The Haunted Inspector

by Ruggeri, Claudio; Kerry, Judy;

“Wait while I grab a pen.”

  “The girl bled to death; her femoral artery had been severed with a blade, but there’s something else.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “There was also an attempted rape, that’s why her jeans were pulled down slightly; we’ve managed to collect a sample of organic matter and with any luck we might get a match from the Forensic database...”

  “By organic matter, do you mean semen, Doctor? Sperm?”

  “That’s right, as well as everything we’ve found under her fingernails.”

  “I’m not feeling that optimistic, though. If he tried to rape her without taking precautions he must know that there’s no record of him on our DNA database.”

  “That’s true...but there was also an attempt at strangulation, although not with any serious intention; he was probably squeezing her throat as he tried to rape her.”

  “Possibly, doctor; while we were waiting for the official report we took a look at the missing persons report and have a few ideas, but we’ll need some of the girl’s personal belongings.”

  “The envelope with her chain, watch and hairclip is now ready for Forensics.”

  “Perfect, I’ll come by shortly, could you let me have some photos?”

  “They’re ready now, Inspector.”

  “Perfect, thanks, see you soon.”

  There are certain occupations, such as that of a police officer, where daily contact with the crime and evil that exists in the world tends to numb the various emotions experienced by human beings; sometimes you no longer notice and run the risk of treating people like numbers.

  On his way to signor Clementi’s house, Germano tried to remind himself of this.

  “Who is it?”

  “Inspector Germano”.

  “Please come up.”

  Usually, in cases such as this, when someone sees the Police at the door they do not yet know if what they are about to hear will be good news or bad, they open the door in a kind of trance; Germano knew how tactful he would have to be.

  “Please, sit down...”

  “Thank you...”

  “Were you passing by, Inspector?”

  “Yes, I was, actually. I had to get a few things from the hardware shop, so...”

  “Would you like a coffee?”

  “Yes please, nice and strong.”

  Once his cup was empty and his cigarette was nearing its end, Germano knew that it was time to get to the point.

  “I also stopped by to run something past you; I’ve brought with me some photos of a chain and a hairclip that were found near where Chiara disappeared. I know it’s a long shot but I would like you to have a look.”

  Signor Clementi’s gaze immediately wandered, probably looking for a reason for the unexpected visit; he took around a minute to respond.

  “Yes...these are Chiara’s” is all he said.

  Germano took his leave, asking Clementi to let him know once he felt ready to come into the station for a more detailed chat, although by now he had understood everything.

  The bad news troubled the inspector deeply, but this was nothing compared with what was awaiting him in the office.

  He arrived after a twenty-minute drive and as soon as he stepped into the station his gaze rested on Detective Parisi, who was waiting for him outside of his office, holding some paperwork. They both entered and sat down.

  “What have you got, Angelo?”

  “There’s been a major development, Vincent, the DNA results have come through.”

  “Go on.”

  “Our man has done it before, three times, fourteen years ago. He stopped at rape on those occasions; in fact you were actually involved in the case when you were with the Flying Squad.”

  At this, Germano’s expression immediately changed, he tried to utter something but could barely speak.

  “Have I said something wrong, Vincent? Look...I’ve already got hold of as much as I could on the old cases, so at least we won’t have to start from scratch...”

  But the inspector was not listening.

  “Hey, what’s wrong? Ok, he was never caught, but knowing you, I can’t believe that you were in any way to blame, maybe this time things will be different.”

  A timid response followed a few seconds later, and only after a while did Germano’s voice return to normal.

  “Yes, I remember...I was a Detective fourteen years ago, we searched high and low for him but didn’t get anywhere, although I should say that we searched for them...”

  “What do you mean?”

  “The last rape victim managed to rip his shirt open and saw a tattoo; it was the Gemini symbol, the zodiac sign as in the horoscopes.”

  “Go on.”

  “So we decided to call him The Twins, also for another reason...”, Germano lit a cigarette before continuing.

  “...his brazenness in committing those rapes gave us the impression that he knew that he’d never be caught, as if he was sure that we’d never look in his direction.”

  “A kind of Jekyll and Hyde character...”

  “Sort of, yes...but we never managed to identify him.”

  “Maybe he just got lucky.”

  “No, Angelo, I’m not a great believer in luck.”

  “What, then?”

  “I don’t think he was an expert in medicine as we managed to connect the three rapes, but only one month later. DNA testing wasn’t what it is today...so when we compared them it emerged that the same man had raped three women in the space of twenty days.”

  “He was careless...”

  “Yes, probably, but not in terms of the organic traces he left behind, that wasn’t what stopped him in my view. The problem was the tattoo, around ten centimetres in size, which his last victim saw on his chest, I mean...he was risking being identified just by being on the beach or in the gym once it was in the papers. The only chance he had was to make himself scarce and to some extent you could say that he almost succeeded.”

  “God...what a strange case.”

