‘I believe he is at the dam,’ said Zoltan. ‘Come, I will take you.’

A second funicular railway led from the piazza up to the dam. They found Poliponi waiting there for a car to arrive. He was so wrapped up in his own bizarre world he didn’t seem in the least surprised to see the two boys there,

‘Is it not magnificent?’ he said before James could say anything. ‘This palazzo! It is the most pure expression of surrealism I have ever seen. I am in love with it. I want to live here forever! La Casa Polipo seems dull next to it. Count Ugo is a god!’

‘There’s been a robbery,’ James blurted out and Poliponi stopped, his mouth hanging open.

‘What? Here? What are you saying?’

‘No. At the villa. Bandits. They’ve taken everything… All your pictures. Everything…’

‘My pictures?’ Poliponi’s skin turned grey and all the life went out of him. ‘But surely you are joking…’

‘No.’

Mauro took over and explained what had happened in Italian. The artist became very anxious and agitated, not quite believing what he was hearing.

Soon the railway car rolled into view, stopped and emptied water from its tank into a sluice. Poliponi had to be helped on, and he collapsed on to one of the padded benches, too devastated to say anything more.

As they began to move James looked up at the dam, towering above them, cutting right across the sky.

‘It is quite a set-up Ugo has here, isn’t?’ said Zoltan.

‘I suppose so,’ said James.

‘But is it a palazzo or a fortress, I wonder? Everything must come up the mountain or go down it on the railway. There is no other way. Apart from through the mines, which are guarded by Ugo’s men. Oh, and there is his beloved Sikorsky, of course.’

‘I was wondering about that,’ said James. ‘How do you land a seaplane halfway up a mountain?’

Zoltan didn’t answer for in the process of trying to sit down he had knocked his bad arm against the side of the carriage and now he cursed loudly.

James had been longing to ask him about his injury and, although it was perhaps not polite, he couldn’t stop himself.

‘How did you hurt your arm?’ he said.

‘I got into a fight with a mermaid,’ said Zoltan.

‘I didn’t know mermaids were so dangerous,’ said James.

‘Oh, they are,’ said Zoltan. ‘People think of them as pretty little girls with fishes’ tails from fairy stories, but they are vicious creatures, James. They have sharp teeth. Keep away from mermaids.’

‘I will.’ James said no more. If Zoltan didn’t want to talk about the wound he wasn’t going to press him.