Death Brings Gold. Nicola Rocca

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СКАЧАТЬ look he covered the dead body from head to toe several times and in the meantime he was asking himself how many corpses he had seen throughout his career. He remembered the first one. He was still a junior doctor and the dead body belonged to an obese man, almost two hundred kilos. When the doctor had made an incision on that large abdomen, it had deflated and a sickening smell had filled the room. It had lingered on him for more than a week. Or at least that was his impression.

      And since that day his life had been a series of dead people and autopsies. And the people, who initially had a name, a sex and an age, with the passing of time had become mere dummies to be sliced open and a skullcap to be removed.

      And now Raffaele Ghezzi was also part of that miserable group.

      Visconti allowed himself a smile – careful not to be seen by the girl – which reflected the satisfaction he had for his job.

      He stretched an arm towards the small trolley and retrieved two rubber gloves.

      He put them on, making sure that they were snug. Noticing that Clara was already wearing hers, he nodded at her and grabbed the scalpel.

      The autopsy lasted a bit more than an hour and a half.

      Visconti recorded that the victim had died of cardiorespiratory arrest.

      â€œA strip of fabric or something similar was tightly wrapped around the neck obstructing the passage of cerebral impulses.”

      Then, when the dissection was almost concluded, ,Clara, who was examining the dead man’s oral cavity, in a feeble voice interrupted the operation.

      â€œDoctor, look here,” said the girl.

      â€œWhat’s up?” asked the doctor, leaning forward.

      â€œThere,” she continued. “In his mouth. It looks like…”

      Clara didn’t complete the sentence because she knew what it looked like.

      The medical examiner moved a bit closer and with a torch illuminated the inside of the dead man’s mouth.

      â€œThere,” the girl exorted him, “under his tongue.”

      Dr Visconti lifted the dead man’s tongue, as much as was necessary, in order to be able to take a better look at what Clara had seen.

      â€œYes,” he said. “You’re right, Clara. There’s something strange.”

      CHAPTER 9

      â€œThank you for coming, Mrs Pilenga,” Inspector Walker said to the woman, although it had been more of an order than a request.

      Martina nodded, silent. Then, she tried to find something to say, despite the dreadful misery she felt inside her.

      â€œIf there’s anything I can do…”

      Walker offered her a benevolent smile, in an attempt to look sympathetic. Then he rubbed his hands together and let himself drop back into his old worn-out armchair.

      â€œThat’s exactly why we have summoned you. We think that anything you say may be useful to us.”

      The woman replied by nodding again. She looked like a little doll with a broken neck.

      â€œGood,” said Walker. Then he glanced at Zambetti, informing him that the real interrogation was now to begin.

      The assistant nodded, sliding his fingertips onto the computer keys.

      â€œMrs Pilenga, do you know,” Walker started, “if there was anybody who would have wanted to hurt your husband?”

      Before answering, the woman waited longer than the Inspector would have expected.

      â€œNot that I know of.”

      â€œAnd what about you, Mrs Pilenga? Did you get on with your husband?”

      â€œWhat kind of question is that?” blurted the woman, fidgeting in her chair.

      â€œCalm down, ” the Inspector tried to quiet her . This is just like any other question...”

      â€œOf course we got on,” Mrs Pilenga uttered, interrupting him.

      Walker nodded, moving his head slowly. In that precise moment he decided to shift into high gear, without reservation.

      â€œGood,” he said smoothly. “Is there by any chance anything in particular that you would like to tell us regarding your relationship with your husband?”

      The woman blushed. The Inspector could see on her face that she was wondering what the reason was behind that question. Following a few seconds of silence, Mrs Pilenga attempted to change track.

      â€œWhat are you trying to say?”

      Walker put on the most casual face he could summon.

      â€œIt was just a simple question, Mrs Pilenga. You know, before formulating any hypothesis about the murder, I would like to know a bit more about your husband’s life. And who better than you to help me?”

      Martina looked down at the desk. She scratched nervously at the back of her hand, then she lifted her eyes and tried to look the Inspector in the face.

      â€œMy husband and I were an ordinary couple.”

      â€œWhat do you mean by ordinary?”

      The woman thought about that for a moment.

      â€œWe had ups and downs, like many other couples.”

      â€œUps and downs,” repeated Walker, turning his head sideways for a moment, towards his subordinate. “So, Mrs Pilenga, according to you, these ups and downs, could your husband also have them with somebody else. Don’t misunderstand me. I mean… of your knowledge, did your husband have problems with anybody?”

      Walker’s cold eyes were inspecting Martina’s teary eyes, not prying away from them for even a moment.

       “I’ve known my husband for thirty years. I have never seen him fight with anyone. I don’t believe he’d decided to start getting into trouble at fifty years old.”

      â€œI understand,” continued Walker, who was still feeling his way through the dark.

      â€œI still can’t believe it,” the woman opened up, letting herself go into a choked cry.

      Walker stretched his hands out on the desk, in search of hers. She noticed it and decided to accept the charitable gesture. She put her hands together and entrusted them in the Inspector’s big, yet delicate, hands, finding warmth in them.

      â€œI’m sorry, Mrs Pilenga. Believe me,” he told her. “Although my methods might seem harsh, I swear I am doing it for you. To find your husband’s СКАЧАТЬ