The Tourist Page 29

  "None of it. We split up while I was pregnant.”

  “And you met Milo…”

  “On the day I gave birth."

  Simmons raised her brows; her surprise was honest. "Now, that's serendipity."

  "You could say so."

  "You met in…"

  "Is this really necessary?"

  "Yes, Tina. I'm afraid it is."

  "Venice."

  "Venice?"

  "Where we met. Vacation. I was eight months pregnant, alone, and I ended up spending time with the wrong guy. Or the right guy. Depending on your perspective."

  "The right guy," Simmons said helpfully, "because you met Milo."

  "Yes."

  "Can you tell me about this? Really, everything does help.”

  “Help you put my husband behind bars?”

  “I told you before. I want you to help me get to the truth." Tina put her feet on the floor and sat up so she could face Simmons head-on. "Okay. If you really want to know.”

  “I do."

  5

  Tina couldn't get over how hot it was. Even here, at an open-air cafe along the Grand Canal, just short of the arched stone monstrosity of the Rialto Bridge, it was unbearable.

  Venice, surrounded by and veined with water, should have cooled off some, but all the water did was raise the humidity, the way the river did in Austin. But in Austin she hadn't carried an eight-month heater in her bloated belly that swelled her feet and played havoc with her lower back.

  It might have been more bearable, were it not for the crowds. The entire world's population of sweaty tourists seemed to have come to Italy at the same time. They made it impossible for a pregnant woman to move comfortably along the narrow, bumpy passages and avoid the African vendors selling Louis Vuitton knockoffs, ten hanging from each arm.

  She sipped her orange juice, then forced herself to gaze at, and appreciate, a passing vaporetto overflowing with camera-toting tourists. Then she returned to the paperback she'd opened on the table-What to Expect When You're Expecting. She was on the page in chapter twelve that dealt with "stress incontinence." Great.

  Stop it, Tina.

  She was being remarkably unappreciative. What would Margaret, Jackie, and Trevor think? They had pooled their meager resources and bought her this final splash-out five-day/four-night Venetian holiday before the baby arrived to put the last nail in the coffin of her social life. "And to remind yourself that that prick isn't the only example of manhood out there," Trevor had said.

  No, philandering Patrick wasn't the only example of manhood out there, but the examples she'd come across here weren't encouraging. Lazy-eyed Italians whistled and hissed and muttered invitations at any piece of ass that walked by. Not her, though-no. Pregnant women reminded them too much of their own blessed mothers-those women who hadn't beaten their sons anywhere near enough.

  Her belly not only protected her from the men, but encouraged them to open doors for her. She received smiles from complete strangers, and a few times old men pointed at high facades and gave her history lessons she couldn't understand. She started to think things were looking up, at least until last night. The e-mail.

  Patrick, it turned out, was in Paris with Paula. All those P's confused her. He wanted to know if she could "swing through town" so she and Paula could finally meet. "She really wants to," he'd written.

  Tina had crossed an ocean to get away from her problems, and then-

  "Excuse me."

  On the other side of her table stood an American, somewhere in his fifties, bald on top, grinning down at her. He pointed at the free chair. "May I?"

  When the waiter came, he ordered a vodka tonic, then watched another vaporetto glide past. Perhaps bored with the water, he started watching her face as she read. He finally spoke: "Can I buy you a drink?"

  "Oh," she said. "No, thanks." She gave him a smile, just enough to be polite. Then she took off her sunglasses.

  "Sorry," he stuttered. "Just that I'm here alone, and it looks like you are, too. You'd get a free drink out of it."

  Maybe he was all right. "Why not? Thanks…" She raised her brows.

  "Frank."

  "Thanks, Frank. I'm Tina."

  She stuck out her hand, and they shook with stiff formality. "Champagne?"

  "You didn't see." She grabbed the arms of her chair and scooted it back a foot. She touched her large, rounded belly "Eight months now."

  Frank gaped.

  "Never seen one of these before?"

  "I just…" He scratched his hairless scalp. "That explains it. Your glow."

  Not again, she wanted to say but cut herself short. She could at least be pleasant.

