The taller man now spoke.
‘Just what is the nature of this information, Signor Speranza?’
Tony laughed lightly to indicate that he hadn’t been born yesterday.
‘I would naturally only be prepared to disclose its full extent once the payment of the reward has been agreed by the Curti family. But I can reveal that it involves electronic surveillance techniques with a logged computer record and will stand up in court.’
He smiled at the two officials.
‘We’re talking the information age equivalent of blood on the hands.’
The taller man glanced at the uniformed officers, who had remained in the room, one to either side of Speranza.
‘All right,’ he sighed. ‘Take him down to the cellars and sweat it out of him. The works, okay? I want every detail by three at the latest. Including the stuff he’s forgotten he knew.’
The uniforms moved in and grasped Speranza by either arm in the manner known to pulp fiction as ‘vice-like’. It did indeed feel very vicious.
‘But…but…but…’ Tony spluttered.
The official smiled enigmatically.
‘The criminal always makes one fatal mistake,’ he said. ‘You came here demanding a reward on the basis of having proof that the person who murdered Lorenzo Curti also shot Edgardo Ugo with the same gun.’
‘But it’s true!’
The other man nodded.
‘It’s certainly true. What you overlooked, however, is that it’s your gun.’
Tony looked at him in complete bewilderment.
‘Mine? But how can you know that?’
‘Ah, that might well have taken some considerable time. The weapon had almost certainly been acquired on the black market, and was not officially registered. Fortunately, however, we were in possession of a clue that eventually led us, after a sleepless night and much profound cogitation that tested our professional skills as never before, to the irrefutable truth.’
Tony laughed bravely.
‘You’re bluffing! What clue?’
‘Your name is engraved on the barrel, signore,’ said Aurelio Zen.