‘The two brothers are like two peas in a pod. Are you thinking what I’m thinking?’
I nodded. ‘How about this scenario? On Saturday night, somebody set out to murder, not Ignazio, butAldoGraziani. In the dark on the clifftop, the killer mistook one for the other and killed the wrong man. Realising his mistake, the murderer came here last night or early this morning and made up for it. What do you think?’
‘I think you could well be right. One thing’s for sure: I can’t believe that both brothers decided to end it all, or that they both had accidents in almost the same place, on almost the same day. I’m convinced that we’re looking at two murders and, as you say, it’s quite possible that both were committed by the same perpetrator.’
‘The question is – why?’
‘Why indeed?’
I began to hear sirens in the distance. ‘It’ll be interesting to see who takes charge of the case now that Inspector Bellini has gone off to Canada. Hopefully, somebody with a bit more imagination.’
Virgilio grunted. ‘And a bit more enthusiasm.’
13
TUESDAY MORNING
The police arrived in two blue and white squad cars. They stopped at the entrance to the beach, and I saw two people get out of the first one and start running towards us while the two occupants of the second car followed at a more sedate pace.
The first person to reach us was the same uniformed sergeant we had already met, and Virgilio gave him a grim smile.
‘Good morning, Sergeant Gallo. We meet again.’
‘You seem to collect corpses,Commissario.’ Gallo shook hands with both of us before looking down at the body. ‘Well, well, so you say you think this is Aldo Graziani. Now, there’s a coincidence.’ From his sceptical tone, it was clear that he felt the same way that we did.
Virgilio nodded in agreement. ‘I’ve never liked coincidences, Gallo. Are you the investigating officer now?’
The sergeant shook his head and pointed back along the beach. ‘No, that’s Inspector Fontana.’ From his tone, it sounded to me as if he wasn’t too sure about Bellini’s replacement, and my spirits sank. Bellini had been bad enough, but if the new inspector was even worse, the chances of a rapid conclusion to the investigation seemed unlikely. However, rather than put him on the spot, I took a closer look at the two figures coming along the beach towards us: a young constable in uniform and an older man in plain clothes, walking with a limp.
‘Is that him there?’ Gallo nodded and I gave him a prompt. ‘Have you worked alongside him for long?’
He glanced at his watch and gave me a hint of a smile in reply. ‘About twenty-five minutes. He arrived from Livorno last night and this is his first day. He’s what you might call a stopgap while Inspector Bellini is away.’
As the two men approached, I could see that Inspector Fontana looked some years older than me, probably well into his sixties. He had a fine head of steel-grey hair and he was walking with the aid of a stick. When he reached us, Sergeant Gallo started to make the introductions, but Inspector Fontana cut him off.
‘Thank you, Gallo, but thecommissarioand I already know each other.’ He held out his hand towards Virgilio and gave him a broad smile. ‘Ciao, Virgilio, it’s very good to see you again, and congratulations on your promotion.’
To my surprise, Virgilio reached out with both arms and gave the inspector a bearhug. ‘Ciao, Piero, long time no see. How’re you doing?’
‘I’m okay, thanks.’ There was a note of something in the inspector’s voice that could have been regret, but before I could dwell on it, he turned towards me and held out his hand. ‘And are you the gentleman who found the body?’
Virgilio was quick to specify. ‘He’s actually the man who leapt into the sea fully clothed and swam out to grab the body before it was washed away. He’s a good friend of mine: Dan Armstrong, from Florence.’
Fontana and I shook hands, and he raised an eyebrow in my direction. ‘Armstrong isn’t a common Florentine name.’ There was a twinkle in his eyes, and I smiled back.
‘I’m British and I moved to Tuscany three years ago.’
‘And that’s how you know Virgilio?’
‘That’s right. We have a lot in common.’
‘I’m pleased to meet you, and my thanks to you for swimming out to retrieve the victim.’ His attention switched back to Virgilio and he pointed at the body. ‘I gather you believe this to be Aldo Graziani. Did you know him well?’
‘This is the first time I’ve seen him close up, but the resemblance to his brother is unmistakable.’ Virgilio went on to produce a quick summary of the events of the last few days, and I was pleased to hear that the inspector had already started familiarising himself with the case. Fontana listened impassively until Virgilio finished, and then he asked the million-dollar question. ‘So, do you think this death is suspicious?’
We both nodded in unison and Virgilio replied. ‘Dan and I are both convinced that this death and the death of the man’s brother three nights ago were murder.’
‘You believe Ignazio Graziani was murdered even though his death has currently been dismissed as an unfortunate accident?’