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have dated back at least to the time of Buffalo Bill but
unfortunately still worked. His wife was lying on the
bed, she, too, with a bloodstain over her heart, her hands
clasped around a rosary. She must have been praying be­
fore agreeing to let her husband kill her. Montalbano
thought again of the commissioner, who this time was
right: here death had indeed found its dignity.
/000000000000
Nervous and surly, Montalbano gave the sergeant his
instructions and left him there to wait for the judge.
He felt, aside from a sudden melancholy, a subtle re­
morse: if only he had intervened more wisely with the
schoolmaster, if only he had alerted Contino s friends
and doctor in time . . .
/000000000000
He took a long walk along the wharf and along the
eastern jetty, his favorite. His spirits slightly revived, he
returned to the office. There he found Fazio beside
himself.
 What is it? What s happened? Hasn t the judge
come yet?
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T H E S H A P E O F W A T E R
 No, he came, and they ve already taken the bod­
ies away.
 So what s wrong?
 What s wrong is that while half the town was
watching Contino shoot his gun, some bastards went
into action and cleaned out two apartments top to
bottom. I ve already sent four of our men. I was wait­
ing for you to show up so I could go join them.
 All right, go. I ll be here.
He decided it was time to play his ace: the trap he
had in mind couldn t fail. He reached for the phone.
 Jacomuzzi?
 What, goddammit! What s the rush? I still don t
have any report on your necklace. It s too early.
 I m well aware you couldn t possibly tell me any­
thing yet, I realize that.
 So what do you want?
 To advise you to maintain total secrecy. The
story behind that necklace is not as simple as it may
appear. It could lead to unexpected developments.
 You insult me! If you tell me not to talk about
something,I won t talk about it,even if the heavens fall!
/000000000000
 Mr. Luparello? I m so sorry I couldn t come today. It
simply wasn t possible, you must believe me. Please
extend my apologies to your mother.
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A N D R E A C A M I L L E R I
 Just a minute, Inspector.
Montalbano waited patiently.
 Inspector? Mama says tomorrow at the same
hour, if that s all right with you.
It was all right with him, and he confirmed the
appointment.
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8
/0
He returned home tired, intending to go straight to
bed, but almost mechanically it was sort of a tic he
turned on the television. The TeleVigàta anchorman,
after talking about the event of the day, a shoot-out be­
tween petty mafiosi on the outskirts of Miletta a few
hours earlier, announced that the provincial secretariat
of the party to which Luparello belonged (actually,
used to belong) had convened in Montelusa. It was a
highly unusual meeting,one that in less turbulent times
than these would have been held, out of due respect
for the deceased, at least thirty days after his passing;
but things being what they were, the troubling situa­
tion called for quick, lucid decisions. And so a new
provincial secretary had been elected, unanimously:
Dr. Angelo Cardamone, chief osteologist at Montelusa
Hospital, a man who had always fought with Luparello
from within the party, but fairly and courageously and
always out in the open. This clash of ideas the news­
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A N D R E A C A M I L L E R I
man continued could be simplified in the following
terms: Engineer Luparello was in favor of maintaining
the four-party governing coalition while allowing the
introduction of pristine new forces untrammeled by
politics (read: not yet subpoenaed for questioning),
whereas the osteologist tended to favor a dialogue,
however cautious and clear-eyed, with the left. The
newly elected secretary had been receiving telegrams
and telephone calls of congratulation, even from the
opposition. Cardamone, who in an interview appeared
moved but determined, declared that he would com­
mit himself to the best of his abilities not to betray his
predecessor s hallowed memory, and concluded by as­
serting that he would devote  his diligent labor and
knowledge to the now-renovated party.
 Thank God he ll devote it to the party, Inspec­
tor Montalbano couldn t help but exclaim, since Dr.
Cardamone s knowledge, surgically speaking, had left
more people hobbled than a violent earthquake usu­
ally does.
The newsman s next words made the inspector
prick up his ears. To enable Cardamone to follow his
own path without losing sight of the principles and
people that represented the very best of Luparello s
political endeavors, the members of the secretariat had
besought Counselor Pietro Rizzo, the engineer s spir­
itual heir, to work alongside the new secretary. After
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T H E S H A P E O F W A T E R
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