Marco laughed.
I punched his shoulder. “How can you be so cavalier?”
“I’ve seen her take that dive before. I wouldn’t worry. Right now, she’s probably sipping champagne with Carlo. And good for her. The Gang used her. The woman was nothing but a tool for them. And before them, it was somebody else who used her. I never thought she was a bad sort. Just unhappy.“
I glanced over my shoulder at Irene. She was sitting alone on the couch and caught my eye. She motioned for me to tap Marco on the shoulder.
“Marco, I think Irene wants to talk to you.”
Marco and I sat on the sofa with Irene in between us. She looked tired and rested her hand on Marco’s knee as she spoke.
“I want you to know, Marco, I never thought you had anything to do with stealing Professor Braun’s ring.”
“Well, thank you. But to be honest, I do happen to have the ring.” Marco reached into his pocket, took out the gold signet ring, and held it between his thumb and index finger. “I didn’t take it the night of the Professor’s lecture. I’ll admit I was tempted, but Camile got it. Looked better on her small hand anyway. But after Finn and I tied Sully and others up, I realized Sully had taken the ring off Ida’s body and, given the chance, probably would have kept it. I found it in his pocket and took it back to give it to Neil.”
“Is this the ring?” Tatiana stood up from the swivel chair where she had been sitting and plucked the ring from Marco’s hand. “Doesn’t look like much to me.”
“It’s not,” Irene said. “At least it’s not as valuable as the Professor would have you think. In fact, it’s not a man’s ring at all. It’s why Professor Braun wore it on his pinky finger. He liked to tell everyone the ring belonged to some wealthy noble Roman senator. Thought it made him more important than the rest of us. But my sister knew better.“
“Why?” I asked. “Is it a fake?”
“No, it’s real. Signet rings have been around for thousands of years. The ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans all had them. They were used as seals and dipped into wax to secure important documents. Look, the intaglio or the design of each ring was unique.” Irene pointed to the delicate gold filigree on the face of the ring in Tatiana’s hand. “And when the wearer died, the ring was destroyed. The Romans started using gemstones instead of metal to carve their designs into the ring, and at one point, every Roman senator wore one to signify his status. But Professor Braun’s ring never belonged to some Roman senator. It was a woman’s ring. Ida knew because of the design. Senator’s rings depicted their rank and status. The design on the Professor’s ring is of a bunch of grapes. A ring a wife might wear to seal jars of oil or wine. A common custom back then to ensure the household help wasn’t stealing.”
“Speaking of which,” Neil approached Tatiana from the kitchen and held out his hand. “I’ll need the Professor’s ring to give to the authorities when we get to Naples.”
Tatiana took one last look at the ring, then placed it in Neil’s palm. “Here. You can have it back. But there’s something else you should see. I believe it’s connected to my father’s death, and I should maybe show it to you before I show it to the police and they charge you with my father’s murder.”
Chapter Forty
“Tatiana,” I stepped between Neil and Tatiana. “I told you before, I was with Neil the night your father died. He couldn’t have—”
“You need to look at Athena’s ledgers.” Tatiana interrupted. “Every time I bring it up, someone changes the subject. I don’t believe any of you. I’ve looked at the numbers. They don’t lie.” Tatiana sat down and pulled one of the two large ledger books she had brought from her father’s apartment off the coffee table onto her lap.
Neil took the chair beside her. “Where did you get these?”
They were in my father’s cabin. You appointed him as Athena’s bookkeeper. You can’t be surprised I’d find them. But maybe you don’t know he mentions to me you have financial trouble. But until I see the books, I didn’t know to what extent.”
Neil took the book from Tatiana’s lap. “This was a private matter, Tatiana. It has nothing to do with your father’s death.”
“I’m not so sure. Two sets of books? Is odd to me. One shows healthy profit. The other shows Athena is bleeding money. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you these books could be evidence Athena is in trouble. Which investigators might consider motive. If not for smuggling, then maybe my father’s murder.”
“Tatiana, please.” Neil tapped his fingers anxiously on top of the ledger. “I didn’t kill your father. But you’re right, the books don’t lie, money is tight. It always has been. I’ve had to be creative about financing to keep Athena afloat. But your father understood that. He was a master at it himself. You mustn’t forget he was the one who helped facilitate the Pepsi Navy. Without him, there would be no Athena.”
