'I don't think so,' says Ermanno, smiling ruefully. 'I really don't think so. In business you soon learn that anyone so passionate and so interested in a piece will always come back.'
CHAPTER 50
Present Day Piazzale Roma, Venice Tom and Valentina go out for breakfast. She takes him to a small, non-touristy cafe that only gondoliers and police officers seem to use.
He doesn't say anything about his call to San Quentin; thinking it best to wait until he's spoken directly to Bale. But he does fill her in on what he's learned from Alfie about the Tablets of Atmanta. She seems to write it off as inconsequential, the stuff of legend. Nevertheless, she phones the information through to Carvalho.
'What did he say?' Tom asks as she clicks the cellphone shut.
'Not a lot. He's got some forensic results back – that always gets Vito excited. Science trumps anything and everything when it comes to a murder investigation. There's a briefing in an hour's time and he wants us both there.'
Tom tops up her glass of water from a bottle on the table. She smiles and they both know she's remembering the last time he gave her a glass of water.
'Do you have any family you could stay with tonight?' he asks. 'I think it would be good for you to have some company.'
'My parents and sister are in Rome. But I'll be fine,' says Valentina. 'I was just overwhelmed last night. Being on that island, going through the stretch of water where Antonio had been killed, and then mixing with those strange people and wondering if one of them had murdered him… it all freaked me out.'
'Be careful,' says Tom. 'You're exposing yourself to an incredible amount of stress.' He pauses before he says what's on his mind. 'I'm sure Major Carvalho and your colleagues would understand if you took some time off. Gave yourself a break.'
The flash of steel in her eyes tells him that's not going to happen. Valentina forces a half-smile and goes to the counter to pay the tab.
They walk back to headquarters at a leisurely pace, and talk of everything but Antonio and the case. She's keen to know about Tom's life and what made him become a priest. He's keen not to discuss anything personal, but lets slip a few clues to his past. 'From the first moment I went to mass, I didn't feel like I was in a church, I felt like I was in my own home, like this was the place where I could relax and really be me.'
If they had longer she'd ask a lot more. Maybe even quiz him about Tina Ricci and what he's planning to do next. But before they know it, they've reached the steps of Carabinieri HQ. The briefing room smells of fresh coffee and is already alive with chatter. Valentina and Tom enter together then drift off and sit apart. An unconscious act by both of them. The psychological need for distance, a little space to restore their privacy. Vito Carvalho notices it, but probably no one else does. He checks Valentina and sees she looks strained, close to the edge but still in control and fighting. Soon the chairs either side of her are filled by her colleague Rocco Baldoni and one of the newcomers – Francesca Totti, a lieutenant on loan from Major Castelli's undercover unit.
The lights dim and Vito asks RaCIS scientist Isabella Lombardelli to start the briefing. As the first slide of the Salute's interior fills the screen, she hits them with the latest shocking development: 'The blood used to make that strange symbol on the altar floor came from Monica Vidic.'
She pauses to let the significance sink in.
Vito is the first to fit the pieces together. The killer is more methodical, more ritualistic and more dangerous than imagined. He planned his kills way ahead, stored the blood of his victims in preparation for something. A grand plan or ritual that was still playing out.
The next slide comes up. It shows two horizontal bar codes. Isabella explains what they mean. 'We ran DNA. The top line is a control sample taken from the victim, the bottom is from the blood in the Salute. As you can see, it's a perfect match. The blood in the church is unquestionably Monica's.'
She changes slides. 'Less positively, the chainsaw found in the boathouse doesn't match any of the marks on any of your victims, nor is there any matching blood or trace evidence.'
The spark of optimism disappears from Vito's eyes. 'Could the chain have been changed?'
Isabella pulls up an overlay of the saw. 'It's the wrong size – only thirty centimetres.' She hits zoom on the laptop. 'Besides, the model's not high-powered enough. It's an Efco – good Italian make – but only 30 cc. Sorry.'
Vito shakes his head. One step forward, one back, that's the way it is with enquiries. 'What about the other blood samples?'
Isabella clicks to another slide. 'There were some traces in the boathouse.' She looks across at him. 'I'd be surprised if there weren't. It's a place for maintenance – that means grazed knuckles, sharp objects and accidents. However, none of the samples recovered match Monica Vidic or the two male victims from the lagoon.'
Vito turns a page of his notebook and then addresses the wider group: 'We got a call from Missing Persons early this morning. Their database of photos, blood samples and DNA finally came up with a name for us. The older victim in the lagoon was Nathaniel Lachkar, a seventy-two-year-old French widower. He was on his first foreign holiday for ten years. Seems he got married in Venice half a century ago and had come back to see the place one more time before he died.'
Valentina crosses herself. 'No name for the younger male?'
'Not yet,' says Vito. 'But I guess he'll prove to be a random victim too.'
'Random victim?' queries Valentina.
The major looks surprised. 'Is that what I said? I meant stranger, not random.'
She relaxes. 'I thought so. That's why it hit me. You always said there's no such thing as a random victim, there's always a reason why someone is picked out.'
Vito's not sure he gets her point. 'And?'
'Church. Maybe church is the common reason. Nathaniel came back to see the church where he got married. Monica Vidic and her father had just visited a church before they went for dinner and had their final row. Perhaps the offender selects his victims in one or two specific churches.'
Rocco follows her thread. 'A serial killer sitting in church would certainly get a good long time to choose a victim. And it would fit with the desecration of the Salute.'
Vito nods cautiously. 'Rocco, check all church connections with our victims and run them against any names we have in the system – including those of people over at Isola Mario.'
For a moment everyone has forgotten Isabella. She doesn't seem to mind. When Vito looks her way she's waiting patiently with her arms crossed, happy to watch the alchemy of the investigation. Nothingness turned into somethingness. It's always fascinated her. When he gives her a nod, she resumes.
'Okay. Onwards with the bad news. Black paint flakes from Monica's body were tested against a sample from the gondola found in the boathouse. No match. The paint from the body is, however, quite unusual. Not your regular cheap stuff. We're trying to trace the manufacturer, batch, source, et cetera. I'll give you details once we're up to speed.'
Lieutenant Francesca Totti has been quiet until now. A mouse of a woman, she lacks Morassi's beauty and is easy not to notice. But when she overcomes her shyness and speaks, her professionalism shines through. 'Were there any interesting fingerprint matches from the saw or the gondola? Did we establish any usage patterns from the prints on or around the monitors?'
Valentina freezes.
Vito looks her way.
They all realise there's been a screw-up. Valentina shakes her head. 'We did this. I'm sure all this printing was done.'
The look on everyone's faces makes it clear that it wasn't.
'Usage patterns would have identified who controlled and most accessed the security system,' Francesca cruelly points out, 'and it might have established any links to usage of the gondola or other boats.'
'I know!' snaps Valentina.
Carvalho looks across to her. He's made the wrong call. He should never have let her work this case.