""THE SANDWICH THIEF"" " Hello." " Who is it?" "This is..." "No, what do you mean, "who is it"?" " Sorry, but who are you?" " This is officer Catarella." "Ls that you, Dr. Montalbano?" "You in person?" "Yes, Catarella, it's me." "What's happened?" "Excuse me, sir, but I didn't recognise your voice." " I guess you were sleeping.." " No, Catarella, I was dancing.." "Of course I was sleeping, it's 5 o'clock in the morning!" "Why are you calling at this hour?" "A man was killed in Mazara del Vallo." " Mazara del Vallo?" " Yes, that's right, there!" " Sir, right in that place." " And what the fuck do we care?" " We cover Vigata!" " But you see, sir, the dead man.." "..and so the long list of fishing incidents with North Africa countries grows longer, but this time it cost a man's life too." "The fishing-boat Santa Maria di Porto Salvo, while fishing in international water, according to its captain, was attacked by a Tunisian Coast Guard motor-boat." "Deputy-Inspector Augello, who is in charge of the investigation, said that the motor-boat fired a machine-gun burst hitting a" "Tunisian sailor..." "Good morning, Inspector." "Would someone tell me what the fuck is going on?" "Sir, don't take it out on me if you're in a bad mood." "Early this morning, before informing Augello, I had you called." "Yes, by Catarella!" "if you have me called by Catarella about something important, then you're a jerk." "The guy's an idiot." " What's going on?" " A fishing-boat from Mazara," " while fishing ..." " Yes, I heard about it on TV." " ls the dead man from Mazara?" " Yes and no." "Fazio, not today, okay?" "!" "No, no, Inspector, he was Tunisian, but he embarked in Mazara." "In any case, they say his work papers were in order." "And I guess you believe they were fishing in international waters too?" " Who do you think I am?" " Catarella!" " Yes, sir?" " if the corpse is here, then why did you tell me he was in Mazara?" "Because the dead man came from Mazara, he was working there..." "Yeah, okay, Catarella, but thinking about it, if you're capable, if a tourist from Bergamo was killed here in Vigata, what would you say: that a corpse was found in Bergamo?" "!" "Sir, the fact is that this dead man's just passing through." " So, he was shot when..." " Yeah, okay, Catarella, I have to write up a report." "I'm not to be disturbed by anyone, okay?" "Yes, sir, Inspector, sir!" " Hello." " There'd be Livia on the phone." " Should I pass her or not?" " Yes, put her through." "'cause since you told me..." "Catarella, I told you, put her through!" " Hello?" " Hello, Livia?" " Hi, darling, how are you?" " Like hell, hi!" "I've been trying to call you all morning." "No-one answered." "I forgot to put the phone down." "You'll laugh, but..." "I don't feel like laughing." "I tried at 7.30, at 8, at 9..." "Livia, I forgot to put the receiver down..." "You forgot, yes, you forgot about me!" "Livia, this isn't the right moment." "I'm in a bad mood today, okay?" " Please...." " So am I !" "Bye." "Pardon me for knocking so hard, I didn't mean to." "If you come in like that again, I swear I'll shoot you." "What is it?" "Someone just called to say there's this guy in an elevator." "What is it?" "What happened?" "Inspector!" "Look, find out what's this thing about a guy in an elevator." "Why don't they call the firemen!" "Get him out of here!" "Come on, Catarella, let's go." "And so?" "The body of a murdered man was found in an elevator." "Let me talk to Inspector Montalbano!" "The body of a murdered man!" "Please, please!" "A body!" " Good morning, Inspector, sir." " Good morning." "Cosentino Giuseppe, security guard." "I was the one who found poor poor Mr. Lapecora." " At ease, Cosentino." " Thank you." "Galluzzo, keep them away, there's nothing to see here, okay?" "Don't worry." "Everyone here does as I say." "I live here, in this building, you know?" " Well that's good, well done!" " Thank you." " Good morning, Inspector." " Good morning." "Ls Dr. Pasquano back from Montelusa yet?" "He should still be at the port." "Go get him, and if Jacomuzzi and forensics are there, have them come too." "No, at ease, Cosentino." "Listen, was Mr. Lapecora married?" "Yes sir." "With Palmisano Antonietta." "They live on the 4th floor, 2 floors beneath me." "And where is she now?" "She left this morning to visit her sister in Fiacca." "She told my lady so yesterday evening, since they know each other." "The widow doesn't know she's a widow yet." "The dead man, Mr. Lapecora:" "what did he do?" "Shopkeeper." "He had a shop was at 28 Salita Granita." "I see." "At what time did you find the corpse?" "I got off duty at 8..." "It must have been 8.1 5 at the latest And I called the elevator..." " You called the elevator?" " Yes." "But wasn't it already on the ground floor?" "No sir." "I remember very well that I called the elevator." "Naturally, you don't know on what floor it was....?" "I've thought about it, Inspector, sir." "Because of the time it took to arrive, I guess it must've been on the 5th floor." "But didn't Lapecora live on the 4th floor?" "That's right." "You're a mine of information, Mr. Cosentino." "Always at your disposal, Inspector, sir!" " At ease, at ease." "Cosentino." " Thanks." "Come on now, let us do our job, we don't know anything yet." "I'm going up to the 4th and 5th floors, meanwhile try to find out everything they know about the Lapecoras and" "I'll see if anyone saw anything." "Oh, look, I already questioned Cosentino, the security guard." "Tell us something, come on!" "Hello?" "Hey, wait!" "Hello?" "Mrs. Piccirillo, open up!" "Who is it?" "This is Inspector Montalbano." "I'd like to ask you a few questions." "We know nothing!" "Madam, open the door or I'll come back with a warrant, okay?" "Who's in the house besides you?" "My daughter." "Why?" "Have her come here, please, now." "Luigina!" "Come here!" "Look, we didn't do anything." "A witness says Mr. Lapecora was on the 5th floor when..." "What do we have to do with it?" "Mrs. Gullotta lives on this floor too." "Enough, Mum!" "Tell him, tell him everything!" " What?" " All right then." "All right." "So, this morning my daughter was going to the hairdresser, she called the elevator, which came immediately." "It must have been on the floor below, the 4th." "What time was it?" "It could have been 8, 8.05, or later." "She opened the door, saw Mr Lapecora on the floor, and got a fright." "I saw him too, really, but I thought he was drunk." "He had a bottle of wine." "And Inspector, it looked like he'd peed in his pants." "The girl found it disgusting." "And she closed the door, and just in that moment, someone below called the elevator." "So we went back in the house." "Came and told me that poor Mr. Lapecora was dead, and not drunk, Inspector." " And that's all." " No, that's not all." "The truth is a lot worse." "Because I think you understood Mr. Lapecora was dead right away." "But you pretended nothing had happened..." "You pretended not to see him." "Why?" "We didn't want everyone talking about us." "Inspector, we are respectable people." "Respectable people?" "I see" "So, you thought it'd be better if Mr. Lapecora was found by someone less "respectable"... and you left him there." "And what if he'd still been alive?" "Eh?" "Good morning, I'm Inspector Montalb..." "Shh..." "I know." "I know!" "My wife mustn't hear" "Did you bring me the bottle?" "Which bottle?" "The one that was next to the dead man" "Why?" "Wasn't it Mr. Lapecora's?" "No, it was mine." "No..." "I don't understand." "Explain." "This morning, coming back from the market," "Lapecora was in the elevator, he was dead." "I