‘Why should I?’ Lucia couldn’t get the sight of the boy’s fall out of her mind, his horrible scream as he fell.

Maria’s face was a mask of anguish. ‘Don’t you see, we could both be in trouble now, if the police find out.’

‘But I had nothing to do with it, it was you, I’ll tell them it was.’

Maria shook her head, panicked tears in her eyes, ‘No! I’ll say it was you who pushed him!’

Lucia opened her mouth, but no words came out.

‘It would kill my father if I went to prison. Please promise you’ll never tell.’ Maria begged.

‘No, no!’ Lucia cried, finding her voice, ‘No!’ Then she turned on her heel and ran.

‘Come on, Lucia,’ Gina begged. Lucia was moaning and murmuring, slipping in and out of consciousness as the helicopter sank lower. Gina had to tilt her head backwards to keep it above water. ‘I need you to hold your breath. We’re nearly out, but we have to go now. OK?’

Gina didn’t have time to wait for a response. With a final surge of strength, she ducked beneath the water, hooking her arms around Lucia and pulling her backwards, out through the narrow doorway before kicking upwards to the surface. Lucia was like a dead weight, threatening to pull Gina back down, but she fought as hard as she could, her muscles straining, her lungs ready to burst, supporting Lucia as they broke the surface of the water, gasping for air.

Gina was dimly aware that the boats were surrounding them, hands reaching out to pull the two of them from the water. There was a roar from the crowd, cheering and whooping, as if it was part of the shoot, and Gina looked up to see a boat racing towards her piloted by … she squinted. Was that really Brad Redford?

Gina couldn’t speak as strong arms hauled her upwards, out of the freezing water.

‘I’ve got you, Gina,’ Brad said, completely in control of the situation. ‘And if you were auditioning for the movie, then you’ve got the part.’

Those were the last words Gina heard before, finally, exhausted, she closed her eyes and sank into oblivion.

Chapter 35

A distant beeping noise pierced her consciousness. Gina followed the sound; it was as though her mind was wading through treacle, and her body felt heavy as lead.

Her eyelids fluttered open, closing again as she winced at the bright light. Slowly, she tried again, squinting at her surroundings. She was in a white room, mostly bare save for some large machines which were the cause of the beeping. She appeared to be attached to them, with tubes leading from the back of her hand to a large bag of fluid hooked on a stand beside her.

‘Oh my dear, you’re awake!’

With effort, Gina turned her head to see where the voice had come from. A woman was sitting beside her, beautifully dressed in a batik print shift dress and cropped jacket, with a smart grey bob and English rose make-up. Gina knew this woman. She groped for her name … Olivia Booth.

Instantly, everything came rushing back – the helicopter, the crash, Marco …

‘What happened?’ she burst out. ‘Marco? Daniela? How—’

‘They’re OK,’ Olivia assured her. ‘A little shaken up, and some bumps and bruises, but they were very lucky. Marco’s landing was superb, given the circumstances, and he was able to get Daniela out very quickly. You’re never far away from a boat in Venice, and they got to them almost immediately.’

‘And Lucia?’

Olivia hesitated, and Gina searched her face, a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

‘She’s stable,’ Olivia told her, ‘but her injuries will take longer to heal. Due to where she was sitting, she took more of the force of the impact. The doctors say she’ll make a full recovery, but it will take time.’

Gina nodded, digesting the news.

‘It was a very brave thing you did, my dear,’ Olivia said, her tone serious, as she plumped Gina’s pillow and poured her a glass of water. ‘Here, drink this.’

‘Thank you,’ Gina said gratefully. The water was tepid and her mouth felt as though it was lined with fur, but right now it was the best thing she’d ever tasted.

‘She owes her life to you,’ Olivia continued. ‘If you hadn’t got her out so quickly …’

Gina finished her water, taking in the magnitude of Olivia’s words. She didn’t quite know what that meant, or what the consequences might be, and she was too tired to think about it now. Her mind felt as though it was filled with cotton wool.

‘And as for you,’ Olivia continued, anticipating her next question, ‘you’ve also been very lucky. The doctors said you were in the early stages of hypothermia, and your body went into shock after you were rescued – you started to hyperventilate and your blood pressure was dangerously low. But you’re on the mend now, and your very handsome doctor told me that with rest and TLC, you’ll soon be on your feet again.’

Gina nodded. There would be time to reflect later, but right now it was all too raw. ‘What …’ she began, trying to formulate her words. ‘Do they know … I mean, what happened?’

‘Well, of course the investigation is still under way,’ Olivia said carefully. ‘But, between you and me, there was a lot of suspicion falling on that Edoardo chap’s shoulders.’

‘Edoardo?’ Gina was shocked. ‘They think it was deliberate?’

Olivia tried not to look as though she was fascinated by all the speculation. ‘There’s a lot of circumstantial evidence, and he hasn’t done himself any favours. Why, even just a few days ago, he was talking to Max and me in the Casanova Bar. He’d clearly had one too many sherries, if you know what I mean, and he was ranting and raving about how much he hated his brother-in-law.’

Gina mulled this over.

‘However, it seems that one of the other mechanics had realized that something was wrong and drew it to the attention of Edoardo and his father just as the helicopter took off.’ Olivia’s eyes were wide as saucers. ‘They tried to stop it leaving but it was too late.’

‘I just don’t believe Edoardo would do something so terrible,’ Gina insisted. ‘True, he and Marco haven’t always seen eye to eye but … That’s his niece’s father. He wouldn’t do that to Daniela, not after everything she’s been through.’

‘Well, he’s certainly protesting his innocence, but the police are still questioning him. But why don’t you try and forget about that? You must only think of yourself and getting better, my dear,’ Olivia added, taking in Gina’s ashen face. ‘You need to rest and concentrate on your recovery.’

Gina gratefully sank back against the pillows, before sitting up once again. ‘But what about your wedding?’

‘Don’t you worry about that either,’ Olivia admonished her. ‘You’re safe and on the mend, that’s all that matters. Max and I insist on postponing it until you’re up and about again.’

Gina closed her eyes, feeling utterly drained, as she tried to process everything she’d just been told. Her mind was beginning to drift, the lure of sleep too tempting, when there was a knock at the door and her eyes flew open.

‘Come in,’ Olivia called.

Detective Gallo strode into the room, his expression grave. Gina wanted to hide beneath her sheets, as everything came rushing back. On the machine that monitored her pulse, the numbers were increasing rapidly.

‘Ah, Inspector,’ Olivia beamed, seeming delighted to see him. ‘Look, she’s awake!’

‘I’m glad to hear it,’ he said neutrally.

‘Gina, this is Detective Gallo, the clever policeman who’s figuring it all out,’ Olivia explained.

‘I see,’ Gina swallowed.

‘Yes. I don’t believe we’ve met, though I’ve heard so much about you,’ Detective Gallo said coolly, not taking his eyes off her, as though she might jump out of bed and run from the room if he wasn’t paying attention.

Gina said nothing, not knowing how to respond. She wondered how much he knew, and whether Lucia had been well enough to tell him anything. It felt as though the walls of the tiny room were closing in on her, and she longed to drift back into unconsciousness where Detective Gallo couldn’t reach her.

‘I’m pleased you’re feeling better,’ he continued, with an inscrutable expression. ‘When you’re up to it, I have a few questions for you, Maria Monti.’