Death in Tuscany

by Michele Giuttari

  Ferrara walked back downstairs feeling slightly confused. He was actively pursuing the train of thought set in motion by the hypothesis of the paedophile parties, which had been on his mind ever since Leone had aired the possibility that in addition to heroin the girl might also have taken cocaine. The use of cocaine was more widespread among the well-to-do, which would tend to push the idea of a gang rape into the background. But this train of thought risked derailing the whole investigation. It hadn't even been demonstrated yet that the girl was raped by several people, and there were other lines of inquiry that still needed to be followed up before he could concentrate exclusively on this one.

  What confused him was the almost religious care with which both he and Lepri had avoided the subject of the Ospedale Nuovo. For his part, he had not wanted to set a bad example after Lepri had downplayed the question in such a lordly manner. Clearly, the reason he had been looking for him on Friday was to advise him, in response to pressures it wasn't hard to guess at, that he should be tactful in dealing with the doctors. And yet today he had called the episode 'water under the bridge'. Ruling out a direct connection between Leone and Lepri or Gallo - and he had to rule it out - that could mean one of two things. Either d'Incisa had assumed that Ferrara had tacitly agreed to his implicit request to go easy on the hospital staff, and had reassured the Commissioner, through the prefect. Or else Anna Giulietti had reassured Gallo that Ferrara wasn't going to interfere, and then Gallo in his turn had ...

  Or both of these, why not?

  Either way, it all pointed to the influence of the Freemasons . . .

  When Ferrara reached his floor, he did not stop but continued downstairs, went out into the street, and set off for the Verga bookshop in the Via Tornabuoni. In August, because of all the tourists, the shop stayed open on Sundays.

  And given that he was going there, even if Massimo wasn't there, he decided to try calling him again.

  'The number you have called is unobtain—'

  'For fuck's sake!' he swore, angrily cutting off the call.

  Rita Senesi, Massimo's assistant and factotum - it had never been clear whether she was more devoted to the shop or to its owner - greeted him in her usual cheerful and slightly flirtatious manner. 'Hello, Chief Superintendent! At least you aren't on holiday'

  'No, Rita, if only' he replied. 'But your boss seems to be, and what's more he keeps his phone turned off so that no one can reach him.'

  Ah, so you've noticed that, too?' she said, indignantly.

  'I've been trying to reach him all day'

  'He's a bit absent-minded - what can we do? He must have forgotten to switch his mobile on. But he has to be here tomorrow, whatever happens. We have to do the accounts! Is there anything you want me to tell him?'

  'Just for him to get in touch, at least with the few friends he still has left.'

  'Don't worry, Chief Superintendent, I will.'

  'Good. Mind if I have a look around?'

  'Be my guest. Can I help at all?'

  'I'm looking for something about Freemasonry'

  About time.'

  'What do you mean?'

  'That it's never too late . . .'

  'For what, Rita? What are you talking about?'

  'To join, of course.'

  'Come on, don't talk nonsense. Do you really think—?'

  'They all come in here pretending to be "scholars", researching the "phenomenon", as they call it. In my opinion, for what it's worth, they're swotting up for their exams! I don't know much about it, thank Heaven, but it seems to me that these days belonging to a lodge is worth more than having a degree.'

  'You're not going to tell me that Massimo . . .'

  Don't ask me, ask him!'

  'Go on, show me the books.'

  He arrived home with a bag full of books, feeling distracted and listless.

  Petra had put on a CD of Italian arias sung by Cecilia Bartoli to accompany dinner, and that was fine with him. There was a kind of nostalgia in the air that put him in the mood for confessions.

  'You know what I think?' he said, sipping his Terra dei Forti Pinot Grigio. The sounds of the city rose from the street, muffled by the rustling of the leaves in the arbour.

  'What, Michele?' she asked, as considerately as ever.

  'That I'm isolated. I don't belong.'

  'What do you mean?'

  'I don't know, exactly. But it's as if everyone in this country is part of something: the church, a political party, the Mafia, the Freemasons . . . I'm not. The police, yes. I believe in that. But is it enough? Then you discover that perhaps the Commissioner is under pressure from God knows who, your best friend may be a Mason, the deputy prosecutor takes her instructions from some superior body we can't even begin to imagine, and I - I'm there, in the middle, like a skittle in a game of bowls I have no control over.'

  'That's enough now, Michele,' Petra said sternly. 'I don't know what you're talking about and I don't care. I don't care because I know one thing: you do belong. You belong to me just as I belong to you. And we both belong to our families, and to our friends who are dear to us and count on us. It's all the rest that doesn't count. Why should it count when the rest of the world is at each other's throats for a piece of bread or an oil well? You want to talk about what's wrong with your country? It's my country, too, you know. And I love it. But I also love my Michele and I know, because I know him, that he'll do what his heart tells him to do. And that's enough for me, Michele. If only it were enough for you—'

  He did not have time to reply because the phone cut into Petra's words, making them both jump. This daily interruption of lunch was becoming a habit. Not that she was doing it deliberately, but it was Anna Giulietti again.

  'I think I've found the solution.'

  'What is it?'

