The Death Mask Murders

by Gabriel Farago

  ‘Perhaps before we begin, a few words about the dark web could be useful,’ said Samartini. ‘To put things into perspective, as there are so many misconceptions out there. Put simply, the dark web – or dark net as it is often called – is part of a much larger ‘deep web’, a network of secret websites that operate on an encrypted network that is not accessible via traditional search engines we are all familiar with.’

  Samartini pushed back her glasses, which had slipped down her nose a little, and continued. ‘What this means is this: the dark web is an ideal vehicle for illegal activities like black markets, drug dealing, child pornography, hackers, identity fraud, even murder, because the anonymity of the dark web provides a cloak of protection behind which the participants can hide. This has been a big problem for law enforcement agencies around the world for a long time now.’

  ‘As you can imagine, the Mafia has used the dark web extensively,’ said Grimaldi, stepping in. ‘Especially with access to cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, which has made them a fortune, anonymously and safely.’ Grimaldi stopped to light one of his small cigars. ‘But thanks to talented officers like Clara here, we have made significant inroads into their activities; isn’t that right, Cesaria?’

  ‘It is. That’s why I spoke to Clara last night after we got back and told her about Giuseppina, and what she had to say.’

  ‘About making money on the dark web through gambling?’ Jack weighed in.

  ‘Yes, and I sent her the Landru video about that horror murder and as it turned out, that was the breakthrough.’

  ‘In what way?’ asked Jack.

  ‘One of the most important features of the dark web is encryption,’ replied Samartini. ‘Like the notorious Tor encryption, which allows websites to hide their identity.’

  ‘How?’ said Jack.

  ‘Without becoming too technical, Tor allows users to hide their location and identity. As you can imagine, this is very useful if you want to place yourself in a different country from where you actually are.’

  ‘And Tor can do this?’ said Jack.

  ‘It can, very effectively. Individuals using Tor have their identifying information like their IP addresses encrypted, but using Tor can also be very dangerous – for various reasons I don’t want to go into right now.’

  ‘So, what have you been able to find out so far?’ asked Grimaldi, blowing cigar smoke towards the open window.

  ‘I contacted one of my colleagues in the US last night. She owes me a favour. They are much more advanced in these matters over there than we are.’

  ‘And?’ prompted Cesaria.

  ‘She was able to trace parts of that video to an encrypted site that was active about the time Landru was convicted.’

  ‘Really?’ said Grimaldi, surprised.

  ‘What kind of site?’ asked Jack.

  ‘An illegal gambling site. Not only bizarre, but also quite unique. Closed-group gamblers enjoying extreme violence like snuff videos, decapitations, torture and the like, with serious gambling on various aspects of the show and its ultimate outcome.’

  ‘Unique in what way?’ said Cesaria.

  ‘The bets were not about the murder as such, but about the probability of someone other than the actual perpetrator being convicted of the crime.’

  ‘Being framed, you mean?’ asked Jack.

  ‘Yes, and actually convicted in a court of law. The gambling had to do with the perpetrators getting away with the crime by blaming someone else. That’s what made it unique and so exciting. And as we now know, that is exactly what appears to have happened with Landru; until now.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ said Grimaldi.

  ‘Well, Cesaria tells me that Landru is likely to be released soon. Mainly because of this video, it has become apparent that he may not have committed the crime he was convicted of. An acquittal is therefore possible, and that presents a big problem for the parties behind the gambling site and, of course, the players as well.’

  ‘What are you getting at?’ Grimaldi asked.

  ‘Can’t you see? This upsets all the bets.’

  ‘So? Surely, this is all academic by now, isn’t it? Ancient history.’

  A little smile spread across Samartini’s face. ‘Not necessarily.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ asked Grimaldi again.

  ‘Hundreds of thousands of US dollars were gambled here and changed hands. All in anonymous cryptocurrency. This was the culmination of a long-running, carefully designed gambling project involving numerous brutal murders spanning several years. And it would now appear that it reached its climax in the wrong way. The winning horse wasn’t the winner.’

