Read Online Black Run by Antonio Manzini - Free Book Online Page A

D’Intino.”
    â€œTo what do I owe the honor?” asked Rocco, lighting yet another of Italo’s Chesterfields.
    â€œDid you call me ‘your honor’?” D’Intino replied, in confusion.
    Rocco sighed and, with endless patience, replied, “No, D’Intino, I didn’t. It’s just a figure of speech. What can I do for you?”
    â€œAh, yes, I didn’t think so. Well, I called you to say . . .” And with that the line went dead.
    â€œHello? D’Intino, hello?”
    Static and sighs from the other end of the line.
    â€œOfficer D’Intino, hello?”
    â€œYes? I’m listening, Dottore!”
    â€œYou’re listening, my ass! What is it? Why did you call me?”
    â€œAh yes, in fact. I was looking, as you ordered me, to see if there were any missing-person reports, people who fail to come home, in other words, that kind of thing.”
    â€œAnd?”
    â€œThere was no need. Just a little while ago, Luisa came into the police station.”
    Rocco, struggling to control himself, held in the curse of all curses he was about to utter. “Officer! Who is Luisa?” he shouted.
    â€œLuisa Pec. She says that her husband never came home last night. Or this morning, for that matter.”
    â€œSo where is this Pec?”
    â€œWho even knows where he is, Dotto’? Luisa says the man’s disappeared!”
    â€œWhere’s Luisa Pec! Not her husband!” shouted Rocco at the top of his lungs. Italo was barely able to stifle his laughter.
    â€œAh . . . she’s here . . . Hold on, should I put her on?”

    â€œWhat are you talking about? Put who on, D’Intino?” Rocco stared at Italo. “I’m going to kill him. I swear to all the saints in heaven, I’m going to kill him. Listen to me, Officer D’Intino, are you there?”
    â€œYes, Dottore!”
    â€œAll right.” Rocco took two quick breaths and tried to calm down. “Now do me a favor and tell Signora Luisa Pec to wait for me in the police station, and tell her we’ll be there soon. Is that all clear?”
    â€œYes, Dottore. Certainly. You’ll be here any minute. Now, if I can stop looking for missing persons, then I can start organizing the files in the personnel office, because today Officer Malta is sick, so I could—”
    â€œNo. Go on looking. We don’t know for sure that this Luisa Pec is the right person, do we?”
    â€œTrue. You have a point, Commissario.”
    â€œOh, go fuck yourself, D’Intino!”
    â€œYes sir.”
    Rocco hung up. He looked at Italo. “Her husband hasn’t come home and first thing, people assume the worst. For all we know, the guy’s holed up with some chippie.”
    Italo nodded as he accelerated toward the police station. “Dottore, listen, if you want I can have a word with D’Intino and tell him not to call you anymore.”
    â€œLet it be. He wouldn’t understand. He’s my nemesis. You know, when you’ve done a few things that are just so-so? There’s such a thing as divine justice. And I’m paying it. D’Intino is just a tool that God Almighty is using to punish me. A man’s got to accept his fate!”
    â€œBut why? What did you ever do?”

    Rocco crushed out the cigarette in the ashtray and looked at Italo. “One or two things you already know. You’ve been looking through the papers.”
    Italo gulped.
    â€œThe most normal thing in the world. I’d have done the same thing. Let’s just say that it was best for me to make myself scarce down in Rome. Decisions from on high.”
    â€œI see.”
    â€œNo, you don’t see. But let it suffice.”
    Luisa’s eyes were the first thing he noticed. Big baby blues. Along with the oval face and copper blond hair that made her vaguely resemble an Italian-English actress.
    â€œGreta Scacchi,” Rocco whispered to officer Pierron as