The Lost Twin. Federico Betti

with other clients as well. ”

      “What do you know about him?”, the agent Finocchi asked.

      “He didn’t talk much to us. Only used to speak when ordering drinks.”

      “And what did he drink usually?”, Zamagni wanted to know. “Alcohol or something else?”

      “I remember that he didn’t drink alcohol”, responded Aldo Marini, “Sometimes coffee, or merely water or soft drinks.”

      “Did he look like a calm person or probably occurred that you’ve seen him angry sometimes?”

      “A calm person, I’d say”, returned the wife, “But, it comes to my mind now, that one day I didn’t see him again, I recall this fact.”

      “We’re in search for him because it seems that he disappeared years ago”, the agent Finocchi underlined.

      “His family thinks that something bad has happened to him and that’s the reason of asking help from the Police?”, asked Mr.Marini.

      “We have no idea what has happened. In every case, this is an ongoing inquiry, therefore we can’t speak out about that”, Zamagni explained to him, “However, you also confirm that one day you haven’t seen him again, right?”

      Both spouses nodded.

      “To be exact, since when you don’t run the bar café in street Repubblica?”, asked the inspector.

      “I’ve not a fresh memory”, returned the man, “but I’d say eight or maybe ten years, at least”, replied the husband.

      Zamagni dhe Finocchi saluted them, expressing thanks for the time spent, then went out into the street and set off on their way to the hospital Sant'Orsola to keep talking to professor Salvemini.

      “Well, who is Lincoln Rhyme?”, asked Marco Finocchi while driving the car from San Lazzaro of Savena to the hospital Sant'Orsola.

      “Oh, yeah, you’re right”, began to speak the inspector, “I promised you to explain it. Are you sure you’ve never heard of him? Haven’t you ever watched The Bone Collector? It’s a movie from several years ago.”

      “I remember the movie title, but never watched it”, responded the agent.

      “Lincoln Rhyme is a character born from the imagination of Jeffery Deaver, a writer of thriller novels who became widely known through publishing of his adventures, I believe so. He’s an expert in forensic science and solves the cases from the place in which he currently lives.”

      “That’s weird”, Marco Finocchi made a comment, “He doesn’t go to see the crime scene at all?”

      “It would be so hard: he suffers from tetraplegia. Fortunately, he’d managed to set up some technology systems by means of which he’s able practically to do everything simply sitting on a wheel chair. Moreover, he has established a small laboratory in the house with many examination tools that serve to resolve the cases he’s in charge.”

      “But how does he get the objects that he needs to examine, if he can’t go to the crime scene?”

      “He does that through an assistant. Her name is Amelia Sachs. She goes onsite to the crime scene and it’s pretty the same as if Rhyme sees it himself.”

      “That’s pretty interesting. And how does she do that?”

      “She goes to the crime scene and examines it along with Rhyme. She describes all remotely through the radio transmittent, cell phone or any other appliance similar to these.”

      “That’s great!”, exclaimed Finocchi.

      “You could read the books of Jeffery Deaver with Lincoln Rhyme in the role of protagonist”, advised Zamagni.

      “I would consider it.”

      “It’s time to get off the car”, said the inspector at last, “We just arrived at the hospital.”

      Following the directions indicated in the business card the nurse had given to them, both policemen reached the second floor of the hospital building, in which they asked for some guidance to find professor Salvemini.

      A lady on a white sleeve said to them that the person whom they’re looking for, was momentally busy with medical check-ups, but she advised them to wait at the clinic and then get in touch as soon as he frees from the workload.

      Zamagni thanked her for the politeness and along with the agent Finocchi went to sit down at one of the chairs close to the front door of clinic.

      Once one patient came out, and before the doctor was about to call the other patient to enter, the inspector peeped inside from the door and, while showing the police identification card, asked if they could have a conversation together.

      “Unfortunately, I have some medical check-ups already pre-scheduled and it’s not possible to cancel or postpone”, Mario Salvemini explained to them, “but I promise to get back to you right away, once I’m done. It’s a matter of only one hour. You can wait in the hallway or come back again after a while. It’s up to you. In all cases, I won’t be leaving from here.”

      Zamagni thanked him and along with his colleague Finocchi went downstairs on the first floor to have a walk outside the hospital looking forward to seeing the professor later on.

      Having a very short time available, Stefano Zamagni and Marco Finocchi tried to draw some conclusion based on the information gathered so far.

      “It seems we haven’t so much in our hands”, the agent began to say, “anyhow, sooner or later, we need to find something really helpful, right?”

      “Yeah, I hope so”, admitted the inspector, “So, until now we’ve excluded a priori only the version of robbery attempt as the petty thief has been supposed to be very well prepared, in the smallest detail, to intrude in the apartment, to deal with the boy and to rob some stuff there.”

      “Perhaps we can ask the boy’s mother if any valuable item has been stolen”, proposed Finocchi.

      “We can ask her to get rid of any doubts on this, but I really believe that it wouldn’t be much relevant”, Zamagni continued to say, “Or, we’ll also do that if it comes to our mind.”

      The agent nodded.

      “First of all, I think we should try to realize which are the other things we have to focus on”, continued Zamagni, “I wanna say that, right now, there exist two potential typologies of the murderer: relatives and friends. We should find out the motive and, once this objective is achieved, probably we can better outline the list of suspects for this murder.”

      “It’s not so easy”, admitted Marco Finocchi, “anyway, let’s make a try.”