Viper - Michael Morley [143]
Jack didn’t hear anything else. The images on the computer burned in his brain. Giacomo’s eyes were blank and soulless as he unemotionally tried to find the kids’ pulses. There wasn’t a trace of care or concern about him. Jack watched him wheel away from the dead cousins, like he’d dropped a McDonald’s wrapper in a trash can. This was a guy who was so comfortable around death, it didn’t even make him blink.
Jacket on the back seat, Gucci shades on, head tilted back against the leather rest in the Lexus, Bruno Valsi gave Mazerelli his orders. ‘I don’t want to go home. Take me for breakfast. I’m starving.’
The Capo was amused to see him hesitate.
‘Forget calling your Don. His brains and guts are spread over the hillside of his blessed Posillipo.’
‘What?’
‘Ricardo, you’re not deaf. You heard me. Fredo Finelli is dead. Gone. Morto. No more paying your fucking wages or saving your lawyerly ass.’
Mazerelli turned on the radio. If it was true it would be on the news. He twiddled the tuning knob, then stopped. Of course it was true. It wasn’t the kind of thing you could make up.
Valsi leaned forward and peered into the consigliere’s eyes. ‘You sad, Ricky boy? Or don’t you really give a fuck? Deep down, are you just as mean and ambitious as the rest of us?’
Mazerelli was as nervous as he’d ever been. He chose his words carefully. ‘I want to live.’
Valsi laughed and sat back. ‘Of course you do. Of course you do. Now, find me somewhere fucking good for breakfast and then you can tell me again about that funny Japanese game of yours and how we all have to follow rules.’
99
Stazione dei carabinieri, Castello di Cisterna
It was time to pull everything together. So much was happening – and happening so fast – there was a danger they’d miss something.
A major case conference had been convened back at the Murder Squad HQ in Castello di Cisterna.
Sylvia, Lorenzo, Pietro and Jack were joined by Luella Grazzioli, Professoressa Marianna Della Fratte, Claudio Mancini and Susanna Martinelli. They settled in a row of chairs facing a projection screen and set of whiteboards. As they waited for the meeting to start their eyes settled on the first board, the one listing all the missing and murdered women.
Francesca Di Lauro (24) Missing 5 yrs, found dead, location Mount Vesuvius National Park
Gloria Pirandello (19) Missing 6 yrs, found dead, location MVNP
Patricia Calvi (19) Missing 6.5 yrs, found dead, location MVNP
Luisa Banotti (20) Missing 7 years, found dead, location MVNP
Donna Rizzi (19) Missing 8 years, body not found
Sylvia kicked off. ‘Thank you all for coming here at short notice. A number of things happened this morning, and are still happening as we speak. One of our prime suspects, Bruno Valsi, is at the centre of the latest developments. Because of this we are joined by members of the Anti-Camorra Unit. Major, could you please share some of your information with us?’
Lorenzo Pisano modestly introduced himself, though everyone in the room was well aware of who he was. ‘The Finelli and Cicerone families have operated side by side for more than a decade, but whatever peace they had, it is now over. Earlier today, Fredo Finelli was killed by a car bomb near his home and Carmine Cicerone was gunned down on the steps of the church of Santa Maria Eliana. We had Bruno Valsi, Finelli’s son-in-law, in custody at the time of both hits. A security guard had been killed at his home. We had nothing to charge him with and when he was bored with us and satisfied he’d established a good alibi for himself, he just upped and walked.’
Questions flew: Who died first, Finelli or Cicerone? What other casualties were there? Had Valsi orchestrated it all? Lorenzo did his best to fill the gaps. Half an hour later extra intel came in – the body of Valsi’s henchman Alberto Donatello had turned up in a skip just