A Florentine Death (20 page)

the one thing they have in common, which would surely support the theory of a serial killer. Isn't that right, Professor Prestigiacomo?'

The woman merely nodded. She had no desire to add to the electric tension between the two men.

'The only evidence I have points to a single perpetrator, that's all,' Ferrara said.

'Clues and conjectures, it seems to me,' Gallo said curtly. 'Not evidence. But let's look at the clues later. I suggest we take things in order and return to the subject of this meeting.'

'It's not conjecture . . .' Ferrara cut in, searching in his pocket for the photocopy of the letter he had received that morning.

'All in good time, please, Chief Superintendent. We'll get there little by little. The aim of this meeting is to sift through what we know so far and try to emerge with something that -as far as possible - we can all agree on. That's why I've asked the two professors to join us. I'd like them to start by setting the parameters within which we can then conduct the debate. Please, Professor Prestigiacomo.'

The woman stood up. She was short, plump and neat, with an aquiline nose, thick, permed black hair, and slightly too much make-up.

She cleared her throat and exchanged a knowing look with her colleague.

II Gatto felt his hair bristle and his spine arch. He was on the defensive, ready to counterattack.

'I think it would be useful to refer to the classification drawn up in 1988 by ex-Special Agent Robert K. Ressler, who was director of the FBI's Behavioural Science Unit in Virginia. He identified two basic types of serial killers: organised and disorganised.'

She proceeded to list the characteristics of each type, starting with the
organised
type, and underlining how, with this particular type of killer, the choice of victims - completely random in the case of the
disorganised
type - is always conditioned by the presence of common factors such as age, appearance, lifestyle, race and so on.

'In the cases we're looking at,' she said, 'homosexuality could well be the common factor, as Prosecutor Gallo has pointed out.'

Pleased with himself, the Prosecutor signalled to her to continue.

'Ultimately, the characteristic profile of the organised serial killer is that of an individual who is apparently normal: middle class, and of average or above average IQ. He is often either an only child or the first-born in his families, and is deficient in the emotional sphere.'

'Possibly the hardest type to identify and catch,' Chief Superintendent Polito remarked.

'Precisely,' the professor confirmed.

Ferrara looked at his watch. While they were trading in generalisations, the killer was at large and possibly even at work.

The impatient gesture did not escape Gallo, but he said nothing.

'Before going on to the characteristics of the second type, I'd like to show you a chart highlighting the differences schematically'

The professor started the projector, pressed some keys on the computer and a diagram appeared on the screen, comparing the salient characteristics of the two types.

'As you can see,
disorganised
serial killers act on a sudden impulse, without planning their actions. The choice of victims is random and surprise is the common characteristic of

the attacks. The violence is immediate and rapidly leads to death. Sadistic sexual acts, such as mutilation, evisceration, ejaculation into open cuts in the body, are generally performed
post mortem.'
Here Professor Prestigiacomo paused. 'Any questions?' Gallo said.

'Isn't this classification out of date?' Ferrara asked. A lot of ink has been spilled since then about serial killers, particularly in American novels. Hasn't all that made a mockery of this distinction?'

'If you're referring to
The Silence
of
the Lambs,'
the professor replied, 'I've read it and enjoyed it. It's a very good thriller. But it's fiction. We have to keep to the scientific data. And to reality, like you. It's easy for a writer to identify the culprit, because he invented him! But we don't have that advantage, do we? We have to
find
him. That's why the classification we are examining was developed. The intention of those who formulated it was to make your task easier.' Her tone was acid.

'It's clear,' Professor Marescalchi intervened, trying to calm things down, 'that any effort we make to classify mental dynamics and human behaviour patterns is bound to give reductive or approximate results, which by their very nature can't convey the uniqueness of each individual. In the aim of both scientific and investigative research, however, it seems to me an overriding necessity to pinpoint different types of killer as a means of organising and refining our methods of prevention, apprehension and therapy'

'If we really
are
dealing with a serial killer,' Luigi Vinci, one of the deputy prosecutors, remarked. 'I don't think we've established that yet.'

