Inspector.
Especially since everything has changed since yesterday.’
In what sense?’
In the sense that late yesterday afternoon I’d been assured that by Wednesday morning I could leave for Bologna with my poor Michela. Then early this morning the commissioner’s office phoned to tell me that they needed a postponement and the funeral would have to wait until Friday. So I’ve decided to leave and come back on Thursday evening.’
‘Doctor, you must have heard, of course, that the investigation—’
‘Yes, of course, but I wasn’t referring to the investigation. Do you remember the car we mentioned briefly, the Twingo? Could I perhaps talk to someone about reselling it?’
‘Tell you what, Doctor: I’ll have the car brought myself to our own personal mechanic We did the damage ourselves and it’s only right we should pay for it. And if you like, I could ask the mechanic to try and find a buyer for it.’
‘You’re a fine man, Inspector.’
‘But tell me something, sin what will you do with the house?’
Tm going to put that up for sale, too.’
‘Nicolo here. QED.’
‘Explain.’
‘I’ve been summoned to appear before Judge Tommaseo at four o’clock this afternoon”
‘And what’s he want from you?’
‘You’ve got a lot of nerve!
What, you get me into this mess and you can’t figure it out? He’s going to accuse me of having withheld valuable testimony from the police.
And if he ever finds out that I don’t even know who one of the witnesses is, then the shit is really going to hit the fan. That man is liable to throw me in jail’ Keep me posted.’
‘Right. You can come visit me once a week and bring me oranges and cigarettes.’
‘Listen, Galluzzo, I’m going to need your brother-in-law, the newsman for TeleVigata.’
‘I’ll tell him right away, Inspector.’
Galluzzo was on his way out of the room, but curiosity got the better of him.
‘Actually, if it’s something I can know about too…’
‘Gallu, not only can you know it, you’ve got to know
But we have to make it look like they’re acting on their own. Is that clear?’
‘Perfectly.’
‘Think your brother-in-law’d be willing to help us?’ Gallo started laughing.
‘Chief, for you, the guy would go on TV and say the moon is made out of Swiss cheese. Don’t you know he’s just dying of envy?’
‘Who does he envy?’
‘Nicolo Zito, that’s who.
Says you make special considerations for Zito.’
It’s true. Last night Zito did me a favour and now he’s in trouble.’
‘And now you want the same to happen to my brother-in- law?’
If he’s game.’
Tell me what you want from him, it’s no problem.’ ‘All right, you tell him what he’s supposed to do. Here, take this. It’s a photograph of Michela Licalzi’ ‘Man, what a beauty!’
‘Now, your brother-in-law must have a photo of Maurizio Di Blasi somewhere in the studio. I think I saw them broadcast one when they reported his death. I want him to show both photos, one next to the other, on the one p.m. news, and on the evening report.
I want him to say that since there’s a five-hour gap between when she left her friend at seven thirty on Wednesday night and when she was seen going into her house with a man shortly after midnight, your brother-in- law would like to know if anyone has any information on the movements of Michela Licalzi during that period. Better yet, if anyone saw her during that period in the company of Maurizio, and where. Is that dear?’
‘Clear as day’
‘You, from this moment on, will bivouac at TeleVigata.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I mean you’ll be there all the time, as if you were an editor. As soon as somebody comes forward with information, you show him in and talk to him. Then you report back to me.’
‘Salvo? It’s Nicolo. I’m going to have to disturb you again.’ ‘Any news? Did they send the carabinieri for you?’ Apparendy Nicolo was in no mood for jokes. ‘Can you come to the studio immediately?’
Montalbano was stunned to find Orazio Guttadauro, the controversial defence lawyer, legal counsel to every mafioso in the province and even outside the province, at the Free Channel studios.
Well, if it isn’t Inspector Montalbano, what a lovely sight!’ said the lawyer as soon as he saw him come in. Nicolo looked a tad uncomfortable.
The inspector eyed the newsman enquiringly. Why had he summoned him there with Guttadauro? Zito responded verbally, ‘Mr Guttadauro was the gentleman who phoned yesterday, the one who was hunting.’
‘Ah,’ said the inspector.
With Guttadauro, the less one spoke, the better. He was not the kind of man one would want to break bread with.
‘The words that the distinguished journalist here present,’ began the lawyer in the same tone of voice he employed in court, ‘used to describe me on television made me feel like a worm!’
‘Good God, what did I say?’
asked Nicolo, concerned.
‘You used these exact words, and I quote: “unknown hunter” and “anonymous caller”.’
‘What’s so offensive about that? There’s the Unknown Soldier..
‘…and the Anonymous Venetian’ Montalbano chimed in, beginning to enjoy himself.
‘What? What?’ The lawyer went on as if he hadn’t heard them, ‘Orazio Guttadauro, implicitly accused of cowardice? I couldn’t bear it, and so, here I am.’
‘But why did you come to us? It was your duty to go to Captain Panzacchi in Montelusa and tell him—’
‘Are we kidding ourselves, boys? Panzacchi was twenty yards away from me and told a completely different story! Given the choice between me and him, people will believe him! Do you know how many of my clients, upright citizens all, have been implicated and charged on the basis of the lying words of a policeman or carabiniere?
Hundreds!’
‘Excuse me, sir, but in what way is your version different from Captain Panzacchi’s?’ asked Zito, finally giving in to curiosity.
‘In one detail, my good man.’
‘Which?’
“Young Di Blasi was unarmed.’
‘No, no, I don’t believe it. Are you trying to tell us that the Flying Squad shot him down in cold blood, for the sheer pleasure of killing a man?’
‘I said simply that Di Blasi was unarmed. The others, however, thought he was armed since he did have something in his hand It was a terrible misunderstanding.’
‘What did he have in his hand?’ Nicolo Zito’s voice had risen in pitch.
‘One of his shoes, my friend’
While the journalist was collapsing into his chair, the lawyer continued,
‘I feel it is my duty to make this fact known to the public I believe that my solemn civic duty requires …’
Montalbano began to understand Guttadauro’s game. Since it wasn’t a Mafia killing, and he wouldn’t, by testifying, be harming any of his clients, he had a perfect opportunity to publicize himself as a model citizen and at the same time stick it to the police.
‘I’d also seen him the previous day,’ the lawyer said
‘Who?’ Zito and Montalbano asked together, both lost in thought until that moment.
‘The Di Blasi kid who else?
The hunting’s good in that area. I saw him from a distance, I didn’t have binoculars. He was limping. Then he went inside the mouth of the cave, sat down in the sun, and began eating.’
‘Wait a minute,’ said Zito.
‘Are you saying the man was hiding there and not at his own house, which was a stone’s throw
