Brimstone

{ 60 }

D'Agosta had seen a lot of police headquarters in his time, but the so-called barracks of the carabinieri in Florence beat them all. It wasn't a barracks at all, but rather a decaying Renaissance building-D'Agosta thought it was Renaissance, anyway-facing a narrow medieval street. It was huddled up beside the famous Ognissanti Church, its gray limestone facade streaked with dirt, every ledge and projection covered with needle-like spikes to ward off pigeons. Florence itself was nothing like what he'd imagined: even in the warm, mid-October light, the city seemed austere, its crooked streets always in shadow, the rough-cut stone facades of its buildings almost grim. The air smelled of diesel fumes, and the impossibly narrow sidewalks were clogged with slow-moving tourists dressed in floppy hats and khaki shorts, with packs on their backs and water bottles strapped to their waists, as if they were on an expedition into the Sahara rather than walking around perhaps the most civilized city in the world.

They had met the colonnello in the nearby café, as planned, and Pendergast had quickly brought him up to speed on their investigation-omitting, D'Agosta noticed, certain small but critical details. Now they were following him back to his office, single file, fighting a steady stream of Japanese tourists coming in the opposite direction.

The colonnello turned into the grand arched entryway of the barracks, over which hung a limp Italian flag-the first D'Agosta had seen since arriving in Italy. They passed through a colonnaded corridor and into a vast interior courtyard. Once elegant, the courtyard itself had been turned into a parking lot and was wall-to-wall with police vans and cars, packed together with such mathematical precision it seemed impossible to move one without moving them all. The windows looking down on the courtyard were all open, and from them issued a continuous clamor of ringing telephones, voices, and slamming doors, magnified and distorted by the confined space.

They turned into another vaulted corridor lined with stone pillars-the crumbling remains of religious frescoes still visible-past a battered statue of a saint; then up a massive flight of stone stairs and into a warren of modern cubicles constructed haphazardly out of what had once been a single pillared room.

"The caserma, " said Esposito as they walked, "was once the monastery connected to the Ognissanti Church. That large room is the secretarial pool, and beyond"-he waved his hand at a series of small but massive oaken doors giving onto tiny offices-"are the work spaces of the officers, built in the former cells of the monks."

They turned a corner and proceeded down yet another vaulted corridor. "The refectory, where the monks used to eat, has an important fresco by Ghirlandaio that nobody ever sees."

"Indeed."

"Here in Italy, we make do with what we have."

Reaching the far end of the corridor, they went up another flight of stairs. From the landing, they passed through what D'Agosta realized must have once been a secret door in the wall; mounted a tiny circular staircase; passed through crowded rooms smelling of mold and overheated fax machines-and then suddenly arrived at a small, grimy door bearing nothing but a number. Here Esposito stopped with a smile. Then he pushed the door open and ushered them in.

D'Agosta stepped into a light-flooded room that ended in a wall of glassed-in columns and arches. Beyond lay a sweeping view southward, over the Arno River. Almost despite himself, he was drawn toward the view.

From above, finally, Florence looked like he had imagined it: a city of church domes and towers, red-tile roofs, gardens, and piazze, surrounded by steep green hills covered with fairy-tale castles. There was the Ponte Vecchio and the Pitti Palace; the Boboli Gardens; the dome of San Frediano in Cestello; and, beyond, the hill of Bellosguardo. It was a moment before he could shift his attention back to the room itself.

It was large and open, filled with rows of old mahogany desks. The floor, polished by five hundred years of feet, was inlaid in a striking array of colored marbles, and on the stuccoed walls hung giant paintings of old men in armor. There was a tense air in the room, and a number of men in suits at the desks were glancing nervously in their direction. The killing-and its bizarre particulars especially-were clearly on everyone's mind.

"Welcome to the Nucleo Investigativo, the elite unit of the carabinieri of which I am in charge. We investigate the major crimes." Esposito looked at D'Agosta sideways. "Is this your first visit to Italy, Sergeant D'Agosta?"

"It is."

"And how do you find it?"

"It's . not quite what I expected."

He could see a faint look of amusement in the man's eyes. Esposito's hand swept over the skyline. "Beautiful, no?"

"From up here."

"The Florentines . " He rolled his eyes. "They live in the past. They believe they created everything beautiful in the world-art, science, music, literature-and that is enough. Why do anything more? They've been resting on their laurels for four hundred years. Where I grew up we have a saying: Nun cagnà 'a via vecchia p'a nova, ca saie chello che lasse, nun saie chello ca trouve. "

"Don't live in the past-you will know what you've lost but not what you've found?" D'Agosta asked.

Esposito went still. Then he smiled. "Your family is originally from Naples?"

D'Agosta nodded.

"This is remarkable. And you actually speak Neapolitan?"

"I thought I grew up speaking Italian."

Esposito laughed. "This is not the first time I have heard of this happening. You are fortunate, Sergeant, to speak a beautiful and ancient language no longer taught in any school. Anyone can learn Italian, but only a real man can speak Napolitano. I myself am from Naples. Impossible to work there, of course, but a marvelous place to live."