'Maybe a classification of the victims would be more useful,' Chief Superintendent Polito suggested, 'since that's the only thing we have to go on.'

'The dead all behave the same way, because they're dead,' Chief Superintendent Carracci joked.

'Hold on, we're coming to that,' the Prosecutor said. 'To the victims, I mean. And then we'll be able to evaluate whether or not we're dealing with a serial killer. First of all, I'd like to hear what Professor Marescalchi has to say about the things that motivate such criminals, so that we can draw our own conclusions.'

'From a behavioural point of view,' the professor began, clearly welcoming the invitation, 'serial killers can be divided into five types: the Visionary, the Missionary, the Thrill Killer, the Control Freak and the Lust Killer.'

He was a tall man of about sixty, almost bald except for a crown of white hair. His tanned, aristocratic face inspired confidence, and his bearing exuded self-assurance.

'The Visionary follows orders from voices he has heard, or visions he has seen, telling him to kill. The voice is usually that of God or Satan, who also provides instructions about how to carry out the murder.'

Ferrara could not help thinking about the priest in Greve, Don Sergio. His alibi, corroborated only by another priest, was still one of the weakest in the Micali case. Serial killer or not, it would be interesting to know where he was when the other two murders had taken place.

'The Missionary,' the professor continued, 'believes he has a mission to accomplish, usually to rid the world of those he considers the dregs of society, such as homosexuals, prostitutes -that may well be the case in Bologna, Chief Superintendent Polito - tramps, black people, drug addicts and so on. A typical example of this type of serial killer is Pedro Alonso Lopez, a thirty-one-year-old Colombian, a street peddler by trade.'

'The so-called Monster of the Andes?' the Commissioner asked.

'That's the one. Responsible for some three hundred and ten murders. A hundred little girls raped and killed in Peru, the same number in Colombia, and a hundred and ten in Ecuador. I'm sure you know all this as well as we do. What you may not all know is that in his confession, Pedro Alonso Lopez claimed that he was some kind of liberator, freeing the girls from the sufferings of their earthly lives.'

The two women shuddered in horror and even the men felt uneasy.

Guido Marescalchi let the effect of his words settle before he resumed. 'The Thrill Killer is characterised by the particular pleasure he gets from killing. The act of murder is the source of an intense feeling of pleasure, a kind of "emotional orgasm" comparable to what a gambler feels as he waits for the result.

'For the Control Freak, the act of murder comes out of a desire to exercise total control over another person. It's the idea of having the power of life and death that drives him. In such cases, acts like sodomy, rape, mutilation of the sexual organs, and so on, do not have sexual connotations, but represent the desire to exercise complete mental and physical power over the victim.

According to some experts, the category of Control Freak is linked, although not always, with the fifth type, the Lust Killer. But the Lust Killer's principal aim isn't to gain power, but to obtain a purely sexual satisfaction.'

And with these words he concluded his presentation.

'Now,' Gallo said, ‘I’d like to ask Chief Superintendent Ferrara to place the Micali, Lupi and Bianchi murders within this frame of reference, so that we can judge whether or not we are genuinely dealing with a serial killer.'

Ferrara described in detail what they had found at the three crime scenes and stated, 'The only constants in the three murders are the homosexuality of the victims, which suggests that we might be dealing with a Missionary killer, and the unusual violence with which the killer attacks the front part of the body, especially the face, which also suggests the disorganised type of serial killer. But in every other respect the murders are quite different in terms of the MO. In two cases, the first and the third, the killer used a knife, but in the second, he used a gun. The first two murders both took place in shops - shops in which religious objects were present -while the third took place in a private apartment.'

'So the third could be connected to the first as far as the MO is concerned, but not to the second,' Deputy Prosecutor Giulietti - an attractive woman of about fifty — observed thoughtfully, 'and the first could be linked to the second as regards environment, but not to the third
..."

