Page 22 of We Chase Shadows

‘He left a note, dumbass,’ says Lee.

‘Anyone can write a note,’ says Korbin. ‘A baby can write a note. Well, maybe not a baby.’

Amy is not sure she can learn anything more from the corpse. He was facing away from his killer, he was shot at close range, there are no defensive injuries, no signs of a struggle. In his jeans pocket there’s nothing but half a pack of chewing gum. We all die with something still in our pocket.

‘What do you know about Mr Blackwood’s business?’ Amy asks. The two men trust her, recognize her as one of their own. She intends to take full advantage.

‘I know it’s none of mine,’ says Lee.

He’s half right, you have to be discreet, and you have to keep a distance, but you also have to know the dangers your principal might face, the environment in which they work.

‘I know Eriksson is the top banana though,’ Lee adds. ‘Everyone knows that.’

Amy gets to her feet and brushes dirt from her tracksuit. ‘I think Esteban can go back in.’

Amy takes Esteban’s shoulders, and Korbin takes his legs. ‘Have there been many threats? Over the years?’

‘No threats,’ says Korbin, as they nod at each other to lift. ‘Because I do my job properly. We keep quiet, we keep clean, no fuss, no drama, no threats. We eat well, plenty of vegetables. I listen to opera.’

‘Okay,’ says Amy. ‘No excitement at all?’

They lower Esteban’s body back into his grave. Perhaps at some point they’ll find out who he really is, and his family can claim him. Until then, there are worse resting spots than this.

‘One of the cleaners tried to steal some money, caught red-handed,’ says Korbin. ‘And Esteban marched her out at gunpoint. That’s as exciting as it gets up here.’

Amy supposes Esteban didn’t have to march the cleaner out at gunpoint, but bodyguards do like an excuse to do something at gunpoint. Lee starts to shovel the earth back into the grave.

‘Good money?’ Amy asks. It must be good money. What else but good money would keep three professionals cooped up in a villa with nothing to do all day?

Korbin and Lee look in no mood to disagree with her.

‘We do all right,’ says Lee. Amy notes that if it is possible to shovel earth over a corpse respectfully, then that is what Lee is doing. Tells you something about the man at least.

‘Better than Britney,’ says Korbin. ‘The singer I mentioned.’

‘Jakob Eriksson?’ asks Amy. ‘Vern says they’re friends. Has he ever visited?’

‘Never been here,’ says Korbin. His shovel work is less respectful than Lee’s. Amy supposes that if you’ve had to bury the same man twice in two days, your patience might wear thin.

‘Never met the geezer,’ says Lee. ‘Never want to. Killer.’

‘I bet he pays even more than Mr Blackwood?’ says Amy.

Lee leans on his shovel for a moment. ‘I don’t suppose you’ve got any ketamine, Amy? Been a rough couple of days.’

‘Me?’ says Amy. ‘No. Rosie probably does.’

‘It’s so hard to get ketamine in Italy,’ says Lee, resuming his work. ‘The coffee’s good though. Rosie’s the old lady that was here?’

‘This is just a word to the wise, Lee,’ says Amy. ‘If you ever call Rosie an old lady to her face, you’ll end up in the same grave as Esteban.’

‘What is she? Drug baron?’

‘Novelist.’

‘Huh,’ says Lee. ‘Like, book writer?’

‘Like, book writer,’ confirms Amy.