The Rome Prophecy

106

Lorenzo Silvestri lights Federico’s cigarette for him.

He has to.

The lieutenant’s hand is shaking too much for him to be able to do it himself.

Federico hasn’t been scared by the gunfire, the stabbing, the sudden influx of Carabinieri troops or even the fact that he now has to explain what he and Valentina were doing at the church.

He’s frightened that Valentina is dead.

He’s scared stiff that he misunderstood what she’d asked him to do and as a result she’s been killed.

‘So tell me,’ says Lorenzo, fresh from learning over his earpiece that Federico and his captain are suspended and shouldn’t be doing anything except staying at home and getting fat on cupboard snacks, ‘what were you and Morassi doing at Santa Cecilia?’

Federico tries to explain. ‘We’d both been working a case involving a psychiatric patient called Anna Fratelli. She’d been arrested in connection with a violent incident in Cosmedin. Subsequent enquiries based on what she said to us also resulted in a mutilated male body being found on the banks of the Tiber.’

Lorenzo senses this is going to get complicated. ‘Hang on!’ He pulls a small notebook and pen from a button-down pocket on the leg of his combat pants. ‘Right, continue.’

‘Anna Fratelli died in hospital last night. The doctor in charge of her, Louisa Verdetti, phoned Captain Morassi. It was a strange call. Valentina worked out that Verdetti was being held hostage by someone who wanted to break Anna out of the psych unit.’

The major’s mind is reeling. ‘I’m full of questions here. Who, what and why being at the front of that queue. But first, tell me, are we talking about someone who wanted to take Anna Fratelli’s dead body, or someone who wanted to kidnap her because they thought she was still alive?’

‘The latter.’

‘Okay. But why did this doctor…’ he glances down at his notes, ‘Verdetti, call your captain? Were they friends?’

Federico shakes his head. ‘No. Far from it. Verdetti was the one who got us suspended. She complained to our top brass that we’d pushed Anna too far during interviews and had made her sickness worse.’

‘And did you push her too far?’

Federico hesitates. ‘No, sir. I really don’t think we did.’

‘Explain something to me, Lieutenant. When my men checked with our control room, there was no record that you and Morassi were attempting this recovery operation. Had neither of you called it in?’

‘No, sir.’

‘Why not?’

‘Sir, even before we were suspended there was bad blood between Captain Morassi and our commanding officer, Major Caesario.’

Lorenzo begins to see the picture. ‘Bad blood or not, you still should have called it in. I know what Caesario is like but you should have gone by the book.’

Federico looks penitent. ‘Yes, sir.’

Lorenzo stops him with the palm of his hand. It’s clear he’s taking a radio message in his earpiece. ‘ Grazie,’ he says to whoever is on the other end. He looks back to Federico. ‘One of my units has just found Doctor Verdetti. She’s fine. Panicky as hell, but she’s unhurt.’