The Year of the Mantis

by P J Mann

  It took several minutes for him to scan through the bulk of the content, but then, with a sigh he addressed Maurizio. “No, nothing yet arrived, but they still have time, say another month or so to evaluate and either accept or reject our request. I believe it wasn’t the only request they need to evade.”

  “Yes, of course,” he said standing from his chair ready to leave the room. “Well, if any answer comes from them, let me know. I’m eagerly waiting for it. “

  “Of course, Scala. I’ll let you know as there is any news on the case. I would have loved to tell you more about my son, just to give you the right image for your grandmother, but if you’re busy, your job is far more important. Perhaps we might have lunch break together,” he proposed.

  Feeling his stomach churning at that thought, he smiled weakly. “Let’s see if I can take a break.”

  He exited the room and hurried to arrive at his office and put as much distance as possible between him and chief Commissioner Angelini.

  His fast pace was interrupted when from the end of the corridor he spotted something he wasn’t expecting. Officer Giuliani was walking in his direction, guiding a man he thought he knew.

  The man kept his gaze lowered and walked like a person who was sentenced to death. With his arms limp along his body, his steps were heavy on the ground. It took a bit to realize who the man was, and when he was close enough, he could finally recognize Aldo, the captain of the Sea Rider.

  Far from the sea, he looked deadly pale— ghostly perhaps. “Detective Scala, Mr. Carrisi asked to see you, and I believe it must be important...” She justified the fact of bringing him directly to his office.

  “I bet it is,” he replied severely. His gaze turned to Aldo, “Mr. Carrisi, although I wasn’t expecting you, I was hoping you would have reached out to me. Please follow me as we will talk in privacy in my office.”

  Aldo didn’t say a word. It was like he didn’t understand where he was or how he arrived at the Police Department and the reason why he was there.

  Maurizio guided him inside the room. Generally, he would have brought him to the room for the interrogations, where there would have been cameras and recording systems. Nevertheless, he needed to understand the reason for his visit, before moving to what he considered ‘the next step.’

  Giving a fast glance around before closing the door he made sure not to have the attention of the other officers. “Please have a seat,” he commenced as he also closed the curtain of the windows on the corridor.

  Aldo went to sit down on a chair at the table in the middle of the room; the one used for short meetings with the members of his team. Maurizio lingered, observing him, to make a fast evaluation of the person in front of him. He wasn’t the same person; the conflict tearing his soul apart, transpired evidently from the red eyes. Those were the eyes of a man who couldn’t sleep anymore, the ones who had experienced something the soul wasn’t ready to cope with.

  Keeping his gaze steady on Aldo, Maurizio, slowly, sat down in front of him. “Mr. Carrisi, what’s the reason for your visit? I once gave you my telephone number and I expected you would have called me, before reaching the Police Department.”

  Twisting his entwined fingers on the table, Aldo drew a long, broken breath, in the attempt to hold back his tears.

  “Aren’t you going to record this conversation?” he asked in a whisper.

  “Are you going to confess something you’ve done? Do you want to have an attorney present?” Maurizio asked while keeping his eyes on him.

  “Yes, I need to confess something, and I don’t need an attorney. I trust I am in the right place to turn myself in.”

  Nodding, Maurizio stood from the chair and looked toward the door. “Then we need to move to another room. Please, follow me.”

  Silently, with slow movements, Aldo followed Maurizio out of the room, walking the aisles without caring about the curious glances he’d received.

  Together they reached the room for the interrogatories, and as Maurizio prepared for the recording, Aldo went to take a seat at the only table in the middle of the room.

  As everything was ready, Maurizio turned his eyes back at Aldo, “What do you need to tell me?”

  Aldo kept his gaze lowered on his hands on the table. “I killed a man; I killed a man I’ve never met before, and who hadn’t done anything wrong to me. I killed him to save my life, thinking it was worth living. I’m carrying the guilt of a murder.” His eyes met Maurizio’s, toughening his expression. “I was wrong, and my life wasn’t worth his death, and I keep seeing his eyes everywhere I go.”

  Maurizio knew whom he was talking about, but for the sake of the recording and for proof he had to collect, he had to get the full name.

  “Who is the man you killed? Do you know his name?”

  Nodding, Aldo turned his glance away from Maurizio. “Igor Leonov, Irina’s father. I killed Igor Leonov, and God knows I regret it every second of my life.”

  “Can you give me more details about what happened? How did you get to know him? On which occasion you killed him, and why you said your life was threatened?” He was sure he knew all the answers to those questions and understood, he reached the conclusion of the case. Nevertheless, he had to make sure he wasn’t forced into a false confession to protect the real murderer.

  “I’ve known Irina for a couple of years. Fishing is not a profession to get rich with, but it’s something I inherited from my father and my grandfather. Sometimes I round my gain by smuggling people through the border between France, Spain or wherever else. There’s a man, Alec Beaufort, he’s the contact person to transport people in and out of the Italian territorial waters. I always wondered why Irina who’s Italian, too needed my services as she could travel between the EU without any restrictions. Yet, it was clear she necessitated to get in and out without the authorities knowing. I got paid well for the service and so I didn’t complain about it. Concerning the rest of the crew, they simply didn’t have any say in this. This is my boat; my business, and they are paid to come with me and fish.” His voice started to get steadier, as the weight from his soul got lighter and lighter.