understood it immediately." "You called the elevator?" "Why?" "It was already on the ground floor." "Ah, and what did you do?" "What could I do, son, I have a bad leg... the Americans shot me... I was carrying four bags... I couldn't climb the stairs, could I?" "You went up with the dead man?" "Yes, I had to." "And when the elevator arrived at my floor, the same floor as the dead man, the wine bottle fell out of the bag." "Are you following me?" "Sure." "So, what did I do?" "I opened the door of my flat, I put the bags inside, and I went out again to get the bottle." "But I didn't have time." "Because someone called the elevator from the floor above." " Right." " Thank you." "And... what happened then?" "Then the elevator went down to the ground floor again." "Then I tried to go down the stairs, and when, finally, I got there... I found..." "what's his name...?" "Cosentini, the security guard." "Yes, he was in front of." "The elevator, and he wouldn't let anybody near." "I told him about the bottle, and he told me he would inform the authorities." " Authorities - that's you." " In a certain sense..." "So did he tell you about the bottle?" "No." "Oh my!" "And what am I going to do now?" "If my wife finds out I lost the bottle, she'll kill me." "You've got to believe me, Inspector." "She counts my money." "We'll find a way of resolving the problem." "I have faith in you, Inspector, thank you very much." " Goodbye." " Thank you." "Listen, come here." "Go look for Galluzzo." "Jacomuzzi, so?" "I'm not done yet." "I'll let you know." "What about the knife?" "Kitchen knife, pretty worn out." "Wooden handle." "By the way, I found a fish scale between the blade and the handle." " A fish scale?" " Yes, a fish scale!" "Jacomuzzi, you've solved the case..." "Can I know what kind of fish it is?" "Cod?" "Sole?" "Tuna?" "No, tell me, please, or I won't be able to sleep!" "Tell me, Montalbano, why do you always take it out on forensics?" "Jacomuzzi, try using your brain a bit!" "If we were, say, in the Sahara, and you told me there was a fish scale on the knife that killed a tourist, it might make sense." "But what importance does it have, in a town in which 1 9,970 out of 20,000 eat fish?" "But...why don't the remaining" "Because they're breast feeding." "Come on, Jacomuzzi!" "Galluzzo..." "Yes sir, Inspector." "You go stand on guard in front of the dead man's apartment." "When the widow arrives, don't let her in until I get here." "Understood?" "Yes." "All right." " Fazio!" " I'm coming!" "You go to the 5th floor and ring at the Piccirillo's doorbell: there are 2 "respectable" ladies, mother and daughter." "Failure to co-operate." "Take them to the station, making as much noise as possible." "The whole building must think they've been arrested." "When I get there, we'll let them go." "All right?" "I'll go on foot." "I really feel like a little walk." "Wait, do me a favour: after dropping off the two women, buy me a bottle of Corvo Bianco, okay?" "And then take it to Mr. Culicchia, 4th floor." "A bottle of Corvo Bianco?" "Yes, for Mr. Culicchia, 4th floor." "See you at the station!" "Sir, sir!" "A phone call for you, it's urgent!" "Who is it?" "The Chief in person." "Ls Dr. Augello back yet?" "No, no, he's still with the Prefect." "Hello, Chief, good morning!" "Dearest Montalbano!" "I just wanted to tell you we've agreed with the Harbour Master's Office the case of the dead Tunisian is being transferred to Mazara." "Are you handling the matter personally?" "No, my deputy is, Dr. Augello." "Then tell him that the autopsy report and the ballistic report must be sent to Mazara immediately." "All right, Chief, will do." "Good day!" "Good day, Montalbano." "Hi Mimi." "How's it going?" "All right." "I've that case about the guy murdered on the fishing-boat." "What about you?" "Oh, nothing special!" "Nothing compared to your case that could become an international incident!" "How'd it go with the Prefect?" "Did you remember to bow?" "Salvo, let it go!" "How long have we been working together?" "Four years?" "Now, if I'd really wanted to take your place, in these 4 years," "I'd be at least deputy chief of police!" "Oh, come on..." "'Cause you know what you are?" "A sieve." "And I just stop up as many holes as possible." "Okay?" "Well, someone else is going to stop up this hole." "I just spoke with the Chief now." "Your case is being moved to Mazara." "What does that mean?" "It means that your hands are empty, and I keep the elevator murder case." "1 - 0." "Bye, Mimi!" "I have to go to work." "Give them to the widow when she comes down." "She's on the 6th floor talking with my wife." "How'd she take it?" "She almost fainted." "We had to support her." "But when she recovered, she asked us if he was murdered." "No, no, maybe you didn't hear me well... if someone tells me my wife is dead, I don't ask if she's been murdered..." "Excuse me, but it's logical." "I know, Cosentino, I'd got it." "Always at your orders, Inspector, sir." " At ease, Cosentino, at ease." " Thank you, thank you." "Come on." "He went out without his wallet?" "Really?" "How did you work that out?" "Because..." "Inspector!" "Go get the wife, move." "Was he shot?" "No." "Was he strangled?" "Neither." "How was he killed?" "With a knife." "A kitchen knife?" "Probably." "What did your husband do yesterday?" "He went to the office." "He always used to go there on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays." "So, being today a Thursday, he could've stayed home." "Yes" "He got dressed in a hurry, and... do you know where...?" "No, I don't." "He didn't tell me anything." "When I went out he was sleeping." "Don't you find it strange that, as soon as you went out, your husband suddenly woke up, got dressed in a hurry and..." "He must have got a phone call." "Did your husband have enemies?" "No." "None at all." "Do you suspect someone...?" "Suspect?" "No." "Know, yes!" "And who would it have been?" "His lover." "Her name is Karima, with a "K"." "A Tunisian woman." "They'd meet in the office." "The coloured girl would go there with the excuse of cleaning." " A Tunisian woman..." " Yes." "But... how did you find out?" "Last year, in the summer, I got no less than 3 anonymous letters one after the other." "Could I see them?" "I burned them." "I don't keep dirt like that around." "And what did they say?" "All the same thing, they say:" "your husband Aurelio, 3 times a week, receives a girl called Karima." "They were written with those letters cut out of newspapers, like in the films." "Did you confirm this in any way?" "Are you asking me if I spied on them to see when the girl went in and out of my husband's office?" "Absolutely not, I wouldn't ever humiliate myself like that." "But... I managed to confirm it anyway." "Yes?" "And how?" "A dirty handkerchief." "Lipstick?" "No." "I burned it." "That too." "Galluzzo..." "Inspector... the keys?" "Open up." "Inspector, come see!" "And this would be Mr. Lapecora's office?" "How old was he?" "Sixty-five." "Wow!" "Here, try this perfume." "So, come here early tomorrow morning, don't let anyone see you, and wait." "If the Tunisian girl doesn't know anything, tomorrow, she'll come here and you'll catch her." "It's hard for her not to know..." "Why?" "Who could have told her?" "Inspector, people talk..." "Galluzzo... you didn't talk to your brother-in-law at Tele Vigata?" "No, no, no." "If you have, I'll be really pissed off?" "!" "Inspector, I swear, I didn't say a word." "That's a good reason for coming here early tomorrow morning." "Let's go." "The authorities did everything to hide the truth, but in spite of the