Dominique Manotti - Escape

‘Give me an idea what this story’s about.’

‘The fallout from the Brescia massacre of 28 May 1974.’

‘There was a lot of talk about it here last year and a fresh trial, which once again ended up with the case being dismissed.’

‘I know.’

‘Protecting the sources on both sides?’

‘Absolutely.’

‘OK, I’m up for it. What exactly do you need to know?’

‘Some background on the Tomasino family, without going back to the year dot, just to have an idea of the circles they move in. I’m particularly interested in 1974. Who was arrested in the immediate aftermath of the massacre? Does the name of the eldest Tomasino boy, Andrea, figure on the lists? And a certain Daniele Bonamico? What can we find out about this Bonamico? Does he still live in Brescia, and what is known about his family? You might not find all that in the paper’s archives…’

‘Probably not, don’t worry about me. If this Daniele exists, I’ll find him. Is that all?’

‘Yes.’

‘Give me two days. I’ll call you tomorrow evening.’

‘After eight, at home. I’ll give you my number.’

30 June

Stefania calls at 8.15. Punctual, or almost. Lisa is grateful to her for sparing her the ordeal of waiting.

‘Oh, you’re there?’ There’s a hint of laughter in her voice.

‘Of course I’m here.’

‘Nothing in the paper. It has never published anything on the Tomasino family.’ She gives Lisa a moment to digest her disappointment. ‘But a whole lot in the archives, particularly unpublished articles. One hell of a family. I’m a newcomer to Brescia, so this gets me into the swing of things. Hold on, let me go back to my notes…’

Lisa grits her teeth. The kid’s got a sense of theatre. She says nothing.

‘…Here we are. A prosperous family-owned bank until the war. The grandfather, a notorious fascist, goes off and dies a violent death in the Republic of Salò saga, which denotes either profound stupidity or profound despair. The bank came in for strong criticism after the war, because of its fascist past, and the son’s only solution was to allow it to be taken over by the Piemonte-Sardegna bank.’ Lisa shudders at the name; could there be a connection? ‘He’s appointed regional director of the new bank, thus securing a very lucrative position for himself. Married into a prominent Venetian family, four children, two boys, two girls. As for the eldest son, Andrea — named after his grandfather, by the way — he becomes very active in neo-fascist circles. To be precise, Ordine Nuovo, in its clandestine period, is repeatedly hinted at in a number of half-concealed allusions. He’s alleged to have been involved in the Padua group, which may explain why he was arrested during the investigation into the massacre of the 28th of May, 1974. He was released a month later, for lack of evidence. A certain Daniele Bonamico was arrested and released at the same time as him.’ Lisa’s heart is racing, I’m there, I’m almost there . ‘And in that connection I’ve got a very funny story ( I don’t give a damn about your funny story. Get on with it ), even if it is a bit late in the day. In 1976, Andrea and Daniele have a fight in public, in the main square. A very violent, bare-knuckled brawl. The police break it up and cart them both off to the police station.

According to statements made to the police, Andrea accuses Daniele of having slept with his sister Anna-Maria, without going into further detail, but I bet she ended up pregnant. Daniele offers to make amends by marrying the young lady, but Andrea replies that it’s impossible for a Tomasino to marry a hired hand and that’s what sets off the fight. Afterwards, the family saga continues, but there’s nothing further about Anna-Maria — vanished, swallowed up. But maybe that’s not of any interest to you.’

Lisa hears Pier-Luigi, If you stray, you’re dead to your family . And what if, in Anna-Maria’s case, they had taken it literally? Pier-Luigi, a shy, deeply wounded man. I should have paid more attention to the guy from the start. A missed opportunity to get to know him. The curse of exile. I’m becoming hardened. No time to lose . Her attention reverts to Stefania.

‘No, it’s not. Did you find out anything else about Daniele Bonamico?’

‘A few bits and pieces. Only one photo, from 1974, where he’s in the background, hiding behind Andrea Tomasino who is showing off in the front row. Scary-looking, with eyebrows that join in the middle, a sinister air, a scar on his cheek that pulls his whole face downwards. Anna-Maria couldn’t have had much choice, or else she had strange taste. Girls from good families who have been a bit too sheltered sometimes rebel by falling for a bit of rough. I’m pretty certain that he was no longer in Brescia after 1976. I also dug up some information on his family.’

‘Keep going.’

‘The grandparents on both sides were farming families from the Po valley. His parents met and married in their village before coming to Brescia.’

‘Have you got the names of these families?’

‘Hold on a sec.’ Lisa hears her flipping through the pages. ‘Yes. Grandfather Bonamico married a Farione on one side, and on the other, an Ercoli married a Luciani.’

There is a long silence. Lisa feels a mixture of excitement and incredulity. The young woman grows impatient.

‘So, have I got my scoop?’

‘Maybe. I think so. Daniele Luciani is the name of the surprise witness who popped up a few days ago in the case of the bank robbery of the 3rd of March 1987 at the Piemonte-Sardegna bank in Milan. He’s accusing an Italian writer, a certain Filippo Zuliani, a refugee in France.’

‘I know about it, I followed the news. He’s not exactly accusing him — he states he was present at the scene.’

‘According to a credible source, an eyewitness who knew the Brescia protagonists personally, Daniele Luciani is in fact Daniele Bonamico. In other words, Ordine Nuovo’s henchman implicated in the Brescia massacre. This suggests he could have left Brescia and changed his name, adopting that of his grandparents, with dates yet to be established, but it’s possible that he chose to remain in contact with the secret service.’

‘Yes, with a lot more delving, this could make a good story. I’ll take it.’

‘I can already see the headline: “Mystery witness turns out to be a Brescia man with a past”.’

‘No, that’s not a good headline. Leave me to do my job. I’ll call you back.’ And Stefania hangs up.

Night of 2 July

Stefania calls Lisa who is sound asleep. She gropes blindly for the phone and picks it up in the dark.

‘The Corriere di Brescia refuses to publish anything.’ A silence. Lisa is sitting up now, wide awake. ‘That’s not all. My editor hauled me into the office this morning, even though it’s Saturday and we were almost the only people there. The offices were deserted. He grilled me on my sudden interest in Daniele Luciani. I kept it very vague, and he ended up dropping your name, and asked me if I’d been in touch with you. Surprising, isn’t it?’

Lisa groans.

‘More than surprising. I’d say worrying.’

‘I said no, no contact with you, and since he kept pressing me, I ended up giving my uncle’s name as the source of my information. After all, he acted as go-between, he can take the blame for it. I wasn’t sacked, but almost. In any case, the boss made it very clear that there was no question of the Corriere di Brescia getting involved in this story. Back to dogs being run over. So your rather far-fetched story is true, and it’s put the cat among the pigeons.’ Another silence. ‘I wanted to let you know and ask you not to call me again.’