The Age of Doubt Read Online Free PDF Page A

he—”
    “I am a man of the sea,” said the captain, to justify his actions.
    “You see, signora—” Lieutenant Garrufo began.
    “No, I don’t see, I’ve seen enough,” the woman cut him off, upset. Then, setting her now empty glass down on the table, she added: “And how long, Inspector, do you think we’ll be kept here?”
    “In the best of cases, no more than a week, signora.”
    She stuck her hands in her hair.
    “But I’ll go crazy! What the hell am I going to do in a hole like this?”
    Despite her obnoxious words and manner, the woman was unable to make Montalbano dislike her.
    “You can go visit the Greek temples of Montelusa,” he suggested, half seriously and half mockingly.
    “And then what?”
    “Then there’s the museum.”
    “And then what?”
    “I dunno, you could visit some of the neighboring towns. At Fiacca, for example, they make a kind of pizza called
tabisca
, which has—”
    “I’ll need a car.”
    “Can’t you use your niece’s?”
    She looked at him in amazement.
    “What niece?”

3
    Maybe she has more than one niece, the inspector thought.
    “Vanna.”
    The woman looked at him as if he were speaking in tongues.
    “Vanna?!”
    “Yes, looks about thirty, with glasses and black hair, lives in Palermo, and her surname is . . . wait . . . ah, Digiulio.”
    “Ah, yes. She’s already left,” the woman replied abruptly.
    Montalbano noticed that, before replying, she had exchanged a quick glance with the captain. But he realized that this wasn’t the time to press the matter.
    “Perhaps you could rent a car, with or without a driver,” Dr. Raccuglia suggested.
    “I’ll think about it,” she said. “And now, if you’ll excuse me.”
    She withdrew into her cabin.
    “Nice little disposition,” said the lieutenant.
    Captain Sperlì rolled his eyes heavenward, as if to evoke all the things he had to put up with, then threw his hands up.
    “I think you wanted to ask me something,” the doctor said to the inspector.
    “It’s no longer important,” Montalbano replied.
    He had other things to think about.

    When they went back out on deck, the inspector noticed that there was now a huge motorboat moored alongside the yacht, so big he’d only seen its equal in some 007 movies. And, lo and behold, it was flying a Panamanian flag.
    “Did that just come in?” he asked the lieutenant.
    “No, that cruiser’s been in the harbor for the past five days. It’s here for an engine check. They realized it wasn’t running properly and summoned a technician from Amsterdam.”
    Back on the wharf, Montalbano read the cruiser’s name:
Ace of Hearts
. Dr. Raccuglia said goodbye to the two men and headed for his car.
    “There’s something I want to ask you,” the lieutenant said to Montalbano.
    “Go ahead.”
    “Why were you so interested in the
Vanna
even before they told us they’d found the dinghy with the corpse in it?”
    Smart question, worthy of a cop, and it put the inspector in a bit of a quandary. He decided to sing only half the Mass to the lieutenant.
    “That niece I mentioned, the one the lady said had just left, had turned to the police—”
    “I see,” said Garrufo.
    “I think you’ll be hearing from me again very soon,” Montalbano said to him.
    “I’m at your service.”
    They shook hands.

    He followed the lieutenant’s car for a short distance, waited for him to park, get out, and go into the Harbor Office, then waited five more minutes and did the same himself.
    “Can I help you?” the guard asked him.
    “I need some information on recruitment.”
    “First door on the right.”
    Behind a counter sat an old officer withthe
Settimana Enigmistica
in his hand.
    “Good afternoon. I’m Inspector Montalbano,” said the inspector, showing the man his badge.
    “What can I do for you?”
    “Were you on duty here this morning?”
    “Yes.”
    “Do you remember whether a young woman of about thirty with glasses came in here asking if you had