The Snack Thief (18 page)

And then?

Then, without warning, came the signal to halt. Our
fishing boator its crew at least, I cant speak for the cap-
tainthought it was our Customs Police making a routine
check. So they stopped, and they heard people speaking

Arabic. At this point the Tunisian on the Italian boat went
astern and lit a cigarette. And got shot. Only then did the
fishing boat turn and flee.

And then?

And then what, MontalbHow long is this phone call
going to last?

14

Unlike most men of the sea, Angelo Prest crew chief and
ownerofthe Santopadre motor trawler, was a fat, sweaty man.
But he was sweating because it was natural for him, not because
of the questionsValente was asking him. Actually, in this
regard, he seemed not only calm, but even slightly put out.

I dont understand why you suddenly wanna drag this
story out again. Its water under the bridge.

Wed merely like to clear up a few small details, then
youll be free to go, Valente said to reassure him.

Well, out with it then, for Gods sake!

Youve always maintained that the Tunisian patrol boat
was acting illegally, since your vessel was in international waters.
Is that correct?

Of course its correct. But I dont see why youre interested
in questions that are the concern of the Harbor Office.

Youll see later.

But I dont need to see anything, if you dont mind!
Did the Tunisian government issue a statement or didnt
they? And in this statement, did they say they killed the

Tunisian themselves or didnt they? So why do you want to

hash it all out again?
Theres already a discrepancy, Valente observed.
Where?
You, for example, say the attack occurred in interna

tional waters, whereas they say youd already crossed their

border. Is that a discrepancy or isnt it, as you might say?
No, sir, it is not a discrepancy. Its a mistake.
On whose part?
Theirs. They obviously took their bearings wrong.
Montalbano and Valente exchanged a lightning-quick

glance, which was the signal to begin the second phase of

their prearranged interrogation.
Mr. Prest do you have a criminal record?
No, sir.
But you have been arrested.
You guys really have a thing for old stories, dont you!

Yes, sir, I was arrested, because some faggot, some sonofabitch
had a grudge against me and reported me. But then the judge
realized the bastard was a liar, and so he let me go.

What were you accused of ?
Smuggling.
Cigarettes or drugs?
The second.
And your whole crew also ended up in the slammer,

didnt they?
Yessir, but they all got out cause they were innocent
like me.

Who was the judge that threw the case out of court?

I dont remember.

Was it Antonio Bellofiore?

Yeah, I think it was him.

Did you know he was thrown in jail himself a year later
for rigging trials?

No, I didnt know. I spend more time at sea than on
land.

Another lightning-quick glance, and the ball was passed
to Montalbano.

Lets forget these old stories, the inspector began. Do
you belong to a cooperative?

Yes, the Mafico.

What does it stand for?

Mazarese Fishermens Cooperative.

When you sign up a Tunisian fisherman, do you choose
him yourself or is he referred to you by the cooperative?

The co-op tells us which ones to take, Prestreplied,
starting to sweat more than usual.

We happen to know that the cooperative furnished you
with a certain name, but you chose Ben Dhahab instead.

Listen, I didnt know this Ben Dhahab, never seen im
before in my life. When he showed up on board five minutes
before we put out, I thought he was the one sent by the co-op.

You mean Hassan Tarif ?

I think that was is name.

Okay. Why didnt the cooperative ask you for an explanation?

Captain Prestsmiled, but his face was drawn and by
now he was bathed in sweat.

But this kind of stuff happens every day! They trade
places all the time! The important thing is to avoid complaints.

So why didnt Hassan Tarif complain? After all, he lost a
days wages.

Youre asking me? Go ask him.

I did, Montalbano said calmly.

Valente looked at him in astonishment. This part had not
been prearranged.

And what did he tell you? Prestasked almost defiantly.

He said Ben Dhahab came to him the day before and
asked if he was signed on with the Santopadre, and when he
said yes, Dhahab told him not to show up for three days and
gave him a whole weeks pay.

I dont know anything about that.