investigators' complete silence, we of" "Televigata were able to discover the victim's identity:" "Aurelio Lapecora, 65, an honest citizen...." "There, it was all a waste of time!" "Two crimes in one day, almost a record for our town." "But the cowardly Tunisian attack..." "I'm eating pasta with broccoli, who's that?" " It's me darling, Livia." " Livia." "Who made you pasta with broccoli?" "Adelina, I bet." "Yes." "And you're eating it?" "How can a policeman have a housekeeper who's the mother of someone he arrested?" " She's going to poison you." " Come on, Livia, please!" "Adelina's a smart woman, you know?" " And where would I find another like her?" " Yes." " Listen..." " Tell me, darling." "I'm sorry about this morning." "I miss you." "Really?" "Are you sure?" "A lot, Livia." "That's good, Salvo, 'cause next Saturday I'm coming to see you." "Saturday?" "Yes, I'll be there by lunch time." "Ah, great!" "But..." "are you sure?" " Absolutely!" " isn't it too tiring for you?" "I've bought the ticket." "And please, throw that pasta away." "Bye." "Bye." " Good morning, sir." " Hi." " The Tunisian woman lives here?" " Yes." " How did you find her?" " Mancuso of immigration." "By chance, he said." "Let's go." " Hello." "Good morning." "No, madam..." "We need yes But no, madam..." "Let me... madam." "Oh, forget it!" "Fazio!" "Madam, one second, please." "Madam, just a moment." "Madam, just a moment!" "We..." "We... what?" "We..." "Karima." "We're looking for Karima." " A child?" "Does she have a child?" " 5 year old, they left together." "I want to know more about this." "Find an Arab interpreter, quickly." "Hurry up." "My name, Salvo." "My name is Aisha." "Aisha?" "Salvo, Aisha." "Nice to meet you." "Aisha." "Karima and François." "Yes." " And her husband." " No, her brother, Ahmed." "Brother." "And, where is he?" "I don't know." " Inspector, I'm officer Buscaino." " At your service." " Aisha!" " I told him the story." "Ask her who's François' father." "Karima didn't tell her who the father was." "Did she bring anybody home?" "She's saying Karima was a good girl." "She'd never do "haram"." "She'd never do anything shameful." "Tell her Allah is great and merciful but if she's bull-shitting me" "Allah will get mad, and we'll all be in trouble." " She says uncle's right." " Who the hell's the uncle?" " The uncle would be you..." " Me?" "It's a sign of respect." "Fazio!" "So?" "A man called Fahrid saw her several times." "He had a big car." "When did she see Karima the last time?" "Tell her that as soon as she hears anything new, she must call me." "Tell her it's important." "it's a serious matter." "François and Karima lives are at risk." "Maybe hers too." "I hope we scared her enough." "Remember, okay?" "Call me." "It's important." "It's very important." "Yes." " Yes?" " Yes." "Good." "Mr. Inspector!" "Come, come." "Go ahead, go." " Karima." " ls it Karima's?" "300 million lire?" "Quiet!" "Quiet!" "Quiet, please!" "Quiet, quiet!" "Inspector, did they bother you for this shit?" "No, I was just passing by." "What's going on?" "It seems that a kid is stealing other kid's sandwiches." " Yes!" "It's true." "It's true." " Quiet now!" " He did the same this morning." " Inspector!" "Inspector, look!" "He hurt him." " Did anybody recognise him?" " No!" "Quiet!" "Officer, continue the investigation and keep me informed." "Of course, Inspector!" "Everybody go home now!" "It's Montalbano." "Good morning, Inspector." "No sign of the Tunisian girl yet." "There won't be any." " Oh, so you're into crosswords!" " Just to pass the time." " Can I go now?" " No, stay here." "You never know..." " But why?" " You never know, Galluzzo!" "Never." "Galluzzo!" "Inspector." " Where did you get this?" " Here." " Take all the others." " Yes." "Hurry up." " Hello." " Hello." " Who is it?" " Mrs. Lapecora?" " Yes." " it's Montalbano, sorry to bother you," " but I needed some information." " I'm at your disposal, Inspector." "Yes." "Could you tell me when you received the anonymous letters?" "Sure, I remember well." "The first one in the middle of June." "Take the first issues of June." " The end of July and in September." " Yes." "Take the issues of August and September too." "Thanks a lot, you've been very helpful madam." " It was a pleasure." " Good bye." "Good bye." " These are the July issues." " See?" "Look here." "August, 27." "Hello?" "Ls that Inspector Montalbano?" "In person?" "Yes." "Who is this?" "My name is Clementina Vasile Cozzo and I would like to tell you something" " about yesterday's murder." " How did you know I was here?" "I saw you go in." "And I can see you now." "Look out of the window, Inspector." "Can you see me?" " Yes." " I'm waiting for you." " Come in." " Thank you." " Sit down, please." " Madam." "Please, come in." " Thank you Pina, you can go." " Thank you, madam." "Come, Inspector, take a look." "See?" "See how well I can see the office?" "At night it's even better." " And what did you see?" " I will tell you even if my vocabulary is... somewhat limited for such things." "Once, at night, it must have been 4 in the morning, I couldn't sleep and I heard two drunks passing by." "I looked out and I saw Mr. Lapecora's office lights on." "But he wasn't there." "There were the Tunisian girl who does the cleaning by day, and a young man." "He was on the phone, but it wasn't hard to see they weren't there to make a phone call." "I saw them again another 4 or 5 times, always at night." "They acted as if they were the owners." "But they didn't do anything." "You didn't see her cutting out pieces of newspaper?" "No, she wouldn't do that." "I saw her answering the phone, but she never used to pass poor Mr. Lapecora his phone calls." "She was a dangerous woman, Inspector, and Mr. Lapecora was completely bewitched by her." "Catarella, wake up!" "Any calls?" "Yes, yes, sir!" "2 calls for Dr. Augello, 1 for Fazio...." "Catarella, I don't care about others people's calls, I want to know if there were any for me!" " Just for you?" " Right!" " No!" " Thank you!" " Galluzzo." " Yes, Inspector!" "Listen..." "Did you see headed paper like this in Lapecora's office?" " No, I don't think so." " Okay, here." "Check it out, okay?" " Fazio, found out anything?" " Well, look, Inspector:" "Lapecora owned an import-export company, and he closed it down in '90." "But then after a few years, he opened it up again." "And the strangest thing is that from '94 to now, there's no trace of any transaction." " Not even an invoice?" " Nothing!" "So why did he open it up again?" "I have a hunch..." "Me too, but let me hear yours first." "The company may have been a front, to hide who knows what." "Yeah, I know, but it'll be hard to catch them, 'cause when they killed Lapecora they took everything away with them." "Inspector!" "Come to think there was a call for you." "But I didn't understand who it was...it must have been a relative." " Whose?" " Yours, sir." "She called you by your first name, "Salvo, Salvo!"" " And then what?" " She was moaning, as if in pain." "She sounded like an old woman." "She said, "Ai, ai, sha, sha.." "Ai, ai, sha, sha.."" "Aisha!" "Aisha!" "Good morning, Inspector." " Karima and François?" " They didn't come back here." "But someone else paid a visit." "No, come on, come on..." "Was she here when they came?" "No, last night she paid a visit to a friend in Montelusa." "It was late, so she stayed there for the night." "Ask her if they took the savings book." "No." "No, no, no." "Tell her to leave it there." "The old lady was lucky." "If she'd been here they would've killed her." "Aisha!" "Tell her to get her stuff." "Take her to