Italian Romance (6 page)

Mario
Ponte was known to the police. He had a long and varied criminal record. He had
robbed his first jewelry store at fifteen and spent the last ten years in and
out of prison. Sometimes they caught him, sometimes they did not. However, this
time he could not afford to let the police discover he was responsible. He had
killed before and he had been lucky. There had been no one to witness those
assassinations. If he was caught it was not the police that concerned him, but
the men who had hired him. Even in jail they would have him ‘silenced’, for
fear he would eventually talk. Not only that, but this victim had been a
relative of one of the clan bosses – and he had no wish to make himself known
to them either.

Mario
broke out in a cold sweat every time he thought about what they would do to him
if he was caught. He had seen what they were capable of. Not for the first time,
he regretted the path his life had taken. He should have followed his mother’s
advice and got out of Napoli once he finished school. Instead, he had fallen in
with those who preferred to steal rather than work and, for a while, he had not
cared. Recently however, as the stakes grew higher and the crimes more serious
he knew he had entered a one-way street there was no escaping from.

The
woman had to die.

He
watched her retreating back and, once she was half-way up the street, Mario
slipped out of his hiding place and quietly followed.

***

Luisa
was two stops away from Vittorio Emanuele cable car station when she realized
she was being followed.

It
was an odd sensation that came upon her suddenly. One moment she was sitting on
the crowded metro, reading a poster on the wall opposite, and the next the hair
on the back of her neck prickled and she was struck by a sense of danger.

She
sat still for a moment, heart pounding, before she slowly turned her head and
took a good look at her surroundings.

It
was rush hour and the metro was busy. A group of university students stood by
the door chattering and laughing together excitedly. An old man sat opposite
her and gave her a leering smile when her gaze rested on him. Luisa gritted her
teeth and moved her gaze on. There were plenty of creepy men on the streets and
buses of Naples. They were an annoyance but it was not this individual who
scared her. There were businessmen and women, mothers, children and teenagers
all packed into the rattling carriage, but none caused her intuition to scream
danger.

Then
she saw him.

He
had squeezed himself into the far corner of the other end of the carriage. He
was wearing a leather jacket instead of the padded vest, but at the sight of
the mirrored sunglasses, aggressive buzz haircut and gaunt tanned face, Luisa’s
heart started hammering triple time against her ribs.

He
was pretending not to see her but Luisa knew it was a ruse. She had to get out
of this carriage now.

This
train was one of the newer models that allowed passengers to move from one
carriage to another with ease, rather than the old-style trains that trapped
you inside your carriage until the next stop. Luisa casually got to her feet
and moved down the carriage as nonchalantly as possible. She dared not look
behind her, but she was sure he would realize she had spotted him and try to
follow.

As
she wove in and out of the crowds of tightly packed passengers, Luisa’s mind
whirled in panic. What was the best way to escape him? Should she jump off at
the next stop and run? Should she try to get on another train? Or should she
try to get the cable-car and make it home to her aunt and uncle?

She
could not let him see where she lived. The moment she got on the cable car he
would know she lived in the Vomero and even if she managed to lose him before
she got to her aunt and uncle’s building she would be terrified he was still
lurking in the area every time she went outside.

The
only options open to her were to either get off at the next stop and try to
raise the alarm or jump on a metro going back in the direction she had come and
try to make it back to the police station.

Luisa
had almost reached the end of the train when she felt the brakes come on,
signaling they were approaching the next station. She glanced back over her
shoulder and saw the gleam of mirrored sunglasses moving towards her, around
six meters behind. This carriage was the busiest yet. It was packed with
teenagers who, oblivious to anyone around them, where kidding around and
jostling each other near the doors. Usually, Luisa would have either been
intimidated or annoyed by such raucous behavior but now she welcomed it. She
pushed her way into the centre of the group. Some of the teenagers jostled her
and one of the boys made a crude comment. Luisa ignored them and jammed herself
up against the door as the train squealed into the station.

The
doors slid open and Luisa bolted like a rabbit out onto the platform. There was
a crowd of passengers waiting to get on and, in typical Italian fashion, they
all tried to get on to the train while passengers were disembarking. Once
again, this was usually something that made Luisa’s blood boil – however today
she could have hugged them. She threw herself through the crowd, ignoring their
protests as she elbowed her way through. Breaking free of the tangle of
humanity, she sprinted through the narrow tunnel between the platforms.

Luck
was with her for a train, heading back in the direction she had come, had just
pulled in. The doors started to beep, warning they were about to close, and
Luisa flung herself into the carriage. She felt a
whoosh
of air as the
doors slammed shut behind her. She grabbed hold of the pole in the centre of
the carriage for support, ignoring the bemused glances from the other commuters.

The
train slowly pulled out of the station.

On
the platform, separated from Luisa by glass and metal, stood the assassin. His
face was twisted, his eyes still hidden behind the mirrored shades. He stared
at Luisa and mouthed a threat before drawing his finger across his throat in a
universal gesture that needed no translation.

A
moment later, the train was hurtling down a dark tunnel.

***

“
Idiota!”
Commissario Valerio Catanese shouted, turning from where he had been staring
out the window, and struggling to control his temper, “what the hell did you
think you were doing?”

“I
thought…”

“What
did you think?” Valerio cut Luisa off, “that I was going to leave you sitting
here all night? I asked you to wait here for a reason!”

Luisa
shifted uncomfortably on her chair and struggled to control her own anger. She
had thought he would be impressed that she had successfully eluded danger and
come back to the police station. Instead, he stood there lecturing her like she
was an imbecile. She took a deep breath in an attempt to still her rising
temper. She’d had just about enough of Italian men today.

