in Italy,' Lorenzoni said:
'A ring with the
Lorenzoni crest was found with him’Brunetti added.
'What?'
'A signet ring with
the family crest was found with him.'
'Who identified it?'
'The medico legale’
'Is he
sure?'Lorenzoni asked.
'Yes. Unless the
crest has been changed recently’ Brunetti added in a level voice.
Lorenzoni's question
came after another long pause.'Where was this?'
'In a place called
Col di Cugnan, not far from Belluno.'
The next pause was
longer. Then Lorenzoni asked, in a far softer voice, 'Can we see him?'
Had the voice not
softened, Brunetti would have answered that there wasn't much to see; instead,
he said, 'I'm afraid the identification will have to be done by other means.',
'What does that
mean?'
"The body that
was found has been in the ground for some time, and so there has been
considerable decomposition.'
'Decomposition?'
It would help us if
we could get in touch with his dentist. There's evidence that there was
considerable orthodontal work.'
'Oh Dio’ the young man whispered, and then said, 'Roberto wore
braces for years.'
'Can you give me the
name of the dentist?'
'Francesco Urbani.
His office is in Campo San Stefano. He's the same dentist we all go to.'
Brunetti made a note
of the name and address. 'Thank you, Signor Lorenzoni.'
'When will you know?
Should I tell my uncle?' And after a pause, he added, but it wasn't a question,
'And my aunt.'
Brunetti picked up
the white-bordered dental X-rays. He could send Vianello to Doctor Urbani with
them this afternoon. 1 should be able to give you some information today. I'd
like to speak to your uncle, and your aunt, if that's possible. This evening?'
‘Yes, yes,' he
answered distractedly. 'Commissario, is there a chance that this isn't Roberto?'
That chance, if it
ever existed, seemed to be growing smaller with each added piece of
information. ‘I don't think if s very likely, but you might want to wait until
we've spoken to the dentist before you tell your uncle.'
‘I don't know how I
can tell him,' Lorenzoni said. 'And my aunt, my aunt.'
Whatever the dentist
said would only confirm what Brunetti's instincts knew was true. He decided he
would speak to the Lorenzonis, all of them, and do it soon. ‘I’ll come and
speak to them if you'd like me to.'
'Yes, I think that's
better. But what if the dentist says it isn't Roberto?'
'In that case, I'll
call you and tell you. At this number?'
'No, let me give you
the number of my cellular,' he answered. Brunetti made a note.
'I'll be there at
seven,' Brunetti said, intentionally omitting any qualification about what he'd
do if the dental records didn't match.
'Yes, at seven,'
Lorenzoni said and hung up without bothering to give the address or
instructions about how to get there. Presumably, in Venice the name would
suffice.
Brunetti immediately
called down to Vianello's office and asked him to come up and get the dental
X-rays. When the sergeant came in, Brunetti told him where Doctor Urbani's
office was and asked Vianello to call from there with the results.
What would it be like
to have a child kidnapped? What if the victim had been Raffi, his own son? The
very thought of it made Brunetti's stomach tighten with fear and disgust. He
remembered the rash of kidnappings that had taken place in the Veneto during
the 1980s and the burst of business it had provided for private security firms.
That gang had been broken up a few years ago, and the leaders sentenced to fife
imprisonment. With a twinge of guilt, Brunetti found himself thinking that
this was not severe enough to punish them for what they had done, though the
topic of capital punishment was such a red flag in his own family that he
didn't pursue the logical consequences of this judgement.
He'd need to see the
wall, to see how easy it would be to climb over it, or to see how else the
stone might have been put behind the gates. He'd have to contact the Belluno
police to ask about kidnappings in the area: he'd always
'A ring with the
Lorenzoni crest was found with him’Brunetti added.
'What?'
'A signet ring with
the family crest was found with him.'
'Who identified it?'
'The medico legale’
'Is he
sure?'Lorenzoni asked.
'Yes. Unless the
crest has been changed recently’ Brunetti added in a level voice.
Lorenzoni's question
came after another long pause.'Where was this?'
'In a place called
Col di Cugnan, not far from Belluno.'
The next pause was
longer. Then Lorenzoni asked, in a far softer voice, 'Can we see him?'
Had the voice not
softened, Brunetti would have answered that there wasn't much to see; instead,
he said, 'I'm afraid the identification will have to be done by other means.',
'What does that
mean?'
"The body that
was found has been in the ground for some time, and so there has been
considerable decomposition.'
'Decomposition?'
It would help us if
we could get in touch with his dentist. There's evidence that there was
considerable orthodontal work.'
'Oh Dio’ the young man whispered, and then said, 'Roberto wore
braces for years.'
'Can you give me the
name of the dentist?'
'Francesco Urbani.
His office is in Campo San Stefano. He's the same dentist we all go to.'
Brunetti made a note
of the name and address. 'Thank you, Signor Lorenzoni.'
'When will you know?
Should I tell my uncle?' And after a pause, he added, but it wasn't a question,
'And my aunt.'
Brunetti picked up
the white-bordered dental X-rays. He could send Vianello to Doctor Urbani with
them this afternoon. 1 should be able to give you some information today. I'd
like to speak to your uncle, and your aunt, if that's possible. This evening?'
‘Yes, yes,' he
answered distractedly. 'Commissario, is there a chance that this isn't Roberto?'
That chance, if it
ever existed, seemed to be growing smaller with each added piece of
information. ‘I don't think if s very likely, but you might want to wait until
we've spoken to the dentist before you tell your uncle.'
‘I don't know how I
can tell him,' Lorenzoni said. 'And my aunt, my aunt.'
Whatever the dentist
said would only confirm what Brunetti's instincts knew was true. He decided he
would speak to the Lorenzonis, all of them, and do it soon. ‘I’ll come and
speak to them if you'd like me to.'
'Yes, I think that's
better. But what if the dentist says it isn't Roberto?'
'In that case, I'll
call you and tell you. At this number?'
'No, let me give you
the number of my cellular,' he answered. Brunetti made a note.
'I'll be there at
seven,' Brunetti said, intentionally omitting any qualification about what he'd
do if the dental records didn't match.
'Yes, at seven,'
Lorenzoni said and hung up without bothering to give the address or
instructions about how to get there. Presumably, in Venice the name would
suffice.
Brunetti immediately
called down to Vianello's office and asked him to come up and get the dental
X-rays. When the sergeant came in, Brunetti told him where Doctor Urbani's
office was and asked Vianello to call from there with the results.
What would it be like
to have a child kidnapped? What if the victim had been Raffi, his own son? The
very thought of it made Brunetti's stomach tighten with fear and disgust. He
remembered the rash of kidnappings that had taken place in the Veneto during
the 1980s and the burst of business it had provided for private security firms.
That gang had been broken up a few years ago, and the leaders sentenced to fife
imprisonment. With a twinge of guilt, Brunetti found himself thinking that
this was not severe enough to punish them for what they had done, though the
topic of capital punishment was such a red flag in his own family that he
didn't pursue the logical consequences of this judgement.
He'd need to see the
wall, to see how easy it would be to climb over it, or to see how else the
stone might have been put behind the gates. He'd have to contact the Belluno
police to ask about kidnappings in the area: he'd always
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