"After the tragic events and painful memories that, have shaped his life, Corrado Cattani enters a monastery where he meets Abbot Lovani, a powerful man who for some time has lived shut off from the world spending his retiring years in meditation and prayer." "He is removed from this setting by American agent, Bert di Donato, who is investigating a massive arms trading deal, a deal run by an international businessman, Kemal Yfter, and involves one of Corrado's oldest enemies:" "Gianfrranco Laudeo." "Corrado takes up the challenge and moves back to Milan, where he saves the life of a kidnapped girl, Greta Antinari." "Reuniting her with her family, Corrado meets her father, the banker" "Carlo Antinari, and begins to fall in love with his eldest daughter Giulia." "Another character who revolves around the Antinari family is the managing director of the bank Dino Alessi." "We discover that he is not only Anna Antinari's lover, but also the man behind many suspicious, financial deals." "Persuaded by Corrado, Laudeo decides to speak out about Alessi, but before details were revealed Alessi's contacts moved in." "Laudeo was poisoned and died in prison before telling his story." "The joint investigation will bring Bert and Corrado on the trail of Dino Alessi, the managing director of the bank, and will push Corrado to a difficult position." "On the one hand his feelings for Giulia will encourage him to live and love again, but on the other hand he will soon learn that Giulia's family is involved with the arms trafficking that he is investigating." "The tragic events that follow will be telling for Corrado." "The Octopus 3" "Part Three" "Yes, I knew he had that horrid disease." "And yes, I understood that he took out the policy for us," "and that sooner or later he could be killed." "Did you agree with all this?" "We're poor, and this was perhaps his destiny." "In all our lives we have never taken a holiday, not one pleasure." "Yes I know that it seems wrong but I thought it was right." "Sure." "But for that kind of cover, your husband had to kill Laudeo." " And then be killed himself." " It's not true!" " It is." " He would never agree to that." " They had already decided." " Antonio was too good to kill anyone." "He had to put the poison in the coffee then they could lose him." "They always took advantage of him." "He must have seen it coming, so he took out the insurance." "This way he was sure the money would go directly to you." "Who killed him?" "Who killed him?" "Who was it?" "Did your husband ever have any new visitors in the house?" "Someone you may have not seen before?" "There was a man who came..." "a bald man with gold glasses." "But Antonio said he was some important lawyer." "Diletti?" "What happens now?" "Do they take my money away?" "Don't worry about it." "I won't tell anybody." "But, Corrado, shouldn't she go to the judge, she ought to tell him everything she knows." "Yes!" "If they have taken him, then I want them in jail!" "All in jail!" "How can a woman accept the death of her husband like that?" "Imagine." "Just waiting for him to one day commit suicide." "Well, there are some situations we can't understand." "One becomes hard, evil." "Some people will do anything for money." " Not me." " Because you have so much of it." "Someone has been here." "They have broken into the drawers." "Viviani's file has disappeared!" "If something gets out I will talk!" "You said this wouldn't happen." "Just a favour you said, and now I'm embroiled in murder!" "I'm speaking out!" "I'm denouncing you all!" "Why have you stopped?" "This is where lovers come." "And what are we doing here?" "I'd like... to give you a kiss." "Haven't you noticed my grey hair?" "I deserve a little more respect." " A few greys suit you." " And I'm in bad shape on the inside." " That doesn't matter." " And further, trouble follows me." " Really?" " Really." "I like trouble." "Since I was a child I've always been in it." "Come on, take me to the hotel and then you can go home." "Listen, do you recognize the nursery rhyme:" ""little queen, little queen, how many steps would there be to your castle if I give you my faith and my ring?" Hmm?" "Yes, I know it." "How far is it to reach you?" "You're already there." "Who is it?" " Judge Venturi wants to see you." " What?" "Now?" "Immediately." "We ask that you excuse yourself Inspector." "Oh no!" "Can you at least bring him to me later?" "We usually only deliver to the Judge." " OK." "Let's go." " Will you call me later?" "Sure, as soon as I can." " Shall I