Montelusa, to her friend's, she must stay there for a few more days, to be safe." "All right?" "Come on, come on..." "Calogero, good day!" "ls there anything left to eat?" "Dr. Montalbano, there's always something for you, here!" " Thanks." " Arianna!" "Arianna!" "Dr. Montalbano is here!" " Good morning, Arianna." " Good morning." "Here you are." "Thank you." "And to think I was about to go home..." "Damn.. !" "Calogero, I'm making a phone call!" "Dr. Montalbano, you're the boss around here!" " Thanks!" " Hello?" " Livia, darling!" " I just got here." "I'm sorry, but it wasn't my fault, Salvo, the plane had a 2-hour delay." "I couldn't let you know." "Were you worried, my love?" "Of course I was!" "I called every 1 5 minutes but no-one was home." "I was about to call the airport..." "I'm sorry, darling, but as I said, it wasn't my fault." " When are you coming home?" " Look..." " Salvo?" " Look, I can't right now." "I'm in the middle of a meeting in Montelusa." "I'll be there in an hour, okay?" "Look in the refrigerator or in the oven, there should be something Adelina cooked." "Forget it." "I'm not eating anything Adelina cooked." "I'll wait, we'll go out to eat." "No!" "I already had a sandwich." " Well then..." " Look, I'll be there soon." "Bye, darling!" "I'm happy you're here." " Bye." "Hurry up!" " Bye." "Calogero, Calogero." "You're a devil!" "You force me to sin!" " Hi." " Hi." "Darling...you smell of fried fish." "Yes, of course, I questioned a guy in a fish shop for an hour." "And so I had Fazio arrest them like they were 2 murderers." " You're an asshole." " Why?" "Yes, you're a chauvinist and an asshole." "But why?" "Sorry, but you go and have everybody think these poor women are criminals, and that other guy, what's his name?" " Mr. Culicchia." " Yeah, just because he's a man, even if he goes up and down in an elevator with a body, you buy him a bottle of wine!" "Do you think that's fair?" " Come on, Livia." " No, no, no, I'm talking, Salvo!" "And what about that poor boy in Villaseta?" "He must be really poor to have to steal the other children's sandwiches!" "I think he was abandoned, and that's a not nice thing at all!" "Oh God!" "Stop being silly now, okay?" " Jesus..." " What?" " Jesus..." " What's up?" "You're a genius, Livia." " Hello, Catarella, if Fazio's there.." " What do you want to do?" "Fazio, is that you?" "In half and hour, I want all of you, I mean all of you, at the station, ready to go." "And if anyone's missing" "I'll make a hell of a fuss, you hear?" " Salvo..." " Get dressed." " Where do you want to go?" " Get dressed." " But where are we going?" " To arrest the sandwich thief." "It's almost 4 a.m., are we going to be here much longer?" "Please, Livia!" "Please!" "What?" "Why do you want me here?" " What did he say?" " That we have to wait." "He's stressed out, I told him he should take a holiday, but he doesn't want to." "Livia!" "Look." "I don't see anything." "There he is." "Listen: when we get him, caress him, hug him, try to calm him down." "All right?" "Go!" "Easy, take it easy!" "Gallo, you animal, I told you to take it easy!" "No, no." "Come here, that's right, relax." "That's right, relax." "That's right, relax." "There you go, sweetheart, don't be scared!" "Don't be scared, don't be afraid, it's all right." "Yes, it's all over now, everything's all right, don't worry." "Are you sure it was a good idea to bring him here?" "Of course." "It's against the law, too." "What if he runs away?" "I don't think he will." "I'm going to bed." ""I don't think he will"!" "Livia?" "Are you sleeping?" "Livia?" "Livia?" "Come on over here." "Nice!" "Not too much, not too much!" "Just a little will do." "There." "Bend down here, that's right." "Wait a moment." " Hi." " Hi." " Where did you get those?" " What?" "The shovel and the bucket?" "Augello brought them this morning." "How sweet of him!" "You bought pastries; don't you know they're not good for children?" "No, no, no!" "I do know, it's your friend Augello who doesn't, he bought them." "And now, please eat them, or we'll have to throw them away." "Do you really have to leave today, Livia?" "Oh, I forgot to tell you, I cancelled my flight, I want to stay here, for a few more days." "How would you manage" " with François if I left?" " Oh..." "What do you mean, "Oh.."?" "Are you sorry?" " Who, me?" " Yes!" "No, what are you talking about?" "!" "What did you do together?" "We talked a lot." "I've been trying all morning to convince him his mother will be back for him." " And did he tell you anything?" " Not much." "He said that the other day, his mother, Karima, arrived in a rush, scared, and told him they had to leave right away." "While running away, a car came, driven by a certain Fahrid..." "He even told me the spelling..." " Yes, I know" " Run away, run, don't stop, don't turn around, François, run, run, run!" "Run, run, get away from here!" "François, run, run, run run, run, run!" "Run, get away from here!" "And so, François was left on his own." "He hid for 2 days in the bushes near the sea, and didn't go back home fearing that Fahrid was there waiting for him." "But last night we found him." "That's more or less it." "What are you thinking, Salvo?" "That the boy's an orphan." "Very clever, François, how did you do that?" " Now I'll take this." " Look." "It will take back home the unfortunate sailor killed on his first day at sea." "All we know of him is that his name was Ben Dhahab, thirty-two, from Sfax..." "Look, that's my uncle!" "What did he say?" "He said: "My uncle!"." "I heard that!" "Ask him if that's his real uncle." "What kind of stupid question is that?" "!" "Look, Aisha calls me "uncle", am I really her uncle?" "Please, ask him!" " Listen, François..." " Ahmed....my mother's brother." "Yes?" "This is your uncle?" "And what's his name?" "Ahmed Moussa." "And so your mother is Karima Moussa?" "It'll be on air at midnight." "Could you put it on at noon, too?" "I'm afraid not many people will be watching at night..." "Yes sir!" "But you've got to tell me something... ..this boy is the sandwich thief, right?" "Yes, but no more questions now." "I promise, as soon as I know more, you'll be the first to know." "Ragonese thinks it's a joke, but I don't." "And you're right." "I'll tell you what to say over the photo: put on a voice like someone talking about something painful and dramatic..." "So, you're a director now?" "Right." "Say that a desperate old Tunisian woman came asking you to show the photo because she hasn't had any news of either the girl or the kid, Karima and François." " Karima and François." " Exactly." " Understood." " All right?" " Thanks." "Bye!" " Bye!" "Let him sleep here." "Sorry, Valente, but don't you find it strange that one night a Tunisian guy is killed on a fishing boat and the morning after this Mr. Lapecora, the guy's sister's lover, is too?" "Come on...how can the two facts be related?" "Okay then, fine." "We'll keep our cases separate: you try to find out why the Tunisian guy was under a false name, I'll look for the reasons for Lapecora's murder and Karima's disappearance and if by chance we meet in the middle," "we never even met before." "Don't get so worked up!" "And anyway, Ben Dhahab may not be a false name, maybe he was called Ben Ahmed Moussa." "Who knows, with these Arab names!" " I'm going back to Vigata." " Wait!" "What should we do?" "You're asking me?" "Well, find out, for example, who he knew here in Mazzara, if his papers were in order you need me to tell you?" "!" "No, but it's nice to hear you say them." " Let's go." " Where?" "To talk to a someone who knew the the