He decided to put aside, at least for the moment, four IP addresses, because they belonged to newspapers and it was very probable that reporters displayed their articles or the competitors’ ones.
Then he rejected two further names, because they were registered in the Reporters Association and so the reasoning made for the previous names was valid too.
Four names remained and now the only thing he could do was finding further information about them, in order to have a well organized work for that morning, ready to be submitted to Parisi and Captain Colombo.
The first name was Flavio Capena, a sales agent, thirty-nine years old, married and with a four-years-old child.
His wife was called Silvia Rossi, bookkeeper.
They lived in Albano with no one else, so they had to verify only these two people.
The second person was called Guido Santi, single, twenty-nine years old and living in Ariccia. In this case they had to verify if someone else could have access to the same connection to the Net and to Santi’s PC. So the Commissioner wrote a note next to the boy’s name and went on analysing the list.
The following name was Ada Forti, seventy-six years old, retired from the Education Ministry and resident in Frascati. She was a widower living with her son, Paolo Mero, forty-two years old, cinema reviewer.
A further investigation allowed Germano to discover in which school Mrs. Forti had taught for many years.
The last person the Commissioner analysed was Carlo Amedei, thirty-two years old, graphic designer and married with Carmela Esposito; they had four children and lived in a flat in Marino.
Without Germano noticing it, it was eight o’clock and Parisi was going to arrive. So the Commissioner decided to go to the coffee bar for breakfast, waiting for his colleague to reach him.
Half an hour later the two policemen were sitting at their desks, wondering on their next moves.
“What about starting from these four people and then widening the search, Vincent?”
“I agree, Angelo. Maybe we could give the first two names to Carabinieri, that is the couple Capena-Rossi and Mr. Guido Santi. In the meantime we could go to Mrs. Ada Forti e Mr. Carlo Amedei.”
“Ok.”
“I go and call Captain Colombo... Is there any news about the surveillance to the possible future victims?”
“Before coming here I called Venditti and Piazza, but they had nothing to signal. I told them to stay there all day long. This evening we will take stock of the situation.”
“Well... by the way, when do schools usually open after Christmas holidays, Angelo?”
“I think on the seventh or eighth January. Why?”
“Nothing important. However, even if schools are closed to the public I suppose someone is always working in, isn’t it?”
“I think so, Vincent, but what’s the problem? Do you want to speak with your son’s teachers out of season? Incidentally, how is he getting on at school?”
“My son is a disaster. That’s why I’d like to have a talk to a certain headmaster called Armando Gatta.”
“Ok, do you want me to call him for you while you speak with Captain Colombo?”
“Ok, thanks. This is the phone number of the school, ask him to receive me as soon as possible.”
“Of course, Vincent.”
When the Commissioner came back, ten minutes later, he found Parisi sitting with his arms folded and the eyes fixed on him.
“Why do you stare at me like this, Angelo?”
“I called the headmaster and he confirmed me that in an hour he will be waiting for you in his office.”
“Thanks. What’s the problem then?”
“The problem is that Mr. Gatta is the headmaster of a secondary school while your son is nine years old....”
Parisi understood that something was taking shape into the Commissioner’s head, but preferred not to ask anything else.
Germano met the headmaster at the agreed hour and, after having exchanged civilities, he was invited to seat down.
“Something serious must have happened if you asked to speak to me immediately, isn’t it?”
“Don’t worry, my visit has nothing to do with proceedings against some of your pupils or current employees.”
“This is a good thing... why did you say ‘current’ employees?”
“Because you can help me about something happened some years ago...I know that a teacher called Ada Forti taught in this school up to 1992. Did you know her?”
“Unfortunately not, I arrived here only in 2000.”
“I see. However, I’d like to examine some old class registers belonging to Mrs. Forti, only one could be enough.”
“1992 ... unfortunately we don’t have the old registers here.”
“What a pity!”
“But, what do you need exactly, Commissioner?”
“A sample of Mrs. Forti’s handwriting.”
