Valerio Manfredi - The Ancient Curse

‘Of course I feel bad,’ replied Fabrizio, ‘but I have no choice. I asked him if I could take a look at it, right there in his office, but he refused. And yet I could tell by how he reacted that he’s instinctively linked the text to these murders that have taken place in Volterra. What’s more…’

‘What?’ insisted Francesca when Fabrizio didn’t go on.

‘He’s linked it to the tomb of the Phersu as well… at least, that was my impression.’

‘It sounds to me like someone’s going nuts here.’

‘That’s probable. But in the meantime two people have been slaughtered and I’m not sure that it’s over, seeing as Reggiani is running out of ideas. So how do you say we do it?’

‘Open the files? Don’t ask me. I have no idea. Let me think about it. In the meantime, don’t screw things up. Let me do this my way. I’m the only one who can manage it. Anyway, if I do succeed, this has to remain an absolute secret between us or I’m done for. Understand? If Balestra suspects me in any way I’m out of a job. Do we have a deal?’

Fabrizio nodded. ‘Thank you, Francesca.’

‘Right. Well, I’ve got things to do. I’ll let you know when I find something.’ She brushed his cheek with a light kiss, then went out.

SONIA VITALI arrived at the museum late the next morning, after checking in at the Corona, an inexpensive hotel near the fortress. Fabrizio introduced her to the director, then took her straight downstairs, where he’d set up some tables and lights to make their work a little easier.

‘I started to separate the human bones from the animal ones, but I didn’t get very far, as you can see.’

‘Good God!’ exclaimed Sonia as soon as she had seen the skeleton. ‘It’s even bigger than I thought.’

‘How do you want to go about this?’ asked Fabrizio.

‘I want to reassemble it in a standing position. We’ll put it on exhibit when I’m finished, with a virtual reconstruction. Won’t that be something?’

‘Yeah, I’m sure it will,’ he replied without enthusiasm. ‘How long do you think it will take?’

‘I’m not sure… It’s not something you can just improvise. It’s very delicate work. I have to find all the junctures, create supports… You know how it is. You figure it out as you go along. So what about your statue? Is your research proceeding?’

‘No. I haven’t been able to get to it. This damn tomb came up and I had to excavate it, remove all the material, the whole deal. The director had too much work on his hands and his inspectors were all busy as well.’

‘Well, this is one hell of a find, as far as I can tell.’

‘Yeah, that’s what I’m worried about. Keep it to yourself for the time being. I don’t want the press in on this.’

‘No problem. I just want to be able to work in peace. I’ll start by taking some photographs and then we’ll see. Who knows, I might get inspired.’

Fabrizio got ready to leave.

‘What’s there to do here at night?’ asked Sonia, her eye to the viewfinder of her digital camera.

Since the tourist season was over and Volterra was settling into a wintry sloth, the question seemed entirely rhetorical, but Fabrizio made an effort not to notice.

‘There are a few good restaurants and the theatre programme for the autumn isn’t half bad… a couple of cinemas and a club or two, I think. I haven’t had much time to get out.’

Sonia mumbled something under her breath as Fabrizio went up the stairs to return to his office.

REGGIANI walked in about five.

‘I brought back your tooth,’ he said, placing the ivory-coloured fang on Fabrizio’s desk.

‘Thank you. My colleague has already begun to examine the skeleton, so I’ll have to sneak it back in place. Can you tell me what you needed it for?’

‘I showed it to Dr La Bella, our medical examiner, and he tested it in the wounds of the two cadavers. Said it was a perfect fit.’

‘Interesting, but no use for your investigation, I suppose. I wonder why you even thought of doing such a thing, since skeletons don’t normally go around sinking their fangs into people.’

‘Curiosity,’ replied Reggiani. ‘Pure curiosity. When your colleague has finished examining the bones, we’ll certainly know more about this animal, but I’m afraid we may have more trouble in the meantime. By the way, you live out in the country, don’t you?’

Fabrizio felt a sudden jolt of apprehension. ‘Yes, that’s right. At the Semprini farm in Val d’Era.’

‘Be careful when you go home tonight. Park in front of the door and lock up everything once you’re inside.’

‘I can take care of myself, Lieutenant,’ Fabrizio assured him. ‘I have an automatic five-round Bernardelli and I keep it loaded. I have a hunting licence, naturally.’

‘Keep your eyes open anyway. Those two I just had another look at in the cooler knew their way around, and they were armed as well. Last time we saw each other there was something you wanted to tell me. Have you changed your mind?’

Fabrizio hesitated, thinking that perhaps the voice might never bother him again, but then he decided it was best to let Reggiani in on all the strange things that had happened to him since he’d arrived in Volterra.

‘It happened the first night, just after I got here. I was in the museum, working on my research: I’m studying the statue of the boy that’s in room twenty. Do you know the one I’m talking about?’

‘Yeah, sure,’ replied Reggiani. ‘It’s the one that looks like a Giacometti sculpture.’

Fabrizio was favourably impressed by Reggiani’s art savvy. He said, ‘That’s the one. There’s something odd about the casting that I’m trying to figure out. Well, as I was there with the statue, absorbed in my work – it must have been some time before two in the morning – the phone rings. A woman’s voice says, “Leave the boy alone,” and hangs up. I was shocked at first, because I couldn’t understand who it could be and how they could possibly know what I was researching-’

Reggiani interrupted: ‘Dr Castellani, what exactly… Wait, can’t we do this on a first-name basis? I don’t think I’m much older than you are.’

‘Absolutely, it’s Fabrizio. What’s your name?’

‘Marcello.’

‘Well, Marcello, as I was saying, I was really unnerved by that voice in the middle of the night – what the hell could they be on about? I thought, this must be a joke, but who could be joking at my expense? I’d just got here. I hadn’t met a soul.’

‘Well, there’s no saying that the voice was referring to that “boy”. Your statue, that is. It might have been some kind of weird coincidence. Have you had any more calls?’

‘No, not lately,’ Fabrizio lied, realizing that Reggiani must have enough on his plate without having to worry about this too.

‘Then let’s take one thing at a time,’ said the officer. ‘I’ll see if I can get a tap put on your phones, at the museum and at the Semprini place. I can’t imagine they’d call on your mobile phone, or do many people have your number?’

‘No, just family and a few close friends. I hate being bothered at all hours.’

‘Right. If we’re lucky and they try again, we should be able to trace the call, figure out who’s placing it. But luck is something we’ve been a bit short of lately.’

Fabrizio scribbled his numbers on the back of a card and handed it over.

‘If they do ring back, how should I handle it?’

‘Try to keep them on as long as possible so we can trace the call. A couple of minutes would be good.’

‘All right. I’ll do my best.’

‘Well, Fabrizio, we’ll be in touch soon. If you should need me for any reason, call.’ He got up to leave.