"Giuseppe," Sofia broke in, "we simply don't know what's under Turin. If we were to dig, God knows what we'd find. Some of the tunnels that run underneath the city have never been explored in modern times; others seem to go nowhere. The truth is, one of them might lead to the cathedral. It would be logical, after all-the city has been under siege how many times? And the cathedral has dozens of irreplaceable objects that the citizens would want to safeguard if the city was assaulted or conquered by an enemy."
Giuseppe fell silent. He knew when to give up.
They had checked into the Hotel Alexandra, near the historic old center of the city. The next day they would start working. Marco would go through the city's tunnels, Sofia had asked for an appointment with the cardinal, and Giuseppe was meeting with the city carabinieri to decide how many officers they'd need for the tail on the mute. But at the moment, at Marco's invitation, they were enjoying dinner at Al Ghibellin Fuggiasco, a classic, comfortable Turin restaurant known for its world-class seafood.
The second course had just been served when they were surprised by Padre Yves. The priest approached their table with a smile and shook everyone's hand warmly, as though he was delighted to see them.
"I didn't know you were coming to Turin too, Signor Valoni. The cardinal did tell me that Dottoressa Galloni would be visiting us-I believe you have an appointment with His Eminence tomorrow, dottoressa?"
"Yes, that's right," Sofia answered.
'And how is your investigation going? Well, I hope?" Marco nodded but said nothing as Padre Yves went on. "The work on the cathedral is finished, and the shroud is on view for the faithful once again. We have strengthened our security measures, and COCSA has installed a state-of-the-art fire control system. I don't think there'll be any further catastrophes now."
"I hope you're right, padre," said Marco.
"Yes, actually I do too. Well, I'll leave you. Buon appetite"
They watched him sit down at a nearby table, where a dark-haired young woman was waiting for him. Marco laughed.
"Know who that is with our good Padre Yves?"
"A good-looking girl, obviously-you gotta wonder about those priests," said Giuseppe in surprise.
"It's Ana Jimenez, Santiago's sister. Now it's my turn to go over and say hello!"
Marco crossed the floor, making his way over to them. Ana gave him a big smile and asked if he could spare a few minutes to speak with her when he had some time. She'd arrived in Turin four days ago.
Marco was noncommittal; he told her he'd be delighted to have coffee if he had time but he wasn't going to be in Turin very long. When he asked what hotel he might call to find her, Ana told him the Hotel Alexandra.
"What a coincidence. We're staying there too."
"My brother recommended it, and it's perfect for a few days."
"Well, then, I'm sure we'll find a minute to talk."
"She's staying at the Alexandra," he said when he rejoined Sofia and Giuseppe.
"No kidding! What a coincidence!"
"It's no coincidence. Santiago recommended it to her-I might have known. That's going to make it harder to avoid her."
"I'm not sure I want to avoid a good-looking thing like that!" Giuseppe said, laughing.
"Well, you will, and for two reasons: first, because she's a reporter and she's determined to find out what we're doing on the cathedral case, and second, because she's Santiago's sister and I don't want complications, all right?"
'All right, boss, it was just a joke."
"Ana Jimenez is a determined, intelligent woman- I'd take her seriously if I were you."
"The e-mail she sent her brother is full of interesting ideas. I wouldn't mind talking to her," Sofia interjected.
"I won't say no, Sofia, but we need to be careful with what we tell her."
"I wonder what she's doing with Padre Yves," Sofia mused.
"She's smart," Marco answered. 'As I said-we'll have to be careful."
The elderly man hung up the telephone and let his eyes wander to the scene outside the window for a few seconds. The English countryside glowed emerald-green in the warm sunshine.
His companions waited expectantly for him to speak.
"He'll be released within the month. The parole board has formally taken up the parole request."
"That's why Addaio has gone to Germany and, according to our informant, will be crossing into Italy. Mendib has become his biggest immediate problem," said the Italian.
"Do you suppose he'll kill him?" the gentleman with the French accent asked.
"Addaio can't let the police follow Mendib home or lead them to any of their other contacts. Because even if Mendib doesn't approach them, he could reveal their presence without intending to. Addaio has realized that it's a trap, and he's come to prevent the obvious outcome," replied the former military man.
"Where will they eliminate him?" the Frenchman wanted to know.
"In the jail, of course," said the Italian. "It's the safest place. There will be a small scandal but nothing more."
"So what do you gentlemen propose?" the elderly man asked.
"It will be best for everyone if Addaio solves our problem," said the Italian.
"What arrangements have you made if Mendib manages to leave the prison alive?" asked the old man.
"Our brothers will try to prevent the police from following him," replied the Italian.
"It is not enough that our brothers try; they cannot fail." The leader's voice was as stern as thunder.
"They will succeed," the Italian replied. "I hope within the next few hours to learn all the details of the operation."
"All right, we have come to the central issue in this matter-there can be only one conclusion: We must divert the carabinieri from Mendib, or…"
The elderly man did not finish his sentence. The others nodded, almost in unison; they knew that with respect to Mendib, their interests coincided with Addaio's. They could not allow the mute to become a Trojan horse and bring the community under scrutiny.
A light knock at the door, preceding a liveried servant's entrance into the room, served to bring the early-morning meeting to an end.
"The guests have begun to dress for the hunt, sir. They will be coming down soon."
"Very well."
One by one, the seven men, dressed for the day's hunt, left the library and entered a warm dining room, where breakfast awaited them. A few minutes later, an elderly aristocrat accompanied by his wife entered the room.