  When the waiter arrived with his vodka tonic, he ordered her another orange juice, and she pointed out that a simple orange juice was outrageously expensive here. "And look how much they give you," she said, holding up her tiny glass. "Outrageous."

  She wondered if she was being too negative again, but Frank pushed it further (complaining about the Vuitton knockoffs she'd seen before) until they were both complaining pleasantly about the idiocies of tourism.

  In answer to his questions, she told him she was a librarian at MIT's art and architecture library in Boston, and she let out just enough casual, sarcastic asides to make it clear that the father of her baby had left in a particularly poor fashion. "You've got my whole life already. What are you, a journalist?"

  "Real estate. I work out of Vienna, but we've got properties all over the place. I'm settling a deal on a palazzo not far away."

  "Really?"

  "Sold it to a Russian bigwig. So much money, you wouldn't believe."

  "I probably wouldn't."

  "The papers have to be signed in the next forty-eight hours, but in the meantime I'm entirely free." He considered his next words carefully. "Can I take you out to the theater?"

  Tina slipped on the sunglasses again. Despite herself, she remembered Margaret's most insistent advice five months ago when Patrick first walked out: He's a boy, Tina. A child. What you need is an older man. Someone with a sense of responsibility. Tina wasn't seriously considering anything like that, but there was always a certain logic to Margaret's unasked-for wisdom.

  Frank turned out to be a pleasant surprise. He left her alone until five, when he arrived in a tailored suit, carrying a pair of Teatro Malibran tickets and a single orange lily that smelled hallucinogenic.

  She knew little about opera and had never considered herself a fan. Frank, despite having feigned ignorance, turned out to be something of an expert. He'd somehow gotten seats in the platea, the stalls on the floor of the opera, so they had an unencumbered view of the Prince, the King of Clubs, and Truffaldino in The Love for Three Oranges. He sometimes leaned in to whisper a plot point she might have missed-it was performed in French-but the plot hardly mattered. It was an absurdist opera about a cursed prince forced to go on a quest for three oranges, in each of which slept a princess. The audience laughed more often than Tina did, but the jokes she got she enjoyed.

  Afterward, Frank treated her to dinner at a marginal trattoria and told her stories about his long years living in Europe. She found his description of the expatriate lifestyle particularly enticing. Then he insisted on buying her breakfast, which she first took as a rudely hopeful suggestion. She'd misjudged, though, and all he did was walk her back to the hotel, kiss her cheeks in the European manner, and wish her a good night. A real gentleman, unlike those Italian men lurking on every corner.

  She woke early on Tuesday and, after a quick wash, began to pack her things for the next morning's flight home. It was a shame- now that she had finally recovered from her jet lag and met an interesting, cultured man, it was time to leave. She thought her last day might best be used taking a boat trip out to Murano to see the glassblowers.

  She brought it up to Frank after he picked her up and they had reached the huge, pigeon-infested glory of St. Mark's Square. "This time it's my treat," she told him. "There's a boat leaving in an hour."<
br />
  "I wish," he said earnestly, guiding her to an open-air cafe. "It's the damned job. The Ruskie can call for me at any moment, and if I'm not available it'll fall through."

  It was during their continental breakfast that Frank went silent, staring past her shoulder, tense.

  "What is it?" She followed his gaze, spotting a bald, thick-necked man in a black suit cutting through the crowds toward them.

  "The palazzo." He bit his lower lip. "I hope they don't want to meet now."

  "It's fine. We'll hook up later."

  The tough-looking bald man reached the edge of their table. His head was shiny with sweat. "You," he said, his Russian accent thick. "It's ready."

  Frank patted his lips with a napkin. "Can't it wait until we're finished eating?"

  "No."

  Frank glanced, embarrassed, at Tina. He put the napkin on the table with shaking hands. Was that fear? Or just excitement over a huge commission? Then he smiled at her. "You want to see the place? It's really fabulous."

  She looked at the remnants of her breakfast, then at the Russian. "Maybe I shouldn't-"

  "Nonsense," Frank cut in. To the Russian, he said, "Of course it's no problem, right?"

  The man looked confused.

  "Exactly." Frank helped Tina to her feet. "Not too fast," he told the Russian. "She's not built like you."