“Don’t lie to me.”
“I’m not lying, Tatiana. You’re right about the books. One shows Athena clearly in the black. Making money. An investor’s dream. But the truth is, Athena is a high-risk proposition. She’s losing money every quarter and much more so lately. The second set of books shows a business drowning in debt. And I’ve had to subsidize those losses with assets from The Webster Group. But it doesn’t prove I killed your father or had him murdered.”
“I think I’ll let police decide that.” Tatiana stood up and, with both hands, yanked the book from Neil.
“No!” Finn crossed from the bar behind them and took hold of the ledger. “You won’t do anything of the kind. There’s no need. Neil didn’t have anything to do with your father’s death. I did. I killed Oleg!”
“Finn! What are you saying? Why would you do such a thing?” Neil was on his feet.
“Because Oleg was blackmailing you. I heard him. I was in his apartment to drop off some dry cleaning, and I saw him with the ledgers on his desk and heard him yelling on the phone. I thought it was you he was talking to. I didn’t know anything about the Gang of Eight, what they were doing, or any Russian thug from his past. All I knew was that Oleg sounded angry. He was arguing about money. Said that he needed more to keep his mouth shut and that if he didn’t get it, he’d expose everything, and you’d be ruined. I thought it was you Oleg was talking to. So, the next time I came in the cabin, I went looking for the ledgers, and from what I could see, Oleg could do real damage if he wanted.” Finn tore the book from Tatiana’s hand and threw it on the floor. “I did it for you, Neil. I knew Oleg was up to something, and the night of the Professor’s lecture, he was acting strangely. And when I heard him outside the lecture hall tell Kat he had stories she wouldn’t believe, I figured it was you he was talking about. All I could think was that I needed to protect you. So I lured him up to the gangway gate on the Lido Deck the night of your dinner party with Kat and Antonio. I told him I had a bottle of Stoli and invited him to share it with me. Oleg loved his vodka, and I knew he wouldn’t turn me down. It was after Happy Hour by the time he got upstairs, and he had already had a couple of drinks. I had used my key to unlock the gangway gate where we planned to meet, so the railing was already loose. It was all so easy. We had a couple of drinks. Oleg finished a cigarette, then leaned against the railing, and over he went. I closed the gate, locked it, and went downstairs to finish my evening rounds.”
“You killed him!” Tatiana screamed and lunged at Finn.
Marco lept over the coffee table and grabbed Tatiana’s hands from Finn’s neck. “Stop it! We’ve had enough murders aboard Athena for now.”
Finn reeled around, his hands on his throat, and pleaded with Neil. “I did it for you. I thought I was protecting you.”
Neil took Finn by the shoulder. “Why didn’t you come to me?”
“How could I come to you? Antonio’s been on board all week, and you’re seldom around anymore. Always off somewhere trying to raise money. I thought I was helping you and we’d have time together again when Antonio left. And without Oleg’s threats, you could relax, and we’d be fine.”
“I’m sorry, Finn.” Neil pulled Finn close to him and kissed his ear. “I should have realized how difficult this was for you. I came back for Ida’s birthday. I really thought we’d have time, but when Antonio showed up…” Neil shook his head. “I had no idea why he was really here. And I was happy to welcome him aboard for a few days.”
Finn brushed his eyes. “I screwed up. I’m sorry.”
“I’m sorry too, Finn. I never wanted it to end this way.” Neil took a deep breath and asked Marco to take Finn back to his cabin. “Make sure he stays there and that no one bothers him. I’ll deal with him later.”
Neil excused himself and went outside to Dede’s deck. I was tempted to follow, but Dede called me to the kitchen, where she had busied herself rinsing utensils in the sink.
“You heard?” I asked.
“Finn’s confession to Oleg’s murder? Unfortunately, yes. Although, I can’t say I’m surprised.” Dede grabbed a towel and mopped the countertops as she spoke. “Finn was dogged in his determination to look after Neil, and once Antonio came on board, Finn wasn’t thinking straight. I’m sure Finn thought Oleg was blackmailing Neil. I’m surprised, nosy as Finn is, that he didn’t know what was happening with the Gang of Eight. But then, why didn’t I? I could kick myself. I suppose I’m getting old. At least Finn has an excuse. Poor man, who of us hasn’t been blinded by love.”
“Do you think Neil will turn him in?”