'And we shouldn't forget,' Gallo said, 'that there was a strong sexual element in the third murder, but not in the other two.'

'So even though there are a few coincidental similarities,' Chief Superintendent Carracci said, 'wouldn't it be better to think of these murders as three isolated occurrences? Or at least treat them as if they were?'

'Would that reassure the Head of Police and the minister?' Anna Giulietti asked.

'It would make them less worried,' Carracci chuckled.

'If this is a serial killer,' Professor Prestigiacomo said, 'the fact that the body is always left where it can easily be found would support the hypothesis of him being a disorganised killer. As does the fact that there have been a number of victims in a relatively short space of time. That should make the task of the police easier, shouldn't it?'

Which meant that the lack of results so far was a terrible stain on their reputation, Ferrara thought, admiring the nonchalance with which the woman had dealt him that low blow. He also noted that Gallo was nodding in agreement.

'On the other hand,' Alessandro Polito said, coming to his rescue, 'in all three cases the killer used his own weapons, which he took away with him, not weapons he came across by chance. And he seems to have left as soon as he had committed the murders. Both those things are characteristic of organised serial killers.'

They were all silent for a while, reflecting on this.

'Considering the MO of the last murder,' Professor Marescalchi said, 'it can't be ruled out that we are dealing with the Control Freak type of killer - just think of the wire around the neck - but there are also associations with the Lust Killer type.'

'Quite unlike the others,' Anna Giulietti intervened again, still in a thoughtful tone. 'There doesn't seem to be a single motivational pattern. It seems impossible to think they could all be the work of one person. At the same time, it's hard not to think that.'

'I agree with you, it's a real puzzle,' Professor Prestigia-como said. 'From what we've heard so far, I don't feel I'm in a position to endorse with any certainty the theory that this is a serial killer. There are too many contrasting elements.'

And what about the theory of Satanic rituals?' Gallo asked.

'I think we should drop that,' Ferrara said.

'But it was you who suggested it!' Gallo said in annoyance. And we all know it's a field of inquiry to which you've been devoting particular attention lately'

'Yes, but on a different case,' Ferrara answered curtly.

'What about the rose stem? The leftovers of a cigar?'

As you yourself said, they're probably intended for me. It's the killer's way of reminding me, not for the first time, that I'm the one he's after.'

'What do you mean?' Gallo asked. The others, too, seemed curious to know.

'This,' he replied, finally taking from his pocket the letter he had intended to show them earlier. 'It arrived at Police Headquarters this morning, addressed to me.'

The letter was passed around the table.

A grim silence fell over the room.

Are you Il Gatto?' Professor Prestigiacomo asked, with a touch of sympathy in her voice that helped to relax the tension.

'Yes,' Ferrara admitted.

'Everyone in Headquarters knows that,' Lepri said, chuckling in his good-natured way.

'In Bologna too,' Polito added, amused. It was the first time that the nickname had been bandied about so openly in an official context.

'You said this wasn't the first time,' Carracci said. 'Have there been others?'

'I received anonymous letters after the first two murders as well. They were different from this one, very different, more like practical jokes. They came to my house and I didn't pay much attention to them, we all get them, the world is full of cranks. But now . . .'

'Do you still have them?' the two professors asked, almost in unison.

'Yes.'

'We need to get them examined by experts,' Gallo said. 'Handwriting and forensics. You'll get copies too, obviously' he said to the two professors.

'Is it this letter that makes you certain we're dealing with a single killer?' Anna Giulietti asked.

'Yes,' Ferrara said.

'It sounds convincing to me,' she admitted.

'Me, too,' one of the other deputy prosecutors said.

They were all waiting for Gallo's comments.

'I don't understand,' he said, frowning. 'It says "four down". If it's referring to these murders, shouldn't it say three?'

'Ever since we've been here, I've been expecting the meeting to be interrupted,' Ferrara said. 'I don't think it'll be long before we hear about a fourth murder.'

