Viper - Michael Morley [137]
Romano Ivetta lowered his weapon and fired two more shots into the still-beating heart of Fredo Finelli.
9.00 a.m.
Napoli
En route to the Anti-Camorra Unit’s HQ, Sylvia pulled over to the side of the road and took another call from the Murder Squad. This time it was one of the coordinators, Susanna Martinelli. ‘Boss, Missing Persons have come back with a match on victims three and four.’
Sylvia held her breath. ‘And – are they our women?’
‘Yes. Yes, they are.’
Sylvia didn’t know whether to feel elated or dejected. ‘Go on.’
‘Victim number three is Patricia Calvi. That’s the nineteen-year-old student from Soccavo.’
Sylvia remembered her. Long brown hair, razor-thin eyebrows, pale brown eyes. She’d been missing almost six and a half years. ‘And the other?’
Susanna read from her notes. ‘Luisa Banotti, the secretary from Santa Lucia. She’s been missing seven years and two months.’
Sylvia recalled the photographs. She’d looked much younger than her twenty years. Dark hair – like all the victims – but very fine and barely shoulder-length. Eyes pale blue and beautifully large, like a child’s. ‘Have we informed the families?’
‘Not yet. We’ve got positive DNA matches, so now we can call them in. Do you want to be there?’
Sylvia wished she could. She hated this kind of news being delegated. ‘I can’t. Can you look after it? Make sure the parents have time to talk about it, don’t rush them.’
‘Sure. I’ll be careful.’
‘Thanks.’ Sylvia started the engine and was about to ring off.
‘Boss, one more thing. Bernadetta Di Lauro just rang. Can you call her back?’
Sylvia turned off the engine and took down the number. What could she want? An update? A complaint? Just someone to talk to?
Francesca’s mother answered on the second ring. ‘Pronto. This is Bernadetta.’
‘Signora, this is Capitano Tomms. My office said you just called and asked for me.’
Francesca’s mother sounded surprised. ‘That’s very fast. It’s less than ten minutes since I rang.’
‘How can I help you?’
‘I hope I’m not wasting your time. You said if I remembered anything…’ for a moment she struggled, ‘then I should call you! Well, to be honest, there is something. Something I should have told you last time we met but I couldn’t bring myself to say it.’
‘Signora, whatever you say to me is in complete confidence.’
Bernadetta relaxed a little. The policewoman seemed to understand her desire not to share in public any private thoughts about her daughter.
‘Grazie. It’s a long time ago. And I’m not really sure if it’s that important, but –’
‘Please let us be the judge of the importance, Signora.’
‘Okay. I think Francesca was seeing someone. A married man.’
Sylvia’s investigative senses prickled. ‘Do you know who he was?’
Bernadetta let out a sigh. ‘No. No, I don’t. Not at all. Like I told you at your office, Francesca was a very private person. She didn’t talk a lot about the men in her life.’
‘So why do you think she was seeing a married man?’
‘There was an old film on TV, with Tony Franciosa in it. The one in which he and his wife both have a string of affairs, and I said to Francesca that she should steer clear of married men as they brought nothing but trouble. She laughed and said it was a bit too late for that. I asked her what she meant. She went shy and said she was just joking. But I don’t think she was. She looked awkward that she’d said it. I tried to get her to discuss it some more but she grew quite irritated with me.’
‘And the reference to too late, you now think that was because she was already pregnant?’
Bernadetta paused. ‘I don’t know. I torture myself by going over every word she ever said to me. Maybe I should have pushed her more. Maybe she was trying to let me in and wanted me to make her talk about it. But I couldn’t. She just clammed up. I’m sorry.’
Sylvia told her not to blame herself, but she could tell her words had little effect. She thanked her for the call and drove away.
A married man and a dead, pregnant woman.
It was an interesting development. A development that at last might provide them with a motive