Read Online The Oracle by Valerio Massimo Manfredi - Free Book Online

ready for murder. He wanted nothing more than to strike the man in the doorway with a killing blow, to crush him, to mangle him. He gripped the back of the iron chair as if it were his shield.
    The man was of average height, freshly shaven, impeccable in his astynomia uniform. His hair was streaked with white and his moustache was neatly trimmed. He was calm and nearly reassuring. He came closer and his aftershave smelled cool, even pleasant.
    ‘Sit down,’ he said in Italian. ‘Police Captain Karamanlis. I’m here to help you.’
    ‘I’m an Italian citizen. I have the right to call my consulate. You have to release me. I’ll have you put on trial.’
    The officer smiled: ‘My friend. I could eliminate you whenever I like. Your corpse would disappear and never ever be found. And I would collaborate with the utmost zeal to help your consulate, providing them with false information that would close the case for ever.’
    He took out a pack of cigarettes and offered one to Claudio, who accepted it, taking a long drag. ‘And now that your situation is clear to you, I want you to know that what I’ve just suggested is the last thing I want to do. I studied in Italy, I admire your country greatly and I’m quite fond of your people.’
    Right, thought Claudio. Now he’ll give me that old proverb: Italians and Greeks, same face, same race.
    ‘And then,’ said the officer, ‘you know how the old saying goes: Italian and Greek, same face, same race. Right?’ Claudio didn’t answer. ‘Now, listen well to what I have to say. There’s only one way you can save yourself and save the girl. You don’t want anything to happen to her, do you?’
    ‘Have her taken to the hospital, immediately. She’s been wounded, she’s in danger of dying . . .’
    ‘We know. And the longer you wait, the greater the danger becomes. It all depends on you. We want to know everything about Heleni Kaloudis: who her friends were, her accomplices. Who is behind her. What were their plans, what were they plotting? Who were their contacts in the Communist party, and what about foreign agents? Bulgarians? Russians?’
    Claudio lost hope. That man already had a story worked out, and all he wanted was to hear it confirmed. Nothing would convince him otherwise.
    ‘Listen, I’ll be sincere because the only thing I want to do in this world is save Heleni. There is not a grain of truth in what you’re thinking. Heleni’s just part of the students’ movement, like thousands of others at the University. But if you want I’ll confess to everything: plots, foreign agents, orders from above, as long as I see her in a hospital bed being treated by capable doctors.’
    Karamanlis looked at him with a mixture of condescension and satisfaction: ‘I’m glad that you’ve decided to collaborate, although I understand your desire to exculpate your girlfriend. I must tell you that your . . . confession will be compared word by word with what the girl has told us.’
    Claudio backed up towards the wall, gripping the chair: ‘You can’t interrogate her in her condition! You can’t do that, you can’t!’
    ‘We have to; we have a duty to do so, Mr Setti, and when we have compared your two statements and found them in agreement, you’ll be released and the girl will be treated so that she’ll be capable of facing trial . . .’
    ‘No, I’m sorry, Captain, you weren’t listening to me. I’ll collaborate only if I see that the girl is being treated, otherwise you can forget it. Forget it! You can cut me to pieces, cut off my balls, tear off my fingernails . . . what else is on the torture agenda? I will not say one word, not one, you got that? Do you understand? The girl has to be brought immediately to the hospital, not interrogated, is that clear?’ Claudio shouted. His eyes were bulging, veins stood out in his neck and temples. He looked crazy.
    The captain backed up towards the door, which was opened behind him in an instant. An officer approached