Claps still didn’t quite understand everything – Elisa had seen everything; in fact, it was exactly what she had seen that had caused her to slip into the state where she was now. Cellini couldn’t know back then that Elisa’s illness would become so much worse. How could he not think that, one day, maybe even a few hours later, his daughter would have told the full story of what she had seen?
He struggled to put his thoughts across to Cellini, but eventually he did.
“As I said, we already knew that Elisa had mental issues. She had been in the state she’s in now for a good while. At least three months. We’d kept it hidden from anybody else. We didn’t want people to know, we were hoping for a miracle. We hoped that we would wake up one day and she would be normal again.”
Cellini’s eyes locked on an invisible spot in front of him. “It all happened so quickly, one day she was fine, the next day she wasn’t. She shut herself off as you do with a switch. Elisa had gone, she wasn’t there any more. We wanted to protect her from people’s curiosity. We took her to the best specialists: Rome, Milan and even Trieste. The answer was always the same – there was basically no hope of getting our old Elisa back. Elisa was there that day but it was like she didn’t see anything – she wasn’t in this world any more… and even if she had woken up one day, she wouldn’t have remembered anything of what she had seen or done. That’s what the doctors said, at least.”
The lights faded for a moment, then the buzzing noise started again.
“The little finger… Denise… doesn’t have it…”
“She probably broke it when she fell down the cliff, because it was disjointed and it… it hung down. When I closed the boot to bring her here I was nervous… I laid her there with her arm in an awkward position and I almost chopped the finger off with the boot lid. The finger was only attached by a little bit of skin… It was horrible, I couldn’t stand seeing it… I instinctively detached it completely.”
Claps felt a wave of shivers run up his spine as he saw the scene in his mind.
The feeling of vertigo took over for a moment.
He felt the crack of the boot lid on the finger… it was a similar sound to that of the clippers, in his mind. He saw Denise’s body in the boot, her blonde hair still stained with blood, her arm so close to the edge of the boot.
Claps was still doubtful, however – how was it possible that the police hadn’t found any traces of blood when they had inspected Cellini’s car? Claps was pretty sure that he had spoken with Musto and that he had specified all that. And then… why did the real monster – if it wasn’t indeed Mr Cellini – amputate the same finger on his victims?”
Then a sudden idea – everything became clear in a moment.
“You and… Elisa… weren’t alone that day… somebody else… was with you… is that correct?”
Cellini lowered his eyes, he looked elsewhere. He desperately wanted to lie.
“I’ll never tell you who it was,” he said eventually, and he lifted up his eyes. “He doesn’t have anything to do with this. I pleaded with him to help me and he did… I don’t want him to be involved in any of this.”
Cellini’s words seemed to echo in Claps’ brain and on the mine walls, the air was getting thicker again in that underground station.
Claps was so close to the truth.
He wanted to jump on Cellini, put his hands around his neck and choke him to death… but not until he heard the man’s name.
But Claps remained still, apparently calm. “Did the car… belong to… this man?”
“Yes.”
“Did he… lay Denise… in the boot?”
“No, I wanted to hold her in my arms like I used to when she was little. He closed the boot.”
“So he also… detached the… little finger?”
“Yes, I couldn’t do that.”
Claps’ words were stuck in his mouth now.
Cellini spoke again after a few, long seconds. “My daughter was in front of me. She wasn’t breathing any more… she would never breathe again. She would never smile or cry again. It was my fault. I wanted to die there and then. I wanted to give my life to her. Elisa was always there, always indifferent. She stared with her transparent eyes… she whispered a nursery song. I didn’t know what to do… I saw my life, all my relationships fall apart. I was all alone with an unbearable burden. I called that man on the phone. I asked for help. He arrived soon after. He left the car near the lake. We thought about faking a ransom together.”
“The necklace… in the photo.”
“It belonged to Elisa… she didn’t wear it any more. I took it from her when I found out that she had thrown her sister’s necklace who knows where. Jealousy, envy…” Cellini raised his hand desperately. “Maybe just a sign of her illness.”
That was how the necklace had fallen into Bench’s garden.
“We discussed where we should hide Denise for a long time.” Cellini continued. “And eventually we decided on the mine… it was safer than the hunting hut that he had suggested.”
Claps felt his voice come back to him and he cried out. “A hut? The man… who helped you… has a hut?”
“Yes… it’s not far from here.”
Claps dived on Cellini. “WHERE? WHERE IS THIS HUT? WHAT’S THE MAN’S NAME? TELL ME HIS FUCKING NAME.”
*
Djara didn’t notice anything.
She was skipping joyfully through the parking lot. She kept her arms spread like an aeroplane, she imitated the sound of an engine with her mouth.
She wasn’t afraid of the darkness… or the fact that the parking lot was deserted.
She was happy, Djara. She knew that the lady in the shop would give her a sweet when she bought the milk.
It was as if a fleshy wall had suddenly appeared in front of her, she hadn’t seen it.
It was dark and dense.