guy, whatever his name was!" "Well, I did notice something was wrong.." "I called Tunis yesterday to inform the family of the tragedy." "When I told the father that Ben Dhahab was dead, he laughed and said Ben Dhahab was in the next room." "Then he hung up." "So what?" "Maybe there are two men with the same name?" "Sure!" "Look, does the name Ahmed Moussa mean anything to you?" "Ahmed Moussa?" "What does he have to do with this?" "We have reason to believe Ben Dhahab was in fact Ahmed Moussa." "What?" "!" "Why, what do you know about Ahmed Moussa?" "He's a terrorist." "There's a reward out for him, but no-one even knows what he looks like." "So I helped Ahmed Moussa?" "!" "Whatever way you look at it, something's not right." " What do you mean?" " Forget about how he got on board the boat." "Ahmed leaves Mazzara with a specific aim, we don't know what." "Did he tell the captain what he was doing?" "I think he did, and that they were all in it together, otherwise, they could have changed course" " and put him off the boat." " He was a terrorist, he could have forced them at gunpoint." "Yes, but then, once on land, the Captain and his crew would have gone to the police 'cause they had nothing to lose." "Let's go on." "Assuming Ahmed didn't plan to get himself killed, there are only two possibilities either he wanted to land illegally on the Tunisian coast;" "or he had to meet someone face-to-face." " I find that more convincing" " Me too." "But the unexpected happens." "The Coast Guard motor-boat." "Exactly." "At this point there are many possibilities!" "Let's say the Coast Guard isn't aware that Ahmed is on the boat." "They order them to stop, they try to get away, but are fired at... ..and Ahmed Moussa gets hit by chance...it sounds like the" "Warren report on the Kennedy assassination." "Well, try to this one:" "Ahmed instead of meeting the guy he was expecting, meets another, who shoots him." "Or he meets the right guy, but they argue and he shoots him." "With the machine gun?" "What are you talking about, the machine gun?" "It could gun down a plane!" "Are we sure it was the Tunisian Coast Guard?" "I saw the photo of the woman on TV, the Tunisian who disappeared 3 days ago." "Last Thursday, at about from Vigata to Montelusa." "At Villaseta, on the other side of the road, there was a car parked." "Do you remember what kind of car it was?" "Sure." "A grey Mercedes." "With a man and a woman inside." "They seemed to be kissing." "But when I got closer, the woman seemed to look at me, as if to tell me something..." "But the man pulled her and embraced her again." " And what did she do then?" " Nothing." "I recognised her right away, when I saw her photo today." " All right, thank you" " I haven't finished yet.." "... since what I saw didn't look right, I wrote down the license plate." " And do you have it here?" " Of course!" "Thank you." "Fazio!" "Thank you very much." "You were really very helpful." " Goodbye, Inspector." " Again, thank you." "Show father Jannuzzo out." " Hello, police." " Hello, this is Montalbano." "I'd like to talk to the Chief." "it's urgent." " Just a moment, please." " Thank you." " Hello?" " Good morning, sir." "I'm calling you about the kidnapped woman." " Go on, Montalbano." " Yes, I ... need to trace a license plate as soon as possible." " All right." " I'm sorry to bother you, but the last time we had to wait a month," " and you understand.." " Give me the number." "Yes." "RG 280567.." " 67." " 67." "All right." " All right.." " I'll let you know, Montalbano," " Thank you, Chief, sir, Goodbye." " Goodbye." "What if the mother's disappeared for good?" "What will happen to him?" "I don't know, Livia, I really don't know." "Don't get too close to him." "He's so bright..." "Mimi came to visit today, and brought him a jigsaw." "Mimi..." "Again?" "!" "François said something wonderful:" "that puzzles are boring, because each piece fits into only one other and so, to complete a puzzle, you're forced to follow the pattern of those who designed it." "He thinks a puzzle with lots of different solutions is much more interesting." "He said that?" "Isn't that an extraordinary thought for a child of that age?" "Well, children today are very precocious." "They even get used to sleeping on their own." "What if the kid wakes up?" "If he wakes up, I'll comfort him." "I want my mummy." "You know, I lost my mummy too, when I was smaller than you... I spent many nights crying with my head under my pillow, so my father wouldn't hear." "You weren't on your own." "You're right." "I had my father." "What happens now, will I go to an orphanage?" "No." "No." "I promise." " Galluzzo." " Yes, sir." "Listen..." "Oh, Mimi, I wanted to thank you for the puzzle." "It was really kind." "Listen..." "This is the address in Montelusa where Aisha's staying." "Got it?" "Now get one of our cars, go there and take her to my house in Marinella." "Tell her that uncle Salvo is sending you, that's me." "And no luggage because she'll be back in Montelusa tonight." "Got it?" "That's good." "And watch out." "Go now." " So, Mr. Lopiparo..." " Lopipàro, sir, Lopipàro." "Exactly." "Do you know the Lapecora widow, whose husband..." "Sure." "She often visits her sister and she always talks about her." " And did you see her last Thursday?" " Sure." "We even had a fight." " You had an argument with her?" " Yes, sir." " Why?" " That morning she left for Fiacca." "When the bus arrived at Cannatello she wanted to get off because she'd forgot something for her sister." "Cannizzaro, the bus driver, let her get off." "Then I passed by." "I stopped and she got on my bus." " And why did you argue with her?" " Why did I argue?" "She didn't want to pay the ticket." "She said that she had already paid once." "But I have to have as many tickets as passengers." " Well, thank you Mr. Lopiparo." " Good bye, Inspector." "Good bye." "Fazio." "You are a genius." "How did you know that?" "François, the kid, while playing with a puzzle, made me think of it." "But why did she do it?" "Was she jealous of the Tunisian maid?" "No, it was greed." "And out of greed She attracted Lopiparo's attention, when she should have kept quiet." "Listen, here are the keys to Lapecora's house." "Go there, in the living room you'll find a shelf with cups and glasses." " And what if the widow is there?" " Don't worry, she's out of town." "Get one of the cups and don't leave any fingerprint." " if she notices a cup's missing?" " We couldn't give a damn." "Listen, call Jacomuzzi and tell him I need the murder weapon." "If he can't bring it here, then you go get it." "You've been questioning me for over an hour, what do you want from me?" "The Tunisian government officially stated it was them to shot the Tunisian, didn't they?" "So..?" "First, there are a few contradictions:" "you say that the attack occurred in international waters, whereas they state you were in their territory..." "They must have calculated their position incorrectly!" "We were in international waters, and when we saw them on the radar, nobody thought it could be a Tunisian Coast Guard!" "And what happened then?" "They signalled us to stop, we thought it was an Italian Coast Guard check, so we stopped." "We heard them talking in Arabic." "At that point, the Tunisian went on deck and lit a cigarette." "And they shot him." "Then we ran off." "Look, Mr. Prestia:" "we know that your co-operative society, Copemaz, last week asked you to hire a certain individual, and you, instead, chose Ben Dhahab." "I didn't know him." "When he came on board, 5 minutes before sailing, I thought he was the guy Copemaz had sent