A Florentine Death Read Online Free PDF Page B

something.'
    'There's more, chief.'
    'Go on.'
    'Leone conducted a close examination of the tissues of the rectal walls. There's no doubt about it: Micali was a practising homosexual, and had been for a long time.'
    Ah, our "Stefanino",' Ferrara said knowingly. 'What about this afternoon? Any signs of sexual assault?'
    'No. Leone's ruled it out.'
    'Is that all there is?'
    'Yes, chief.'
    'Let's see what we've got so far. The murder took place after the shop closed for lunch. According to the priest, Micali usually locked the door. And again according to Don Sergio, Micali never went out during the lunch break. On the contrary, that was when people sometimes, or maybe often,

came to see him. We know the priest did. Why not some other special friends?'
    'I'd say it's at least possible,' Rizzo agreed.
    Which means the killer was someone he knew. He must have opened the door to him, and trusted him enough to happily turn his back on him. He had no idea what the man's real intentions were and was genuinely surprised when he stabbed him in the back.'
    'Sounds right to me.'
    'The blow kills him, he doesn't even have time to cry out. He falls to the floor and the killer carries on stabbing him even though he's dead. It's as if he was so angry at him, he wanted to wipe his body from the face of the earth. But why? Why did he hate him so much? Jealousy? A quarrel over money?'
    'We'll have to look into his private life. That might not be so difficult. Greve's a small place. If we're lucky, the case can be contained within the town and sooner or later we'll find the culprit.'
    'I hope it's sooner rather than later. Let's try and avoid the press turning this into a soap opera. The homosexual angle will be meat and drink to them, whether it's the right line of inquiry or not. But I appreciate your optimism and I wish you good luck, because I'd like you to be in charge of the investigation. What do you think of the priest?'
    'There's something strange about him,' Rizzo replied, clearly pleased with the assignment. 'Why did he run to tell the people in the bar? And why did he spend nearly half an hour with the body before he told anyone? Doing what? He gave the impression he's someone who's more likely to run away than join the fray, don't you think?'
    'Yes, I do. Unless, of course, he actually ran away as soon as the crime was committed, washed off the bloodstains, got rid of the weapon and then, feeling repentant or whatever, ran to the bar. But frankly I don't see it. He seems too timid for that. Keep an eye on him, though, but discreetly, please, we mustn't upset anyone. This is a sensitive area, and we'd like to avoid a scandal.
    'Don't worry, chief, we'll wear kid gloves with the Church. But not blinkers.'
    Ferrara smiled. 'Oh, and Francesco,' he added. 'You don't need to keep me informed of everything. Just the important things, anything significant you turn up. I want you to handle as much of the case yourself as you can. I have other things on my plate at the moment. And please, as far as the press is concerned, say as little as possible. If necessary, send them to me and I'll deal with them.'
    Although Rizzo was trying hard not to let it show, he was clearly surprised to be delegated such a degree of responsibility. Ferrara caught a hint of alarm in his eyes, a slight tightening of the muscles in his face.
    'Let's go,' he said. 'You have things to do, and I want to watch the evening news at home for once.'
     
     
     
    7 p.m.: Verga bookshop, Via Tornabuoni
     
     
     
    The shiny silver Porsche Carrera parked just outside the front door of the bookshop. Bound to get a ticket, Rita Senesi thought, and it's sure to be a hefty fine. But the driver seemed quite relaxed and unconcerned with the consequences of such a glaring infraction of the rules.
    The richer they are, the stupider, Rita thought.
    From inside the shop, she couldn't see the occupants of the Porsche clearly but, from what she could see, the girl was certainly a looker and