get in the back?" " Yes, in the back." "Why have you asked me here?" "No thank-you." "Me neither." "I only carry them for others." "A few hours ago, a police official called Antonio Viviani's wife, after receiving a call from the house of Viviani." "She said she had just spoken to an inspector and that she had showed him some x-rays - do you follow?" "Yes, but where do you want to go with all this?" "Inspector, I know you don't care much for judges, but we also have good intentions sometimes." " Such as?" " For example, Viviani was bought." " By who?" "A person that you know well:" "Diletti, Laudeo's defence lawyer." "How do you know?" "This afternoon Mr Diletti received a call from Dr Morrone who was complaining about some missing files." "So you had the doctor's telephone tapped?" "If someone insures the life of a poor soul for 500 million lire, wouldn't you be monitoring?" " Sure." " We like to keep a few steps ahead." "What do you want?" "For me to say "bravo!"" "I know your story Cattani and where you're coming from." "Why don't you come back and join the police ranks rather than going about like a lost soul?" "Are you asking me to collaborate with you?" "No." "I'm going to stop here." "So, it's as you said..." "you can only chase the small fry." "Actually, I had started to investigate the Antinari Bank but now the investigation will be brought forward by someone else." "I'm going." "Why?" "Tell me the truth." "Why was the investigation taken away from you?" "Good-bye Inspector." " Good-bye Judge." " Good luck." "Just as my daughter put it together, so will the Judge." "Buying someone to make him kill another - it's monstrous!" "There was no other way." "Laudeo wanted to spill everything" "Don't get me involved, I said no from the very start!" "Carlo, try and keep a level head." "If you don't sign within a week, not only will the entire set-up fail, but you'll also condemn yourself." "Everyone knows you're up to your neck in hot water." "What they don't know is that at this point I prefer to drown." "There's no choice." "Just sign and be done with it." "You provide the financial security and in return the purchasing country invests huge sums of cash in our banks, so that we can prevent the financial collapse of Hong Kong." "And if Hong Kong falls we all fall!" "It's just another transaction like all the others." "It's nothing like the others." "It's a deal of a million deaths." "I'm not signing and I don't care what the cost!" "You are heading for bankruptcy and you're talking about morals..." "You allow yourself these morals without thinking twice about your butler, your secretary, your driver..." "Be careful Carlo, things are becoming dangerous." "Don't threaten me, Dino." "I hold something which can bring you down." "You and I are tarred by the same brush, like two slaves in the same boat," "If I drown, you drown." "Do you want to know something?" "Do you know what I can't stand about you Dino?" "Your hands tremble when you talk about money." "Your whole existence is trembling." "Sign the paper Carlo!" "Sign it or it's over - for you and your family!" " I've been expecting you." "Get in." " Weren't you in Basel?" "Don't worry about that." "Now I can explain it all to you." " Why now?" " Because I finally understand." "Now, listen carefully." "Let's say this is my apple." "Let's say it's worth a million lire." "Good, now Simms, I sell this to you for two million." "But it's not worth it." "It is worth it because the money you use is mine." " Well then..." " Now Simms, you sell it to" "Chioccia, but he'll pay three million for it." "How is that if it's only worth one million?" "Just keep quiet, and take the money." "OK." "Now Corrado - you buy the apple from Chioccia." "for one, two, three, four million." "What do you have in your hands now?" "I have an apple." "That is worth a million dollars." "That happens to be worth four million lire according to others." "I don't understand this business if the money is always yours." "You are the business, because you are one of my banks in a faraway country and an apple worth four million lire is sitting in your vaults." "But, you paid for it with your own money." "You are out of pocket..." "I'm not missing any money, because all of you are banks that belong to me, get it?" "All my own businesses" "You're in Liechtenstein, you're in the Bahamas and you Corrado, well, let's say you're in Hong Kong." "Hang on, so who gives you the money for the various banks?" "My clients, all the investors of my banks." "All the people that come