  “You are aware those charges will...”

  “I know, and I don’t care. If I need to go to jail, even for the rest of my life, so be it. All I need is to get rid of the weight I’m carrying on my shoulders, and if I have to carry with me Irina, so much better,” Aldo interrupted. “I don’t know whether you’ve met her, but she’s the kind of woman a man can’t refuse. She has a way to obtain what she wants, either with her beauty or with the threat she can pose to the life of anyone. She doesn’t stop for anything, and whatever goal she has in mind, she will be able to reach it, or to make sure someone will do it for her, like in this case.”

  There was a short pause of silence, but Maurizio waited for Aldo to finish his story. It would have taken time, but he wasn’t in a hurry— not that day.

  “She knew I was attracted by her since the first day I saw her, and she used it at her advantage. Months ago, she came to me telling she needed a ride back to France. I told her the date when it would have been possible to arrange a way back and secured the price. In that period the coast guard increased the surveillance on the sea, so I had to raise the previously agreed fee. She didn’t like the new arrangement, and she said that, for that price, I had to take care of another problem. Her father was coming to travel with her, but his journey had to end in the middle of the sea.”

  He wiped his face, trying to regain the strength that was abandoning him one more time. “I had no idea how in the world I would have done it. One thing for sure was I had to be alone, as I couldn’t allow any of my crew to risk their freedom. For the night, I dismissed them all, by pretending to take care of a problem with the engine. Irina and her father arrived in the late evening and we left, knowing that at the established place, Alec would have reached us to get Irina on his boat to the territorial waters of France.”

  Maurizio wasn’t convinced. A man can certa
inly kill another one without the need of any help, but when there’s also a boat to navigate, a corpse to dispose of, and a place to clean, one man is not enough. “How did you kill him?”

  “I used a harpoon, the same one I use for big fishes, like tunas. I have no idea how I could do something like that, but I did. I think I was desperate, in a trap I put myself into and from which there wasn’t an easy way out. When Irina stated that it would have been a pity to have two deaths instead of one, I realized that the man was already dead, one way or another. The only choice I had left was whether to stay alive or join him in his destiny. Fearing she had also taken agreements with Alec, I had no other choice, but to gather all my strength and kill the man.” He buried his face within his hands and held his breath to swallow the bitterness and guilt.

  “So, you navigated to a specific point...” Maurizio went on, his eyelids semi-closed, forming a small fissure from which he could spy every single movement.

  “I stopped the engine and dropped the anchor. Leaving the deck, I grabbed the harpoon and rushed below deck, where Irina and Igor were waiting. Igor was seated away from me. I grabbed the chance and attacked him,” his voice hesitating.

  “A dead man is heavier than a living one. How did you dispose of the corpse— did Irina help you? She doesn’t seem to be a strong woman,” Maurizio opined.

  “I wrapped some weights in a nylon cloth I carried with me for the occasion. I had the time to plan everything out. That’s a job one person can take care of. She helped me to get him on my shoulders, I carried him on the upper deck. I can show you the place where he’d been dropped.”

  Maurizio didn’t believe a single word. Or better, I do believe he killed the man, but he’s obviously trying to cover for the other members of the crew. Their silent behavior didn’t fit with the one of people who had nothing to do with the murder.

  “Mr. Carrisi, I need to warn you that the truth will come out. I don’t know who or how many people you’re trying to cover, but certainly you couldn’t take care of everything alone in a single night.” Maurizio locked his gaze on him. “Nevertheless, we will certainly want to have the exact location where you dropped the corpse. First of all, because he still has a family who might want to give him a proper burial. Secondly, because the forensic team will have to work on him, and trust me, they will find out if there was someone else there to help you.”

  Aldo remained in silence averting his gaze from Maurizio, who was reconsidering the case was far from being concluded. There were still too many players to bring in and perhaps a whole organization to dismantle.

  The murder of Claudio Calvani revealed to be only the tip of an iceberg, and to bring everything to light it might have taken more than one Commissario Scala.

  That thought almost caused a grin to appear on his face. One Commissario Scala is more than enough, when it’s me. His expression turned to a serious one.

  “Mr. Carrisi, you’re under arrest for the murder of Igor Leonov...” he commenced, cuffing Aldo’s wrists and guiding him out of the interrogation room.

  CHAPTER 24

  It took another two weeks to receive the answer of the Magistrate, and luckily, the Hungarian Magistrate had to agree with the request from Italy and have her arrested and surrendered to the Italian Police to be interrogated, no more as a witness but as a suspect.

  Maurizio was relieved about the chance of finally going deeper, and at least, bringing the end to the case of the murder of Claudio Calvani. The dismantlement of the whole organization of smuggling human beings and illegal goods across the border required the intervention of others law enforcement’s departments, after all that’s why we have a border police and finance Police too.

  He was immersed in bureaucratic matters to be evaded for the arrival of Irina to the Precinct, when Senior officer Milani knocked at his door. “Sir, may I disturb you for a moment?”

