by P J Mann
“What if her father asked her to help him? What if she had the connections to help him reach France or any other country like a ghost?” She pondered, weighing all the possible explanations.
“That’s the reason why I call her figure controversial, and her relationship with Luciano more suspicious. If you are in a relationship with someone, the least you want to do is make them suffer, so you are not going to kill the father... I can’t place her anywhere with any certainty,” he said, his eyes steady on the road. “There’s more,” he added. “Last night, we met a very strange crew of fishermen. The captain is a man who used to frequent one of the restaurants on the dock, but suddenly, he’s reluctant to even step foot outside of his ship. The rest of the crew arrived later, only exchanging murmured words between each other. It was as if they were going to a funeral...”
“Well, that’s weird,” muttered Senior officer Milani.
“Would you consider it a coincidence that all these facts happened at the exact same time? I mean, Igor disappears and his car has been found at the dock. This captain and the members of his crew suddenly turn into zombies, without an apparent reason. Irina returns to regularly call Luciano from Hungary, and Igor? Well, he simply disappeared, probably in South America with a fake ID. Obviously, Igor is the killer, but is there a role in this for Irina too? What about Ms. Fazekas? Was it a well-orchestrated plan to get her hands on 30 million Euros of insurance allotment? Even if you divide that amount of money in three, it’s enough to make them all rich.”
Silence dropped in the car, as the noise of the engine and the beeping of the radio filled the gap. Maurizio’s heart started to race, populating his mind with thousands of questions, which answers he knew would have created other questions, until there wouldn’t be any more of them. His head was about to explode without having reached any solution, besides the responsibility of Igor, for which the Interpol, the French, and Spanish Police had been alerted.
Despite this, the case couldn’t be closed until all the other players would have found their place in the crime scene, and they would be given to the judge to confirm their responsibility or to acquit them.
One thing for sure, he needed proof to arrest any of them, and suspicion alone wasn’t enough. I will have to ask for a request to interrogate Irina. She has too many things to explain and to prove. After the call with Ms. Fazekas’ sister, I will call Luciano one more time and according to their answers, I’ll decide how to act. I will make sure the press will be informed about the incoming closure of the case having Mr. Leonov accused of the murder acting alone. This is also something I can reveal today to Luciano.
A grin appeared on his face. “You know what? I’m going to release the funds from the insurance and keep a very close eye on what everybody is doing. I will also invite Irina here for a final statement, as the killer is her father, we need her to testify and to clarify her position. Once they have the assurance that the case is closed, they’ll loosen up and lower their guard.”
Stopping the car in one of the parking spaces around the dock of Civitavecchia, Maurizio drew a long exhale, and turned to Senior officer Milani. “So, first we’re going to see whether the ‘Sea Rider’ is in the dock. In that case I’m sure I’ll find the Captain there, if it’s true as he said and he never leaves it. Let’s hope something interesting comes out of it.”
With those words, he rushed out of the car and started to walk to the harbor.
***
Aldo and Mario were the only ones from the team who remained to clean up after the fishing. There was a lot to be done, and the only thing they were looking for, was to go to sleep after the long night spent on the sea. In silence, hardly exchanging a glance as if they were invisible to each other, they kept on with their duties, and didn’t notice the arrival of Maurizio and Senior officer Milani.
Observing the two men silently working, Maurizio hesitated to grab their attention taking a second to understand whether this was to be considered normal behavior. Other boats arrived in that same dock, and although the members of the crew were clearly tired and looking forward to rest, they still had the strength to exchange a chat with each other, and divide the tasks to be done for the day, before they all could go and rest for the night.
Different than the previous night, when silence seemed to be almost deafening, during the day, the noises of the boats, the lapping of the waves, and the voices of the fishermen filled the air. The breezes ushered in the smell of salt, fish, engine gasoline and oil that blended together into a pungent scent, one which allowed them at times to come to their senses.
Only the ‘Sea Rider’ created a gap of silence between one ship and the other.
Shaking his head, as if to return from his inner considerations, Maurizio walked a few steps toward the boat. “Good morning,” he greeted, making sure the badge he kept hanging from his neck was clearly visible, as Senior officer Milani kept herself at a certain distance to keep an eye on whatever was happening around.
Aldo turned his gaze in the direction of the owner of the voice and recognizing the same detective he saw the previous night, he froze in the same position, waiting for him to come and arrest him. He didn’t fear ending up in jail, nor the shame of being arrested for the murder, after all he knew he deserved to be punished for something he hadn’t pondered with the right clarity of mind. What he was afraid of was the future for the rest of his team. Those were the people that, although they agreed to the murder, had to lose the most from his imprisonment.
“Good morning, detective,” he replied, walking closer to him.
“Do you mind a couple of questions?” Maurizio asked.
A weak smirk, moved the features of Aldo’s face, “If I know the answers...” With a swift gesture he invited Maurizio to climb to the boat.