me." "It happens often." "They swap place... all I care about is that no-one protests." "I understand." "So you couldn't know" "Ben Dhahab was one of the biggest drug dealers around." "Right?" "What are you talking about, Inspector?" "What drug dealers?" "Dear Mr. Prestia, listen," "I'll be honest:" "it doesn't look good for you, it doesn't look good at all." "No!" "No, no!" "They promised me ..." "Promised what?" "..that I wouldn't get any shit!" "And who promised you that?" "HEAD OF CABINET PREFECTURE OF TRAPANI" " He named me?" " Not exactly, sir." "He gave us one of your visiting cards he had kept like it was some kind of guarantee." "A guarantee?" "Of course, that's what it is." " Excuse me?" " Let me explain." "Some time ago, the Prefect, received a request" "He was asked to give a Tunisian reporter carrying out a delicate inquiry among his people full support." "Among other things, he needed a boat." "His Excellence gave me the task." "I was told that Prestia was trustworthy." "But Prestia was afraid he'd get into trouble with the employment bureau..." "All clear, sir." "I won't take any more of your time." "I hope not to have to bother you again..." " I hope so too." " Thank you!" " This guy sure is an asshole." " You're right, and I think..." " Yes?" " The Chief's on the line." " I told you I'm not..." " No, it's not for you, sir." "It's for you!" "The Chief." "Chief, sir, this is Montalbano, what can I do for you?" "Montalbano, what kind of shit are you getting us into?" "Shit?" "Why, what did I do?" "Yesterday I asked to check the license plate number you gave me." "You know what they told me?" "That if I wanted to know the owner's name, I'd have to request it in writing, specifying the reasons." "Okay then, sir, no problem." "I'll come and see you tomorrow and tell you everything, and you can send..." "Montalbano!" "Didn't you hear what I just said: the number's off limits!" "The car belongs to the service!" "Ah, sorry." "Did you tell your friend what it was about?" "Montalbano, are you taking the piss?" "How could I have told him?" "I don't know what you're up to!" "I see, all right, sir, thank you." " Goodbye, Montalbano!" " Good bye!" " Hello?" " Livia?" "Listen to me carefully and do as I say." "I'm in Mazara and I think our phone hasn't been bugged yet." "What's going on?" "What are you talking about, Salvo?" "Don't argue, don't ask questions, just listen." "Galluzzo is coming: he'll get the old lady and take her to Montelusa." "Don't waste time with goodbyes, and tell François he'll see her soon." "As soon as Galluzzo's gone, call Mimi, at the office." "You absolutely must find him, wherever he is." "Tell him you've got to see him right away, he'll be right there." "Meanwhile pack a suitcase with all of François' things..." " What do you want to..?" " Shut up." "Listen, tell Mimi that, the child has to disappear from the face of the earth." "Don't ask him where he's taking him, clear?" "You mustn't know." "Livia, please don't cry." "I'm not crying..." " Okay, are you listening to me?" " Yes..." "So, when Mimi's gone, call Fazio." "And tell him the boy ran away, maybe he's gone to look for the old lady, and that he must help you look for him." "Meanwhile I'll be there." "Oh, a last thing: call Palermo airport and book a seat on a flight to Geneva, leaving tomorrow, say, at noon, so I can find someone to drive you there." "All right?" " Yes." " I've got to go now." "Bye." "Yes, bye." " What's going on?" " Nothing." "More or less, this is what happened:" "Ahmed Moussa has one of his men, Fahrid, set up an operations base." "Fahrid gets help from Karima, Ahmed's sister." "They blackmail Lapecora, and use his old company a front." " Do you follow?" " Perfectly." "Good." "Ahmed's going to an important meeting, let's say to buy weapons or to get support for his organisation." "Anyway he comes to Italy under a false name given to him by some Service of ours." "Okay?" "The meeting occurs at sea, but it's probably a trap, because this Service made a deal with someone in Tunis." "And I'm also sure Fahrid was in on it too." "Not Karima, I don't think so." "So the boy is a witness." "And you're scared for him." "Well, sure, if he recognised his uncle on TV, he could identify Fahrid, too." "Who, I'm sure by now, killed Karima." "So what shall we do now?" "For a while you'll lay low, Valente," "I'm going to set up something to divert their attention." "Montalbano, what can I say:" "good luck!" "To you too, my friend." " Good morning." " Hi." "So, have you found François?" "Did you go by your place before coming here?" "No, I came directly from Mazara." "Why?" "Excuse me, Inspector, could we step into your office a moment?" "Okay." "So?" "Sir, I'm a cop." "Maybe not as good as you are, but I'm still a cop." "And?" "How did you know the kid ran away?" "What's wrong with you, Fazio?" "Livia told me over the phone in Mazara, and I told her to contact you..." "Yes, Inspector, but the fact is she told me she was asking me for help because she couldn't find you." "Anyway, don't worry, Inspector, I understood what you wanted me to do," " so I did it." " Oh yes, and what was that?" "Make a little noise." "I went by every house in the neighbourhood, asked every person I met:" ""Have you by any chance seen a kid etc.?" Nobody had seen him, Inspector, but now everyone knows the kid's disappeared." "Well done, Fazio, and thanks." "What should I do now?" "Carry on making as much noise as possible." "Call the Military Police, all their provincial stations, the firemen." "Give the boy's description and show that you're very concerned." "But, careful: only phone calls, nothing in writing, okay?" "Inspector, are you sure they won't really find him then?" "Don't worry, he's safe." "Due to a delicate investigation into the kidnapping and probable murder of woman by the name of Karima Moussa, I need to know the name of the owner of a Mercedes, license plate number." "Please respond urgently." "How long have we been together?" "Four...five..., maybe." "Eight years." "We've been together 8 years now." "And sometimes we even talked of getting married, but we didn't ever go through with it, Salvo." "Because we're happy as we are, and maybe because our selfishness and laziness always win." "Laziness, selfishness?" "What are you talking about, Livia?" "There are some real difficulties that..." "Asshole!" "Always the same excuses!" "Sorry." "Sorry, but sometimes, Salvo, I can't stand your hypocrisy any longer, at least your cynicism is more genuine." "At this point, I want a clear answer:" "when are we going to get married?" " So, Salvo, when?" " Livia, if it were just up to me..." " I see, that's enough now!" " No, Livia, wait.." "I've already taken 2 sleeping pills, my plane leaves Palermo at noon." " Good night, Salvo." " No, listen.." "No!" "I'll tell you when we'll get married:" "when we're too old to have children, and we didn't realise that someone, God, or someone else in his place, at the right moment, had already sent us a son!" "Inspector, I've been trying to call you for the past half hour..." "Did you disconnect the phone?" "Why, what's happened, Fazio?" "The body of an old woman was found in Villaseta, in Garibaldi street." "Galluzzo and Gallo are already there!" "I don't think it was an accident." "They must've broken her neck." "Anyhow, I'll be able to tell you more after the autopsy." "Goodbye." "Inspector!" "I went to Montelusa today, to the friend she was staying with." "She said no-one had looked for her." "But she had her mind set on going back home." "Today, early in the morning, she got on a bus and..." "You