It was no good denying it. Valerio nodded. “On humanitarian grounds. His mother is dying of cancer.”
“I see.”
Bonetti tapped his pen on the desk as if writing a message in Morse code.
“Our police and judicial actions are working,” he said. “This creates a vacuum in criminal organizations. Young boys are trying to fill that void. They’re drawn to crime. They inherit it. In these families, crime isn’t seen as deviance; it’s following the path of their father. When kids go to prison, there’s no criticism from the parents—just acceptance. We need to change this, Alfieri. We’ve been too soft. We need to make crime unacceptable.”
Valerio, not knowing what to say, nodded.
“I understand you witnessed the shooting?” Bonetti continued.
“Sì,” Valerio agreed, and told the director the same thing he’d told the investigators. “I got a phone call last night—about the release. I took a taxi from my house…. I’d been drinking.”
“You weren’t warned that Mancusi would be killed?”
Valerio returned his stare. “No. But as I told the investigating officers, Gaetano’s mother worked as a housekeeper for Luca Errichiello. They should explore the connection there.”
Bonetti tapped his pen again.
“Yes,” he said. “They told me about your suspicions. Do you have evidence that Errichiello was actually involved in Mancusi’s death?”
“No,” Valerio admitted. “But we know what Errichiello does; his name has come up in a dozen human-trafficking cases.”
“Nothing that was ever proven!” Bonetti said. “As far as this office is concerned, Luca Errichiello is a law-abiding citizen.”
“Tell that to the women and girls he’s trafficked,” said Valerio, who’d seen some of those cases firsthand.
Bonetti sniffed. “Have any come forward? Any willing to testify against him?”
“The ones who tried ended up dead,” Valerio said.
“Without a live witness, my hands are tied,” said Bonetti. “My predecessor may have done things differently, but I believe we should be careful…before painting someone with the brush of such ugly accusations! Now, back to the Mancusi case. We must investigate properly.I hope you understand. It isn’t personal, but we need to be thorough. We’ll be examining your actions last night.”
Valerio nodded. “I would expect nothing less.”
“I’m placing you on administrative leave until the investigation is complete,” Bonetti said.
Valerio raised an eyebrow. Administrative leave was reserved for extraordinary situations, like cop shootings. But if Bonetti expected protest, Valerio disappointed him.
“The kid deserves a complete investigation,” he said.
—
Valerio sat in an outdoor café and had another espresso and rinsed it down with water, stomach churning. He thought about getting on his motorbike, riding to Luca’s compound, and…what then? Scream impotently? Lay the murder of Gaetano Mancusi at Luca’s feet—accuse him of being a cheat and a liar? He’d known what Luca was. Known it when he begged for his help, when he agreed to do what he wanted. And Valerio had done the one thing you must never do with a predator: exposed his throat. Luca had preyed on his obvious need to protect his children and clear his debt. He’d been stupid and blind, and Gaetano was dead.
—
His sister Orlanda called.
“You never answer!” she complained when he picked up.
“I’m answering,” he said.
“You don’t answer our texts. You don’t come by. Mamma’s too much to handle. You can’t just leave this to Penelope and me. It isn’t fair.”
“I can’t,” he said.
“We’re busy, too, you know,” she said. “You’re not the only one with obligations.”