  “When you think that this morning, as I was talking to the medical examiner who was updating me on the organic traces found, I immediately ruled out the hypothesis that the DNA could be in our records, and yet, as it turns out...you should never rule anything out when it comes to him.”

  “Why did he kill this time?”

  “I think he lost control of the situation, from the autopsy it looks as if the knifing was an instinctive action to stop the girl.”

  “So she escapes, he chases her and when he sees that he’s not going to catch her he tries to reach her with the blade. Unfortunately he hits her femoral artery. Do you think that’s what happened, Vincent?”

  “Something like that, I don’t think he checked whether she was dead but fled in a panic.”

  “So, we’re dealing with someone who managed to keep out of trouble for fourteen years, but in the end...”

  “Exactly, he also lost his knack, by the look of what happened. This time it will be hard for him, but for us too, Angelo...it doesn’t look as if he has any contact with his victims before raping them, as if his picks them at random, the investigation into Chiara’s life and acquaintances will be useless...”

  “A tough nut to crack, eh?”

  “The worst there is, crazy son of a bitch...”

  A few seconds of reflective silence was interrupted once again by Parisi.

  “I’ve picked up a few things. Let me know if you need anything else from the old case and I’ll get it for you.”

  “Ok, thanks Angelo, let’s try and focus and work out where to start...come back in a couple of hours and we can touch base.”

  “Ok, see you later.”

  Germano waited until it was at least seven in the morning in San Francisco before picking up the phone.

  “Hello”.

  “Hi Dad, it’s me...”

  “Hey Vincent! How’s it going?”

  “Not too bad, thanks, what about you? Did I wake you up?”

 
“No, I’m still in the habit of taking my morning stroll! So what do I owe this...”

  “Nothing in particular, just to say hello.”

  “No offence, but I don’t believe you!”

  “I’ve never been any good at pulling the wool over your eyes...I’ve got a case on my hands and...the thing is...a girl has been murdered, the killer’s DNA has come up with a match and it’s raking up some memories.”

  “Of what?”

  “It relates to a guy who was raping women around fifteen years ago, we couldn’t catch him, or rather I couldn’t, seeing that I was in charge of the case when I was in the Flying Squad...”

  “You’re not talking about that guy who was like a ghost? The one with the tattoo...?”

  “Yes, dad, that’s the one, it looks as though he’s back.”

  “He also seems intent on doing even more damage...”

  “Well, actually, it doesn’t look as if he meant to kill her.”

  “You don’t just kill someone by accident.”

  “That’s true, and in fact this time he had a knife on him, whereas he wasn’t in the habit of carrying one before.”

  “Maybe he’s lost a bit of confidence.”

  “Yes, I think so too.”

  “So how far have you got?”

  “There should be something to go on...if I told you that I don’t know where to start would it make any difference?”

  “Oh, come on, it’s always like that at the start of a case.”

  “It’s different this time...”

  “I know, Vincent, have you really no idea how to go forward?”

  “I need to touch base with a colleague shortly, perhaps the right thing to do would be to forget about the past, about what happened years ago, I mean, and to start again right from where we are today.”

  “Careful, Vincent, don’t try and pretend that what happened back then didn’t happen just because it was your own personal failure, you would be making a big mistake...”

  “I was thinking of it differently...”

  “I know you too well, you’re my son, after all. And what I think is that you should pick up from where you left off all those years ago; it won’t be easy but it’s the right way.”

  “Pick up from there, eh...out of curiosity, how come you remembered that case so easily? It’s not by any chance because you’re keeping count of every time I draw a blank?”

  “Not at all, I remembered it because of something you said during the investigation, something that’s stayed with me. You said that he’d only shown certain sides of himself, certain aspects, and that it would be impossible to see him as a whole, to see what he was made of.”

  “God, what a memory!”

  “And apart from all this, have you got anything nice to tell me?”

  “Oh...Dad, I’m sorry but...I’ve just realised that I’m already late.”

  “I understand, but remember what I’ve told you.”

  “I will, and I’ll call again soon.”

  “Speak to you soon, then.”

  Pick up from where you left off.

  9

  The rest of the team had joined Detective Parisi in Germano’s office. On that late afternoon the inspector waited until everyone was seated before breaking the silence.

  “I gather you’ve all heard by now; our man is an old acquaintance, of mine in particular, and what I can tell you is that I don’t think he’s changed one iota; maybe he’s a bit rusty in certain things but the questions we’re asking now are the same ones as all those years ago.” He broke off to light a cigarette, before continuing: “Di Girolamo, you look at the mobile network records, Chiara was in the area of Grotte Celoni before ten at night; we need a list of all the devices used within that cell between 21.15 and 22.15.”

  “The area is quite built up...so at that time...there could have been two to three thousand...”

  “I know, but we can’t afford to overlook anything, we’ll eliminate people one by one, get Fiorini to help you; we need the names, contact details and occupations of the owners of each device.”

  “Got it.”

