The Patience of the Spider (12 page)

He was well-spoken, this Carlo Mistretta. But the inspector
needed to hear facts, not well-turned sentences.

Excuse me, Doctor, but Im required to ask you more.
Was it the husband, perhaps unwittingly, who ...?

Carlo Mistrettas lips parted, uncovering just the edge
of his teeth. This, on the other hand, was his manner of
smiling.

My brother? Are you kidding? He would give his own
life for his wife. And when you know the whole story, youll
see that your suspicion was absurd.

A lover?

The doctor looked dazed.

Eh?

I was saying, perhaps another man, some amorous disappointment,
if you dont mind my

I believe the only man in Giulias life has always been my
brother.

At this point Montalbano lost patience. Hed grown fed
up with playing charades. On top of this, he wasnt too keen
on this Dr. Mistretta. He was about to open his mouth to ask
more questions when the doctor, as though sensing the in-
spectors change of mood, raised his hand to stop him.

A brother, he said.

Jesus Christ! Now whered this brother come from? Whose
brother?

Hed known from the start that between all the brothers,
uncles, in-laws, nephews, and nieces, this case was going to
drive him crazy.

Giulias brother, the doctor continued.
Mrs. Mistretta has a brother?
Yes. Antonio.
And why hasnt he
He hasnt been heard from in the current crisis because

he and Giulia havent spoken for some time. A long time.

At this point something happened that often happened to
Montalbano during the course of an investigation. That is, a
variety of apparently unrelated facts all came together at once
in his brain, each piece assuming its proper place in the puzzle.
And this occurred even before he had full knowledge of
them. Thus it was the inspectors own lips, almost entirely of
their own will, that said:

Shall we say six years?
The doctor looked at him in surprise.
Do you already know the whole story?
Montalbano made a gesture that meant nothing.
No, not six years, the doctor corrected him, but its

true that it all began six years ago. You see, my sister-in-law,
Giulia, and her brother,Antonio, who is three years her junior,
were orphaned in early childhood. A terrible misfortune.
Their parents died in a railway accident. They owned a bit of
property. The orphans were taken in by an uncle from the
mothers side, a bachelor, who treated them well and with
great affection. Giulia and Antonio became very attached as

they grew up, as often happens with orphaned siblings. Shortly
after Giulias sixteenth birthday, the uncle died. He had very
little money, and so Giulia left school so that Antonio could
continue his studies. She took a job as a salesgirl. Salvatore, my
brother, met her when she was twenty and fell in love with
her. Actually, they both fell in love. But Giulia refused to
marry him before Antonio had graduated and found a decent
job. She never accepted the least bit of financial help from her
future husband. She did everything herself. Finally Antonio
became an engineer, found a good job, and Giulia and Salvatore
could get married. Three years later, my brother was offered
a job in Uruguay. He accepted and went to live there
with his wife. Meanwhile

The trill of the telephone shattered the silence of the villa
and the surrounding countryside like a burst of Kalashnikov
fire. The doctor sprang to his feet and went over to the console
the phone was on.

Hello? ...Yes, what is it? ...When? ...Yes, Ill be
right over... Inspector Montalbanos here with me; would
you like to speak with him?

He was pale. He turned around and, without a word,
handed the receiver to the inspector. It was Fazio.

Chief? I tried you at the office and at home, but nobody
could tell me where ...Listen, the kidnappers just called, not
ten minutes ago ...I think its better if you come here yourself.

Im on my way.

Just a minute, said Carlo Mistretta. I need to go get
some medication for Salvatore. Hes very distraught.

He went out. Theyd phoned sooner than theyd said.

Why? Perhaps something had gone wrong for them and they
no longer had much time? Or was it simply a tactic to confuse
everyone? The doctor returned with a small handbag.

Ill go out first, and you can follow me in your car.
Theres a shortcut to my brothers house from here.

9

They arrived in less than half an hour. A uniformed policeman
from Montelusa who didnt know the inspector opened the
gate. He let the doctor pass and then blocked Montalbanos car.