Let me finish. Given this fact, Dhahab certainly didnt
sign on because he needed work. He already had money.
Therefore he must have come on your boat for another
reason.

Valente paid very close attention to the trap Montalbano
was setting. The bit about this mysterious Tarif taking money
from Dhahab had clearly been invented by the inspector, and
Valente needed to know what he was driving at.

Do you know who Ben Dhahab was?

A Tunisian looking for work.

No, my friend, he was one of the biggest names in narcotics
traffic.

While Prestwas turning pale,Valente understood that it
was now his turn. He secretly smiled to himself. He and
Montalbano made a formidable duo, like Totd Peppino.

Looks like youre in a fix, Mr. Prest Valente began in
a compassionate, almost fatherly tone.

But why?!

Come on, cant you see? A drug trafficker the caliber of
Ben Dhahab signs on with your fishing boat, sparing no expense.
And you have the past record you do. I, therefore, have
two questions. First: what is one plus one? And second: what
went wrong that night?

Youre trying to mess me up! You want to ruin me!

Youre doing it yourself, with your own two hands.

No! No! This has gone too far! said Prest very upset.
They guaranteed me that...

He stopped short, wiped off his sweat.

Guaranteed you what? Montalbano and Valente asked
at the same time.

That I wouldnt have any trouble.

Who did?

Captain Preststuck his hand in his pocket, dug out his
wallet, extracted a calling card, and threw it ontoValentes desk.

Having disposed of PrestValente dialed the number on the
calling card. It belonged to the prefecture of Trapani.

Hello? This is Vice-Commissioner Valente from Maz.
Id like to speak with Commendator Mario Spadaccia, chief
of the cabinet.

Please hold.

Hello, Commissioner Valente. This is Spadaccia.

Sorry to disturb you, Commendatore, but I have a
question concerning the killing of that Tunisian on the fishing
boat

Hasnt that all been cleared up? The government in
Tunis

Yes, I know, Commendatore, but

Why are you calling me?

Because the crew chief of the fishing boat

He gave you my name?

He gave us your card. He was keeping it as some sort
of... guarantee.

Which indeed it was.

Excuse me?

Let me explain. You see, some time ago, His
Excellency . . . (Wasnt that title abolished half a century ago?
Montalbano wondered while listening in on an extension.)
. . . His Excellency the prefect received an urgent request.
He was asked to give his full support to a Tunisian journalist
who wanted to conduct a sensitive investigation among his
compatriots here, and who, for this reason, among others, also
wished to sign on with one of our fishing boats. His Excellency
authorized me to oversee the matter. Captain Prests
name was brought to my attention; I was told he was very reliable.
Prest however, had some worries about getting in

trouble with the employment office. Thats why I gave him
my card. Nothing more.

Commendatore, I thank you very much for your thorough
explanation, said Valente. And he hung up.

They sat there in silence, eyeing each other.

The guys either a fuckup or hes putting one over on
us, said Montalbano.

This whole things beginning to stink, Valente said
pensively.

Yeah, said Montalbano.

They were discussing what their next move should be when
the phone rang.

I told them I wasnt here for anyone! Valente shouted
angrily. He picked up, listened a moment, then passed the receiver
to Montalbano.

Before leaving for Maz, the inspector had left word at
the office as to where he could be found if needed.

Hello? Montalbano here. Whos this? Ah, is that you,
Mr. Commissioner?

Yes, its me. Where have you run off to?

He was irritated.

Im here with my colleague, Vice-Commissioner Valente.

Hes not your colleague. Hes a vice-commissioner and
youre not.

Montalbano started to feel worried.

Whats going on, Commissioner?

No, Im asking you what the hell is going on!
Hell? The commissioner said hell?
I dont understand.
What kind of crap have you been digging up?
Crap? Did the commissioner say crap? Was this the

start of the Apocalypse? Would the trumpets of Judgment

soon begin to sound?
But what have I done wrong?
Yesterday you gave me a license-plate number, re

member?
Yes. am 237 gw.
Thats the one. Well, I immediately asked a friend of

mine in Rome to look into it, to save time, at your request,
and he just called me back, very annoyed. They told him that
if he wants to know the name of the cars owner, he must
submit a written request specifying in detail the reasons for
said request.