  “Pennino and Venditti...in the meantime, you can start with the details we already have on Chiara’s phone, here’s the list of places from where it connected to the signal that evening. Do a thorough sweep of those areas, check with all local businesses to see if they have any CCTV footage, you’ll get the warrant soon to take possession of the tapes.”

  “What should we concentrate on?” asked Pennino shyly.

  “Here’s a photo of Chiara, check out the cars that were driving through the area, the couples strolling around, etc., bearing one thing in mind...the girl’s bag was retrieved in Tuscolo without the mobile, which was then stolen by a petty thief and sold on. What we don’t know is who left the bag there, maybe the killer took it on a bit of a detour to throw us off the scent, so also check any cars driven by a lone male.”

  “Couldn’t there be two of them?” asked Di Girolamo.

  “Forensics found biological traces of one man only at the crime scene, so it’s unlikely that he had an accomplice, even just a part-time one.”

  Afterwards, once Detective Parisi was left alone with the inspector, he decided to ask him a question.

  “And what about you, Vincent?”

  “I’m going to pick up from where we left off...that is, I’d like to have another chat with the three girls, now all grown women, who were raped all those years ago by the man we’re looking for. It won’t be easy and so I’ll need your help, Angelo, you need to pull out as much as you can from the old files and try to track them down.”

  “I’ll have everything for you tomorrow.”

  “Let’s go home now, we’ve got some long days ahead of us.”

  The first thing that Germano saw when he got home was the bandage covering his son Luca’s eye.

  “What have you been doing to yourself? Did someone poke you in the eye?”

  “No, daddy, worse than that...I was running at school and slipped. I hit the corner of the wall and there was lots of blood...”

  With the first sobs the father consoled his son with a hug and tried to distract him.

  “If I’m not mistaken, I can challenge you to a Subbuteo rematch tonight...”

  “That’s right! Tonight I’ll beat you again!”

  From the aromas coming from the kitchen Germano could tell that they were having fish for dinner, just what he needed after the day he had just had.

  Before saying hello to Arianna he went down to the small cellar to find a nice wine to go with their dinner and once he had found what he was looking for he went back up to see his wife.

  “You look upset Vincent, what’s happened?”

  “Oh, it’s been a terrible day, I even spoke to my father.”

  “You called him, right?”

  “Yes, how did you guess?”

  “You do that whenever you feel at a loss...”

  “I’d be a rotten actor, wouldn’t I...”

  “Any news on the girl?”

  Germano nodded, before adding: “It’s the same guy as almost fifteen years ago...”

  The next morning the files, with the current addresses for the three girls, were waiting for Germano on his desk.

  The most difficult thing would be having to make these girls relive those dreadful events that they would have tried so hard to put behind them but which they would never forget; the inspector hoped, with all his heart, that at least one of them would have succeeded.

  Before he made a start he decided to stretch his legs and so ended up in the bar on the other side of the street for a coffee. At that time of day the customers were few and far between, and as he entered the bar two of them were engaged in conversation as they leafed through the newspaper.

  “These days you can’t even feel safe out here in the suburbs!”

  “Tell me about it, I got out of Rome twenty years ago...”

  “They should catch that son of a bitch and hang him i
n the square!”

  “The death penalty...”

  “That’s if they manage to catch him this time.”

  “What do you mean, this time?”

  “Well read this. The guy was up to no good some years back and got clean away with it.”

  “We should all be able to bring people to justice ourselves. A few days ago I applied for a firearms licence, I’d already bought the gun but...”

  “I imagine that you’ve also declared it?”, Germano, still holding his cup, could not help entering the discussion.

  “Well, I...but who are you, may I ask?”

  “I’m Inspector Germano and I don’t believe that anyone who has not declared their gun can hope to obtain a firearms licence...”

  “Sorry, I was just letting off steam.”

  “Let off steam by all means, but don’t pretend to know everything and think first before opening your mouth next time! And what do you think, that you only need to know who the culprit is in order to lock him up? You need evidence, rock-solid proof, and it just so happens that people who commit a crime try to leave as little as possible behind!”

  “There’s no need to take it personally, Inspector.”

  “Yes, there is, actually! You all like the sound of your own voices in the bar, but it’s not here that you need to speak up. Whenever I’m investigating something I always find people who can’t remember, who didn’t see anything...”

  By now, there were around a dozen customers and no one was allowed to continue what they were doing during Germano’s sermon. After a short pause, he paid up and concluded.

  “I’d better get back to work, and do me a favour...read the papers again in a few days’ time and sorry...I was just letting off steam.”

  “Hello...”

  “Angelo, it’s Vincent, I need a favour.”

  “Go on.”

  “Can you book me on a flight to Paris tomorrow, an early one, returning late.”

  “Is there any news?”

  “One of the girls doesn’t want to talk about it any more, which I can understand. But the other two are willing. I’m meeting one of them this afternoon in Rome and the other one tomorrow, she moved to Paris ten years ago.”

  “Nice work, two out of three isn’t bad, considering that it’s an informal chat.”

  “And that’s how it should stay, it would be pointless to bother them officially if it then leads to nothing.”