to my tellers each day and deposit their savings, their pay." "Now, let's use some names..." "So, let's say I'm the great banker Carlo Antinari, and I have a thousand of these apples in my Hong Kong bank." "That is, you have 1000 million worth of capital, but others believe it to be 4000." "Exactly." "This scam works until someone comes to inspect more closely or forces me to sell my apples." "At that point the apples return to their normal price and I have a hole of 3000 million lire." "Which is more or less the deficit of" "Antinari's Hong Kong bank at the moment." "But, it's only you, and you, and you, that know this, and Yfter has come along, and with the help of some powerful friends discovers this secret." "He starts the blackmail, asks for financial backing and then puts up a deal." " A deal worth a 1000 million lire." " One 1000 million lire?" "Just like that." "And if I try and back out Yfter will bring down my financial empire." "Yes, but how did Yfter find all this out?" "It all came out in Basel." "Switch off the lights." "OK, this is Dino Alessi, the brains behind the apple scam, whose secret was discovered by Yfter." "Together they are now forcing Carlo to finance the new deal." "Look at them, they are so tense." "Actually, Yfter had just given Dino an ultimatum:" "he had only a week to get Carlo to sign up for the new deal." "And if Carlo refuses?" "Good-bye apples, good-bye banks and good-bye millions." "I can't sleep." "Can I stay a while?" " Are you worried?" " No..." "Dino says that business isn't running so smoothly." "Dino says so many things." "You'd do better not to always listen to him." "He's always been loyal." "You don't strike me as the best person to judge his loyalty." "You can be so mean when you want to." "You can also be mean." "You're the one that went away..." "years ago..." "I would have liked to have played the piano..." "I studied it for so many years, and then I abandoned it when my father decided I was the one to kick-start the Italian finances." "I wasn't born for this... this wasn't the life I wanted." "It's the price important people like you must pay." "Oh sure, I may help those decide between war and peace, or the rich and the poor." "But it doesn't make me happy." "Do you feel like sleeping together tonight?" "No." "Bye Chioccia, thanks again." "It's a pleasure to drive in Italy." "Nobody cares how fast you drive." "Ah, welcome back sir." "I must confess that deep down I've been waiting for you." " From when?" " The other night." "Do you remember where we were up to?" " More or less." " More or less?" " Yes." " I remember it all, word for word." "We were here... exactly at this point..." " Who is it?" " Hello Giulia." " Oh grandad, it's you." " You were supposed to call me." " So much to do!" "Your move?" " Pardon?" " Your move." " Oh, the move, let me think!" "Have you decided?" "Oh yes..." "Tower... in F8." "What are you saying?" "Are you mad?" "This move will ruin you." "The black bishop will checkmate you." "Yes, yes." "I know that leads to checkmate, but... that'll do..." "For thousands of years this margin of land has provided for its inhabitants." "Then, without warning everything changed and life has become a human tragedy." "Look at these children." "They are affected by a terrible affliction that kills tens, hundreds of thousands every year:" "famine." "Who has stripped this area of Africa?" "It's plains?" "Pastures?" "Livestock?" "Who has transformed their fertile land into a barren desert?" "War." "Aeroplanes, bombs and missiles." "For these children they might appear as the evil forces of nature." "But we know that's not true." "We understand it's the new face of war today:" "arms traffickers, unscrupulous, businessmen with no morals selling their instruments of death to democracies and dictators alike." "They sell to terrorists and legitimate governments in Asia," "Africa and South America." "How have they illegally overstep- ped the limits of so many countires?" "Behind every modern war there are huge, secret interests at play." "They are born, then hidden in secret back rooms, discretely encoded by computers." "Their tabulations show wars such as these as blips, codes in an overall operation, a load of weapons seem like toys to them, a genocide is just a number with many zeroes." "But their computers never carry names for the dying, never a mention of these arms, these legs, these faces, these empty eyes..." "Hello." "Yes, that's me." "Who's this?" "Yes, Yes, I'll come straight away." "What is it?" "My