Aware
that his outburst was causing Luisa to stare at him with icy hostility, Valerio
Catanese reined in his own temper.

“You
must be aware,” his voice rasped with the effort he was making not to shout,
“that if not for dumb luck you would be dead now. These men have no mercy. He
would have stabbed you to death in the middle of a crowded metro if he had to.”

“I’m
aware of that,” Luisa replied between gritted teeth, “however, since I am a
free citizen I was within my rights to leave this building and go home. How was
I to know he would be waiting for me?”

“You
witnessed a shooting and looked the assassin in the eye seconds afterwards. A
man like that has much at stake,” the inspector explained, “he is a pawn; doing
someone else’s dirty work – and that makes him extremely dangerous. A man like
that is terrified of those he works for, and for good reason. You represent a
slow and painful death. He will do his best to silence you.”

Indignation
and anger slowly drained from Luisa, replaced by despair. She had saved up for
this trip for two years but now it looked as if her dream holiday had just
turned into a nightmare.

Seeing
her change in expression, Valerio Catanese sat down opposite Luisa at the
table.

“I
was late coming to see you because more information has surfaced about Michele
Esposito, the man who was shot,” Catanese explained, “it appears he is the
nephew of one of the clan bosses, Sergio Esposito. Have you heard of him?”

Luisa
nodded. She watched the news with her relatives every evening before dinner.
Sergio Esposito was in hiding. He was implicated in the torture and killing of
two journalists who had foolishly investigated him too enthusiastically.
Esposito had spent the last couple of years fighting with other clans in an
attempt for supremacy, winning himself no friends within his own organization,
as the police tightened the net. He was a dangerous man – and no doubt an angry
one after the death of his nephew.

Reading
her expression, Valerio Catanese's anger appeared to dissolve. He leaned back
in his chair and glanced out the window. Luisa watched his profile and was
struck, not for the first time, what a handsome man he was.

“It
never ends,” he said quietly, “the cycle repeats itself as it has for
centuries. Every time we jail one, another appears to take his place. Then
there is the
vendetta
between them. You'd hope all that in-fighting
would weaken their hold but it just feeds them.”

“I
can't begin to understand it,” Luisa admitted, “and I'm sorry I left without
saying anything. I didn't realise I would be in any danger. Believe me, if I
had known what was waiting outside I would have stayed here.”

Silence
stretched between them for a couple of seconds before Luisa looked at her
watch. It was nearing 8pm and outside the light was fading.

“I
don't suppose you could arrange for me to be taken home?” Luisa asked, “my aunt
and uncle will wonder where I am.”

Inspector
Catanese shook his head. “I will need to get an identikit from you and it isn't
safe for you to go home. It would put not only yourself but your relatives at
risk.”

Luisa's
spirits sank. For the first time all day, she felt like crying. She was tired,
hungry and scared. She wanted to see Zia Giuseppina and Zio Roberto and forget
today ever happened.

Commissario
Catanese pulled a cell phone out of his pocket and handed it to Luisa.

“Give
them a call,” he urged with a nod, “tell them what's happened and that tonight
you will have to stay in police custody for your own safety.”

“Police
custody?”

“That's
right,” he sighed, “you're sleeping here tonight.”

***

The
room looked little more than a glorified cell. A narrow bed with a thin, lumpy
mattress sat in one corner and a small table with two chairs in the other.
There was one small barred window and a picture of the Virgin Mary on the
white-washed wall. Luisa turned to Catanese with a frown.

“I'm
sleeping
here
?”

The
inspector gave a pained expression before nodding.

“This
isn't a hotel
signorina
; we don't usually host non-criminals
over-night.”

“Are
you locking me in?”

“Of
course not!” Valerio Catanese gave an impatient shake of his head, “this
building is secure. There's a bathroom at the end of the corridor. I am staying
in the room next door if you need anything.”

“You're
staying here?”

The
police inspector's gaze met hers. “Yes,” he replied simply, “somebody has to
make sure you don't get into any more trouble.”

The
mischievous tone in his voice was not lost on Luisa – so the man did have a
sense of humour after all. She had begun to wonder.

“I
don't know about you but I'm starving,” Catanese continued, “I'm ordering some
pizza, would you like some?”

Luisa
nodded fervently – just the thought of pizza made her salivate. She was so
hungry her stomach ached. Seeing her expression, Commissario Catanese smiled.
“I thought you would.”

He
left Luisa alone and went downstairs to call the local pizzeria. Luisa sighed
before sitting down on her bed and looking around the cheerless room. Her aunt
and uncle had not been happy about her staying at the police station overnight.
Her uncle had roared that he was going to come and pick her up himself before
Catanese had pried the phone off Luisa. It had taken the police inspector a
while to calm them both down. It was only when he explained that their niece
had witnessed a murder linked to Sergio Esposito that they finally understood
how dangerous it was for her to leave the police station tonight. There were
many men loyal to Catanese behind bars, as well as many loyal to his own boss.
Both would be keen to ‘silence’ a man stupid enough to get caught.

Luisa
opened her bag and rifled through the contents. Luckily, she carried half her
toiletries around with her. Most of the time her over-stuffed handbag got on
her nerves; this evening however, the fact she had a travel toothbrush, wipes,
a hairbrush and moisturizer was a great relief. Luisa took advantage of her
momentary privacy to freshen up. Catanese returned a short time later with a
laptop and an apologetic expression.