He slipped the letter into his jacket pocket and wiped his eyes. (Ah, old age! How easily the emotions get stirred up!) He stood up and went out.
At the Marinella Bar he found Ingrid sitting at a table, having already drunk her first glass of whisky. The five or six male customers couldn’t take their eyes off her. How was it that, the more the years went by, the more beautiful she became ? Beautiful, elegant, intelligent, discreet. A true friend. Of all the times he had asked her for help in a case, she had never asked a single question, never asked why or what for, but only did what she was asked to do.
They embraced, genuinely happy to see each other.
“Shall we leave right away or order another whisky?” Ingrid asked.
“There’s no hurry,” said Montalbano, sitting down.
Ingrid took one of the inspector’s hands into hers and squeezed it. That was another good thing about her: She displayed her feelings openly, without worrying about what others might think.
“How did you come here? I didn’t see your car in the parking lot.”
“The red one, you mean? I got rid of it. Now I have a perfectly normal, green Nissan Micra. How’s Livia?”
“I talked to her yesterday. She’s fine. How’s your husband?”
“I think he’s fine, too. I haven’t seen him for a week. We live apart, even at home. Fortunately the house is very big. Anyway, ever since he became a deputy in Parliament, he spends more time in Rome than here.”
Ingrid’s husband was a known ne’er-do-well, so it was only logical that he should turn to politics. The inspector recalled a popular saying from his childhood, which an uncle of his used to repeat:
“Shall we talk now or after dinner?” asked Ingrid.
“Talk about what?”
“Salvo, stop playacting. You only call on me when you need me to do something for you. Isn’t that so?”
“You’re right. And I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. It’s the way you are. In fact, that’s one of the reasons I like you. So, do you want to talk about it now or later?”
“Do you know that Mimi is married now?”
Ingrid laughed.
“Of course. With Beba. And I also know they had a son whom they named Salvo, after you.”
“Who told you?”
“Mimi. He used to call me every now and then. We’ve even met a few times. But I haven’t heard from him for a couple of months. So?”
“I have reason to believe that Mimi has a mistress,” said the inspector.
Ingrid didn’t bat an eyelash. Montalbano marveled.
“Well? Aren’t you going to say anything?”
Suddenly it dawned on him.
“You knew?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Did he tell you himself ?”
“No. In fact, nobody told me, not before you did just now. But, you see, Salvo, wasn’t this to be expected, knowing what Mimi is like? What’s wrong, Salvo? Are you scandalized?”
And she started laughing harder than before. Maybe the two glasses of whisky were already beginning to make themselves felt? Ingrid read his mind.
“No, I’m not tipsy, Salvo. It’s just that you have such a serious expression on your face that I can’t help but laugh. Why do you take it so hard? It’s a very normal thing, you know. I don’t need to tell you that. Just leave him in peace and the whole thing will blow over by itself.”
“I can’t.”
And he told her about Livia’s phone call and Mimi’s excuse for spending the night away from home.
“Don’t you see? If I don’t intervene, Beba will eventually come directly to me. And at that point I won’t be able to cover for him any longer. And there’s another thing about Mimi that has me very worried.”
“Before you tell me, let’s have another round of whisky.”
“No, just order for yourself.”
He told her how Mimi had changed, how he blew up at others for no reason, always seeking conflict to let off steam.
“There are two possibilities,” said Ingrid. “Either he’s upset by the situation because he loves Beba and feels guilty, or else he’s fallen seriously in love with this other woman. All of this assuming, of course, that Mimi has a lover, as you say. But isn’t it possible he’s going out at night for some other reason?”
“I don’t think so.”
“So what do you want from me?”
“I want you to find out if Mimi really does have a mistress. And, if possible, who this woman is. I’ll give you his
