interests as a journalist and . . . Of course, I’ll tell him . . . Well, what I wanted to say, sir, was that as I was sitting here, another anonymous call came in.” Nicolo looked at him, flabbergasted, shaking his hand at him,
“The same voice as before,” Montalbano continued, still on the phone, “told him to get ready to record. Except that when they called back five minutes later, not only was there a bad connection and you couldn’t understand a thing they said, but the tape recorder didn’t work.” “What kind of bullshit are you feeding him?” Nicolo said under his breath.
“Yes, Mr. Commissioner, I’ll remain at the scene and wait for them to retry. What’s that you say? TeleVigata has just broadcast the phone call? That’s not possible! And they replayed the father’s plea? No, I didn’t know. But this is unheard of! It can even be considered a crime! They should have turned the tape over to the authorities, not broadcast it on the air! Just as Zito did! You say the judge is looking into what measures can be taken? Good! Excellent! Oh, sir, something just occurred to me. Only a hunch, mind you. If they just called back the Free Channel, they certainly must have also called back TeleVigata. And maybe TeleVigata had more luck and managed to tape the second call. . . . Which of course they’ll deny having received, because they’ll want to save it to broadcast at the right moment . . . A dirty game, you’re absolutely right . . . Far be it from me to give you advice, sir, what with all your expertise, but I think a thorough search of the TeleVigata offices might produce . . . yes . . . yes . . . My humble respects, Mr. Commissioner.” Nicolo looked at him in admiration.
“You’re a master showman!”
“You’ll see, between the prosecutor’s machinations and the commissioner’s search, they won’t even have time to piss, let alone rebroadcast their special edition!” They laughed, but then Nicolo turned serious again.
“To hear first the father, then the kidnappers,” he said, “it sounds like a conversation between deaf people. The father says he hasn’t got a cent, and the others tell him to get the money ready. Even if he sells his villa, how much money could they possibly get?” “Are you of the same opinion as your distinguished colleague Pippo Ragonese?”
“And what would that be?”
“That the kidnapping is the work of inexperienced third worlders who don’t realize they have nothing to gain and everything to lose?”
“Not on your life.”
“Maybe the kidnappers don’t have a TV and haven’t seen the father’s appeal.”
“Or maybe . . .” Nicolo began but then stopped, as if in doubt.
07
“Or maybe what?” Montalbano prodded.
“I just had an idea, but I’m embarrassed to tell you what it is.”
“I promise you that no matter how stupid it is, it will never leave this room.”
“It’s like something out of an American movie. People in town say that up until about five or six years ago, the Mistrettas lived high on the hog. Then they were forced to sell everything. Isn’t it possible that the kidnapping was organized by someone who came back to Vigata after a long absence and was therefore unaware of the Mistretta family’s financial situation?” “Your idea sounds to me more like something out of Toto and Peppino than an American movie. Use your brains! You can’t pull off this kind of kidnapping alone, Nicolo! Some accomplice would surely have told your homecoming son of Vigata that Mistretta could scarcely put bread on the table! By the way, could you tell me how the Mistrettas happened to lose everything?” “You know, I don’t have the slightest idea myself? I believe they were forced to sell everything off, all at once . . .”
“To sell off what?”
“Land, houses, stores . . .”
“They were forced, you say? How strange!”
“What’s so strange about it?”
“It’s as though, six years ago, they urgently needed money to pay, well, a ransom.”
“But there was no kidnapping six years ago.”
“Maybe not. Or maybe nobody knew about it.”
o o o
Although the judge had taken immediate action, TeleVigata managed to broadcast a replay of the special report before the restraining order went into effect. And this time not only all of Vigata, but the entire province of Montelusa watched and listened, spellbound. The news had spread by word of mouth with lightning speed. If the kidnappers’ intention had been to make everyone aware of the situation, they had fully succeeded.
One hour later, in the place of another rebroadcast of the special report, Pippo Ragonese appeared on the screen with his eyes popping out of his head. In a hoarse voice he said he felt duty-bound to inform everyone that at that moment the television station was being subjected to “some highly unusual ha-rassment that was clearly an abuse of power, an intimidation tactic, a veritable persecution.” He explained that the recording of the kidnappers’ message had been confiscated by court order and that police were presently searching the premises for something, though nobody quite knew what. He concluded by saying that never in a million years would the authorities succeed in throttling the voice of free information as represented by him and TeleVigata, and that he would keep the public duly informed of any new developments in this “dire situation.”
o o o
Montalbano relished all the confusion he’d caused from Nicolo Zito’s office, then went back to the station. He had barely entered when he received a call from Livia.
“Hello, Salvo?”
“Livia! What’s wrong?”
