The Snack Thief by Andrea Camilleri Read Free Book Online Page B

inspector, sounding like the Cumaean sibyl.
    He pulled up his trousers, fastened his belt, leaving the
zipper down, and picked up the telephone.
    Sorry to disturb you, signora. On what date did you say
you received the first anonymous letter?
    On the thirteenth of June of last year.
    He thanked her and hung up.
    Gimme a hand, Gallre going to put all these issues
of this magazine in order and see if any pages are missing.
    They found what they were looking for: the June 7 issue,
the only one from which two pages had been torn out.
    Lets keep going, said the inspector.
    The July 30 issue was also missing two pages; the same
for the September 1 issue.
    The three anonymous letters had been composed right
there, in the office.
    Now, if youll excuse me, Montalbano said politely.
    Galluzzo heard him singing in the bathroom.
    5
    Mr. Commissioner? Montalbano here. Im calling to say
Im very sorry, but I cant make it to dinner at your house tomorrow
evening.
    Are you sorry because you wont be able to see us, or
because youll miss the pasta in squid ink?
    Both.
    Well, if its something to do with work, I cant really
    No, its got nothing to do with work . . . Its that Im about
to receive an impromptu twenty-four-hour visit from my...
    Fianc That sounded downright nineteenth-century to
the inspectors ear. Girlfriend? At their age?
    Companion? the commissioner suggested.
    Right.
    Miss Livia Burlando must be very fond of you to undertake
such a long and tedious journey to see you for just
twenty-four hours.
    Never had he so much as mentioned Livia to his superior,
whoofficially, at leastshould have been unaware of
her existence. Not even when he was in the hospital, that
time hed been shot, had the two ever met.
    Listen, said the commissioner, why dont you intro
    duce her to us? My wife would love that. Bring her along
with you tomorrow evening.
Saturdays feast was safe.
    Is this the inspector Im speaking to? In person?
Yes, maam, this is he.
I wanted to tell you something about the gentleman
    who was murdered yesterday morning.
Did you know him?
Yes and no. I never spoke to him. Actually, I only found
    out his name yesterday, on the TV news.
Tell me, maam, do you consider what you have to tell
    me truly important?
I think so.
All right. Come by my office this afternoon, around
    five.
I cant.
Well, tomorrow, then.
I cant tomorrow, either. Im paralyzed.
I see. Then Ill come to you, right away, if you wish.
Im always at home.
Where do you live, signora?
Salita Granet 23. My name is ClementinaVasile Cozzo.
    Walking down the Corso on his way to the appointment, he
heard someone call him. It was Major Marniti, sitting at the
Cafflbanese with a younger officer.
    Let me introduce to you Lieutenant Piovesan, commander
of the Fulmine, the patrol boat that
    Montalbanos the name, pleased to meet you, said the
inspector. But he wasnt pleased at all. He had managed to
dump that case. Why did they keep dragging him back in?
    Have a coffee with us.
Actually, Im busy.
Just five minutes.
All right, but no coffee.
He sat down.
You tell him, Marniti said to Piovesan.
In my opinion, none of its true.
Whats not true?
I find the whole story of the fishing boat hard to swal
    low. We received the Santopadres Mayday signal at one in the
morning; they gave us their position and said they were being
pursued by the patrol boat Rameh.
    What was their position? the inspector inquired in
    spite of himself.
Just outside our territorial waters.
And you raced to the scene.
Actually it should have been up to the Lampo patrol
    boat, which was closer.
So why didnt the Lampo go?
Because an hour earlier, an SOS was sent out by a fish
    ing boat that was taking in water from a leak. The Lampo radioed
the Tuono for backup, and so a big stretch of sea was
left unguarded.
    Fulmine, Lampo, Tuono: lightning, flash, thunder. Its always
bad weather for the coast guard, thought