by Donna Leon
He let go of the hook and turned to Brunetti, who saw that froth was coming from the man’s mouth.
‘Liar. Liar,’ he shouted at Brunetti and charged towards him. With the ease of a bullfighter, Brunetti stepped out of his way, and Borgato crashed into the wooden railing that ran along one side of the dock. Brunetti approached him and saw madness in his eyes. Borgato raised his arm and made a fist, as though he wanted to pound Brunetti into the ground.
Instead, Brunetti charged him, grabbed the raised arm at wrist and elbow, and brought it down with savage strength onto the handrail. He heard the bone break, felt the snap with his own hands. He stepped back and crashed into the chest of one of the soldiers.
‘We’ll take over now, sir,’ the soldier said, and Brunetti turned away from him but not from what he had just done.