  Ask Fuschi if it's possible to analyse just a small part of the stained fabric ... It's important that he doesn't ruin the whole of it. Do you understand?'

  'Yes, of course.'

  'If that's okay, tell him to come and see me tomorrow, at eight on the dot, and I'll give him the order to proceed according to Article 359 of the code of criminal procedure, not Article 360. In other words, I'll ask him to ascertain the exact nature of the biological or organic stains on the jeans and anything else he can find, like the blood group, the DNA . . . That way we'll at least have something we can use in the investigation. Then, if need be, for the rest of the material, we'll follow Article 360 to the letter.'

  She seemed even more excited than he was.

  'I understand, Anna - it's an excellent solution!'

  'But please make sure he comes tomorrow at eight sharp.'

  'Without fail. Have a nice Sunday.'

  'You, too.'

  Then he phoned Gianni Fuschi, who was not at all pleased.

  8

  At the Monday briefing, all the men Ferrara had at his disposal for this case were present: Ascalchi, Violante, Sergi, Inspector Venturi and the head of Narcotics, Luigi Ciuffi, whom he had decided to involve directly after Ascalchi had filled him in that very morning. Plus, of course, Fanti in his usual capacity as secretary.

  At the end of a brief run-down of the facts and his own deductions and theories, Ferrara asked, Anything new on your side?'

  'We haven't yet received authorisation from the Prosecutor's Department to get hold of the medical records,' Violante said.

  'I know Deputy Prosecutor Giulietti is very busy. We can't rush her, we just have to be patient. For the moment we have to concentrate on what happened before the girl was found. To start with, Violante, see if you can find out who made the call to the emergency services. Then talk to the paramedics, ask them how the girl was dressed, and if they noticed anything suspicious in the vicinity. Anything else?'

  There was a brief silence, then Fanti cleared his throat.

  'Yes, Fanti?'

  'I don't know if this is the right moment. . . but you asked me to look for that name "Steaua Rosie", you remember?' 'Yes, of course. Well?'<
br />
  'It's Romanian, chief. It means "red star". I found out it's the only company in Moldova making T-shirts, blouses and underwear, and its head office is in the capital Chisinau.'

  'Good work, Fanti - how did you manage that?'

  'The internet, chief, and a few calls to colleagues in Interpol.'

  'Excellent. Well, this may not be absolute proof, but it does tend to confirm the hypothesis that we're dealing with an illegal immigrant - if not actually Moldovan, certainly from some country in Eastern Europe, perhaps a slave of one of those damned people traffickers. I can't really see an Italian tourist going to buy clothes in Moldova, can you?'

  They all shook their heads.

  'I have a suggestion,' Ascalchi said. 'Instead of constantly calling her "the girl" or "the immigrant" or whatever, why don't we call her "Stella"?'

  Ferrara liked that touch of humanity on the part of the sceptical, easy-going Roman.

  'We could call the case "Operation Stella",' Luigi Ciuffi said.

  'Done,' Ferrara approved, smiling. Then, addressing all of them, Any other theories, ideas, leads to follow?'

  'I've given this case top priority' Ciuffi resumed. ‘I’ll see if my boys can get anything more specific from the dealers. Most of them are Tunisians, Algerians, Moroccans, and Albanians. We'll start with the areas best known for dealing - Santa Maria Novella, Santa Croce, Santo Spirito — and then radiate outwards to cover the whole city and surroundings. It won't be easy work.'

  'When is our work ever easy?' Ferrara observed, more to himself than to his men.

  At the moment I have a team keeping an eye on two

  Albanian brothers,' Ciuffi went on. According to one of my informers, who I trust, the two of them are supposed to be going outside Florence to get new supplies. It seems they're rising stars, for what it's worth.'

  'Let's hope so. Is that all?'

  'Yes, as far as I'm concerned.'

  'Good. Venturi, I want you to link up with the Juvenile Division and find out all you can about what's happening on the paedophile scene. Check up on the youth gangs, too, see if there have been any sexual crimes reported recently, even just suspicion of attempted gang rapes.'

  'Yes, chief,' the inspector replied.

  Ascalchi, I want you to link up with Vice and check out the prostitution angle, especially where immigrants are involved.'

  Considering that he had covered all the main areas of inquiry and happy to see the newly christened 'Operation Stella' properly launched, he closed the meeting with his customary Any other questions?' to which, as usual, no one replied.

  Just after eleven o'clock, Fanti handed him a file.

  He kept his word, Ferrara thought, seeing the heading:

  DOCTOR FRANCESCO LEONE UNIVERSITY OF FLORENCE DEPARTMENT OF ANATOMY, HISTOLOGY AND FORENSIC MEDICINE SECTION FORENSIC MEDICINE

  He started reading.

  1. Having read the documents and examined the cadaver, we have established that the death of this unknown young person, which occurred in the resuscitation unit of the Ospedale Nuovo, took place at about 16:00 hours on 2 August 2001.

  2. The anthropometric examination and the X-rays have led us to the conclusion that the young woman had reached 14 but not yet 16. This was confirmed above all by the rate of bone calcification and the dentition (presence of the seventh but not the eighth).

