‘So what are your aims, if not the violent overthrow of the government?’ Graham asked.
‘Don’t get me wrong, I’m not opposed to the violent overthrow of the government. Especially this government. If a volunteer was needed to put Bellini out of Italy’s misery I’d be glad to put the gun to his head and pull the trigger. It’s just not a viable proposition, not here in Europe. That’s where the militants and I disagree. Are the armed forces and the police just going to stand by and let us topple the government in a blaze of gunfire? Of course not. We have to be realistic. The answer is a coalition.’
Graham sat back and folded his arms across his chest. ‘Tell us about it.’
‘We want the working classes to have a say in the running of the country. At the moment they don’t, which is why there is such an unacceptably high level of unemployment. What I’d like to see in the foreseeable future is for the PCI to take on board two, maybe three, Brigatisti and give them a portfolio in the government.’
‘With an eye on the Red Brigades finally running the country?’ Graham said.
‘It’s a nice thought but we just don’t have the experience to run the country by ourselves. Again, that’s where the militants and I disagree. I think it would work. The PCI have the experience and we have the input of ideas which have been sadly lacking in the past few governments.’
‘You’re overlooking one point,’ Sabrina said. ‘Some years back the PCI denounced you as “common terrorists”. What makes you think they would agree to a coalition?’
‘The Christian Democrats are currently ahead in the polls because of the way the PCI have wrecked the economy. At this rate the PCI don’t stand a chance of being returned to power at the next election. But with the support we have amongst the working classes we could not only win them the next election, but the one after that as well. That’s not something to be taken lightly.’ Calvieri finished his brandy. ‘It’s all hypothetical at the moment. We do have contacts inside the PCI but the final decision would lie with Bellini and his senior ministers.’
‘And if they don’t agree to your terms they’ll become “legitimate targets” like Moro and Tarantelli?’
Calvieri smiled at Graham.
‘They’re already legitimate targets. So you see, the sooner they agree to meet us, the better it will be for all concerned.’
‘Blackmail,’ Graham muttered. ‘I might have guessed.’
‘I prefer to call it common sense,’ Calvieri replied.
Over the loudspeakers came the request that Michael Graham contact the switchboard immediately. He crossed to the house phone at the end of the bar. The call was from Kolchinsky.
‘Commissioner Kuhlmann and Major Paluzzi have just got back,’ Kolchinsky told him. ‘We’ll have that meeting now.’
‘Your room?’
‘Yes. Is Sabrina with you?’
‘Yeah. And Calvieri.’
‘I told you to leave Calvieri alone,’ Kolchinsky said sharply.
‘Sabrina was having a drink with him. What was I supposed to do, sit at the next table?’ Graham raked his fingers through his hair. ‘Do you want us to bring him along?’
‘No, just the two of you. We won’t be able to talk freely if he’s there. Sabrina can brief him later.’
‘Okay. We’ll be up in a couple of minutes,’ Graham said, then replaced the receiver and returned to the table.
‘Sergei?’ Sabrina asked, looking up at him.
‘Yeah, he wants to see us right away.’
‘Does that include me?’ Calvieri asked.
‘No. Sabrina will brief you later if there’s anything you need to know.’
‘It’s so refreshing to work in an atmosphere of trust and cooperation,’ Calvieri said bitterly.
‘I’d prefer to call it common sense,’ Graham replied with a forced smile.
They took the lift to the third floor and walked the short distance to Kolchinsky’s room. Sabrina knocked. Kolchinsky opened the door and ushered them inside.
‘I hear you’ve been drinking with the enemy,’ Paluzzi said with a smile.
‘Not by choice, believe me.’ Graham went on to explain what Calvieri had told them about the possible coalition between the Red Brigades and the PCI.
‘I’ve never heard about it before,’ Kuhlmann said.
‘I’m not surprised,’ Paluzzi replied. ‘It’s not exactly something the PCI want the world to know about. At least not yet.’
‘So you’re saying there will be a PCI-Red Brigades coalition at the next election?’ Graham said in amazement.
‘It’s certainly a possibility. As Calvieri said, the PCI don’t stand a chance of being returned to power. They need the extra votes. And the Red Brigades are capable, in theory, of giving them those extra votes.’
‘But surely the Italian people wouldn’t accept the coalition?’ Sabrina said.
‘I don’t have to tell you how bad our economy is at the moment. And it’s getting worse by the day. The people have lost faith in the politicians. Can you honestly blame them? They want hope for the future. And if a PCI-Red Brigades coalition can offer them that hope, they’ll be voted into power.’
‘So what’s stopping the coalition happening?’ Kolchinsky asked.
‘In a word, Bellini. He’s totally opposed to the idea.’
‘At least someone’s got some scruples.’
Paluzzi laughed and patted Graham on the shoulder.
‘You obviously don’t know about Enzo Bellini, Mike. He’d make a pact with the devil if he thought it would keep him in power. It’s not the coalition that bothers him. It’s the idea that he could lose the Prime Ministership and all the privileges that go with the job.’
‘Would he be deposed?’ Sabrina asked.
‘Undoubtedly. Along with most of his cabinet. Especially his senior ministers, who are all loyal to him. Although I don’t vote for the PCI, I have to admit that they do have several up and coming politicians who could work wonders for the country. They all back the coalition. And that’s why none of them have been given posts in the government.’
Kolchinsky turned away from the window, his eyebrows furrowed thoughtfully.
‘What if the vial was going to be used not only to free Zocchi but also to force Bellini to step down as Prime Minister so that these coalition talks could take place?’
Paluzzi shook his head.
‘Opposition to the coalition isn’t just confined to the PCI. The Red Brigades also have their dissenters. And Zocchi was the loudest of them. He was a militant who wouldn’t settle for anything less than the violent overthrow of the government in power. Negotiations between the PCI and the Red Brigades were out of the question as far as he was concerned. And that went for the Rome cell in general. The idea of the coalition was drafted by Pisani, Calvieri and Luigi Bettinga, Genoa’s brigade chief, the three so-called ‘moderates’ on the committee. Had any of them been involved in the theft of the vial I’d have said you had a valid point. But not with Zocchi and Ubrino.’
There was a knock at the door and Paluzzi answered it. He stepped aside to let the two waiters enter and Kolchinsky told them to leave the trays on the dressing-table. Sabrina signed the chit and they left the room.
‘There’s tea, coffee and sandwiches,’ Kolchinsky said, gesturing towards the trays. ‘Help yourselves.’
Paluzzi poured himself a coffee then used his teaspoon to lift the edges of the bread to see what the sandwiches contained.
‘I ordered you egg mayonnaise and cheese salad,’ Kolchinsky said behind him.
Paluzzi looked round in surprise.