CHAPTER 108

CHAPTER 108

— WHAT IS IT? — ASKED GREG observing the sealed envelope on top of the table.

— I don't know, Greg! This just arrived from Rome and it's for you. Looks like it was sent by the Padua police. As we weren't in Rome, Central sent it to Venice.

— Let's open it then — he said as he opened the envelope taking out some photos.

— Heavens! What a horrible thing! Check it out, Fernando!

— Looks like this man has been shredded!

— Someone must be mad at him!

— Greg, look!

Gregory Evans' eyes darted to the picture Fernando had in his hands.

— An enlarged photograph of a burn on his chest.

— The cross of Anu!

GREG HANGED UP THE PHONE and turned to the agent in front of him. He had just spoken to the chief of police in Padua.

— What did they say?

A weight seemed to be on his shoulders as his eyes found the agent.

— The photos belong to a French friar and were taken by the technical police. The corpse was found by the cleaning lady this morning. It looks like they were looking for something, as the house was all overturned.

— How did the Padua police find us?

— The policeman in charge of the case remembered the boy's episode in the hospital. He believes there may be some connection between the two murders.

— That mark is effective proof of that — said the Agent — now what's left for us to do is find out why?

— That seems obvious to me, Fernando, if we discover the connection between that murdered friar and the boy, we'll practically be in the antechamber of those responsible for all of this.

— Do you think we're that close?

— Yes, I think they made a mistake, Fernando!

— An error?

— Yes, the error of allowing us this second front of investigation, since logically the head of all this does not even know that he has fallen into a trap.

— Something tells me they won't get away this time.