The Patience of the Spider (11 page)

So that was what shed meant by or... He raised his
hand.

Thats okay, he said.

8

The woman gave him a puzzled look.

Im Inspector Montalbano.

Madonna biniditta! she cried, turning red in the face and
jumping up like a spring.

Dont be afraid. Have you got a permit to sell eggs?

Yessir. Ill go get it.

Thats the important thing. You dont have to show it to
me, but Im sure my colleagues will ask to see it.

Why? What happened?

First answer me. Do you live here alone?

No, with my husband.

Where is he now?

In there.

Right there? In the other room? Montalbanos jaw dropped.
What? Her husband just sat there, cool as a cucumber, while his
wife fucked the first man to walk by?

Call him.

He cant come.

Why not?

He got no legs. They had to cut em off after the accident,
she said.

What accident?

Tractor flipped over when he was plowing the fields.
When did this happen?
Three years ago. Two years after we got married.
Let me see him.
The woman went and opened the door, then stood aside.

The inspector went in. His nose was immediately assailed by a
strong smell of medication. In a large double bed, a man lay
half asleep and breathing heavily. In one corner was a television
with an armchair in front of it. The top of the dressing
table was entirely covered by medicine bottles and syringes.

They also cut off is left hand, the woman said softly.

Hes in terrible pain, day and night.
Why dont you put him in a hospital?
Because I can take better care of him. The problem is

the medications cost so much and I dont want him to go
without em. Id sell my own eyes if I had to. Thats why I receive
men here. Dr. Mistretta told me to give him a shot
when the pain gets too bad. Just an hour ago he was crying
like a baby, asking me to kill him. He wanted to die. So I gave
him a shot.

Montalbano looked over at the dresser. Morphine.
Lets go back in the other room.
They went back in the dining room.
Do you know that a girl has been kidnapped?
Yessir. I seen it on TV.
Have you noticed anything unusual around here the last

few days?
Nothing.
Are you sure?
The woman hesitated.

The other night ...but it was probably nothing.
Tell me anyway.
The other night I was lying awake in bed and I heard a

car drive up...I thought maybe it was someone coming to

see me, so I got up.
You receive clients even at night?
Yessir. But theyre nice men, respectable, and so they dont

want anybody to see em during the day. But they always call
before they come. Thats why I was surprised this car came,
cause nobodyd called. But then the car pulled up here and
turned around, cause theres no room anywhere else.

This poor woman and her wretched, bedridden husband
couldnt possibly have anything to do with the kidnapping.
Their house, moreover, was out in the open and heavily frequented
by outsiders day and night.

Listen, said Montalbano, near the spot where we left
the car, we found something that might belong to the girl who
was kidnapped.

The woman turned white as a sheet.
We got nothing to do with that, she said firmly.
I know. But youre going to be questioned. Tell them

about the car, but dont mention that people come to see you
at night. And dont let them see you dressed like that. Remove
your makeup and those high-heeled shoes. And put the cot in
the bedroom. All you sell here is eggs, got that?

He heard a car and went outside. The patrolman summoned

by Gallo had arrived. But with him was also Mimugello.
I was about to come relieve you, said Montalbano.
Theres no longer any need, said MimTheyve al

ready sent Bonolis over to coordinate the search. I guess the

commissioner didnt want to put you in charge for even a
minute. We can go back to Vig.
While Gallo was showing his colleague where the helmet

was, Mimwith Montalbanos help, climbed into the other car.
What on earth happened to you?
I fell into a ditch full of rocks. I must have broken a few

ribs. Did you report that youd found the helmet?
Montalbano slapped himself on the forehead.
I forgot!
Augello knew Montalbano too well not to know that when

he forgot to do something, it meant he didnt feel like doing it.
You want me to call?
Yes. Ring Minutolo and tell him what happened.

