171153.fb2 A long finish - читать онлайн бесплатно полную версию книги . Страница 49

A long finish - читать онлайн бесплатно полную версию книги . Страница 49

G: I’ve never had this great responsibility. But my brother… To me, Lisa’s like the ghost of some child I never had. I’m sorry, this sounds crazy.

Z: Not at all. I understand exactly what you mean. Unborn children are as real as the dead, after all. Or as unreal.

G: So when I heard that Vincenzo wanted that son of his to marry Lisa, I… Maurizio was calmer than me — how strange! He said there was nothing in it, that it was not like the old days any more, when a man could just… When he had this power to…

Z: But you were not so sure.

G: He was right, of course. I knew t?Ohat. But when Vincenzo started shouting at his son that evening across the table, calling him impotent and I don’t know what else besides, and then dragged Lisa’s name into it…

Z: What did he say?

G: If you’re that interested, you can find out from other people. There were plenty of them there, the whole village. It was about breaking a woman, the way you break a horse. I didn’t say anything at the time. It would only have drawn attention to his insults, and he would have repeated them still louder. But as soon as I got home I called him up and told him that if he ever mentioned my niece’s name in that way again…

Z: You’d kill him. Good for you. I’d have done the same.

G: I didn’t say that.

Z: It doesn’t matter. Now about this alibi. Are you prepared to swear in court that you were with Minot on the night Beppe Gallizio died? I need to know, you see, before I decide what to do next. God, this coffee certainly hit the spot. Careful with that gun, Dario. There’s one more thing you should know before you answer, Signor Faigano. After I’m finished with you, I’m going to have your brother up here and put exactly the same question to him. If your stories don’t match, of course, then that’s the end of that. You’ll both be entirely discredited as witnesses and will have no influence whatsoever on future developments. Just a thought.

G: There’s a problem.

Z: (grunt)

G: I need to talk to Maurizio.

Z: First it’s a lawyer you want, now it’s your brother. Maybe I should just have Dario take you downstairs and beat the shit out of you. Delete that, Morino. Dario, as you were. Very well, Signor Faigano, what do you need to talk to your beloved brother about?

G: It’s only fair. He’s in it as much as me.

Z: In what?

G: I can’t tell you until I’ve talked to Maurizio.

Z: Or maybe I’ll take care of it myself. Why should Dario have all the fun? Have we got any rubber truncheons, Morino? All right, get the little bastard up here. Jesus Christ, I can remember when interrogations used to be run by the police officer in charge. Now it’s like room service. Give me this, bring me that, and where’s the drink I ordered?

As above, plus Faigano, Maurizio Ernesto.

Z: Take off those cuffs and sit him down here. All right, Signor Gianni, he’s all yours.

G: It’s about Minot.

M: (gesture)

G: That alibi for the night Gallizio died. The dottore wants to know if we will support it in court. He thinks Minot is responsible for that murder and the other two as well, but he can’t arrest him if we say we were out with him after truffles when Bruno was shot.

M: (gesture)

G: (shrug)

M: (shrug)

G: We’re prepared to answer your question, dottore. But there’s a complication we want you to know about. Minot has had a hard life in many ways. He’s never really been accepted, you understand what I mean? As a result, he can be extremely vindictive on occasion. This might be one of them.

Z: Don’t worry, I can look after myself.

M: But what about us?

G: He won’t like us if we withdraw his alibi. He’ll probably tell you a pack of lies about us to get even. That’s the only reason we hesitated about cooperating.

Z: I’m used to dealing with lies. But why did you agree to perjure yourselves in the first place?

M: We didn’t.

G: We never swore an oath that this was true. We never even had any dealings with the police until you showed up. We were just doing a favour for a neighbour, that’s all.

Z: Putting yourself at risk with the law, and all out of the kindness of your hearts? That’s quite a favour.

G: Well, he sort of made a threat, too.

M: Not really a threat, but…

Z: What did he say?

G: He said he’d found some evidence connected to the Vincenzo case which could look bad for me, and that as former partisans we should all stick together.

Z: You fought together?

M: That was long ago.

G: Not for Minot. It was the only time he’s ever really been accepted, you see.

Z: Did he tell you what this supposed evidence was?

G: A button.

Z: That’s all?

G: From one of my jackets.

Z: What about it?

M: He said he’d found it near the spot where Vincenzo was killed.

Z: And what was he doing there?

G: He didn’t say.

Z: Did he show you the button?