Viper - Michael Morley [144]
Jack tuned in and out of the conversation. It was becoming harder to separate the Camorra killings from the serial murders.
But at the same time, there was still no motive, no obvious links between victims and suspects.
For a while Jack perused the whiteboards. Some listed only the female victims. Some only the bodies found near Vesuvius. One detailed all the killings and all the missing women. Another – the latest – showed only the Camorra murders.
CAMORRA DEATHS
Fredo Finelli (64) – Finelli Don
Armando Lopapa (50) – Finelli Chauffeur
Alberto Donatello (27) – Finelli/Valsi Clan member
Beppe Basso (30) – Valsi House Guard
Carmine Cicerone (45) – Cicerone Don
At first glance, today’s troubles looked like a Cicerone-instigated war; with the death count running three to one in their favour. But Jack felt sure Valsi had drawn first blood. It was what he’d predicted.
He slid his attention to the next board.
OTHER DEATHS AND LINKS
Bernardo Sorrentino (42) – forensic anthropologist – killed at home
Kristen Petrov (24) – telephone sex centre worker – Finelli/Valsi business – killed in Castellani rubbish pit
Rosa Novello (18) – killed in car at Castellani campsite
Filippo Valdrano (19) – killed with Novello in car at Castellani campsite
Franco Castellani (24) – suicide at Pompeii – lived on site where bodies of Petrov, Novello and Valdrano found
Paolo Falconi (24) – killed by cousin at Pompeii – lived on Castellani campsite
Alberta Tortoricci (38) – Valsi trial witness, killed by electrocution – body burned and found in Scampia
So many deaths. So many links – strong or tenuous – to the Camorra. But, as Jack had learned, in Naples this wasn’t uncommon. The Camorra touched everything. He lingered over the list and started to eliminate suspects. If the Castellani cousins were the serial killers, they could now be trimmed from the list. Case solved and then all that was left was a turf war. But surely that was too easy an answer.
Jack considered the alternatives. If the cousins were not serial killers, then Bruno Valsi continued to emerge as the main suspect. Valsi and the cousins had all shared much of the psychological profile he’d drawn up of the murderer. Franco and Paolo had both been manual workers. Neither seemed to have had any steady sexual relationships. Both had access to a van – which would be perfect for abducting victims and disposing of corpses. And they’d even lived and worked on the site where the bodies of Petrov, Novello and Valdrano had been found. But to Jack they didn’t seem to possess either the expertise to kill efficiently, or the sadistic streak to want to burn women to death. Valsi on the other hand – well, he seemed to have those qualities in spades. Sylvia’s voice caught his attention and drew him back to the briefing.
‘Mancini. Tell us about Kristen Petrov – what’s new on her?’
Claudio Mancini cleared his throat and tried to settle his nerves. He’d never spoken at a briefing in front of senior officers before. ‘We’ve been to the call centre where she works – sorry, worked – and we’ve spoken to some of the girls on the sex lines. Seems that Bruno Valsi visited the centre with some of his thugs and removed the woman running it, Celia Brabantia. Our girl Kristen replaced her.’
Jack had questions. ‘Any suggestions of a sexual relationship between her and Valsi?’
‘Err, yes. One of the girls said that Kristen had bragged about seeing Valsi; she said that one day she would end up owning the sex centre.’ He looked towards Sylvia.
She took up the story. ‘The plan with Valsi is this – if necessary we will detain him for questioning in connection with the murder of Kristen Petrov. I know he’ll walk, and probably quickly because we have nothing – I repeat nothing – to link him forensically to this killing, or to suggest a motive. But it may buy us time.’
Jack’s attention drifted back to the whiteboards. Valsi certainly fitted his profile in the sense of being capable of immense violence, and no doubt enjoying it. The