Andrea Camilleri - The Age Of Doubt

He went into his office, locked the door behind him, and rang Laura on the outside line.

As he was dialing, his heart started beating so wildly he was afraid he might be having a heart attack. How could he possibly be reduced to such a state at his age, like some adolescent in love for the first time?

“Hi. How are you?” he asked, his throat dry.

“Fine. And you?”

“I’m great. I wanted to tell you…”

Damn! He’d prepared a little speech that had worked like a charm in his head, but as soon as he’d heard her voice it had all vanished.

“What is it?”

“Well, I was about to go out to lunch, and was wondering…”

He got stuck, unable to speak. She came running to his assistance.

“If I could come out with you? I really wish I could, but I can’t leave the office. I’ve got some stuff to do. But we could…”

“Yes?”

“… see each other this evening, if you feel like it.”

“Of… of course I feel like it. Where?”

“I’ll come to your place and we can decide.”

Why, suddenly, was she no longer uncertain? Why, suddenly… No, no more questions. Enjoy the sound of the bells. Ding dang dong, ding dang dong .

At Enzo’s he gorged himself without restraint.

Apparently love whetted his appetite. Therefore a stroll along the jetty became a question of life or death.

He took the roundabout way, and as soon as he was within sight of the Vanna he realized with utter horror that the Ace of Hearts was not at its berth. It was gone, and there was no sign of it anywhere in the harbor.

Now a heart attack became a real possibility.

Matre santa! The boat had left, and it hadn’t even grazed the inspector’s consciousness that the Ace of Hearts could come and go as it pleased, since, officially at least, its owners had no connection to the murder.

He ran back to his car and left. Entering the station, he dashed past a startled Catarella and yelled:

“Get me Lieutenant Belladonna at the Harbor Office on the line!”

“She’s not a liutinnint, Chief.”

“No? Then what is she?”

“A woman.”

He couldn’t waste any time on Catarella and continued into his office. He’d barely sat down when the call went through.

“What is it, Salvo?”

The sound of her voice sent him reeling, as usual. But he made an effort and pulled himself together.

“Sorry to disturb you, Laura, but it’s important. As far as you know, has the Ace of Hearts put out to sea?”

“Not according to our information.”

“But it’s not in its berth.”

“That’s because they’re still doing checks on the engines. They’re probably doing some test runs out at sea.”

He heaved a sigh of relief.

“Do they have to tell you before they leave?”

“Of course. But why are you-”

“I’ll tell you later. See you in a bit.”

At sometime just past four o’clock a call came in from Augello.

“I urgently need to speak with you.”

“Then come.”

“To the office? Not on your life! I don’t want anyone to see me going into or coming out of the police station.”

“You’re right.”

“What should we do?”

“Shall we say at my place in half an hour?”

“All right.”

Walking by Catarella’s closet, he said:

“I’m going out for about an hour. If Lieutenant Belladonna happens to call for me, tell her to ring me on the cell phone. Can I rest easy on this?”

“You can rest easy as pie, Chief.”

That way, if Laura called him because of some hitch in their plans, she would know how to reach him.

Mimì was punctual.

“I’ve just had lunch with Liv-I mean La Giovannini.”

“Where?”

“That was the first new twist. We’d agreed to meet this evening for dinner, but then she called me on the cell phone to ask me if I wanted to come for lunch on the boat. I was still half asleep and needed more rest…”

“The rest of the warrior,” Montalbano commented.

But Augello was in no mood for sarcasm.

“What choice did I have?” he said.

“None. You had to go.”

“Indeed, and so I went. And I discovered the second new twist. Sperlì was going to eat with us.”

“Strange.”

“Not really. Wait. I realized she wanted to make me an official offer, and that’s why the captain was there.”

“In what capacity?”

“I dunno. Maybe as a witness, or partner, who knows.”

“What was the offer?”

“She said she’d given a lot of thought to the things I’d said when I told her I wasn’t happy at my current job, and she said she’d perhaps found a solution. But first I have to tell you something I forgot to mention this morning.”

“What?”

“When she asked me how much I earned at my job, I tossed out a figure, but I also made it clear that I was topping it up.”

“How?”

“By tampering with the gauge of the fuel’s distribution valve.”

“I see. So your credentials included a certain inclination for dishonesty.”

“Exactly. She suggested I work for her, looking after some of her interests.”

“So she’s ready to entrust her concerns to someone who openly declares his dishonesty. It’s a good thing to know. And what would these interests be?”

“She didn’t specify. She said she would fill me in on everything in due time, if I accepted. She did, however, tell me something straight off. That I had twenty-four hours to accept or refuse. She wants to leave within three days at the very most, as soon as Shaikiri is buried.”

“Shit!”

“And she added another thing, too. She said this work she was offering me would involve, for all intents and purposes, a move to a foreign country.”

“Which?”

“South Africa.”

“To a town called Alexanderbaai?”

Augello looked confused.

“What was that?”

“Never mind, for now. And how much dough are they going to give you?”

“They said my monthly pay will far exceed my expectations.”

“And what did Captain Sperlì do the whole time?”

“He just sat there, quiet as a fish. What should I do?”

“The second round’s on for tonight?”

“Yes, dammit.”

“Listen, tell her you accept.”

“Why?”

“Because that’ll make her feel more secure. Try to find out about her interests in South Africa and exactly what sort of work she does. So how’d the business of the fuel end up?”

“I told her I was having the fuel analyzed and would give her an answer tomorrow morning.”

“Mimì, I have to ask you something about the night you spent with La Giovannini.”

“I’ve already told you I don’t feel like going into the details.”

“I’m not interested in the erotic details. You said you realized something had happened when you heard Sperlì talking over the phone. Is that right?”

“Exactly.”

“And what about before that? Did you hear anything that might have sounded like a body being dragged along the ground, or cries of pain…”

“Absolutely not.”

“Are you sure? Maybe you were too busy to-”

“Salvo, the walls in the boat are paper-thin! And you know what? I had to keep my hand over Livi-I mean La Giovannini’s mouth, or the whole crew would have heard her!”

Left to himself, he didn’t feel like going back to the station.

“Catarella? Listen, I’m going to stay home for the rest of the day. If any important calls come in, from, say, Lieutenant Belladonna, tell them to call me here. Understand?”