“In that case maybe you can have a look at our archives. There are a lot of things concerning our school. ”
“Wonderful!”
“Wait a moment, please. I ask a janitor to take you downstairs.”
Two hours and a half later the telephone in the office of Doctor Frisco, expert in handwriting analysis, rang.
“Hello?”
“Good morning, Germano’s on the phone.”
“Good morning. We are finishing that report on the handwriting you asked me, you will receive it within this week.”
“Don’t worry. I called you to know if you have ten minutes for me today...”
“Today? When?”
“Immediately, if you can. Just the time to reach you.”
“Half an hour?”
“Yes, wonderful. See you later.”
To reach Doctor Frisco’s office there were six flights of stairs; Germano covered them in one go and announced he was there.
He had to wait some moments because doctor Frisco was busy at the moment.
“Here we are, Germano.”
“Thanks for having received me immediately”
“No problem. Please come in and tell me what you need.”
Half an hour later
“Hello.”
“Angelo, I’m Vincent!”
“What happened? What’s this noise?”
“I’m in the car, I’m coming back from Rome. Please listen what you have to do. Call Piazza and Venditti and tell them to reach us immediately at the police station.”
“Did you find the killer?”
“No, for the moment, but I discovered who wrote the letters. Frisco recognized the handwriting of an old note written by Mrs. Forti, a thank-you letter she wrote to the school when she retired...”
“Is he sure of what he tells?”
“He told he’s 90% sure, I add the other 10%, so let’s try not to arrive late this time.”
“Bless me! I call them right now.”
“Well, see you soon.”
Twenty minutes later they were all around the table of the police station, waiting for directions.
“So”, Germano said, “if we are right Mrs. Forti knows the killer very well.”
“Are you thinking of her son?”
“Yes, Angelo. First of all we must take the lady and put her in a safe place, then we can search the house.”
“Are we going to be alone?”
“Yes, for the moment. Let’s go there and check the situation. First of all we should understand if the son is there or not, only later we can start thinking of what to do; do they live in an isolated house, isn’t it?”
“Yes, near Frascati.”
“Well, in this way we can take the lady away from the house more easily.”
“Excuse me, Vincent, but can’t we do an electronic shadowing to see where is the son?”
“No, we can’t. I searched everywhere but there isn’t any telephone number registered in the name of Mrs. Forti or of her son, Paolo Mero.”
“What a pity! How do you think we can attract her out of t
he house, Vincent?”
“I don’t know, do you think it’s too late to deliver a letter?”
The first place the four policemen visited was the post office. They asked the director if that day the postman had already gone to the area where Paolo Mero and his mother lived and the answer was negative.
So, they invited the responsible not to send anyone that day to deliver letters. With great kindness they were given a scooter with the sign of the post office, so that they could camouflage themselves better.
Once outside, it took them ten minutes to reach Mrs. Forti’s house, due to the ice that, together with snow, made the drive difficult, especially on a scooter.
Parisi was asked to drive the scooter offered by the post office and, even if he risked falling a couple of times, at the end he reached the address.
Both the police car, where Venditti, Piazza and Germano travelled, and the scooter pulled over the side of the road.
They decided to leave the car there and continue by foot, into the snow, for the short stretch that separated them from the house.
Parisi waited the three policemen to hide near the entrance gate and then started to cover that uphill stretch of road on the scooter.
Once parked, he got out a postman’s leather bag, offered him by the director of the post office, and rang the bell.
“Who is it?”
“The postman. There’s an advice of delivery you must sign.” Parisi, after having assured that the lady was Mrs. Forti, nodded to the others to keep ready.
The Inspector heard the door open and saw an old lady coming out, he had the impression she limped a bit but, despite of this, some seconds later she reached the gate.
“Good morning, Mrs. Forti. I have a letter for you.”
“Ok, please give me the register.”
“Yes, wait a moment please... here is the pen.”
After having passed through the gate the sheet that had to be signed, Inspector Parisi folded the arms, waiting.
