'Well, sir, after taking enough exercise to tire a horse, he got into a Citroen and belted off. Even if I had had the car, I couldn't have followed him without giving the game away. The road was straight for miles, and that was 'a bit of luck. I watched his headlights for a couple of miles, then he suddenly turned off the road, and it's my bet he turned into the drive of a house. How would it be if we took the car now and investigated? I'm pretty certain I could find the spot where he turned off.'
'Right,' Don said, finishing his beer. 'Come on; let's go then.'
They went down to the car, Don slid under the driving wheel.
'I'm still trying to make up my mind if I dropped a brick tonight,' he said, as he drove down the drive to the lane. 'I was fishing for information. I thought that bookseller fellow might have some knowledge about old man Vaga. His reaction was most odd. I had an idea I scared the life out of him. He wanted my name and where I was staying. Maybe I'm getting too suspicious-minded, but it struck me il signor Pedoni might not be such a white- washed lily as he looks.'
'Well, you can't call that nigger white-washed,' Harry said. 'Cor! What a size he is. The way he worked through that icecream made Cherry's eyes pop. I wouldn't like to have a scrap with him.'
'Nor would I. He didn't spot you?'
Harry shook his head.
'He never looked around once. He just kept on walking like he was exercising himself. He certainly exercised Cherry.
Turn left here, sir,' he went on as Don drove through the old gateway of the city. 'That's where he parked his car, under those trees. He went up that road on the right.'
Using his fog lights in preference to his tell-tale headlights, Don drove up the straight road that climbed steadily, passing on his left the Franciscan monastery. Beyond the monastery they came to hilly, open country.
About a mile further on, Harry said, 'It can't be far off now, sir. Would it be an idea to leave the car and walk?'
Don nodded and pulled on to the grass verge. He turned off the lights and leaving the car, they started up the hill on foot. The road continued without a sign of any building, and after walking ten minutes, Harry said, 'We couldn't have passed it, could we? I didn't think it was this far ahead.'
'It's hard to judge from where you were. Let's go on for another mile,' Don said. 'I'm sure we haven't passed any side road.'
A few minutes later, Harry said, 'Here it is. Look, just ahead.'
In the bright light of the moon, they could see a narrow lane that made a T-joint with the main road. It went straight for a hundred yards or so, and then disappeared around a curve into a wood.
'No sign of a house. Looks as if we've still got some walking to do,' Don said and moved on, keeping to the grass verge to deaden the sound of his footfalls.
Harry followed him, and in single file they walked to the curve in the lane and into the wood.
It was almost pitch dark in the wood, but Don kept going, moving more slowly, just able to see the dim outlines of the tree trunks.
Ten minutes' walking brought them out of the wood to the foot of a hill, and ahead of them, seeming to rise out of ground to confront them was a massive stone wall, some fifteen feet high that ran along the edge of the lane and out of sight into the darkness.
Clear of the trees, the bright moonlight lit up the wall as if it were daylight. Don paused. Some fifty yards further on he could see double iron-studded wooden gates set in a massive stone archway. The gates were closed.
'I bet this is the place,' he said. 'Looks right out of the Middle ages, doesn't it?'
Harry stared up at the high wall
'Can't see much from here. Shall I give you a leg up, sir?'
'That's the idea.' Don moved close to the wall. He put his foot in Harry's hand and Harry heaved him up towards the top of the wall. Don's clutching fingers got a grip, and another heave from Harry gave him a safer purchase. He hooked his leg over the wall and clung on, balancing himself, keeping low so as not to be seen against the skyline. He looked over the tops of the trees to where he could see a big Gothic-style building set in a wide expanse of closely cut lawn.
'Looks like an old palace,' he said and leaned down, offering his hand. 'Catch hold. I can heave you up.'
Harry gripped his wrist and he pulled him up. After a moment's struggle, Harry got his leg over the wall. He too stared across the garden at the building.
'It's big enough, isn't it? Shall we hop down and have a look-see?'
'I'm going, but you're staying here,' Don said. 'If I have to leave in a hurry, I'll want you up here to heave me up and over.'
'How would it be if I went, sir?' Harry asked, hopefully. 'I'm a bit more used to moving in the dark than you are.'
'That's what you like to think,' Don said, grinning, and holding on to the wall, he lowered himself as far as he could, then dropped.
'Watch your step, sir,' Harry called softly.
Waving to him, Don set off towards the house. The first two hundred yards were easy as all he had to do was to follow a path through flowering shrubs that afforded plenty of cover, but when he came to the edge of the big lawn, he paused.
He looked to right and left, reluctant to cross such an expanse of ground without any cover. Anyone looking out of one of the windows couldn't fail to see him cross in the hard light of the moon.