'If we do, then I'll have to admit you're right,' Gallo said. 'But please, if and when it happens, inform us immediately. If I'm not here, I'll leave clear instructions so that whichever deputy prosecutor is on duty goes to the crime scene in person and follows the case through.' All this was, of course, for the benefit of his deputies.

Which meant that Ferrara was being placed under strict supervision. That had been the purpose of this whole
mise-en-scene
right from the start, he told himself angrily.

The blue Alfa 166 had left the courthouse ten minutes earlier. Now they were caught in a traffic jam, just a few minutes from Headquarters.

'Do you think it was useful?' the Commissioner asked.

'What?' Ferrara asked, his thoughts elsewhere.

'The meeting. Those two professors were pleasant enough. Though that Prestidiacono woman, or Prestigiacomo, or whatever the hell her name was, was a bit of a tough nut. All the same, I think you made a good impression on her in the end.'

Ferrara didn't really care. 'I don't know. Some of the things they said could turn out useful. We'll have to see how the investigation develops.'

'But at the moment it's pointing in one direction, right?'

'Mainly, but not exclusively. We can never leave any paths unexplored. Not even the possibility that the murders are unrelated, however unlikely that seems now. I'll have different teams following up the various different leads. That's all I can do.'

The car had meanwhile extricated itself from the jam and was already driving through the gate of the former asylum.

'Congratulations, anyway,' the Commissioner said, sincerely.

'What for?'

'For holding your own against Gallo, for goodness' sake!' Lepri said with a smile, as they got out of the car. As merry, jovial and companionable as ever.

Meanwhile, a killer was at large in Florence.

And they both knew it.

Ferrara nodded goodbye, his eyes dark beneath his black eyebrows.

'Remember me to your wife!' he heard Lepri calling after him when he was already on the stairs.

'That priest, what's he called? Don Sergio . . . What happened to him?'

'He's in Greve, isn't he?'

'We need a reason to bring him in. Or maybe not, it's better if I go and see him. Best not to make him suspicious, after all this time.'

'You still think he had something to do with it?'

'No. Yes. I don't know. I can't see clearly. But something tells me I need to start over again with the first murder. And the only remaining suspect.'

They were in his office. Rizzo was sitting opposite him, the file on the Micali murder still in his hand. Ferrara was chewing his cigar, and fidgeting with his lighter without making up his mind to use it.

'Is there anything you want me to do?' Rizzo asked.

Ferrara said nothing, lost in thought. Then he gave him a knowing look. A cat's look. 'Do you mind getting me a coffee?'

Rizzo got up and placed the file on the desk in front of Ferrara.

He left the room.

He could have sent an officer, but he didn't. He wanted to be the one to get Ferrara a coffee today.

He didn't mind doing a favour for a friend.

At six, Ferrara left headquarters. He walked.

The Via Zara, Santa Reparata, Sant'Orsola, the Piazza del Mercato, the Borgo La Noce, the magnificent San Lorenzo. Then the Via de' Conti, part of the Via de' Cerretani, the Via de' Rondinelli and finally the Via de' Tornabuoni, its pavements strewn here and there with heaps of dirty confetti.

The Verga bookshop.

He went in.

'Hello, Rita. Is Massimo here?' 'In his office. Sulking.'

'Why? Has he discovered all over again that all men are sons of bitches?'

'Worse. He's discovered that at least one woman is a bitch. The Venetian, remember?'

Ferrara smiled. It was nice to get back to normal.

He went upstairs and knocked at the door of the office.

'Come in!'

The room was filled with dense aromatic smoke. Massimo Verga was sitting reading, the stem of a long, burnished, slightly curved pipe clamped between his teeth.

'Where are the fire extinguishers?' Ferrara asked.

'I ate them to cool Lucrezia's ardour.' 'Has she beaten you down?'

'Don't play dumb. I know Rita's told you everything. She's a terrible gossip.'

'Only that you've had a disagreement.'

'I've had a disagreement. She hasn't. To her, everything's fine. Can you believe that?'

'With you around? Frankly, no. Either she's a saint or you'll end up marrying her.'