  As soon as they passed the palazzo's front door and faced the steep, narrow steps leading up into the gloom, Tina regretted having come along. She should have known better. The bald Russian looked like the kind of Slavic thug that always populated action movies those days, and the steady walk from St. Mark's all the way up here had mauled her feet. Now, she was faced with this mountain to climb.

  "Maybe I should wait down here," she said.

  Frank's expression was almost horrified. "I know it looks tough, but you won't regret it. Trust me."

  "But my-"

  "Come" the Russian said, already halfway up the first flight.

  Frank reached out a hand. "Let me help."

  So she let him help. He had, after all, been a perfect gentleman so far. She used the memory of the previous night-the opera and the dinner-to distract her from the ache in her heels as Frank helped her up to the oak door at the top of the steps. She looked back, but only saw that bleak, indeterminate gloom of ancient buildings. Then the gloom disappeared as the Russian opened the door.

  When she stepped inside, she realized Frank had been right. It really was worth it.

  He took her across the hardwood floor to a modernist wooden sofa. The Russian went into another room. "You weren't kidding," she said, twisting to take everything in.

  "What did I tell you?" He stared at the door that had been left open an inch. "Listen, let me go take care of the papers in private, then I'll see about a little tour."

  "Really?" She felt much like a surprised child, cheeks flushed. "That'd be great."

  "I'll be quick." He touched her shoulder, which was warm and damp from the effort of getting up here, and followed the Russian into the next room.

  At MIT, she'd learned so much about overdesigned pieces of furniture from magazines-Abitare, I.D., Wallpaper-but had never seen them in reality. In the corner sat a Kilin lounge chair made of black leather and imbuia wood, designed by Sergio Rodrigues. A Straessle International chariot chaise, circa 1972, faced it. Tina herself was supported by a slatted rosewood couch designed by Joaquim Tenreiro. Banally, she wondered how much this room had cost.

  She heard a sound and looked up to see a gorgeous girl-early teens-step in from the terrace. She had straight brown hair to her waist, pearly skin, and bright eyes. She wore a pink summer dress that showed off the pubescence of her silhouetted body.

  "Hi," said Tina, smiling.

  The girl's eyes alighted on Tina's stomach. She said some excited German words and joined her on the couch. Hesitantly, she held a small hand over Tina's belly. "I can?"

  Tina nodded, and the girl stroked her. It was soothing, and brought color to the girl's cheeks. Then she tapped her own stomach. "I have. Too."

  Tina's smile faded. "You're pregnant?"

  The girl frowned, unsure, then nodded excitedly. "Ja. I have baby. Will have baby."

  "Oh." Tina wondered how the girl's parents were reacting. "Ingrid."

  Tina took the small, dry hand. "I'm Tina. You live here?"

  Ingrid didn't seem to understand, but then the inner door opened and a tall older man with wavy gray hair and an immaculate suit stepped through, smiling, followed by a meek-looking Frank.

  Ingrid clapped her hands over Tina's belly. "Schau mal, Roman!"

  Roman walked over, and Tina let him take her hand and kiss her knuckles. "Nothing more beautiful than an expectant woman. Pleased to meet you, Miss…?"

  "Crowe. Tina Crowe. Are you Ingrid's father?"

  "A proud uncle. Roman Ugrimov."

  "Well, Mr. Ugrimov, your place is really beautiful. Just amazing." Ugrimov nodded his thanks, then said, "Ingrid, meet Mr. Frank Dawdle."

  The girl stood and politely shook Frank's hand. Ugrimov, behind her, placed his hands on her shoulders and, looking directly at Frank, said, "Ingrid here is everything to me, you see? She is my entire world."

  Ingrid smiled bashfully. Ugrimov had said this with a little too much conviction.

  Frank said, "Tina, I think we should be going."

  She was disappointed-she actually had wanted to see the rest of the palazzo-but there was an unsettling tone in Frank's voice that made her think it might be better to leave. Besides, the collision of Ingrid's pregnancy and her uncle's attentions left her feeling uneasy.

  So she got up-a little wobbly, and Ingrid came to steady her- then took Frank's arm. He mouthed, Sorry-probably for the tour. It didn't matter.

