The Broken Frame

The Broken Frame by Claudio Ruggeri Page A

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Authors: Claudio Ruggeri
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there. You stay here and don’t move.”
    “Okay, Angelo. I’ll wait here.”
    In fact, Angelo Parisi, as well as having an excellent memory, did know the habits of his old friend, the Commissioner. As soon as he saw Parisi enter the restaurant and look around, as if seeking a person instead of a good table, he quickly understood who he was looking for.
    “I’m here.”
    “There you are.”
    “Why don’t you have a seat and join us? The restaurant serves a pizza with pumpkin flowers, which is like nothing on earth!”
    “I’ve already eaten, thank you. Actually, this visit is for a very different reason.”
    “Have a seat, and tell me everything”
    Parisi took a few minutes to give Germano the details of the case. The Commissioner kept his thoughts silent, until his son interrupted him.
    “Who was killed, dad?”
    “No one was killed, Luca. Angelo was just passing and stopped to say hello, that’s all.”
    “May I come with you to the crime scene? Perhaps I can find the proof that...” his voice slowly faded when his eyes encountered the severe look of his mother.
    “Shall we ask for the check, Vincent?”
    “No Arianna, you remain here. I’ll reach you later at home.”
    “Okay, take care”
    “Got it.”
    After several minutes of brisk walking, both cops arrived at the gallery. The entrance was already crowded, and it was quite difficult to get rid of the onlookers. The Commissioner went to the back of the store, trying not to contaminate the crime scene. Carlo Riva’s body didn’t show any wounds. Other than a single wound to the heart.
    Germano signaled to Doctor Silvestri, to ask him for more details.
    “Doctor, is that the letter opener he used to kill himself?”
    “It looks like it. It’s going to be the first thing we analyze, although it all looks straightforward.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “You’ll see, Commissioner. On the table that Riva used for work, there’s a letter. I read through it, and it looks like a goodbye letter.”
    “Is it possible to see it?”
    “It’s already on the evidence list, but you can try to look through the clear plastic bag. There are only a couple of lines, but it’s quite eloquent.”
    Germano headed for what appeared to be a makeshift shelf, used by the men of Scientific. They used the shelf for temporary display of the finds and instrumentation.
    In fact, the Commissioner needed to see if Dr. Silvestri was right. In the letter, which Riva had written with his own hand, there were just a couple of sentences. They read: ‘I have tried to understand my many mistakes.  There is only one thing I could not understand, and that is what hurt me the most.’
    Germano made a note and went out of the art gallery to speak to Inspector Parisi.
    "Have you read this stuff?”
    "No Vincent, what is it?"
    "In the back, close to the body, we found a letter that looks a lot like a farewell message. I wrote down the words, there are only a few. Take a look.”
    Parisi read the sentences several times, trying to understand them better with each reading, but in vain.
    "What did this Riva do that was so terrible he wanted to die?"
    "I don’t know Angelo, but there’ll definitely be someone who can help us."
    “Do you have someone in mind?”
    “This Riva, he had a family?”
    “Yes, a wife and a son.”
    "They have already been told of his death?"
    “Venditti and Penino are at their house right now.”
    “As soon as they feel better I have a few things I need to discuss with them.”
    "What are you doing Vincent? Are you going charge them for incitement to suicide?"
    "Absolutely not. I’d just like to get things a little clearer before I file the case."
    "Okay, we'll make sure you can talk to them. What do you want to do next?"
    "Nothing right now. We have to wait for the reports from the medical examiner and the crime lab. We’ll make our next move then, if necessary. The only thing we could do right now is to interrogate some of the neighbors, as well as

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