They had just started driving back when Mimwith an air of

indifference, said:
You know something?
Do you do it on purpose?
Do I do what on purpose?
Ask me if I know something. That question drives me

crazy.
Okay, okay. About two hours ago, the Carabinieri re

ported that theyd found the girls backpack.
Are you sure its hers?
Absolutely. Her ID card was inside.
Anything else?
Nothing. Empty.
Good, said the inspector. One to one.
I dont get it.

First we find one thing, then the Carabinieri find another.
Tie game. Where was the backpack?

On the road to Montereale. Behind the four-kilometer
marker. It was pretty visible.

In the very opposite direction from where we found the
helmet!

Exactly.

Silence fell.

Does your exactly mean youre thinking exactly the
same thing Im thinking?

Exactly.

Ill try to translate your brevity into something a little
clearer. Namely: All this searching, all this running around, is
nothing but a waste of time, one big fuck-up.

Exactly.

Ill translate some more. The way we see it, the kidnappers,
on the night of the kidnapping, got in their car and drove
around, throwing various things belonging to Susanna out
the window, to create a variety of phony leads. All of which
means

that the girls not being held anywhere near the places
where her things have been found, Mimoncluded, adding,
and were going to have to convince the commissioner of
this, otherwise hes liable to have us searching all the way to
the Aspromonte.

At the office he found Fazio waiting for him. He already
knew about the objects theyd found. He was carrying a small
suitcase.

Going away?

No, Chief. Im going back to the villa. Dr. Minutolo
wants me to man the phone. Ive got a change of clothes in
here.

Was there something you wanted to tell me?

Yessir. After the special edition of TeleVig News, the
phone at the villa started ringing off the hook
Nothing
of interest, though. Just interview requests, words of support,
people saying prayers, that kind of thing. But there were two
that were a little different in tone. The first one was from a
former administrative employee at Peruzzos.

Whats Peruzzos?

I dont know, Chief. But thats what he called himself.
He even said his name didnt matter. And he told me to tell
Mr. Mistretta that pride may be a good thing, but too much
pride is bad. That was all.

Hmph. What about the other one?

Some old lady. She wanted to talk to Mrs. Mistretta.
When I finally convinced her Mrs. Mistretta couldnt come to
the phone, she told me to repeat the following words to her:
Susannas life is in your hands. Remove the obstacles and take
the first step.

What do you make of it?

Nothing. Chief, Im leaving. Are you coming by the
villa?

I dont think so, not tonight. Listen, did you tell Minutolo
about these phone calls?

No, Chief.

Why not?

Because I didnt think he would consider them important.
Whereas you, I thought, might find them interesting.

Fazio went out.

Good cop. Hed realized that although those two phone
calls might be incomprehensible, they had something in common.
Not much, but a sure thing. Indeed, both the former
Peruzzos employee and the old lady were advising Mr. and
Mrs. Mistretta, husband and wife, to change their attitudes.
The first advised the husband to be more flexible, while the
second suggested that the wife actually take the initiative, by
removing the obstacles. Maybe the investigationwhich so
far had been aimed entirely outwardsneeded to change direction.
That is, maybe they needed to look inside the kidnap
victims family. At this point it became important to speak
with Mrs. Mistretta. What sort of condition was she in, anyway?
On the other hand, how would he justify his questions if
the infirm woman was still unaware that her daughter had
been kidnapped? He needed some serious help from Dr. Mistretta.
He looked at his watch. Twenty minutes to eight.

He phoned Livia to tell her hed be late for dinner.

Not once can we eat dinner on time!

He took it in, didnt react. He didnt have time to squabble
with her.

The phone rang again. It was Gallo. Theyd decided to
keep Mimn the hospital for observation.

The inspector arrived at the first filling station on the road to
Fela at eight p.m. sharp, punctual as a Swiss watch. No sign,

however, of Dr. Mistretta. Ten minutes and two cigarettes
later, Montalbano started to worry. Doctors are never to be
trusted. When they give you an office appointment, they
make you wait an hour at the very least; when they give you
an appointment outside the office, they still show up an
hour late, with the excuse that a patient arrived at the last
minute.