father." " Miss Antinari..." " How is he?" "He's upstairs." "The doctor is there." "This is all we need." "We have so much to contend with already." "But your husband couldn't think of anything better..." "You're drunk!" "Be careful, don't even try it." "Stay calm, relax, relax!" "Don't even think about it, do you understand?" "It's all his fault." "It's been you that has brought him down." "You'd like to see him dead." " Mum, He has nothing to do with it." " This is a family meeting." "Do you mind waiting in the other area?" "Dear Anna, just a few words." "You know that I have never judged your feelings, but I beg that you don't confide in Dino." "He's betrayed me, in future he'll work against you and the family." "After I'm gone you will be in danger." "I want you to go to my father's, he will protect you." "I'll leave the key in a security box at the station." "There you'll find something that will stop Dino from hurting you." "Whatever you do, don't mention the keys to him." "I'm warning you and in particular for Giulia:" "she is the heiress to the family and therefore the most threatened." " May I ask what you are reading?" " No." "You're not the type to open other's mail." " I thought I saw an envelope." " You are seeing things." "Greta has woken up, she'd like to see you." "I'll go straight away." "I expect that you'll be on your way then." "You imagine correctly." "It didn't seem like such a great night for you..." "Lucky we arrived when we did." "He had taken a few." "Two hours later and it would've been difficult to save him." "Is it still serious?" "No, but he's still confused, but he'll get over that." "We've cleared his stomach, and given some heart medication." " Can we see him now, can we speak?" " Certainly." "Stay close by and if there's any concern then call, I'll come back." "Let's go." "Once upon a time in a faraway land there lived a king." "He was very sad because his daughter didn't want to grow up." "And she was nicknamed" "Twiggy." "She was tiny, so so tiny." "So the King called his council to ask their help." "He called for doctors and scientists from all over the world." "Unfortunately, none of them were able to make Twiggy grow." "Then one day, a young man came to this land, he was also very, very small, just like Twiggy." "When she saw him, her eyes sparkled and she cried out," ""Hey, you're small just like I am!" "What's your name?"" ""Twiggy" he replied. "I live in a faraway land where everyone is like us." "I knew that you were just like me when I saw you. "" "I can't even succeed at killing myself." "Why, daddy?" "Why did you do this?" "Because, one can't live a life... can't live behind a mask all their life." "Years pass, and after a while you realise that it doesn't go away." "That mask has become your own face." "Stop it, stop saying those words." "Please, I can't hear anymore." "One can't say you have a great father can you?" "You are the best father in the world." "I'm not as I seem Giulia." "The bank has consumed me, bit by bit." "That's enough." "Enough of that kind of talk." "Go to sleep, you need to get some rest." "How is he?" "Bad." "He's desperate, hopeless." "He doesn't want to live." "I don't know, it's as if... as if something has broken up inside." "He can't seem to get it together..." "Giulia," "don't be like that, come on, it makes it worse." " I'm going to spend the night here." " Alright." " May I..." "I'll have to take your car." " Yes." " Bye." " Bye." "He's opening a security box." "There's a large, yellow envelope." "There seems to be a photo inside." "Yes, it's a photograph." "Don't let him out of your sight, not for an instant." "It's not there!" "It's disappeared!" "He's accelerating..." "I think he's seen me." "The order is not to lose sight of him - at any cost!" "I'll deliver him myself." "This is very important." "Swear to me that you didn't give that letter to Dino!" "I swear Carlo." "I have never seen that letter." "I don't even know what letter you're talking about." "I know that you don't trust me, but I am not lying to you!" " He stole it!" " Who?" "Dino, he has taken it!" "Taken what?" "The letter?" "What is this letter?" "I have to leave." "I have to go to my father's." "But you can't, the doctor has said that you're still..." "Don't tell anybody, but above all don't tell Dino." " Carlo, let me come with you." " No... no." " I beg you... give me a chance." " No no... no." "Giulia will take me to the airport." "Dad, I've been thinking about you all night." "Why did you say last night that you're not a good