and Gallo, go right back to Vigata." "Lapecora's funeral's in half an hour." "When the ceremony's over, go and tell the widow to go with you to the Police Station." "If she starts making a fuss, don't hesitate to use force." "See you at the police station." "If I understand correctly, the money belongs to a woman you presume dead, and the heir is her son, who's a minor." " That's right!" " So you want this money placed in an account, and the boy to get it when he comes of age?" " Exactly!" " Sorry, but why don't you keep the savings book and give it to him yourself?" "Who knows if I'll be alive in 1 2 years time?" "Right." "I'll study the matter and we'll talk about" " it again in a week." " All right!" "It may be a good idea to make the money earn something." "Oh yes?" "You take care of it." " Well...take the book back." " No, no, no." "You keep it." "I could lose it." "Well let me at least give you a receipt..." "Come off it!" "Goodbye, Mr. Notary..." " Oh, one more thing, Inspector:" " Yes." "If the boy is to inherit the money, the mother's death must be proved." "Oh...all right, thank you." " Hi, Salvo." " Hi." "Oh, Mimi, I was just looking for you:" "where'd you take the kid?" "To my sister's place, in Calapiano." " ls it a safe place?" " Yes, very safe." "They live 4 km from the town, in a house in the countryside, and one of my nephews is even the same age as François." "You'll see, he'll be fine." " Hey, Mimi, thanks." " Not at all..." "No, thanks, really..." " Galluzzo!" " Yes sir!" "Did you send that fax to Rome?" "The one requesting the name of the owner of the Mercedes..?" " Yes, Inspector, sir." " Okay, send another specifying that it regards the murder of the two Tunisian women." " What do you mean: the two?" " The two women!" "Aisha Adouani and Karima Moussa." "Hurry up, move it!" "Come in!" " What do you want to film?" " A man sitting here." " Sit down." " I have to sit down?" "Sit down, what are you waiting for?" "Sit down." "Can you see it?" " No." " Well, it's already filming you." "But it doesn't make any noise at all!" "This here is a marvel!" " Now, let me explain it." " Yes." "So, to film, you pull this up and you press this red button." "To rewind, pull this down, and to play you pull it up." " Can I look at it from in here?" " No, you have to open this." " There." " Wow!" "That's me!" "I'm not too bad." "You're doing the wrong job!" "Now, let me explain it again." " No, no, no, I got it" " Are you sure?" "I told you so already!" "You're treating me like a criminal!" "Like a criminal!" "Did you maltreat the lady?" "Inspector, having arrested her, we..." "Who said anything of arresting her?" "ls there a warrant?" "No, Inspector." "Fazio!" "Gallo, you can go now." "Madam, I'm really sorry, excuse me for the inconvenience." "I'll take just a few minutes of your time." "Please take a seat." "Madam, correct me if I'm wrong." "You told me that the morning your husband was killed, you didn't notice anything strange." "What should I have noticed?" "For example that the study door, which was usually open, was closed." "It was I who opened it, when I went to your house." "Open or closed, what difference does it make?" "And another thing: that morning you took the bus to Fiacca, but you got off in Cannatello, waited for the bus going in the opposite direction and returned to Vigata?" "Had you forgotten something?" "Did the bus conductor tell you?" "The two bus conductors, to be exact." "Well, they're right." "Just that it didn't happen that day, but two days earlier." "They got the day wrong." "This is the knife used to kill your husband, it comes from your kitchen." "Do you recognise it?" "It's a knife." "There's a lot of knifes like it around." "And do you recognise this?" "Oh, so that's what happened to it." "You took it..." " So it is yours." " Of course it's mine!" "It's the cup from my good coffee set." "Can I know what you want to do with it?" "It's very simple, madam." "I'm going to use it to have you put in prison." "Are you out of your mind?" "!" "Now I'll tell you what happened." "That morning you wake up, get up and go to the bathroom." "You go by the study, and you see the door's closed." "At first you don't think too much about it, but then you think again." "You go to the kitchen, take the knife from the drawer, and put it in your bag and go out, take the bus to Fiacca, but get off in Cannatello, wait for the other bus and return to Vigata." "There you find your husband ready to go out, you get into a furious argument," "your husband goes for the elevator, you follow, and you stab him." "Then you get in the elevator, go to the ground floor, and go out from the main door." "And you were really very lucky, because nobody saw you." "And why would I have done it?" "Just because my husband hadn't closed the door to the study?" "No, madam." "Because behind that closed door was Karima, your husband's lover." "But you said just before that I didn't go in the study?" "!" "You didn't need to, you smelled the perfume Karima used." "It was still in the air, when I walked in the study, that day." "Let me ask you something." "According to you, why didn't I b the woman right away?" "Because you knew that Karima, seeing you walk in with a knife, would have started screaming." "Your husband would have come and disarmed you. instead, by acting as if all was normal, you could have taken them by surprise later." "And, in your way of thinking, why did I only kill my husband?" "Because when you went back home, Karima had already left." "Sorry, but since you weren't there, who told you all this?" "Your fingerprints, on the cup and on the knife." "No!" "Not on the knife!" "Why not on the knife?" "The cup's mine, the knife isn't!" " The knife's yours too." " No!" "There's one of you fingerprints on it, it can be seen very clearly." "It can't be so!" "You say that because you stabbed your husband wearing the gloves you had on when you went out." "And in fact, the fingerprint wasn't of that day, but of the day before, when you used the knife to clean some fish, after which you washed it and put it back in the drawer." "The fingerprint's not on the handle, it's on the blade, just at the junction. if you want, we can go with" "Fazio, get your fingerprints and compare them." "He deserved the death he got." "He wanted to have a good time with that whore in my own bed..." "You want me to believe you did it out of jealousy?" "Sorry, madam, but I don't believe you." "You had already received 3 anonymous letters." "You could have surprised them any time, at the office.." "I don't do that kind of thing." "I went mad when I discovered they were meeting in my own house... I think, madam, that you went mad some days before that.." "When you found out your husband had drawn a large amount of money from his bank account." "Inspector... 