She ran into this wall and she couldn’t skip any longer. She was surrounded by the wall and she couldn’t move.
She was afraid for a moment, she understood that a hand was pressing on her face. Then, a moment later, everything went black… the last thing she sensed was the strong smell that had invaded her nose and her mouth.
“Mum” was her very last thought.
21
Claps had finally tried to call Sensi on the phone. The mobile had rung for a long time but Sensi didn’t pick up the call. He tried a second time, then Claps threw his mobile on the front passenger seat in exasperation.
Claps finally felt better, a lot calmer. He had taken control of the situation again.
Cellini had explained everything in detail to Claps – he drove confidently towards the narrow dirt road which connected the motorway to the woods.
Two kilometres straight, no turns, only a bunch of pits every now and then.
An open space.
The hunting hut.
Claps got out of the car. He kept the full beam of the headlights turned on so that he could see around.
A large padlock joined the links of a thick chain wrapped round the door. Claps would have to force his way inside.
He walked away from the beams of light coming from his car and headed into the darkness, trying to find a way around the problem. The natural noises from the woods seemed to have become louder.
The hut was rectangular and about eight metres long.
He walked down one side.
Then the other one. There were two windows, protected with iron bars.
He walked down the third side. There were no weak points.
He had to call Sensi, ask him to come over there and tell him the name of the monster.
A ray of light from another set of headlights illuminated a corner of the hut. Claps walked quickly towards it.
All of a sudden, it was as if a powerful, electrifying light exploded in front of his eyes.
Somebody had hit his back violently.
Claps lost his balance… he staggered a few steps.
Another blow.
&nbs
p; Claps rolled down onto the grass.
He got up, stunned.
Then another one to his chest.
He was on the ground again, leaning against the front door. He couldn’t get up again.
Claps raised his eyes slowly.
The first thing that his eyes managed to focus on were the twin barrels of a shotgun.
The man who was pointing the shotgun at his head had an evil grin on his face and was tall, very tall.
The man’s face was very similar to that of Elisa’s father.
Giuliano Cellini, Denise’s uncle.
The monster.
He didn’t shoot.
He stood still.
His monstrous breath condensed in the cold air of that night.
Claps’ head was buzzing.
Why didn’t he just shoot him and end his life there?
The monster told him to get up, he seemed in no hurry.
Claps struggled to obey him, and got up slowly.
Once Claps was on his feet, he found it hard to keep his balance – he leaned on the hut’s front door. The monster touched his shoulder with the shotgun – “Get away from the door.”
Claps understood – the monster didn’t want to leave bullet marks on the front door.
He began to move… but he didn’t have any strength left to react.
He resigned himself to his fate.
Trevis would have talked to the police and Sensi would have spoken to Denise’s father. He would have told Sensi everything. The monster would be caught, he wouldn’t kill any more little girls. That was the most important thing, after all.
The monster ordered Claps to stop.
He lifted the shotgun up towards Claps’ head.
The shotgun was aimed at his forehead.
The noises from the woods seemed to disappear leaving a surreal silence.
The monster’s finger pressed lightly on the trigger.
“The end.” Claps thought for a moment.
Then a terrible scream – almost like a lion’s roar – tore up the night. A huge dark shadow leapt upon the monster. The shotgun fell to the ground. Giuliano Cellini was hit so hard that he flew a couple of metres.
The black mass of vibrating muscle leapt upon him again and began to beat him mercilessly. He was roaring. He punched the monster with his bare hands, it was almost as if he had paws.
Claps couldn’t guess how long that torture lasted – it may have been a few seconds or an eternity.
Then everything froze.
The monster had passed out and lay unconscious on the ground, Elaji was still sitting astride him.
Everything went still, that scene would remain impressed in Claps’ mind forever.
Every noise had ceased.
Only Elaji’s deep, heavy breathing remained.
Then, after what felt like an eternity to Claps, Elaji straightened up on the monster’s body and screamed his last, terrible roar to the night sky, with his mouth wide open.
His pearl coloured teeth shone in the moonlight.
“ELAJI! NOOOO!”
A moment later, Elaji sunk his teeth ferociously into Cellini’s throat.
Claps saw his head jolt to one side and his legs convulse frantically. Elaji’s body vibrated – his incredible strength was powered by hatred.
When Elaji pulled back, the monster’s legs were still shaking whilst the blood sprang from his neck in a violent, uncontrollable geyser.
It all lasted but a moment. The rest of the world seemed to have stopped in the meantime.
Then the monster lay still forever.
*
“I know… I just had to do it…”
Elaji’s deep voice was emptied of its usual vigour.
“Do you think that I’ll be able to see Alissa?”
Claps didn’t reply.
“I mean… every now and then?”
“How did you… get… here?”
“I was following his car, but then I lost it at a crossroad…”
Elaji closed his eyes. How does a lion hunt his prey in the savanna? He doesn’t chase the gazelle because it’s too fast for the lion. Instead, he hunkers down in the tall grass and waits for the gazelle to move closer to the lion.
