IM10 August Heat (2008) by Andrea Camilleri Read Free Book Online

that Laura and Guido were well on their way to dreamland.
    With a light step he sidled up to the window that served as a door, climbed through, and went in.When he was inside, he turned on the flashlight and headed towards the living room.
    He lifted the trunk’s lid. The corpse was barely visible, having been wrapped several times over in the same kind of plastic sheets that had been used to seal off the secret apartment, and then bound in brown packing tape wound many times around the bundle.The corpse looked like a cross between a mummy and a giant parcel ready for shipping.
    He shone the flashlight closer and realized, at least from what he was able to see, that the body was fairly well preserved. Apparently all that plastic had created a sort of hard vacuum, not allowing even a trace of the terrible stench of death to leak out.
    Forcing himself to look harder, he noticed a great mass of long blond hair on and around the head.The face, on the other hand, he couldn’t make out, because it had been wrapped twice around with the brown adhesive tape.
    It was a woman, that much was clear.
    There was nothing more to see or do. He closed the trunk, exited the apartment, got back in his car, and drove home.
    He found Livia in bed but still awake. She was reading a book.
    “Darling, I got back as quickly as I could. I’ll just take the shower I wasn’t able to—”
    “Go on, hurry. Don’t waste any more time.”
     
     
     
    When Livia came out of the bathroom at nine o’clock the following morning, she found Montalbano sitting on the veranda.
    “What, are you still here? You told me you had to go to the station to deal with that business of last night.”
    “I’ve changed my mind. I’m going to take a half day’s vacation. I’m coming with you to Pizzo to spend the morning with you and your friends.”
    “Oh, goody!”
    By the time they got there Laura, Guido, and Bruno were ready to go down to the beach. Since they had decided they would spend the whole day outside, Laura had filled some baskets with food.
    But how and when—the inspector anxiously wondered in the meantime—was he going to break the good news to them?
    As luck would have it Guido helped him out.
    “Did you call the people at the agency to tell them about the illegal apartment?”
    “No, not yet.”
    “Why not?”
    “Because I’m afraid they might raise your rent, since you now have another apartment at your disposal.”
    He was trying to make a joke of it, but Livia intervened.
    “Come on, what are you waiting for? I want to see the look on the face of the guy that rented it to you.”
    And I can’t wait to see yours, in a few minutes! thought Montalbano.
    But he said instead:
    “Well, there’s a major complication.”
    “What?”
    “Could you send Bruno away for a minute?” Montalbano asked Laura under his breath.
    She gave him a puzzled look, but did as he said.
    “Bruno, do Mommy a little favor. Go in the kitchen and get another bottle of mineral water from the refrigerator.”
    The others stared at him, their curiosity aroused by his question.
    “So?”
    “The fact is, I found a dead body. A woman.”
    “Where?” Guido asked.
    “In the apartment downstairs. In the living room. Inside a trunk.”
    “Are you joking?” asked Laura.
    “No, he’s not joking,” said Livia. “I know him well. Did you discover it last night, when we went down there?”
    Bruno returned carrying a bottle.
    “Go get another!” they all said in unison.
    The child set the bottle down on the floor and ran out.
    “And you,” said Livia, who was beginning to understand what was happening, “you let my friends spend the night here with a dead body in the house?”
    “Come on, Livia! It’s downstairs! It’s not contagious!”
    All of a sudden, Laura let out her siren wail, which had become her specialty.
    Ruggero, who had been sunning himself on the little wall, hightailed it away. Bruno returned, set the second bottle on the floor, and ran to