“Thank you, it won’t take long. I can see you’re busy here.” He commenced taking the pictures of Irina and Igor out from his pocket. “Have you seen any of these two people around here recently?”
The trembling hand of Aldo reached for the two pictures; he noticed and recognized them as Maurizio handed them to him. The torturing feeling of having no idea where to hide, and that Maurizio knew what happened to Igor, forced him to lower his gaze, focusing on those two images.
The eyes of Igor, watching him from the photograph, took life, asking him once again the reason why he had to agree to such a deal. With an almost imperceptible twitch of his lips, he placed the picture behind the one of Irina, hoping to find some shelter from those questioning eyes.
Yet, the only thing he found was the memory of the pleasure with which she convinced him to agree with the deal of having her father murdered on their way to France.
“I have no idea who they are, I don’t remember having seen any of them around or perhaps I haven’t noticed them,” Aldo said, handing the images back to Maurizio. “There are many people coming here every day as we tend to sell directly to the customers our fresh fish when we return at seven o’clock. During the day, people are coming and going, and it’s difficult to remember or to pay attention to anyone, unless they have some particular trait that grabs the attention.”
“Hmm...” muttered Maurizio, placing the photos back in his pocket.
“Who are they, by the way?” Aldo tried to pretend being interested in their identity, because he wanted to know whether they had any idea about the murder.
“The man is accused of murder, and we’re looking for him, hoping he didn’t make it to France, or Spain...”
“Have you checked on the ticket sale for the cruises? Could it be so and they both took one of those cruise ships?” Aldo tensed his shoulders, considering that, perhaps the police thought Igor escaped abroad. And without a corpse or any other evidence, there’s no way they could discover what happened that night, when I brought her to meet with Alec.
With a deep exhale, Aldo felt relaxed, and despite the turmoil with his conscience, he felt confident the police weren’t after him, and perhaps they never would b
e.
“I see … well, thank you anyway. I won’t waste your time any longer, but if you happen to remember anything, I would like you to call this number.” Maurizio handed him a business card with his name and telephone number. He seldom used a business card, but in that particular case, he needed to be the one he’d contact directly.
I’m not a psychologist, but I know when someone has something to say and can’t find the words or the courage to spit everything out, he thought.
Grabbing the card, he placed it absentmindedly in the pocket of his trousers, “I will. Have a nice day, detective,” he muttered as Maurizio turned his shoulders to him and climbed down the boat.
“They are hiding something,” Senior officer Milani whispered as they were leaving. “The other man almost tried to hide, fearing of being questioned. I don’t know whether they have something illegal in their activity or it was something connected to the case, but we need to keep an eye on them.”
Maurizio didn’t reply immediately, he was still processing in his mind the chat he had with Aldo and the vibes he had from his elusive behavior. He didn’t’ notice Mario, but what Senior officer Milani said about him fitted perfectly with the impressions he also had and shared with her.
His phone ringing startled him, and he almost was tempted to turn his face, wondering whether it was Aldo calling him. A slight disappointment darkened his expression as he read the caller ID, noticing the number of Leonardo.
“Tell me your news,” he answered, in a busy tone, walking toward the car.
“We’ve completed the search of the car, and we couldn’t find anything suspicious. Nevertheless, it was clear there were two people in the car and he was driving.” Leonardo replied without minding at the formalism. “Since Irina was with him in the apartment, we can conclude she was the passenger, and they have probably left the country together.”
That conclusion hit Maurizio right in his guts. Not that he didn’t have the same feeling, but he hoped he could have stopped them before. Although the Interpol, together with the French and Spanish Police were alerted, they’d wasted precious time allowing Igor to be safely hidden God-only-knew where. “I know. We asked the same guy we saw yesterday at the dock, and according to him, he hasn’t ever seen either Igor or Irina. He suggested we check the cruise ticket office, but we all know their passports hadn’t been recorded at any of the border control. Therefore, one option that comes to my mind is that they left the country illegally.”
“That’s the most feasible one but doesn’t give us any chance to get them back.” Leonardo grimaced, knowing they shouldn’t have underestimated the ease by which moving through the border could have given so many troubles when dealing with a crime. “What are you going to do now?”
“We need to play smart,” Maurizio looked around as if to grasp an idea from somewhere. “I’ll mobilize a few officers to follow every single step, track every phone call of Luciano Calvani and Madlen Fazekas. They are the only two who didn’t leave the country. I will release the funds for the insurance, and we’ll see what will happen. If any of them are connected to the crime, we will know and act immediately. We might have the chance to get the position of either Irina or Igor.”
Maurizio walked to the car mentally filing a list of things to do in the next few minutes. Turning to Senior officer Milani, he frowned, “Call Officers Mariani and Siri. Tell them both to follow Mr. Calvani like shadows. Never leave him alone, not even in the bathroom. I want a detailed report about what he’s doing, where he’s going, the people he’s meeting and his telephone calls at the end of each day. Nothing should be left unreported, and if anything suspicious should arise, I want to be notified immediately, so as to order a warrant to arrest him. Tell them to be ready to bring him in at any time. Also, order the night shift for Officers Cattaneo and Marchesi. I will organize the same surveillance for Mrs. Fazekas in the meantime.”