  ‘But isn’t it all over?’ said Jack. ‘You just told us all about dark web encryption and anonymity.’

  Samartini shook her head.

  ‘What are you getting at?’ asked Grimaldi impatiently.

  ‘There’s some information embedded in the video that may, I stress may, allow us to lift the veil of secrecy and encryption, and get to the source. In short, identify the original site, and possibly the individuals who were behind it and posted it, and expose them.’

  ‘Seriously?’ said Jack, looking incredulous.

  ‘It would appear so.’

  ‘My God, that would be amazing!’ said Cesaria, who saw instantly where this was heading. ‘Are you suggesting we could somehow let the cheated punters know about Landru’s imminent release, and put this information out there?’

  ‘Aha,’ said Samartini, grinning. ‘That’s why the dark web is so dangerous. If the encryption fails and your identity is somehow revealed, anything can happen. These are dangerous people, and when there’s so much money involved, well, you can imagine.’

  ‘And we could perhaps embroil the Giordanos in this mess?’ asked Grimaldi. ‘Alessandro perhaps?’

  ‘Possibly. After all, they were the facilitators. Accomplices in the, we would suggest, fraud, or at best deception and failure to deliver. And if we can put this out there on the dark web and expose those who benefited from this, all kind of disgruntled, dark people will come out of the shadows and go after them. I can guarantee it. We’ve seen this all before.’

  Cesaria walked over to Samartini and gave her a hug. ‘You are wonderful, you know that, don’t you?’

  ‘Can I be next?’ asked Jack, holding out his arms.

  Samartini held up her hand. ‘Early days, Jack. Save it for later. There’s still a lot to be done before this can work, but at least we have a plan, a promising one. Here, let me show you what I have in mind. We’ll set a trap.’

  ‘How intriguing, but please keep it simple,’ said Jack and opened his notebook. ‘Not all of us are IT wizards.’

  Smiling, Samartini walked up to the whiteboard and picked up a felt pen. ‘At least this should be a little less dangerous than your Calabrian escapades yesterday,’ she said, and began to draw a diagram.

  32

  Palazzo da Baggio, Venice: 28 October, evening

  Jack caught a water taxi from the railway station to the palazzo on the Grand Canal. He had arrived on the evening train from Florence after his meeting with Grimaldi, Cesaria and Samartini, and it was already quite late. As the taxi passed under the Rialto Bridge, a wave of sadness washed over him as he remembered the many times he had travelled the same route with a smiling Lorenza at the steering wheel of her beloved boat, showing off her driving skills. How quickly life can change, thought Jack as the taxi pulled up at the jetty in front of the palazzo.

  Countess Kuragin and Bartolli were waiting for him in the salon on the first floor. Jack had asked Bartolli to meet him in Venice because he had something important to discuss that could change the direction of the entire case. He put down his duffel bag and walked over to greet them.

  ‘How is he?’ he asked.

  ‘Quiet. He was worried about you,’ said the countess, giving Jack a hug.

  ‘You heard?’

  ‘It was all over the news, but Tristan knew something bad was going to h
appen hours earlier. He was fretting all morning. You know what he’s like when he keeps seeing things. Having Francesca here helped. I’m glad you asked her to come and keep us company.’

  ‘Where’s Leonardo?’

  ‘Gone to bed early,’ said the countess with sadness in her voice. ‘He’s taking it very badly. Dark moods ...’

  ‘Hardly surprising.’ Jack nodded and walked over to the sideboard. ‘Drink anyone?’

  ‘No, thank you,’ said Bartolli. ‘How did it go?’

  ‘You mean apart from being caught in the Mafia crossfire at the airport? You both know what I’m like when I keep following my breadcrumbs.’

  ‘Stubborn, reckless, determined. What do you think, Katerina? Have I left anything out?’

  ‘All of the above, but I would add one more,’ said the countess.