Thats not a problem, Commissioner. Ill explain the
whole story to you tomorrow, and you, in the request, can
Montalbano, you dont understand, or perhaps you

wont understand. Thats a cloaked number.
What does that mean?
It means the car belongs to the secret services. Is that so

hard to understand?
That was no mere stink, what they had smelled. The air
itself was turning foul.

As he was telling Valente about Lapras murder, Karimas
abduction, Fahrid, and Fahrids car, which actually belonged
to the secret services, a troubling thought occurred to him.
He phoned the commissioner in Montelusa.

Excuse me, Commissioner, but when you spoke with
your friend in Rome about the license plate, did you tell him
what it was about?

How could I? I dont know the first thing about what
youre doing.

The inspector heaved a sigh of relief.

I merely said, the commissioner continued, that it involved
an investigation that you, Inspector Montalbano, were
conducting.

The inspector retracted his sigh of relief.

Hello, Galluzzo? Montalbano here. Im calling from
Maz. I think Im going to be here late, so, contrary to what
I said, I want you to go immediately to Marinella, to my
house, pick up the old Tunisian lady, and take her to Montelusa.
All right? You havent got a minute to lose.

Hello, Livia? Listen very carefully to what I say, and do exactly
what I tell you to do, without arguing. Im in Maz at
the moment, and I dont think theyve bugged our phone yet.

Oh my God, what are you saying?

I asked you, please dont argue, dont ask questions,

dont say anything. You must only listen to what I say. Very
soon Galluzzo will be there. Hes going to pick up the old
woman and take her back with him to Montelusa. No long
good-byes, please; you can tell Frans hell see her again
soon. As soon as Galluzzo leaves, call my office and ask for
Mimugello. You absolutely must find him, no matter
where he is. And tell him you need to see him at once.

What if hes busy?

For you, hell drop everything and come running. You,
in the meantime, will pack Franss few possessions into a
small suitcase, then

But what do you want

Quiet, understand? Quiet. Tell Mimhat, on my orders,
the kid must disappear from the face of the earth. Vanish.
He should hide him somewhere safe, where hell be all
right. And dont ask where he intends to take him. Is that
clear? You mustnt know where Frans has gone. And dont
start crying, it bothers me. Listen closely. Wait for about an
hour after Mimas left with the kid, then call Fazio. Tell
him, in tearsyou wont have to fake it since youre crying
alreadytell him the kid has disappeared, maybe he ran off
in search of the old lady, you dont know, but in short you
want him to help you find him. In the meantime, Ill have returned.
And one last thing: call Palermo airport and reserve a
seat on the flight to Genoa, the one that leaves around noon
tomorrow. Thatll give me enough time to find someone to
take you there. See you soon.

He hung up, and his eyes met Valentes troubled gaze.

You think theyd go that far?

Farther.

Is the story clear to you now? asked Montalbano.

I think Im beginning to understand, replied Valente.

Let me explain better, said the inspector. All in all,
things may have gone as follows: Ahmed Moussa, for his own
reasons, has one of his men, Fahrid, set up a base of operations.
Fahrid enlists the helpwhether freely offered or not,
I dont knowof Ahmeds sister, Karima, whos been living
in Sicily for a few years. Then they blackmail a man from
Vig named Lapra into letting them use his old import-
export business as a front. Are you following?

Perfectly.

Ahmed, who needs to attend an important meeting involving
weapons or political support for his movement,
comes to Italy under the protection of our secret services.
The meeting takes place at sea, but in all likelihood its a trap.
Ahmed didnt have the slightest suspicion that our services
were double-crossing him, and that they were in cahoots
with the people in Tunis who wanted to liquidate him.
Among other things, Im convinced that Fahrid himself was
part of the plan to do away with Ahmed. The sister, I dont
think so.

Why are you so afraid for the boy?