He had driven back to the long, straight stretch a little before the turns where Abedi’s old car might have had a chance of catching up with the monster. He had waited there – the man would have to drive past that section in order to get back to Prata or Niccioleta.
“I waited for him… He led me here.”
Claps nodded to the man who had saved his life.
Elaji pointed to the dead body.
“I know that this is wrong according to your laws… will they let me see Alissa?”
Claps looked into his eyes, without saying a word. After all, Elaji had saved his life. He wouldn’t have to stay in jail for long. However, Elaji was the father of one of the victims and he had bitten the man to death – the media would go crazy about that, his life would not be the same. People might accept his reaction, but life wouldn’t be easy for him and his family afterwards. He would be known as the black giant, the man who killed with his bare hands. He would struggle to find employment.
Claps stood up slowly.
He picked up the shotgun.
He pointed it at the monster’s neck.
He shot him. Twice.
The bullets tore the man’s neck apart.
“Go… back home… go back to your… Alissa.”
*
The hut was now illuminated by the lights of the police cars and a crowd of people were gathered around. The blue lights of the patrol cars lit the area unnaturally and blinked on and off regularly. A few flashes from cameras; metallic voices from the patrol walkie-talkies. There was an ambulance, but it wasn’t for the body of the monster, which would remain there for a good while. Djara had been found in the Volvo’s boot – she had been sedated but she was alive and would have to go to the hospital just for a check-up.
Claps didn’t have the courage to enter the hut. The door had been unlocked but he had no energy left and felt incapable of experiencing any more strong emotions. He sat in the passenger seat of a police patrol car with his feet on the ground outside, holding his head in his hands. Maiezza was beside him.
Sensi stepped out of the hut, he looked around and walked towards Claps as soon as he saw him.
Sensi looked pale, his voice was little more than a whisper.
“There’s everything in there.”
A deep breath.
“Huge clippers, they’re good enough to break a chain. The fingers are there too.”
Another deep breath.
“Twelve, Claps… there are twelve of them. They float in small pots. Each pot has a finger… and a name.”
Sensi looked away and swallowed, then back at Claps after a few seconds. He was holding a wallet with earth on it. “Tell me again what happened.”
“He pointed… the shotgun… at my face… I just… jumped on him… I don’t know how… I managed… he dropped the shotgun… we fought for a while… I almost gave up… I was on the ground… he was ready to finish me… the shotgun was next to me… I stretched out to grab it… I shot him…”
“You fought for a while?”
“Y-yes.”
“How long?”
“I don’t… know.”
Sensi stared at Claps. “You don’t look like you fought with anybody, your clothes are clean and tidy.”
Claps remained silent.
“We found this.” Sensi lifted up the dirty wallet. “Not far away from the body of the monster. There… we found traces of a fight.”
Silence.
“There’s a driving licence in the wallet.” Sensi carried on talking, he almost sounded amused. “Do you know anything about it?”
Claps stared into Sensi’s eyes, then he looked away and answered as indifferently as he was able to. “Somebody… must have lost it… there… earlier.”
Sensi c
losed his eyes and pondered for a few seconds.
“Yes,” Sensi said, eventually. He was speaking very slowly. “I agree with you. It’s more like a coincidence. No need to investigate further.”
Sensi threw the wallet to Maiezza, who caught it in flight.
“Send it back to Mr Demba. Don’t speak about it, please. Oh, and something else…” Sensi said, as he leaned over towards Maiezza. He whispered something into Maiezza’s ear and then went back into the hut again.
When Sensi had disappeared, Maiezza looked at Claps. “Come here please, I have to show you something.”
Claps followed him to the edge of the open area, where there was total darkness. Nobody was looking at them.
“What do you… have to sh-show… me?”
Claps didn’t have time to finish the sentence – Maiezza punched him on one side of his face and then he scratched his other cheek with his nails.
“What the…” Claps almost fell over backwards. He touched his sore cheek.
“I’m sorry, Mr Claps.” Maiezza lifted up his hands to reassure him. “Now tear up your clothes a little. Make sure that nobody’s looking, then soak your clothes with some of the dead man’s blood.”
Claps held his face. “Fuck… off!”
Maiezza winked at him. “It’s better this way, you know. It’s for the newspapers.”
The End
A few days later
Warm sunshine filtered through the window into Sensi’s office.
“Giuliano Cellini used to go to Crema about three, four times a year. His factory produces cork for a building establishment in Crema – they make environmentally friendly insulation panels. The administration offices are opposite the school where Ami used to go.”
“That’s how he… saw her.”
“Yeah.”
“When I went down… the mine shaft… I was convinced that… Denise’s father… was the murderer.”
Sensi nodded. “Maiezza had inadvertently led you astray when he told you that he had found somebody called Cellini in Milan amongst those who had stayed at a hotel during that period.”
“He called me… on the phone… when he found out… he didn’t know… Cellini’s first… name.”
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