  ‘Incorrigible?’ said Tristan, who had just walked in and overheard the remark. ‘And on this occasion, very lucky.’

  ‘I would agree with that,’ said the countess.

  Jack walked over to Tristan and embraced him. ‘How are you, mate?’

  ‘Is that why you didn’t want me to come along? Could you sense something too?’

  ‘No. It’s more complicated. I just didn’t want you to face the mother of the man who most likely ordered the hit. I didn’t think that would have been a good idea. For you, or for her.’

  ‘You mean I would have been an embarrassing distraction, and she might have decided not to talk?’

  ‘That too,’ conceded Jack, surprised by Tristan’s insight.

  ‘I could have warned you about the assassination attempt.’

  ‘Perhaps. We can’t change the past, but we can plan the future. And I have a lot to tell you about that. And we have a lot of planning to do if we want to solve this mystery and catch the monster behind it.’

  ‘We do?’ asked Bartolli. ‘I think I’ll have that drink after all.’

  ‘Yes,’ said Jack as he opened a bottle of wine. ‘I think things will move very fast from now on.’

  ‘What makes you say that?’ said Bartolli.

  ‘Dupree called me this afternoon. Landru is about to be released on bail.’

  ‘What? So quickly?’ asked the countess.

  ‘Yes. As you can imagine, this entire matter is a great embarrassment for the French authorities and they are in damage control. That’s why they are moving so fast. Public opinion is a powerful tool and the elections are very close. They offered Landru a deal.’

  ‘What kind of deal?’ asked Tristan.

  Jack put the bottle of wine and four glasses on a silver tray, and carried it across to the fireplace. ‘I’ll tell you. And some of it involves you, Katerina.’

  ‘Me? In what way?’

  ‘You are part of the bail conditions,’ replied Jack, smiling.

  ‘You can’t be serious!’

  ‘But I am. You’ll see why in a moment. But first, let’s have a glass of wine.’

  Jack took a sip of wine, let himself sink into the comfortable chair facing the fireplace, and looked at the countess sitting opposite. ‘Before I tell you about our meeting with Giuseppina, Giordano’s wife, let’s talk about Landru and his imminent release. As you can imagine, his lawyers have been working round the clock and applied for a judicial review of the entire case. Because this process can take quite some time, they argued that their client should be released on bail immediately, or else—’

  ‘Or else, what?’ interjected Bartolli.

  ‘As you know, that house of horrors has attracted a lot of media attention, and the notorious Death Mask Murders are once again dominating the headlines. In short, Landru is back in the news, but this time not as the monster from before, but as a possible victim, wrongly convicted of a crime he didn’t commit. And this is a big problem for the authorities that they can’t just brush under the carpet and bury.’

  ‘I can imagine,’ said the countess.

  ‘Lapointe, in particular, is in the firing line. He was the arresting officer who – it would now appear – arrested and convicted the wrong man. What this means, of course, is that the real murderer is still out there, and that is a major embarrassment.’

  Jack paused to let this sink in and took another sip of wine. ‘And that’s why the authorities have suggested a deal.’

  ‘What kind of deal?’ asked Bartolli.

  ‘In return for releasing Landru on bail, with some strict conditions attached, they want two things …’

  ‘What kind of things?’ asked Tristan.

  ‘No contact with the press, and his full cooperation in solving the case quickly, which Lapointe and his superiors see as the only way out of this mess.’

  ‘Interesting,’ said Bartolli. ‘And Landru has agreed to this?’

  ‘It would seem so. And in a way it doesn’t surprise me. You want to know why?’

  The countess nodded.

  ‘Because that is exactly what Landru wants too, albeit for different reasons, and joining forces with the police can only enhance his chances.’

  ‘Please explain what you mean,’ said the countess.

  ‘What drives Landru is an obsession. He wants to continue his quest. He wants to find the Llanganates treasure he’s been searching for most of his adult life, but at the same time he wants to expose those who set him up, sent him to jail and ruined his life. In that regard, his aims and the interests of the French police overlap.’