“Yes, sir,” she briefly replied, grabbing the radio.
“Now we’re going to the apartment of Mrs. Fazekas, and let’s hope she’ll be there willing and ready to solve that little mystery for us,” Maurizio added as they reached the car.
CHAPTER 21
Maurizio and Senior officer Milani returned to the Department after three o’clock in the afternoon. The two teams of officers were already on their duty to follow and report everything happening with Madlen and Luciano, but Maurizio just received other pieces of that crazy puzzle from the visit to Madlen.
In his office, together with Senior officer Milani, they began to put everything together and clarify the situation. “So, let’s start from Irina,” Maurizio began spreading the dossier on the table, where he collected all the evidence.
“She was raised mostly by her aunt and studied in Hungary. The relationship with both her parents is smooth, like those you could expect in a normal family. The mother called her every day and went to see her every time her work allowed her. Madlen described her as a quiet girl with a great determination and sense of humor. Her aunt describes her as a restless child, who cooled down with age. She didn’t seem to have had any trouble, either at school or frequenting wrong companies, I mean the typical lively child, who turned out to be a normal teenager. At school she’d always been a proficient student and started to work part-time during high school to earn some small money for herself.”
Senior officer Milani kept her eyes on the papers, following what Maurizio said. Resting her elbows on the desk, she crossed the fingers of her hands. “When she reached the age of fifteen, she started to travel to Italy, to spend some time with her mother, and other times with her father. Those were all recorded by the border passport control at the airport,” she continued.
“But one day, something happens, and she meets Luciano. According to him, they met at the university, when she was looking for a course to follow. The flame sparks, and they fall in love with each other. Yet, we have no idea whether she knew Luciano was her mother’s boyfriend’s son. This is something we can only imagine. According to Luciano, she didn’t know in the beginning, and she found out later.” Maurizio continued, standing up from his chair.
Following him with her gaze, Senior officer Milani continued. “Indeed, and from that moment on, her visits to Italy become more frequent, but they aren’t all recorded from any border control. According to Luciano and her mother, she was here in October. In December, none of her passports were recorded entering the Italian territory, but she was in Paris traveling with a friend of hers, this is according to her aunt as well. However, her presence was testified by a telephone number from a prepaid sim card. The card has a foreign operator, but the roaming was recorded in Rome.”
Maurizio started to pace around the room. “Yes, but these aren’t the only times she arrived in Italy. For an unspecified period, she was living with her father, but her passport was recorded only in Paris. According to what her aunt told us today, she’s now in Hungary, and we should move forward to get her here. The chief commissioner has provided grant permissions with the Hungarian government. We’re eagerly waiting for a reply.”
“Why would she try to enter Italy illegally?” Senior officer Milani shook her head.
“The first thought is that she didn’t want to be tracked, but she made too many mistakes, like showing herself around. The second one is that she might have been aware of the plans of her father to kill Mr. Calvani, and she tried her best to stop him, in virtue of the fact that he was the father of her boyfriend.” Maurizio tried to reason.
“Or perhaps she came to help him, because she was the one who had connections to allow them both to leave the country as fast as possible and without leaving any trace. But who could have been her contact?” Senior officer Milani wondered.
Maurizio stopped pacing and remained frozen. “The captain of the ‘Sea Rider’ for example. They were leaving for fishing. What if on that occasion they brought her to the coasts of Corsica?”
Shaking her head, Senior officer Milani’s hair, secured in a pon
ytail swung from side to side, “How would they have been able to elude the coastal guard? They need special permission to enter the territorial waters of another country, regardless of whether we’re talking of the EU, which has a special agreement.”
“This might be true, but it would fit with the strange behavior of the crew. Yet, this is just a theory and we have absolutely not a single clue in that direction. To be honest there isn’t a single proof that Irina and the captain knew each other, and the connection to reach the French coast could have been through other sources. Nevertheless, this could be one possibility we might take into account,” Maurizio returned to sit down in his chair and started to add some notes to one of the documents spread on the table.
“I guess we have the culprit. Igor Leonov killed Mr. Calvani out of jealousy. Was Irina also involved? Did she help her father by giving him the contact of the person who would have smuggled him far from the Italian territory? Did she pretend to fall in love with Luciano to obtain information about the garage where Mr. Calvani kept his car?” Senior officer Milani continued.
With a smirk, Maurizio leaned in his chair. “We’ll need to have those members of the crew questioned either as witnesses or as suspects. Then we will need to have Irina here to listen to her version of the facts, as a suspect. If the Interpol, the French Police or the Spanish Police will find Igor Leonov, we will have him here as the man who committed the crime.”
“So, the case is closed?” Senior officer Milani asked.