“This pen doesn’t write...”
“Damn! Wait a moment, I should have another one...”
“If you don’t have it, I go and take one into the house...”
Parisi took his chance.
“I can’t find it...”
“Please, come in. It’s really cold outside.”
As soon as the gate opened the three policemen burst into the house, firearms in hand; the Commissioner immediately addressed to the lady, trying to keep a calm tone.
“Are you alone, Mrs. Forti? We are policemen.”
“Oh, my God... no, I’m not alone, my son is in...”
“So, you must come with us.”
“Where? Are you going to hurt Paolo?”
“Don’t worry, if your son cooperates, nothing will happen.”
The four policemen headed for the service car parked on the side of the road, together with the former teacher.
Parisi had just asked the Commissioner if they had to ask for support to the police station, and he was going to answer him to inform Captain Colombo, when they heard a muffled noise. A man had gone out from the rear door of the house and was running towards the wood adjacent to the house.
Germano asked Venditti to take Mrs. Forti to the car and then to the police station. While he set off, Germano, Piazza and Parisi started running towards the wood.
The two Inspectors proceeded with difficulty, as if they were blind, while the Commissioner, having learned how to move into the snow in those long days, proceeded much more regularly, aware that they would have been safe as long as they could see footprints in the snow.
When they reached the middle of the wood, they stopped. Communicating with gestures, they decided to move as hunters looking for wild boars, that is never being one in front of the other.
Germano, even if he continued walking, stopped several times, desperately looking for a noise made by the killer, that could guide him.
He had just closed his eyes when he heard a roar, made much more surreal by the wood covered with snow. It was the unmistakable noise you can hear after having pulled the trigger.
At that point, the Commissioner’s run became breathless and accidental, for almost forty seconds Germano proceeded nearly kneeling, up to the tragic, but foreseeable, discovery.
Paolo Mero’s body lied lifeless into the snow, which further exalted the deep red of blood.
Paolo Mero wasn’t made for prison, the lonely avenger had decided not to allow anyone to arrest him.
Germano imagined that during that last and hopeless run into the wood, Paolo Mero had tried himself for the crimes he had committed and had also passed the sentence.
In a few moments the area was isolated for the necessary investigations, and, only at that moment, Mrs. Forti was driven to the police station.
She was taken to a room at the second floor where, after a first visit by the psychologists, Germano reached her.
The Commissioner, very embarrassed, didn’t know what to say.
“Madam...”
“Please, don’t tell me anything, Commissioner. Having a son like this was terrible.”
“Your husband fell ill for this reason, I suppose.”
“Gino felt he was responsible for having created such a son, he also tried to change him, to protect him... he even covered him some times.”
“So it wasn’t a surprise for you...”
“No, ten years ago my husband and I suspected he had killed a couple who was in their car not far from where we live. That evening Paolo had quarrelled with his girlfriend and, knowing him, we thought he had vented his anger on the first people he met. How can we know what happens in the mind of a person like Paolo...”
“However your son had a clean record...”
“In fact, no one apart from my husband and I, suspected anything. He always managed to get away with it...this time I tried to avoid him to make a mess, but...”
“I know, Madam...”
“I’d like to confess you something, Commissioner. It’s a terrible confession. When I heard the shot, while you were in the wood, I thought you had shot him. Maybe you won’t trust me, but for a second I felt I was free, I was nearly happy.... It’s very sad to say this...”
“I don’t think it’s your fault, it’s useless to say it, Madam.”
“Maybe you are right, Commissioner, but I will always have this doubt.”
Outside it had stopped snowing, a sudden, unexpected ray of sun appeared on the horizon, passing through the unbearable greyness of clouds.
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[1] Carabinieri is the Italian national military police.
[2] The Italian translation of “Gemini” is “gemelli”, that means twins.
[3] Leone is the Italian translation for “lion”, that has the same meaning as “Leo”, the sign of the zodiac.
/> Claudio Ruggeri, Horoscope
Horoscope Page 8