  ‘How fascinating,’ said Bartolli. ‘So, what are these bail conditions?’

  ‘Ah. To begin with, a substantial surety: money. Of course, Landru hasn’t got anything. I’ve agreed to put up the money. So, that’s not a problem, but there’s more.’

  ‘What else?’ said Tristan.

  ‘He has to be released into the – how did the court put this? – “care of a reputable person who will report to the police on a regular basis”. Dupree has agreed to be that person. I suppose Lapointe asked for his help here. As you know, they go back a long time. And besides, it’s very clever because this way they can keep an eye on Landru and tap into what he knows.’

  ‘But there is more, isn’t there?’ said Bartolli.

  ‘Yes.’ Jack turned to face the countess. ‘The tricky bit.’

  ‘I have a bad feeling about this,’ said the countess. ‘Tell me.’

  ‘Landru has to live with Dupree. Under the same roof. The court imposed this as a strict condition that must be adhered to.’

  ‘What? Landru is to live with Dupree in my Gatekeeper’s Cottage next to the chateau? Is that what you’re suggesting?’

  Jack nodded.

  Stunned silence.

  ‘A convicted murderer out on bail released into the care of a retired police officer is to be my neighbour living in the grounds of my family estate?’ said the countess quietly. ‘That’s absurd!’

  ‘Uh-huh. That’s about it,’ said Jack, a sheepish grin on his face. He reached for the bottle and refilled the glasses.

  ‘And you are recommending that I agree to this?’

  ‘Yes, I do.’

  ‘Why, Jack?’

  ‘Because I’m convinced that Landru didn’t commit those crimes. He may be many things, but he isn’t a murderer.’

  ‘I agree with Jack,’ said Bartolli.

  ‘And you will continue to be involved in this case?’ asked the countess.

  ‘Absolutely! Especially in light of what Giuseppina told us, and what the police in Florence have in mind. They too, want to solve this case, albeit for different reasons altogether. They are interested in the Mafia connection. That’s the overlap. And there’s more,’ added Jack quietly.

  ‘There is?’ asked Tristan, his sixth sense aroused.

  Jack hesitated, instantly regretting the comment, and bit his lip.

  ‘Come on, Jack, what is it?’ prompted Bartolli.

  ‘There’s a possible connection between this case and Lorenza’s.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ Tristan almost shouted.

  ‘No
t now, please. I shouldn’t have raised it.’

  ‘You can’t just—’

  ‘It’s better that way, trust me.’

  ‘Let’s leave it for now,’ said the countess, stepping in. ‘What if I don’t agree?’

  ‘I suppose Dupree will have to find alternative accommodation. He’s determined to go through with this, but it wouldn’t be the same. The cottage is perfect. Secluded, private, close.’

  The countess took a deep breath and looked at Jack. ‘Let me think about it.’

  ‘Of course,’ said Jack, relieved. ‘What are you going to do? Are you staying here for now?’

  ‘I am. I can’t leave Leonardo here by himself. I will help him run the place, at least for a while. What about you?’

  ‘I must go back to France straight away. I want to be in Paris when Landru is released.’

  Jack turned to Tristan. ‘And I was hoping that you would come with me, mate. What do you say?’

  ‘You know the answer, Jack,’ said Tristan, sounding his old self again for the first time since the funeral.

  Will do him good, thought the countess. She knew he couldn’t stay in Venice by himself. The grief would crush him. ‘I will give you my answer in the morning, Jack,’ she said.

  ‘Very well.’

  ‘What about the meeting with Giuseppina?’ said Bartolli. ‘And the Squadra Mobile in Florence?’

  ‘It’s late,’ said Jack, sidestepping the question. ‘Let’s wait and see what Katerina decides first.’

  ‘I understand.’

  Jack turned to Bartolli. ‘Would you come with us to Paris? It would be great to have you there when Landru is released.’

  ‘I thought you’d never ask,’ said Bartolli, smiling.