how strange! He said there was nothing in it, that it was not like the old days any more, when a man could just… When he had this power to…
Z: But you were not so sure.
G: He was right, of course. I knew t?Ohat. But when Vincenzo started shouting at his son that evening across the table, calling him impotent and I don’t know what else besides, and then dragged Lisa’s name into it…
Z: What did he say?
G: If you’re that interested, you can find out from other people. There were plenty of them there, the whole village. It was about breaking a woman, the way you break a horse. I didn’t say anything at the time. It would only have drawn attention to his insults, and he would have repeated them still louder. But as soon as I got home I called him up and told him that if he ever mentioned my niece’s name in that way again…
Z: You’d kill him. Good for you. I’d have done the same.
G: I didn’t say that.
Z: It doesn’t matter. Now about this alibi. Are you prepared to swear in court that you were with Minot on the night Beppe Gallizio died? I need to know, you see, before I decide what to do next. God, this coffee certainly hit the spot. Careful with that gun, Dario. There’s one more thing you should know before you answer, Signor Faigano. After I’m finished with you, I’m going to have your brother up here and put exactly the same question to him. If your stories don’t match, of course, then that’s the end of that. You’ll both be entirely discredited as witnesses and will have no influence whatsoever on future developments. Just a thought.
G: There’s a problem.
Z: (grunt)
G: I need to talk to Maurizio.
Z: First it’s a lawyer you want, now it’s your brother. Maybe I should just have Dario take you downstairs and beat the shit out of you. Delete that, Morino. Dario, as you were. Very well, Signor Faigano, what do you need to talk to your beloved brother about?
G: It’s only fair. He’s in it as much as me.
Z: In what?
G: I can’t tell you until I’ve talked to Maurizio.
Z: Or maybe I’ll take care of it myself. Why should Dario have all the fun? Have we got any rubber truncheons, Morino? All right, get the little bastard up here. Jesus Christ, I can remember when interrogations used to be run by the police officer in charge. Now it’s like room service. Give me this, bring me that, and where’s the drink I ordered?
As above, plus Faigano, Maurizio Ernesto.
Z: Take off those cuffs and sit him down here. All right, Signor Gianni, he’s all yours.
G: It’s about Minot.
M: (gesture)
G: That alibi for the night Gallizio died. The dottore wants to know if we will support it in court. He thinks Minot is responsible for that murder and the other two as well, but he can’t arrest him if we say we were out with him after truffles when Bruno was shot.
M: (gesture)
G: (shrug)
M: (shrug)
G: We’re prepared to answer your question, dottore. But there’s a complication we want you to know about. Minot has had a hard life in many ways. He’s never really been accepted, you understand what I mean? As a result, he can be extremely vindictive on occasion. This might be one of them.
Z: Don’t worry, I can look after myself.
M: But what about us?
G: He won’t like us if we withdraw his alibi. He’ll probably tell you a pack of lies about us to get even. That’s the only reason we hesitated about cooperating.
Z: I’m used to dealing with lies. But why did you agree to perjure yourselves in the first place?
M: We didn’t.
G: We never swore an oath that this was true. We never even had any dealings with the police until you showed up. We were just doing a favour for a neighbour, that’s all.
Z: Putting yourself at risk with the law, and all out of the kindness of your hearts? That’s quite a favour.
G: Well, he sort of made a threat, too.
M: Not really a threat, but…
Z: What did he say?
G: He said he’d found some evidence connected to the Vincenzo case which could look bad for me, and that as former partisans we should all stick together.
Z: You fought together?
M: That was long ago.
G: Not for Minot. It was the only time he’s ever really been accepted, you see.
Z: Did he tell you what this supposed evidence was?
G: A button.
Z: That’s all?
G: From one of my jackets.
Z: What about it?
M: He said he’d found it near the spot where Vincenzo was killed.
Z: And what was he doing there?
G: He didn’t say.
Z: Did he show you the button?
G: No. He just mentioned it in passing, as though it wasn’t important. It was just a hint, not a threat.
Z: Have you lost a button recently?
G: There’s no woman to take care of us any more, except young Lisa, and she’s too modern to know anything about sewing. I’ve got a lot of missing buttons. What does that prove?
Z: Nothing. Even if Minot does have a button to show me, and we could match it to your jacket, it doesn’t amount to evidence of anything. Minot does deliveries and other work for you on a regular basis, so I’ve been told. He could have picked up one of your stray buttons, or even snipped it off. There’s nothing to tie it to the Vincenzo murder.
M: That’s what I thought. But Gianni said, ‘If the police drag us into this, we’ll never hear the end of it, and people will say there’s no smoke without fire. Better to agree to what Minot wants.’ And I saw what he meant. We didn’t know we would be dealing with a man like you, you see. Most of the cops round here are ignorant arseholes.
Z: Delete that reference, Morino. So do I understand that you unreservedly withdraw the story that you were out with Minot the night Beppe Gallizio died?
G: (nod)
Z: Say it, please.
M: Yes, we do.
G: That’s right, we do.
Z: So what were you doing?
M: Watching television.
Z: Was your daughter there?
M: She was staying with her aunt. Her school’s here in Alba, so she can go straight there on Friday, help us out at the Saturday market, then come home after school on Monday. I’d like to telephone her, by the way, to let her know that everything’s all right.
Z: That can be arranged. Well, I do believe we’re finally getting somewhere. I’m afraid I’m going to have to detain you for a little longer, until I’ve had a chance to interview Minot again. After that, the situation should sort itself out quite quickly. Take them down, Dario. Oh, and turn off the music. Apparently it’s just making us look bad. That’ll do, Morino. Save your wrist for our next client.