  “I would be glad if someone could save me from all of this,” he replied, stretching his back.

  With a smile Senior officer Milani walked to his desk and sat down. “I have the transcription of the recording of the latest call between Luciano Calvani and Irina Leonova,” she started to explain placing a dossier on the desk. “It was a bit strange; she didn’t connect with her mother almost at all, lately as if she considered it safer to call Luciano.”

  “What about the topic?” he wondered.

  “The tones remained a bit colder than you can expect between a couple who hasn’t murdered a couple of people...” her voice hesitated, and she didn’t have any intention to give personal impressions about the situation.

  “But you think he’s also involved and the reason why she didn’t call her mother was to avoid the only person who could recognize her state of mind by simply the tone of her voice...” Maurizio concluded. “That’s an interesting point and deserves to be analyzed in more detail. You should never be afraid to make your own conclusion; this is how we solve the cases, by placing our suspects at the crime scene and see if they fit,” he added, acknowledging the hesitating tone in her voice as she suggested the involvement of Luciano.

  “However,” he continued leaning on the chair, “we don’t have any leads against Mr. Calvani. Having arguments with a father is something that rarely leads to murder. I would like, first of all, to understand what Ms. Leonova will say to justify her actions or whether she’ll admit having done any of the crimes she’s accused of.”

  “When can we expect to have her here?” Senior officer Milani was intrigued by Irina’s personality; she had to admit that before having met her, her charisma and ability to get whatever she had in mind was an admirable capability.

  “By the end of the week,” Maurizio said, turning his head to focus on the computer screen. “This is at least what they promised. Would you like to assist with the interrogation? As you and Officer Silvani are the youngest recruits, this can be a great chance to learn what isn’t taught at the Police Academy nor at the University. Recently we had other interrogations, but this is by far a bigger case, from which you might profit.”

  Her eyes opened up wide, and sparkled with excitement, as a jolt shook her, she stood from her chair. “I would love to, and I’m sure Carlo will be excited as I am to know we might be allowed to assist. I’m going to tell him the news.”

  Leaving the dossier on Maurizio’s desk, she left the office, hurrying off in the direction of the room she shared with Officer Silvani.

  ***

  The following week, on Monday, everything was ready for the interrogation, and Irina was escorted to the Police Department. After having been explained her rights, including the one of not answering any questions, Maurizio nodded at both the attorney and the officer who would have verbalized the whole interrogation.

  “Ms. Leonova, I believe you have been informed about the reason why you are here today.” Maurizio commenced.

  With a hermetic expression from which no sort of emotion could have transpired, she replied. “Yes, you think I am the person who has murdered Mr. Calvani, my mother’s boyfriend and Igor Leonov, my father.” Her eyes steady on Maurizio.

  “You’re not?” Maurizio challenged, knowing this would have become another long session.

  “I’m not.”

  “Would you then explain why you entered the Italian territory eluding the border control? We could count at least a few occasions when you have used the service of human traffickers to cross the border between France and Italy.” Maurizio took a short pause of silence to let the information sink in. “You are an Italian citizen, and there aren’t any legal charges against you. Yet, you chose an illegal way to enter the country.”

  “I didn’t want anyone to know that I came here. I knew my father had intended to kill Mr. Calvani, and I stayed at his place, hoping I could make him reason... Obviously, I wasn’t able, and he killed him anyway.” Her voice was steady, emotionless, and cold, likewise her expression as she glanced at Maurizio.

  “What happened the night of the murder?”


  “I have no idea. What I do know is that we spent the evening together and then I went to sleep. When I saw the news about the murder of Mr. Calvani, I understood it was too late, and I failed in my intent.” she replied, averting her eyes from him.

  “Why didn’t you talk to the police about it?” Maurizio knew he could have smashed her immediately, but he wanted to play a bit before bringing in his secret weapon. He still wished she would have told the truth about her father and the final resting place he was destined to have.

  “He was still my father, and I was afraid of him too. I decided to leave the country and stay away from him for the rest of my life,” she replied.

  “Did you plan to kill your father to revenge for what he did to your mother’s boyfriend?” Maurizio pursued, ready to call Aldo and the crew to up in the room. With the help of the captain, they could retrieve Igor’s body, which had been brought to the forensic laboratory and examined, before being stored in one of the morgue’s freezers.

  “I haven’t killed anyone,” she simply said.

  “What is the relationship with Luciano Calvani?” Maurizio wanted to take all the time and gather all the information about the circumstances in the verbal.

  “Luciano is my boyfriend,” she replied curtly, clearly aware that the least she would have said the better would have been for everyone.

  “In what circumstances did you meet each other?”

  At his question she knew a simple answer yes or no, wouldn’t have been enough. I need to find a way out, she thought.

  She remained silent for a moment to think about what she could answer, then, when her eyes met Maurizio’s, she grinned. “I prefer not to answer this question.”

  “Why?” Maurizio wondered, almost amused. It doesn’t make any sense; why not? I know the answer, and unless it was a lie, she thinks she does not remember correctly, that might give me an advantage.