father?" "For me you'll always be the person..." "Hopefully within a few days I can explain it all..." "But right now I can't, I have to speak with your grandfather." "Can't you try and explain some to me right now?" "It might help you..." " If you need someone to talk to..." " Enough Giulia." "Please let it go Giulia, now's not the time, I beg you." "Dino Alessi, Laudeo, Yfter..." "We know these already," "There is another that you may not know about, but I do." "He's a spy from the East, an important figure they call Leibnitz." " This photo is a time-bomb." " Why hasn't Carlo used it before?" "I don't know exactly, but I think the real problem is that fellow there." "Who can that be?" "A man who Carlo can call upon to save his family, after he decides to end it all." "He doesn't even have the face of a criminal." "Dad, please let me go with you, come on." "I can't just let you go off like this..." "No, love, stay here, you need to be near your mother and Greta." "You are the oldest, you must remember that." " When are you coming back?" " Soon Giulia, soon." "Bye." "Here you go." "Do you like this kind of life?" "Far from home for so long and in a place you don't know well." "It's a bit strange, but that's exactly what I like about it." "That is, I like that it is mysterious work." "Nobody sees you, nobody hears you." "Here for example, everything is covert, protected, under-cover, soundproofed." "Corrado, I enjoy working on important tasks, even if I'm not in the limelight." "Well, you'll never receive a medal that way." "You're wrong there: they've already given me one." "For?" "For what?" "Oh that's it - for secret services in aid of government." "But I can't even show it off to anyone." "It's in a security box in Maryland." "Occasionally, if I feel like it, I can go and have a peek." "Well done." "It must be very satisfying." "Listen Corrado, if all goes well," "I'll have them give you a medal as well." "I imagine you guys will also keep that in some archive." "Naturally, in any case, when you feel like coming to see it, you just need to get on a plane." "If something should happen to you, the medal can be in your memory." "We can also allow access for your relatives." "I don't have anyone..." "Well, in the name of the United States of America," "I present you with this..." "You can take care of the ribbon." "How do you manage to stay so happy?" "I don't know." "Life is a grand and most beautiful thing." "I have a painting to deliver." "They've found us!" "Out!" "Everybody out!" " Bert!" "Get out!" "Get out of here!" "Bert!" "Don't let him escape." "Over there!" "Over there!" "Get in the cars!" "Watch him every second he's outside." "We've got to take him." "Help me!" "Here he is." "This is Bert." "And it's my fault that he is dead." "I brought the killers..." "right to his door." "Don't take the guilt, it's not your fault." "I bring death." "I found myself in front of that guy all of a sudden... he wouldn't even have been twenty years old." "And I killed him." "Why didn't he shoot first?" "Perhaps because he was only twenty years old." " So why did I shoot?" " You did it to save yourself." "No, I did it..." "I did it for hate." "Do you understand?" "I did it because I wanted to see if his blood was the same colour as Bert's, as Else's, as Paola's." "No, it's better if you hold it." "Better for someone like me to go around empty-handed." "You hold it." "Yes, I'll get rid of it." "I hope that you find no reason to come back for it." "It hasn't helped you yet, and won't help you in the future." "There's no weapon that can take away the harm that has occurred." "Not even the most recent." "And what will you do now?" "I don't know, I have nothing, no proof, and nobody will believe me." " They have won." " Who are "they"?" "They have many faces." "but for me, they all represent one thing: evil." "Good girl, Rosaria." "The smile of a young maiden is what a man desires when he is wrongly deprived of his freedom, and then finally returned to life." "Hello Salvo." " I brought you some sweets." " Oh, I bet you made them yourself." "but now you've bloomed into a flower." "When your mother left you to me, you were only a little bud," "I deserve a little pat on the back don't I?" "So, Salvo, how are things?" "Well, since all this trouble with you inside, there's been little respect among friends." "That doesn't matter, we'll regain that respect!" "And do you know how?" "With money!" "Loads of it!" "Loads of new business." "The more money, the more business and the more respect." "Am