Who are you?

What I wouldnt give to know! Lets just say that, conventionally
speaking, Im Inspector Montalbano.

The policeman gave him a puzzled look, but let him drive
through. In the living room they found only Minutolo and
Fazio.

Where is my brother? the doctor asked.

Listen, said Minutolo, when listening to the phone call
he nearly passed out. So I went upstairs to call the nurse, who
roused him and persuaded him to go lie down.

Im going upstairs, said the doctor.

And he left, bag in hand. Fazio, meanwhile, had set up the
equipment near the telephone.

This ones also a recorded message, Minutolo began.
And this time they get to the point. Listen, and well talk afterwards.

Pay close attention. Susannas health is fine, but shes feeling
desperate because she wishes she could be at her mothers side.

Get six billion lire ready. I repeat, six billion lire.The Mistret

tas know where to find it. Goodbye.

The same disguised male voice that was in the first recording.

Did you manage to trace the call? Montalbano asked.

You ask such useless questions! Minutolo retorted.

This time they didnt let us hear Susannas voice.

Right.

And they talk in lire.

How did you expect them to talk? Minutolo asked sarcastically.

In euros.

Isnt it the same thing?

No, its not. Unless you belong to that class of shopkeepers
who think a thousand lires the same as a euro.

Whats your point?

Nothing, just an impression.

Say it.

The person sending the message still thinks the old way.
Its comes more naturally to him to count in lire instead of
euros. He didnt say three million euros, he said six billion
lire. In short, it seems to me that the man on the phone is of a
certain age.

Or hes clever enough to have us thinking that way, said
Minutolo. Hes taking us for a ride the way he did when he
scattered the helmet and backpack at the opposite ends of
town.

Can I go outside for a bit? I need some air, said Fazio.

Ill be back in five minutes. In any case, if the phone rings,
youre here to pick up.

Not that he really needed to go out. He just didnt feel
right, listening to a conversation between his superiors.

Go ahead, go ahead, Minutolo and Montalbano said in
unison.

But there is something new, and rather serious, in my
opinion, in that phone call, Minutolo resumed.

Right, said Montalbano. The kidnapper is certain that
the Mistrettas know where to find six billion lire.

Whereas we havent the slightest idea.

But we could.

How?

By putting ourselves in the kidnappers shoes.

Is this some kind of joke?

Not in the least. What I mean is that we, too, could force
the Mistrettas to take the necessary steps in the right direction,
the one that leads to the possible ransom money. And
those steps might clear up a whole lot of things for us.

I dont understand.

Let me sum it up for you. The kidnappers knew right
from the start that the Mistrettas were not in any position to
pay a ransom, and yet they kidnapped the girl anyway. Why?
Because they also knew that the Mistrettas could, if necessary,
get their hands on a large sum of money. Do you agree so
far?

Yes.

Mind you, the kidnappers are not the only ones who
know that the Mistrettas can do this.

Theyre not?
No.
And how do you know?
Fazio reported two strange phone calls to me. Have him

repeat them to you.
And why didnt he report them to me?
It must have slipped his mind, Montalbano lied.
Concretely speaking, what should I do?
Have you informed the judge of this last message?
Not yet. Ill do it right now.
He made as if to lift the receiver.
Wait. You should suggest to him that, since the kidnap

pers have now made a specific request, he should put a restraining
order on the assets of Mr. and Mrs. Mistretta, and
then report this measure to the press.

What would we gain from that? The Mistrettas dont
have a cent, and everybody knows it. It would be a pure formality.

Of course. It would be a pure formality if it remained
between you, me, the judge, and the Mistrettas. But I said the
measure should be made known to the public. Public opinion
may be full of shit, as some maintain, but it matters. And the
public will begin to wonder if its true that the Mistrettas
know where to find the money, and if so, theyll ask themselves
why they dont do what they need to do to get their hands on
it. Its possible the kidnappers themselves will have to tell the
Mistrettas what they need to do. And something will finally
come out in the open. Because, on the face of it, my friend,
this doesnt look to me like a simple kidnapping.

