within seconds. There was a piercing] scream from behind the wall of flames. Sabrina felt com| pletely helpless. There was nothing she could do to save! the two youths who must have been caught in the fire.
As she turned her boat round she saw the white speed-i boat shoot out from a side canal two hundred yards upriver. ] i; She unholstered her Beretta, opened the throttle, and gavel Jsf chase. The white speedboat began to weave in and out off p the congested traffic again but this time she kept on its tail.1 |c She heard sirens in the distance and looked round to see a| patrol boat closing in on her. When she turned back to] the wheel the white speedboat had disappeared. She cursed | angrily at herself. Twice she had lost him.
As she passed a vaporetto the white speedboat shot ou from its blind side and the gunman fired a short burst at her with the Uzi, forcing her to duck low as the bullet chewed across the bow. The tourists aboard the vapore screamed in terror and the helmsman immediately heac for the nearest landing stage. She raised the Beretta as th white speedboat drew abreast but it buffeted the side < her boat, causing her to fire wide. The gunman peeled awajl sharply and disappeared behind a passing vaporetto. By t time she had regained control of her boat the gunman ha disappeared. She hit the dashboard angrily with her fist tr glanced behind her at the patrol boat which was now le than a hundred yards away. Then she saw Calvieri signa ling to her from a nearby wharf. She went to pick him upsj
'Let me take the wheel,' he said, climbing into the 1 beside her. 'I know my way around these waters and first thing we have to do is dump the boat in one of' side canals.'
88
She gave a resigned nod and switched places with him.
'Are you all right?'
'Sure, apart from my pride.' She shook her head, disgusted with herself. 'I can't believe I let him get the better of me.'
'Come on, Sabrina, don't be so hard on yourself. You're only human --'
'And so is he,' she snapped. 'But why didn't he kill me when he had the chance?'
'I'd say he made a pretty good attempt back there,' Calvieri said, turning the speedboat up the Rio San Polo, one of the largest canals leading off from the Grand Canal.
'He could have shot me when he came out from behind the vaporetto. Instead he fired into the bow. It doesn't r make sense.'
'You should just be glad you're still alive.' Calvieri moored the boat in a narrow canal off the Rio San Polo then pointed to a house with whitewashed walls at the end of the pathway. 'It belongs to a friend of mine. We jean hide there until the police are gone.'
They scrambled up on to the side of the canal.
Tonino?'
He looked round at her in surprise. It was the first time |she had used his first name. 'Tony, please. The last person pwho called me Tonino was my headmaster.'
'Thanks,' she said softly. "
'Strange, isn't it? This time I saved your life. Another \ time it might be me in that boat trying to kill you.'
'Or me trying to kill you,' she replied, holding his stare.
'Sure, why not?' He gave a nervous laugh, then walked Itowards the house.
La Serenissitna. So much for the serenity. Venice would Inever again be the same for her.
89
five
Whitlock woke with a splitting headache. He opened his eyes and looked around him slowly. He was lying on a brown leather couch, a pillow under his head, in an aeroplane. A private aeroplane, judging by the plush furnishings. He tried to sit up but a bolt of pain shot through his head. Instead he lay back and massaged his temples gingerly with the tips of his fingers.
Take these. We use them in the army.'
Whitlock saw a pair of black-gloved hands out of the corner of his eye. In one hand were two white tablets, in the other a glass of water. Young had worn black gloves. But the voice was different. Older, more distinguished. And, unlike Young's voice, it wasn't discernibly American. It had to be Wiseman. He took the tablets from the palm of the outstretched
As she turned her boat round she saw the white speed-i boat shoot out from a side canal two hundred yards upriver. ] i; She unholstered her Beretta, opened the throttle, and gavel Jsf chase. The white speedboat began to weave in and out off p the congested traffic again but this time she kept on its tail.1 |c She heard sirens in the distance and looked round to see a| patrol boat closing in on her. When she turned back to] the wheel the white speedboat had disappeared. She cursed | angrily at herself. Twice she had lost him.
As she passed a vaporetto the white speedboat shot ou from its blind side and the gunman fired a short burst at her with the Uzi, forcing her to duck low as the bullet chewed across the bow. The tourists aboard the vapore screamed in terror and the helmsman immediately heac for the nearest landing stage. She raised the Beretta as th white speedboat drew abreast but it buffeted the side < her boat, causing her to fire wide. The gunman peeled awajl sharply and disappeared behind a passing vaporetto. By t time she had regained control of her boat the gunman ha disappeared. She hit the dashboard angrily with her fist tr glanced behind her at the patrol boat which was now le than a hundred yards away. Then she saw Calvieri signa ling to her from a nearby wharf. She went to pick him upsj
'Let me take the wheel,' he said, climbing into the 1 beside her. 'I know my way around these waters and first thing we have to do is dump the boat in one of' side canals.'
88
She gave a resigned nod and switched places with him.
'Are you all right?'
'Sure, apart from my pride.' She shook her head, disgusted with herself. 'I can't believe I let him get the better of me.'
'Come on, Sabrina, don't be so hard on yourself. You're only human --'
'And so is he,' she snapped. 'But why didn't he kill me when he had the chance?'
'I'd say he made a pretty good attempt back there,' Calvieri said, turning the speedboat up the Rio San Polo, one of the largest canals leading off from the Grand Canal.
'He could have shot me when he came out from behind the vaporetto. Instead he fired into the bow. It doesn't r make sense.'
'You should just be glad you're still alive.' Calvieri moored the boat in a narrow canal off the Rio San Polo then pointed to a house with whitewashed walls at the end of the pathway. 'It belongs to a friend of mine. We jean hide there until the police are gone.'
They scrambled up on to the side of the canal.
Tonino?'
He looked round at her in surprise. It was the first time |she had used his first name. 'Tony, please. The last person pwho called me Tonino was my headmaster.'
'Thanks,' she said softly. "
'Strange, isn't it? This time I saved your life. Another \ time it might be me in that boat trying to kill you.'
'Or me trying to kill you,' she replied, holding his stare.
'Sure, why not?' He gave a nervous laugh, then walked Itowards the house.
La Serenissitna. So much for the serenity. Venice would Inever again be the same for her.
89
five
Whitlock woke with a splitting headache. He opened his eyes and looked around him slowly. He was lying on a brown leather couch, a pillow under his head, in an aeroplane. A private aeroplane, judging by the plush furnishings. He tried to sit up but a bolt of pain shot through his head. Instead he lay back and massaged his temples gingerly with the tips of his fingers.
Take these. We use them in the army.'
Whitlock saw a pair of black-gloved hands out of the corner of his eye. In one hand were two white tablets, in the other a glass of water. Young had worn black gloves. But the voice was different. Older, more distinguished. And, unlike Young's voice, it wasn't discernibly American. It had to be Wiseman. He took the tablets from the palm of the outstretched
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