Dr. Mistretta pulled up next to Montalbanos car in his
SUV, only half an hour late.

Sorry Im late, but at the last minute, a patient

I understand.

Will you please follow me?

They set out, the one in front and the other behind. And
they went on and on, the one in front and the other behind,
turning off the national road, then off the provincial road, taking
dirt road after dirt road and leaving these behind as well.
At last they arrived at an isolated spot in the open country,
pulling up at the gate to a villa quite a bit bigger than the doc-
tors geologist brothers house, and in better condition. It was
surrounded by a high wall. Did these Mistrettas feel somehow
diminished if they didnt live in country villas? The doctor
got out of his car, opened the gate, and drove in, signaling
Montalbano to do the same.

They parked in the garden, which was not as ill-tended as
the other one, but almost.

To the right stood another large, low structure, probably
the former stables. The doctor opened the front door to the
villa, turned on the lights, and showed the inspector into a
large salon.

Ill be right back. I have to go close the gate.

It was clear he had no family and lived alone. The salon
was handsomely furnished and well-maintained. One wall
was entirely covered by a rich collection of painted glass. Montalbano
felt spellbound as he studied the shrill colors and simultaneously
na and refined strokes. Another wall was half
covered with tall shelves containing not medical or scientific
books, as he would have imagined, but novels.

Forgive me, the doctor said upon returning. Can I get
you something?

No, thank you. Youre not married, are you, Doctor?

No, when I was young I never wanted to get married.
Then one day I realized that I was too old to do so.

And you live here alone?

The doctor smiled.

I know what you mean. This house is too big for only
one person. There used to be vineyards and olive groves . . .
That building you saw next to the house still has wine vats,
cellars, and winepresses that nobody uses anymore ...And
here the upstairs has been closed off since time immemorial.
So the answer is yes, Ive been living here alone for the last few
years. For household matters, I have a maid who works mornings,
three days a week. For my meals...I make do.

He paused.

Or else I go eat at the house of a lady friend. You would
have found out sooner or later, anyway. Shes a widow Ive been
seeing nowfor over tenyears. Andthere youhaveit.

Thank you, Doctor, but my purpose, in coming to see
you, is to learn a little more about your sister-in-laws illness,
provided, of course, that youre able and willing

Look, Inspector, theres no professional code of secrecy

in this instance. My sister-in-law has been poisoned. The
poisons effect is irreversible, and it will inexorably lead to her
death.

Someone poisoned her?!

A blow to the head, a stone from the sky, a punch in the
face. The sudden, violent shock of this revelation, uttered so
placidly, almost without emotion, struck the inspector physically,
to the point that his ears made a ringing sound. Or was that
short ring actually real? Perhaps the bell of the gate had rung?
Or else the telephone on the side table had made a brief ting?
The doctor, however, gave no sign of having heard anything.

No need to be so vague, the doctor said without changing
expression, like a teacher pointing out a minor mistake in
a students theme paper. She wasnt poisoned by just someone,
but by one man in particular.

And do you know his name?

Of course, he said with a smile.

No, on further inspection it was not a smile that played on
Carlo Mistrettas lips, but rather a smirk. Or more precisely, a
sneer.

Why havent you reported this?

Because there are no legal grounds for prosecution. One
can only report it to God in heaven, if one believes in Him.
But He, Im sure, is well aware of the situation.

Montalbano began to understand.

So, when you say Mrs. Mistretta has been poisoned,
youre speaking somewhat metaphorically, I gather?

Lets say Im not sticking to a strictly scientific vocabulary.
Im using words and expressions that, as a doctor, I ought not to
use. But you didnt come here for medical advice.

And with what has Mrs. Mistretta been poisoned?

With life. As you see, I keep using words that would be
unacceptable in any diagnosis. Shes been poisoned by life. Or,
better yet: Someone has cruelly forced her to enter an obscene
realm of existence. And at a certain point, Giulia refused to go
any further. She dropped all her defenses, all resistance, and
gave up the will to live.