I right Rosaria?" "Now step on it Salvo, get us home straight away." "Good." "Everything has more or less remained as it was." "There won't be any need to rearrange anything." "This way sir, your father is waiting for you." "Unfortunately, I have to ask for your help again." "But for me that's a pleasure." "It gives me a breath of life." "I was beginning to become lazy, and you have awoken me." " Listen dad, I..." " Stay a few days and we can talk over everything." "Besides, a son that doesn't give his father some trouble, is not a true son." "It's been such a long time since I heard from you that" "I almost forgot you existed." "Every country sells weapons." "As a business it has always existed." "Italy sells arms to Argentina, Egypt sells arms to Iran," "Israel sells arms to the South African Republic," "France, Germany, Russia, the United States." "Weapons arrive form every corner of the world." "It's a merry-go-round that every- one closes their eyes to." "But not me, I don't want to close my eyes anymore." "But you're a man that takes part in this enterprise and you direct a firm that circulates the money." "Money has no morals." "Are we to blame if politicians support the development of arms?" "Is it our fault that arms develop- ment is one of the most lucrative sectors of business?" "We're not saints, but nor are we demons." "We're just the notaries of other people's affairs, and this time, other people's corruption." "I no longer want to be authorising millions of deaths." "Our participation is... purely technical." "We mustn't feel responsible just because we finance these programs that don't involve us." "What you are saying is a lie!" "Our participation is killing people!" "Provokes massacres!" "But we have also financed hospitals, roads, houses, schools..." "Why are you pretending to not understand?" "What do you want from me?" "I left you a sound set of banks, all running efficiently." "You're to blame for the poor business decisions." "It's easy to run efficiently and soundly when you recycle tainted money, when you traffic arms." "Do you want to know why I made these what you define as bad business decisions?" "Because I was deluded in thinking I could break this illicit cycle of trafficking." "I wanted to show you it was possible to do business without getting your hands dirty." "Do you think you have won?" "If I had won, I wouldn't be here." "Patience." "You may have gained some experience for the next time." "Now you must quickly cover that hole at the Hong Kong bank." "I've been trying for some time, but... but it's like digging for gold with your hands." "There are only two ways to take control of this and both ways require tackling it head on." "On the one hand, there's Dino's plan, which you must admit is brilliant." "On the other hand there's the money you can recover by underselling to those vultures who are waiting patiently for our downfall." "You choose." "I don't want to play head on." "That's all you can do." "You see?" "You've gone your own way." "but there is a penalty of ten points." "And we become your fallen skittles." "We pay the price for it." "There is one more thing I can do," "and that is retire, and abandon the game." " Hello?" " Hello Giulia, it's me." " Where are you?" " I'll meet you on the highway." "Take care that no-one follows you." "What is it?" "Has something happened?" "I'll explain it all in person." "Just don't say a word to anyone." " Are you coming?" " Yes, of course." "Right away." "Are you sure no-one has followed you?" "No, I don't think so." "What's going on?" "Corrado, why are you hiding?" "Oh Giulia," " I need you Giulia." " And I need you..." "I love you, you know that?" "I also love you, I love you so, so much." "Listen, let's get away from here." "I'll take you to a spot where nobody will find us." " Sure." " OK, come away with me." "Come away." "Power of attorney." "What do you plan to do with this?" "What you've already set up." "Sell the current stock, give way to the loans write off the blackmail money, liquidate the assets and if it's still necessary..." "We can play the overseas market, with personal guarantees." "I'll take care of everything." "Don't worry, we'll come out of this, you will see." "Trust me" "Why not go to Semio for a while?" "It's so beautiful at this time of the year." "A good rest is what you need, it will do you good." "Everything has already been arr- anged for your arrival." "Dad..." "You wouldn't betray me, would you?" "Go to Semio." "You must have faith in me, I won't betray you."