"Si suonne Napele viato a tte,"D'Agosta said.

Esposito looked even more astonished. "'Blessed be you if you dream of Naples.' What a lovely saying. I've never heard it before."

"When I was a little boy, my grandmother used to whisper that in my ear every time she kissed me good night."

"And did you ever dream of Naples?"

"I sometimes dreamed of a city that I thought was Naples, but I'm sure it was all my imagination. I've never been there."

"Then don't go. Live in your dreams: they are always so much better " He turned to Pendergast. "And now-as you Americans say-to business."

He led them to a small sitting area in a far corner of the room, couches and chairs positioned around an old stone table. Esposito waved his hand." Caffè per noi, per favore."

In moments, a woman appeared with a tray of tiny cups of espresso. Esposito took one, tossed it back, then drank a second just as quickly. He slipped out a pack of cigarettes, offered them around.

"Ah, you Americans never smoke." He took one himself, lit it, exhaled. "This morning, between seven and eight, I received sixteen telephone calls-one from the American Embassy in Rome, five from the American Consulate on the Lungarno, one from the U.S. State Department, two from the New York Times , one from the Washington Post , one from the Chinese Embassy in Rome, and five from various unpleasant people in Mr. Bullard's company." He looked up, eyes twinkling. "Given that, and what you told me just now in the café, it's clear this Bullard was an important man."

"You didn't know him?" Pendergast asked.

"By reputation only." Inhale, exhale. "My colleagues at the polizia have a file on him already, which naturally they will not share with us."

"I could supply you with far more on Bullard, but it would do you no good. The information will only distract you, as it did me."

Esposito turned to the two carabinieri who were whispering together behind him. "Basta' cù stì fessarie! Mettiteve à faticà! Marònna meja, chist' so propri' sciem'!"

D'Agosta suppressed a laugh. "I understood that."

"I didn't," said Pendergast.

"He was just telling those men in, ah, Neapolitan, 'Cut the bullshit and get back to work.'"

"My men are foolish and superstitious. Half of them believe this to be the work of the devil. The other half think it the work of some secret society. As you know, Florentine nobility is rife with them." Inhale, exhale. "It appears to me, Mr. Pendergast, that we have a joker on our hands."

"On the contrary, our killer could not be more serious."

"But all this-chest è 'nà scena rò diavulo?Come, now. All this may scare my men half to death, but you?"

"I assure you there is a most purposeful design here."

"I see you already have a theory as to what happened to Mr. Bullard. Perhaps you will be kind enough to share it with me?" The colonnello leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "After all, I've already done you an enormous favor by not reporting your presence at the scene of the crime. Otherwise, you would be filling out paperwork from now until Christmas."

"I am grateful," said Pendergast. "But for now, there's little more I can tell you than what I mentioned last night. We're investigating two mysterious deaths that took place recently in New York State. Locke Bullard was a possible suspect. At the very least, he was involved in some extremely shady dealings. But as it happens, his own death patterns the first two."

"I see. And do you have any ideas? Conjectures?"

"It would be unwise for me to answer that question. And you wouldn't believe me if I did."

"Va be’. Well then, what now?" He leaned back, picked up yet another cup of espresso, and tossed it back like a Russian tosses back a shot of vodka.

"I would like you to do a search of all deaths in Italy over the past year in which the body was found burned or partially burned."

Esposito smiled. "Another favor . " He let his voice trail off into a cloud of smoke. "Here in Italy, we believe in the principle of reciprocation. I would like you to tell me, Mr. Pendergast, what you will be doing for me ."

Pendergast leaned forward. "Colonnello, all I can say is, one way or another I will return the favor."

Esposito gazed at him for a moment, stubbed out his cigarette. "Well then. You're looking for a burned corpse in Italy " He laughed. "That would involve half the homicides in the South. The Mafia, Camorra, Cosa Nostra, the Sardinians-burning their victims after killing them is a time-honored tradition."

"We can safely eliminate homicides related to organized crime, family or business feuds, or any for which you've already caught the killer. We're looking for one that is isolated, perhaps an older person, probably rural."

D'Agosta stared at Pendergast. What was he driving at? There was an eager glint in his eyes. He was clearly hot on some trail and, as usual, wasn't sharing it with anyone.

"That will narrow things down tremendously," said Esposito. "I'll get someone on it right away. It might take a day or two-we are not nearly as computerized as your FBI."

"I am most grateful." Pendergast rose and shook Esposito's hand.

The policeman leaned forward and said," Quann' 'o diavulo t'accarezza, vo'll'ànema."

As they exited into the sun, Pendergast turned to D'Agosta. "I find that I need to call on you again for a translation."

D'Agosta grinned. "It's an old Neapolitan proverb. You need a strong heart to resist the devil's caresses. "

"Appropriate." Pendergast inhaled. "What a fine day. Shall we go sightseeing?"

"What'd you have in mind?"

"I hear Cremona is lovely this time of year."