  The bald thug walked them back down, which was so much easier than coming up, and at the halfway point they heard Ingrid's voice from behind them-she was laughing, a loud, nasal hee-haw, like a mule.

  By the time the bald man opened the door to the square, she realized that something about this wasn't right, so once they'd paused in the shade of the stoop and the Russian had closed the door behind them, she said, "I don't get it, Frank. If he's just now signing the papers for that place, then why's he already moved in?"

  Frank wasn't listening. Hands propped on his hips, he was staring off to the left, up the street. A woman about Tina's age stepped out of a doorway and began to run toward them. With a surprisingly menacing voice, she called, "Frank!"

  First thought: Is that Franks wife?

  From the right, a man also ran toward them. His jacket swished from side to side as he galloped across the stones, and in his hand-a gun. What was he, then? But she didn't have time to follow her thoughts because she heard Roman Ugrimov's voice shouting down at them from above-yes, everything was suddenly converging-"And her I love, you bastard!"

  Tina stepped forward, then back, because Frank was looking up at the sky. A punch of scream filled the air, then stretched out to a low wail that rose quickly in pitch, like a train speeding past.

  The Doppler effect, her brain reminded her for no discernible reason.

  Then she saw what was falling. Pink fluttering-brown hair-a body, a girl, that girl-Ingrid. And then-

  At 10:27 a.m. Ingrid Kohl landed three feet from Tina. A thump and crunch, ruptured bone and flesh. Blood. Silence.

  She couldn't breathe. Her body seized up. She couldn't even scream yet, not until Frank produced a pistol, shot three times, and fled. The woman-wife? girlfriend? thief?-bolted after him. Tina tripped and fell backward, hard, on the cobblestones. All she could do now was scream.'

  The other man, the one with the pistol, appeared at her side. He looked lost, staring at the mess of pink and red three feet from her. Then he noticed Tina, and briefly her screams ceased; she was afraid of him and his gun. But the screams came back of their own volition. "I'm in labor! I need a doctor!"

  "I-" said the man. He looked in the direction where Frank and that
woman had run; they were gone. He settled on the ground beside her, exhausted.

  "Get a fucking doctor!" she shouted, and then they both heard three short cracks of a gun being fired.

  The man looked at her again, as if she were a ghost fading away, then took out his cell phone. "It'll be all right," he said as he dialed. He spoke in Italian to someone. She recognized the word ambulanza. When he finally hung up-that's when she realized he'd been shot, somewhere in the chest. His shirt was almost black with shiny, fresh blood.

  By then, though, a gush of maternal pragmatism had swept over her: It didn't matter that he'd been shot; he'd already called the ambulance. Her baby was as safe as it could be, given the circumstances. She calmed down, her contractions slowing, and the man, staring at her, gripped her hand tight, almost too tight, as if he hardly knew she was there. Down the street, the woman she'd later learn was named Angela Yates appeared again, crying. The man watched his accomplice sadly.

  Tina said, "Who the hell are you?"

  "What?"

  She took a moment to regulate her breaths. "You've got a gun."

  As if this were shocking news, the man released the pistol; it clattered to the ground.

  "What," she said, then exhaled the pain of contraction through pursed lips, blowing three times. "What the hell are you?"

  "I-" He squeezed her hand tighter, nearly choking on his words. "I'm a tourist."

  6

  Six years later, Janet Simmons noticed how the memory could still make Tina choke. Weaver's wife stared, mouth hanging open, at the coffee table, so as not to look at the woman asking all these questions.

  "That, then, was Milo?"

  Tina nodded.

  Hesitantly, Simmons prodded: "What do you think he meant? That he was a tourist. In a situation like that, it's about the last thing someone would say."

  Tina wiped her eyes with the side of her thumb and finally looked up. "The situation was that he had two bullets in his right lung and he was bleeding to death. In situations like that, probability goes out the window."

  Simmons conceded the point, but that one word told her two things. First, that in 2001 Milo really had been a wreck, so much so that he was ready to admit to a complete stranger his ultra-secret job title. Second: Milo had recovered quickly enough so that Tina had no idea that it was a job title. "What was he doing there? In Venice. He told you, I guess. He had a gun, there was shooting, and the man you'd spent a day with had fled."