Part 1
It was seven in the morning, Ashley and I were having breakfast in the kitchen.
-How was the class reunion last night?
-To be honest, not so good.
-What happened?
-My classmate, who I can't stand, was at the class reunion. - I mean, I hate him.
-I get it. By the way, Alice called me yesterday to tell me the rings are missing again.
-She called me last night too, I forgot to call her back.
-What do you think about the rings?
-I'm sure they'll turn up soon. I probably took them to the archives and left them there. - I know it's a stupid excuse, but I couldn't think of anything else at the time.
-Maybe you did.
-You know, what's bugging me is that Linswand got away and now he's gonna start holding those meetings again. It makes my blood run cold just thinking about what these fanatics are doing with their sacrifices.
-I can't believe people in the 21st century are doing this. Although I've seen it with my own eyes.
Ashley and I talked a little more about the sect and the case, and then we finished packing and went to work. Ashley and I spent our Thursday afternoon at work like this: my sister was endlessly suggesting ideas about where Linswand might have gone after he escaped and how we could find him, in between working on paperwork. I've been doing expertise all day, and of course I didn't forget to tell everyone that the rings had been found. Explaining that I'd forgotten them in the archive. For a second, I thought he didn't return the rings to me out of the goodness of his heart, but to set me up. After all, the rings mysteriously disappear from the safe for the second time, the password to which only I know, and the day after they disappear I bring them back. And yet he's a creep, a bloody creep. I can't believe I ever thought he was a normal person. I can't believe I got myself into this mess in the first place, I can't believe I did. He was right when he said I'd have to put up with him until my last breath, his or mine. I wonder what sins I have to pay for. Payback, no other way to put it, no other way to put it. I've got to stop thinking about him, or I'll go crazy. After a day of work, my sister and I came home tired and sat down to dinner.
-We'll have to go to the construction store.
-We will. Because our flat was so bad before, and after the flood it's terrible. You look around and you want to hang yourself.
-I agree with you. Oh, I think I have a phone call. -said I and picked up the phone.
It's an unknown number again. What does he want again? I went out into the corridor and answered the phone.
-Hello.
There was silence, and then:
-If you value your life, you should drop this case. -It wasn't him, it was a voice I didn't recognise.
-I don't care much for my life in general, but who's talking to me?
After I said those words, the person who had called me hung up. The voice didn't belong to him or Linswand or anyone else I knew.
-This is madness. -I said, walking back into the kitchen.
-Who called?
-I don't know.
-What do you mean?
-I mean, some stranger called. And he said what I thought was a very strange thing.
-What was it?
- " If you value your life, you should drop this case. "
-Interesting. What do you think?
-Well, I think there are two explanations.Either they've given SIM card phones to patients in a mental hospital and they're having fun, or it's a criminal.
-If it is a criminal, it's not clear what case it's from. You're working dozens of cases a day.
-Yeah, but I think I know what case it is.
-The rings?
"The rings" is the name my colleagues and I have chosen for the Fabbri and Salvione murder case.
-It's 99.9 % sure that's what it is.
-What do we do about it?
-Watch out for hit men.
Ashley raised an eyebrow questioningly when she heard that.
-Relax, I'm kidding.
-Great jokes, as long as they don't become reality. And someone doesn't start stalking us.
Ashley, I'm glad you don't know what it's like to be stalked. It's such a good thing, my dear sister.
- As long as they don't become reality .
I took a shower and then went to bed, while Ashley sat in the kitchen for another hour looking at some papers
Part 2
-Who hired you?
He didn't say anything in reply.
-We'll take you to the police station and you'll tell us everything.
-You'll get so much jail time you can't even imagine.
The detainee remained silent.
-Listen here, silent man, this day will be a nightmare for you, like all the next days, I promise you that.
About forty minutes before:
-Finally, I thought you'd never come out of the bathroom. -said my sister when I came into the kitchen.
-I've only been in there fifteen minutes.
-You and I have different fifteen minutes, for me it lasts half an hour and for you it lasts fifteen minutes.
-You and I are so different.
-Very different.
