City of Devils: A Novel Read Online Free PDF Page A

dressed young man stride towards them.
    ‘Tullio, what do you want? This is my area, not yours.’
    ‘Inspector Tullio, if you don’t mind, and that is not how it works, Machinetti, as you well know,’ the young man replied, patiently. ‘I have jurisdiction here.’
    James studied Tullio and decided that he had not been in his position long. Everything about him gave the impression of effort from his neatly clipped beard to his posture, which had him leaning slightly forward as if he was anxious not to miss anything.
    Machinetti paused, frowning apparently with the effort of thinking. ‘I was here first,’ he declared.
    Tullio smiled thinly. ‘You certainly were. Only you could contaminate the scene of a crime quite so comprehensively. I don’t want your officers blundering about any more, destroying the evidence as they go.’
    Machinetti stared at him with hostility. James observed their mutual dislike, wondering why they seemed to be so intent on having a dispute about territory rather than cooperating in the investigation of the crime. Ottolenghi whispered in his ear, ‘Inspector Tullio is an officer from our other investigating body, the Public Security Police, the PS. Machinetti hates him almost as much as the professor, and that’s saying something.’
    ‘Why?’ James asked.
    ‘The PS is supposed to police the city but so are the carabinieri. Who does what is a matter of dispute. As for Tullio himself, he’s university-educated, very bright and also a believer in scientific policing, which is not widely supported here.’
    James looked at Tullio with new interest. He wondered if the young policeman had also studied under someone like Dr Bell. Word of this new approach to criminal investigation had spread beyond Edinburgh, he knew, and it was obvious that Tullio shared James’s view that not only the body of the victim, but also the scene of the crime and what might have been left there by the perpetrator should be given almost as much attention as possible suspects in a case.
    Lombroso, who had evidently overheard, nodded with approval. ‘It has great possibilities. Machinetti, you should listen to this young man. You might learn something.’
    Machinetti grunted and turned away.
    Tullio smiled at them. ‘Professor, Ottolenghi, it is good to see you both – and signor?’ He extended a hand towards James who took it gratefully.
    ‘Ah yes, this is my new assistant, Dr James Murray from Scotland,’ Lombroso said. James felt a jolt of excitement at hearing his position confirmed.
    ‘Welcome to Turin, Dottore ,’ Tullio said. ‘Now, Professor, perhaps you and your colleagues could be of some assistance with what is left of the evidence?’
    ‘Indeed,’ Lombroso replied. ‘We were just about to examine the note.’
    Tullio nodded his approval. ‘I agree, but first let us record the position of the body.’ He turned and summoned a small dumpy man with an untidy moustache carrying some equipment. ‘Please proceed.’
    The man, a photographer, started to set up his tripod. Machinetti snorted with derision. ‘We don’t have time for this. I’ve already got someone to record everything, although personally I don’t see the need for such a thing. The man’s clearly dead. That’s all we need to know, surely.’ Machinetti pointed to another man standing next to the body with a pad and a pencil.
    ‘A sketch artist? That’s nowhere near as accurate!’ Tullio protested.
    The artist positioned himself in front of the photographer who immediately picked up his tripod and moved it in front again. The artist tutted and moved once more until he was so close to the body he could almost reach out and touch it. Neither of them seemed remotely bothered by the repellent sight they had been asked to capture.
    Tullio rolled his eyes impatiently.
    ‘Why don’t they just stand next to each other?’ James suggested. ‘Then we would have two different impressions rather than one.’
    Lombroso agreed. ‘A