling shut the back door and they glimpsed stacks of cardboard boxes inside. Jeff ran up to the driver and Edie waited on the pavement staring around anxiously and pulling her coat tight about her. The temperature had dropped and she could see her breath in the air. She watched Jeff take out his wallet and fish out a couple of notes. A moment later, he was waving to Edie to join them and the driver was sliding the door up a few feet. They climbed in and the driver pulled down the door. The van accelerated away. ? The man was on his way to Bologna and had agreed to take them as far as Galluzzo a few miles south of Florence just off the motorway. From there they caught a taxi back into the city. Edie's apartment was on Via Sant' Agostino. They directed the taxi driver to drop them at Piazza S. Spirito, a short walk away. It was seven o'clock and the bars were filling up, the piazza flooded with a rainbow of colours from the shop fronts and eateries.

Edie led the way and they slowed as they approached the apartment. The street was busy with cars and people on the pavements window shopping. Edie's place, above a smart shop selling personalised wrapping paper and exclusive stationery, was accessed through a door set back under an archway. She lived in an ancient, three-storey building that was darkened with pollution from the busy street.

A light came on automatically in the hall as they entered, and Edie quickly closed the door behind them. A broad, stone staircase led to two apartments on each level. Edie's was on the second floor.

It was only when they reached the door that they realised something was wrong. It was open a crack.

'Wait here,' Jeff said and eased the door inwards. With exaggerated care he stepped forward, then paused to listen. All they could hear was the traffic from the street below. Edie looked scared and Jeff raised a finger to his lips before taking two careful steps into the hallway of the apartment. At the end of the passageway he paused again, stood against the far wall, then moved quickly into the main living area. Edie joined him and they both stared in disbelief at the devastation.

The floor was strewn with papers. Edie's computer lay in pieces, parts scattered across the carpet, the screen smashed. Disks, books, papers and files had been thrown around and bookcases overturned.

Without saying a word, Edie picked up the chair to her desk and sat down, burying her head in her hands. After a moment, she looked up, her eyes were watery, her face very pale. 'Who would do such a thing?' she demanded.

Jeff placed a gentle hand on her shoulder then turned towards the tiny kitchenette, which was almost untouched. In a moment, he had found a bottle of brandy. He poured two large measures into a couple of teacups and handed one to Edie. 'Here. I think you could do with this.'