‘But—’
‘Oh, I know, youarethe police,’ said Susanna. ‘But not even you can handle this.’
‘You’re hurt,’ said Matteo, walking towards her again.
‘Stay away from me!’ Susanna said sharply. ‘And call them. It’s in your own and your wife’s best interests.’
Matteo slowly pulled his phone from his pocket and did as she bid. A cold, ugly fear gripped him as he dialled.
EIGHTEEN
‘I do not need to go to hospital,’ Susanna said imperiously to the paramedic, who had tended to the cut on the back of her head. ‘Nothing and no one will persuade me to, so you might as well leave me alone. I’m perfectly fine now, thanks to your medical assistance.’ She gave a brief but thankful smile for their application of steri-strips to the gash she’d sustained when she fell onto the broken glass. They’d said she needed stiches but she had no intention of leaving the house. ‘I just need time to rest and heal.’
And talk to these police people, added Susanna in her head, as she looked up at the two Carabinieri hovering at the side of the room, a man and a woman. She winced as she did so: her head was a ball of pain from the fall – and she had a lump the size of an egg to go along with her cut.
Eventually the paramedics were persuaded to leave and the Carabinieri sat either side of her. They’d been speaking in Italian to Matteo and, although she couldn’t understand the words, she’d thought by their body language that he had claimed ignorance of the day’s events. Susanna stretched a hand out towards the side table and the policeman who’d introduced himself as Captain Santini understood and handed over the glass of water. She sipped at it delicately through a straw. When she had finished, he took it from her and placed it back on the table.
‘If you would like to tell us what happened,’ said Lieutenant Colonel Baroni, in English. As the senior officer, she was leading the questioning. Susanna wondered if she had children. Whether they got on. If she did, they’d be young; Baroni was only in her thirties. Susanna felt a wave of sadness. Her own daughters had never been friends, not really. There had been too much jealousy, too much rivalry, for years.
The captain, tasked with writing down everything they were saying, was poised with a pen and notebook. Susanna took a deep breath.
‘We had gone for a lovely lunch,’ she started, ‘after our trip to the beach. Except that Abby and Ellie seemed tense around each other. They have a history – don’t all sisters?’ she said. ‘Except, their relationship is more complicated than most.’ She glanced up at Matteo, saw he was watching her intently.
‘When we got back, Ellie was upset. She went out onto the terrace...’ Susanna waved a hand towards the patio doors. ‘I went to get some water for us all and when I came back from the kitchen, Abby was here too.’ Susanna stopped. Took a breath. ‘Abby has always resented Ellie, ever since she was born. Oldest child syndrome. Found she had to share her mother with a new baby. And then, when Ellie was only five years old, she became ill. Quite severely ill. It lasted for several years. I was beside myself.’ Susanna’s voice began to break with anguish. ‘The doctors couldn’t find out what was wrong, and then...’ She trailed off.
‘Please continue,’ prompted Lieutenant Colonel Baroni.
‘Sorry,’ said Susanna. She inhaled. ‘I eventually discovered what it was. Why Ellie had been so very ill.’ She looked up at Baroni. ‘Her sister hated her so much she had been poisoning her.’
NINETEEN
Matteo was looking at her, dumbfounded.Let him look, thought Susanna,he needs to hear this.
He shook his head and gave a disbelieving laugh. ‘What did you just say?’
Susanna’s head dropped; it was hard enough to say the first time, and then Baroni spoke sharply to Matteo in Italian. It was clear she was telling him to be quiet.
‘How did you get your injury?’ Baroni asked Susanna.
‘Well, when I got the drinks for us all and came back outside I could see Abby was upsetting Ellie. You have to understand that Ellie knew nothing about what her sister had done to her. When she was a child, I thought it best not to tell her, and then after Abby left home at eighteen...well, so much time had passed. Why bring it all up again? I was so relieved when Abby moved to Italy as I thought the distance would be good for Ellie. She always wanted to be close to Abby, you see, but Abby would push her away.’ Susanna checked herself. ‘Sorry, I’ve gone off on a tangent. Ellie told me that Abby had invited her out here to Elba and I was immediately on alert – it was so out of character. I phoned Abby and asked her why she’d invited Ellie over and she said something about wanting to make amends. I didn’t believe a word of it. Why now? I asked her why she’d want to do that to a sister she couldn’t stand.’
‘And what did she say?’ asked the lieutenant.
‘She told me the animosity was years ago. Wanted to start afresh now she’d moved out here. I still didn’t believe her but I thought my energy was better used seeing for myself. So I suggested that I come too. Abby agreed but I was to arrive a couple of days after Ellie. Then last week Abby rang me. Begged me not to tell Ellie about what she’d done to her little sister when they were children. I’ve kept it secret for years – I’ve felt guilty about that too – and it did occur to me that if Abby wanted a clean slate, then maybe it was a good idea for her to explain what she’d done. But she insisted on keeping it quiet. She got quite upset with me about it.’ Susanna sighed. ‘I didn’t like the sound of any of it. That’s why I came here a couple of days early. I was wary of Abby being alone with Ellie.’
‘You still haven’t explained the injury,’ said Baroni, pointing at Susanna’s head.
‘This is all complete rubbish,’ said Matteo, unable to contain his frustration anymore. ‘Sorry, Susanna, but Abby’s not some child abuser. She asked her sister here because she genuinely wanted to get closer to her.’
‘She has a history of lying,’ said Susanna quietly. ‘When I brought the drinks out on the terrace, I could see she’d upset Ellie. Then she told her’ – Susanna looked visibly shaken, placed a hand on her chest – ‘that Ellie had been poisoned as a child but that I had done it. I couldn’t believe it. All those years I’d protected her and then she did that. Lied about me like that. I could see Ellie was distraught and I went to her but she was so traumatized she pushed me away. I fell and must have blacked out. Cut my head on the broken glass.’
Lieutenant Baroni took all this in. Susanna saw Matteo shake his head in disbelief.
‘Where is she now?’ asked Baroni. ‘Where are both of your daughters?’
‘I don’t know,’ said Susanna hopelessly. ‘They’re not here and Abby’s car is gone. I’m guessing Abby took Ellie somewhere.’
‘Any idea where?’