300 million lire!" "300 million lire for that bitch!" "If I didn't stop him he would have given her everything." "He would have even given her the house." "My house." "300 million lire for that bitch!" "Damn him, damn it all." "Good evening, Inspector." "You kept me waiting." "I'm Colonel Lohengrin Pera." "Lohengrin." "Your parents didn't have much imagination!" "I'm sure you know why I'm here." "I hope you don't mind, Colonel." "I'm a little hungry." "Let's lay our cards on the table." "it's better for both of us." "That's why I used that car." " That car is interesting." " I'm sure your chief told you that the number plate is off limits." "I'm pretty sure, correct me if I'm wrong, that you didn't want us to come out in the open." " And I'm satisfying you." " Adelina, my housekeeper, is a great cook, but when it comes to tidying up..." "Please." "Please, go ahead, I'm listening." "Have you ever read Mussolini's writings?" "They're not among my favourite reading." "In one of them he states that people must be treated like a donkey." "With the stick and the carrot." "Really?" "My grandfather used to say the same, but he was a farmer, so he was only referring to donkeys." "What's that got to do with us?" "Just a metaphor." "Your faxes to find out who the car belonged to, the interrogation of the captain" "and your call to the Head of the Prefect's Cabinet, were your stick to make us come out into the open." "And the carrot?" "Your statements to the press after Lapecora widow's arrest." "You could've got us into trouble." "But you didn't." "You just wanted to let us know that other elements were in your hands." "Right?" "I have a bad taste in my mouth, or maybe it's just this cake... that is not good." "You still don't want to open yourself up." "I understand." "So I shall continue." "I'll be brief and explicit." "Two years ago our colleagues in Tunis asked us to participate to a very delicate operation." "Which was to lead to the arrest of Ahmed Moussa." "One moment." "You said "arrest", is that right?" " You're saying that you didn't know..." " Precisely." "We didn't know they intended to kill him." "And this was just the first of many misunderstandings, if I may use that word." "Let's step back." "The operation began when our colleagues in Tunis found out that Karima." "Ahmed's favourite sister, had been living in Sicily." "He was totally unaware that Fahrid his right hand man, had been bought by the service." "So when Fahrid suggested opening a base in Sicily," "Ahmed accepted immediately." "As a front they chose Lapecora's company." "The bait was in the water." "We just had to wait for the fish to bite." "Excuse me." "Yes, everything's fine." "We're talking." "Excuse me." "Making him believe in the possibility of an arms deal," "Fahrid convinced Ahmed to come to Italy." "The rendezvous with the mysterious dealer was to be at sea." "Ahmed arrived in Mazara, and the captain of the boat, under pressure from Spadaccia, accepted to take him." "I know the rest." "But why didn't the captain return to Mazara after the murder?" "Hadn't Spadaccia warned him?" "Of course." "The price of the ride was the money Ahmed had with him." "70 million lire, in cash, that the captain shared with the crew." "But he didn't expect the murder either." "So he lost his head and headed to Vigata, the closest harbour." "So he messed up your game." "Otherwise you would have made the body disappear and paid them to keep quiet, right?" "I've told you everything." "It's your turn now." "Tell me everything you know about this." "You've taken me out to sea, but what about those on land?" "For example, Fahrid, when he heard about the murder he decided to continue the operation, to eliminate every witness." "Lapecora and Karima." "Or are you trying to make me believe that you didn't even know." "You're free to not believe me, but we didn't know." "I do." "But in this case stupidity seems even worse than bad faith." "But let's go back to Fahrid." "Before the operation, he convinced Lapecora to let Karima in his house by promising him a night of wild passion." "And he said to Karima to watch him, in case he decided to betray them." "In reality he did it to eliminate them together without problems." "Unhappily there was..." "a mishap." "As you call it." "The next morning, when Lapecora's wife leaves," "Karima decides it's useless to stay and comes back home." "And discovers by watching the news that her brother has been killed." "She's terrified, she doesn't know what to do." "She goes back to Lapecora's." "He's the only one she can trust." "But he is dead." "Why are you so sure she came back?" "Because I saw her." "She was terrified." "She didn't know his wife had killed him." "She thought Fahrid did it." "So she goes back home and tries to run away with the kid." "I must admit you understood everything before and better than us." "But I must ask you to reflect now." "One moment." "I need to be absolutely sure of one thing." "Karima was killed, right?" "I'm afraid so." "As I told you we hadn't foreseen..." "Spare me your fucking excuses!" "The only certain thing is that two innocent women were killed while we could've saved them!" "Montalbano I... understand your bitterness." "But I'm worried about the consequences." "Of this unpleasant affair." "In the unfortunate case that this information leaves this room." "I hope you won't be offended by this, but, at this point, you must tell me your price." "My price?" "But I come cheap." "Very cheap." "Go on." "I want Karima's body to be found by tomorrow morning." "And that it be perfectly identifiable." " Why?" " That's my business!" "I'm sorry but we don't know where she was buried." "Ask Fahrid." " He's back in Tunisia." " Your problem!" "Call your little buddies." "No." "The game's over." "We've nothing to gain from opening it up again." "Ask anything but not this." "Too bad." "Want to see how the recording came out?" "What recording?" "Montalbano, you're kidding. it's in your own interest not to..." "See this?" "See this?" "If I show this recording, you can start selling hot-dogs on the street." "If you tell me where Karima is, I will destroy it, I promise." "You don't have any choice." "Understand?" "Understand?" " Hello." " Hello, Nicolò, it's Montalbano." " And who else could it be?" " Sorry." "You know that that camera you lent me?" " Yes." "Did you break it?" " Well," "No, I just needed some information." "To record, should the lever be pulled up or down?" "Down, or no?" "Up." "Right, like I said." "Thanks Nicolò." "What the fuck are you doing Montalbano?" "Rete Libera, reporting from the Sommantino countryside." "This morning, following an anonymous phone call, in this abandoned site, behind me, was found the body of a young woman, as often happens in our wonderful land of Sicily." "It was found in an advanced state of decomposition." "In a closed bag." "A suitcase beside the corpse allowed its identification." "She was a Tunisian citizen, 34 years old, who lived in Vigata." "Karima Moussa." "Our viewers will remember the news of her disappearance." "Together with her 5 year old son, François." "Who unfortunately, or fortunately, hasn't been found yet." "Rete Libera, Nicola Zito." "Dear Livia, I know this letter will surprise you for at least two reasons." "The first is that I only ever send you postcards or called you." "The second, for which you might also be glad, are its contents." "It deals with François." "Neither you nor I have spoken his name, since your last night here, when you made me understand he could have become our son." "Remember when he ran off?" "He told me he didn't want to end up in an orphanage." "I promised him that would never happen." "The day before yesterday I went to see him." "Mimi took me." "By the way, you should write to thank him for his friendship." "François hugged me tight." "His eyes were bright but he didn't cry" "She doesn't cry easily." "He didn't ask me the question I feared about Karima, his mother. instead he asked me, in a low tone:" ""take me to Livia"." "I realise I'm getting pathetic so I'll change tone right away." "According to the law, François doesn't exist, because his birth is recorded neither in Tunisia nor in Sicily." "The Judge in Montelusa explained that, now, is practically impossible." "According to him, to speed things up, we should get married." "So, get all the papers ready." "I hug and kiss you." "Salvo."