What is it, then?

I dont know. It gives me the impression of a billiards
game, where one banks a shot off the cushion in front so that
the ball will end up on the opposite side.

You know what I say? As soon as he recovers a little, Im
going to put the squeeze on Susannas father.

Go ahead. But keep one thing in mind. Even if, five
minutes from now, we learn the truth from the Mistrettas, the
judge must still proceed the way we said. With your permission,
Ill speak with the doctor as soon as he comes downstairs.
I was at his house when Fazio called. He was telling me some
interesting things, and I think the conversation is worth continuing.

At that moment Carlo Mistretta entered the room.
Is it true they asked for six billion lire?
Yes, said Minutolo.
My poor niece! the doctor exclaimed.
Come, lets go have a breath of air, Montalbano invited

him.

The doctor followed him outside as though sleepwalking.
They sat down on a bench. Montalbano saw Fazio hurry back
into the living room. He was about to open his mouth when
the doctor again beat him to it.

The phone call my brother just described to me relates
directly to what I was telling you at my place.
Im sure it does, said the inspector. I think, therefore,

that if you feel up to it, you need to
I feel up to it. Where were we?
Your brother and his wife had just moved to Uruguay.
Oh, yes. Less than a year later, Giulia wrote a long letter

to Antonio, suggesting he come join them in Uruguay. The

work prospects were excellent, the country was growing fast,
and Salvatore had won the esteem of many important people
and was in a position to help him ...I forgot to mention that
Antonio had got a degree in civil engineeringyou know,
bridges, viaducts, roads ...Well, he accepted and came. In the
early going, my sister-in-law supported him unstintingly. He
remained in Uruguay for five years. Just think, theyd bought
two apartments in the same building in Montevideo so they
could be close to one another. Among other things, Salvatore
sometimes had to leave home for months at a time for work,
and he felt reassured to know that he wasnt leaving his young
wife alone. Anyway, to make a long story short, during those
five years, Antonio made a fortune. Not so much as an engineer,
the way my brother tells it, but through his skill in manipulating
the various free zones that were so numerous over
there...which was a more or less legal way of evading
taxes.

Why did he leave?

He said he was terribly homesick for Sicily. And he
couldnt stand being away any longer. And that, with all the
money he now had, he could start up his own business over
here. My brother later suspected, though not at the time, that
there was a more serious reason.

What was that?

That maybe hed made a wrong move and feared for his
life. In the two months prior to his departure, his moods had
become impossible, though Giulia and Salvatore attributed
this to the fact that he was leaving soon. They were like a single
family. And Giulia, in fact, suffered a great deal when her
brother left. So much, in fact, that Salvatore accepted an offer

to go work in Brazil just so that she could live in a new and

different environment.

And they didnt see each other again until

Are you kidding? Aside from the fact that they continually
called and wrote to each other, Giulia and Salvatore came
to Italy at least once every two years and spent their vacations
with Antonio. Just think, when Susanna was born . . . At the
mention of her name, the doctors voice cracked. . . . When
Susanna was born rather late in their marriagetheyd given
up hope of having childrenthey brought the baby here so
she could be baptized by Antonio, who was too busy to travel.
Eight years ago, my brother and Giulia finally moved back.
They were tired. Theyd been all over South America and
they wanted Susanna to grow up in Italy. On top of this, Salvatore
had managed to put aside a good deal of money.

Could you say he was a rich man?

Frankly, yes. And it was I who took care of everything. I
invested his savings in stocks, land, real estate . . . As soon as
they arrived, Antonio announced that he was engaged and
would soon be married. The news took Giulia entirely by surprise.
Why hadnt her brother ever mentioned having a girlfriend
he intended to marry? She had her answer when
Antonio introduced Valeria, his future wife, to her. A beautiful
child, barely twenty years old. Antonio, by this point, was
pushing fifty, and he went head over heels for the girl.