  3. The examination of the body before dissection revealed among other things that the young woman had had sexual relations, including anal relations, confirmed by the discovery of semen, on which laboratory tests will be carried out.

  4. The autopsy did not reveal any significant evidence that death was due to trauma. Elements emerged in the course of the autopsy which, taken in conjunction with the medical report and the observations of the consultant, Professor d'Incisa, would seem to confirm that death was consistent with an overdose of heroin (there should however be further clarification on this point once the histological tests have been completed). This overdose did not cause death immediately on consumption but led to encephalic disorders, principally anoxic, irreversibly compromising the cerebral functions, causing death after five days in a state of irreversible coma.

  5. In the course of the autopsy, samples were taken of hair, nails, body fluids, sections of encephalus and liver, as well as fragments of all the organic remains, for the appropriate chemical and toxicological tests.

  6. It has emerged from the first results that the young woman had not menstruated. The biopsy of the uterus revealed that the endometrium was thickened, which was why the menstrual cycle had not yet appeared. Histological examination of the mucous membranes of the nose revealed the presence of traces of cocaine, mixed with another substance, on which tests are currently in progress.

  7. . As soon as possible, a complete report on all the results of the histological and toxicological tests will be issued.

  Also included in the file, scribbled in pen, was a Note for Chief Superintendent Ferrara:

  As regards sexual relations, the signs are quite evident and demonstrate that the young woman had probably had them shortly before being taken ill. In that case, the cocaine may have acted as a stimulant.

  Ferrara lit a cigar and puffed at it, feeling a certain satisfaction. It was a rueful, purely professional satisfaction, which did not in any way lessen the sorrow he felt over the fate of the child they had decided to call Stella.

  Violante came back early in the afternoon from his visit to the emergency services. He confirmed that Stella had been found wearing jeans and T-shirt, but no shoes. The paramedics didn't know anything about her knickers or bra, nor had they been struck by anything unusual in the vicinity.

  The switchboard operator had not been able to say anything about the man who had made the call. The fact that he was a man was the only thing they were fairly certain about. The call had come in at about 6.45 on the morning of 29 July. It had been a short call, and there was no recording of it, either because the tape recorder had not been working or because of an oversight.

  'We have to go further, Violante. What we need urgently from the Prosecutor's Department is authorisation to ask the phone company for a record of the emergency call and where it came from. And if it's a mobile phone, we need the name of the registered user and the identifying signal of the cell in the area affected by the outgoing call.' 'Okay, chief.'

  All police forces were now aware that mobile phone records could very often be important, and sometimes even decisive, in an investigation, especially in identifying the contacts of a crime victim or a suspect. Even though the logs did not reveal anything of the contents of calls, they did indicate the date, the hour, the duration in units/seconds, and the area affected by the call, which allowed the police to identify individuals who might otherwise have remained unknown.

  It was already five thirty. Massimo Verga was probably in his bookshop. Ferrara decided to go over there. It would be much better than phoning: he hadn't seen him in a while and it would be nice to greet him in the flesh.

  The Via Tornabuoni was not too far from the Via Zara, and he preferred to walk even though the heat and humidity were still unbearable.

  He found Rita doing the accounts together with the two other assistants. Massimo had not yet shown up, and she could not conceal her anxiety.

  'Have you tried calling him?'

  'Of course I have, Chief Superintendent! His phone's always switched off, there's no way to talk to him.'

  'Isn't there a phone where he's staying?'

  'Who knows? I don't have the number. Do you even know where he's been staying?'

  It was true: they knew he had rented a place in Marina di Pietrasanta, but they had no idea of the address. It was supposed to be a surprise, he had said.

  'He may have got caught up in traffic, you know how it is in summer ..." he said, in an attempt to reassure her. But it was Monday afternoon, and if anything the traffic would have been going to the sea, not coming back to the city.

  'Let's hope so . . .
' she said, although she knew as well as he did that it was unlikely.

  'Well, if he comes in or phones tell him to call me.'

  'I will, Chief Superintendent.'

  With one thing and another, it was nearly seven by the time he got back and he was surprised to find Fanti still there.

  The sergeant lived in Prato. If he didn't hurry, he would miss his usual train. Normally he never left later than six-thirty.

  'Fanti, what are you still doing here?' he said teasingly, but then realised that the sergeant was looking unusually solemn, and paler than usual. 'What's the matter? Has something happened?'

  Without saying a word Fanti handed him a piece of paper with the words Urgent memo in the top right-hand corner.

  Request help in search for Simonetta Palladiani nee Tonelli, born Carrara 17.11.1967, and Massimo Verga, born Catania 10.10.1949, owner of bookshop of same name in historical centre Florence.

  Said persons believed missing after suspicious death of Ugo Palladiani, born Florence 30.01.1940, husband of aforementioned Simonetta Palladiani.

  Death probably occurred night of Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 August and discovered this morning.

  Police Headquarters Florence, to whom copy of present memo is sent, are asked to supply information regarding aforementioned Massimo Verga who, according to the Interior Ministry data bank, was interviewed at aforementioned Police Headquarters in 1970. Memo sent urgently by order of Public Prosecutor's Department Lucca.