-It's nice weather today.
-Yes, it's Friday morning, it's hot outside, the birds are singing. It's so good.
-It's good that we're going on holiday soon.
-Yeah, we'll go to Livorno. We'll take a break from all this.
-But unfortunately, now we're not going to Livorno, we're going to work.
-You know what I just remembered?
-What?
-How you and I dreamed of being policemen when we were kids.Or rather, how I'd be an inspector and you'd be an expert.
-Why is that? Because our mum used to come home and talk about how she caught criminals.
-Yes, Commissioner Luciana Grace was the best at what she did.
-It's a shame our mum's no longer with us.
-That's too bad, sister, I'm sure she'd be proud of us.
-She would have been proud. - "Of you," I said and thought.
After everything that's happened in my life, I don't think my mum would be proud of me, but she would be proud of Ashley. Ashley and I are different, very different, very, very different.
-Do you remember what she was like? So sunny and cheerful and so, so kind.
-I remember.
-I said, and a lone tear rolled down my cheek.
I'll always remember how she talked about work, I'll always remember how we went for walks, I'll always remember her and I'll always remember about her, I'll always remember. After everything she did for us, I have no right to forget even one moment spent with her, I have no right to forget her voice, I have no right to forget about her. The thought that I will never see the closest and dearest person to me again tore at my heart and soul. But I have to go on living, I have to live in the present, but for some reason I live in the past. The past is good, it's peaceful and I'm happy there.Back then, life was better, brighter, and it was like it was real. Now it's all soaked in falseness, there's nothing but falseness.
-We have to get ready for work.
-Yeah, we have to get ready.
After about forty minutes we left the house and went to the police station.
-I was given some documents yesterday, I'll show them to you. There's an interesting detail about Jacqui's case.
-What's the case about? Oh, I remember, I did an examination on the case yesterday.
It's kind of interesting, he's kind of...-Ashley didn't get a chance to finish because I shoved her in the side.
-On the right side, on the roof. -I whispered, turning my head to my sister.
-What is it? Oh, my God.
What's on the right side of the roof? Something I had the indiscretion to joke about last night. A hit man, a goddamn hit man.
-Decide quickly or our colleagues will be investigating our murders.
Ashley pulled out a Beretta 92 and turned and fired. She shot him in the shoulder. The assassin stepped back as he was wounded. We ran into the building and ran up to the roof, we were up in a minute, adrenaline was running high.
-Stay where you are or you'll get shot in another part of your body. -said Ashley pointing the gun at the killer, who wanted to run away. The assassin realised he couldn't escape and put his hands behind his head.
-Hell, I don't have any handcuffs.
-So let's shoot him in the knee, he won't go away.
-You have no right. -said the guy who was gonna send us to the grave two minutes ago.
-Ah, no, we don't have the right. You almost shot us just now, be thankful I shot you in the shoulder. I could have shot you in your empty head.
-Look at you, when you kill people it's okay, and now you're scared.
-Who hired you?
He didn't say anything in reply.
-We'll take you to the police station and you'll tell us everything.
-You'll get so much jail time you can't even imagine.
The detainee remained silent.
-Listen here, silent man, this day will be a nightmare for you, like all the next days, I promise you that.
-Can you hear that? -My sister asked me.
-Yes. -We heard the sound of a police siren, people called the police when they heard the gunshot.
Two minutes later the police came up to the roof and arrested the hit man and helped him (he still had a bullet in his shoulder).
-We might not have seen him.
-And that morning would have been our last.
My sister and I walked to the station and went into the building to the inspectors' office.
-Guess what happened to us. -said Ashley as we walked into the office.
-We already know.
-News travels so fast.
-Poor man, maybe he was just standing on the roof. And you shot him. -Olivia said.
-Just standing? With a sniper rifle?
-Olivia, anticipating all your next questions about this, I'm telling you this: You don't wait up.
-Oh, I'd like to think so.
-You'd better.
The whole next day went more or less normally (compared to the morning). As for the killer, we postponed his interrogation to the next day. My sister and I also remembered to tell our colleagues about yesterday's call.