I assure you that in some way I’ll be able to repay you. I don’t yet know how, but I assure you I will . . .
Maureen stood looking at that macabre specimen without any emotion. William Roscoe, the evening on which he had died, had claimed that the only thing that could make us superior to God was justice. Maureen did not know if Jordan, just before attacking him, had heard his last words about Julius Wong.
A very professional gentleman will take care of him . . .
If Jordan had understood the meaning of this statement, he had shown no sign of it – nor had Maureen. There was also a justice of men, and in this way she and Jordan had become the jury. That would be the third secret they shared. If one day there were accounts to settle with their consciences, they would confront them.
Still holding the box in her hand, Maureen went and threw its contents in the toilet bowl and pressed the flush button. She stood there watching, making sure that the memory of the foul creature who had been Arben Gallani was going to the place most suitable for him – the sewers of Rome.
Then she went to get the brown envelope she had placed on a cabinet and climbed the stairs to the upper floor. She opened the sliding window that showed roofs as far as the eye could see and then went to the stereo and took the CD from the envelope. On the shiny surface were two words, written in indelible ink.
‘Underwater’
Maureen
She switched on the CD-player, inserted the disc and pressed Play.
There were a few bars of sampled strings, a soft guitar arpeggio and then, against that light background, Connor’s violin started moving with the elegance and energy of a skater on ice, drawing spirals in the air with the melody.
And at last she heard his voice, a knife sharpened by pain and joy. Within a moment, Maureen was engrossed in the meaning of the song, a secret song, hidden from the rest of the world, her exclusive property – not because she owned the only copy, but because it had been written specially for her.
You were born underwater
underwater was your realm
dancing dreamlike in the waves
dancing round and back again
And now you walk the world
hiding within your pain
thinking you left your heart
back there beneath the waves.
Perhaps you do not know
That light is on your side
Can change the dark of day
into a watery glow
Even underwater
deep down where it is night
A light still shines for you
giving life to your love . . .
. . . your love that hides below,
that would not give up the fight
So stop your grieving, darling,
for when you stop believing
even underwater
there will always be a light.
She sat down on the wicker armchair by the window, arranged the cushions, and let herself be enveloped by the music, the voice, the memory – sure that, whatever happened to her from now on, nobody could ever take away the enormous richness of what she had had. She watched as a triumphant sunset set the sky of Rome aflame, waiting for what was in store, helped only by what she had learned, however unwillingly, and what she was now able to confront.
Maureen Martini closed her eyes. The darkness and the waiting, she thought, are the same colour.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I must begin by thanking two remarkable people: Pietro Bartocci and his wife, Dr Mary Elacqua of Samaritan Hospital in Troy. Without them this novel would have had a much more difficult labour, I would have had a much more thankless stay in America, I wouldn’t have learned how much a New England parrot can catch in its beak, and above all I wouldn’t have been able to give a new meaning to the word ‘friendship’.
To them I would like to add:
Andrea Borio, an outstanding cook, affectionately nicknamed ‘Cow Borio’ for having managed to produce a Piedmontese meat stew in the middle of Manhattan;
Dr Victoria Smith, an exceptional chiropractor and a delightful person, who straightened my shattered back during my stay in New York;
the staff of Via della Pace and the other adorable people I met in the United States: I may not remember all their names, but their faces are indelibly engraved in my memory.
In regard to the scientific aspects of the book, I would like to acknowledge my old friend Dr Gianni Miroglio, and Dr Bartolomeo Marino, Consultant Surgeon at the Civil Hospital in Asti, as well as the multi-talented Dr Rossella Franco, the intensive care anaesthetist of the San Andrea Civil Hospital in La Spezia.
A special thank you to Dr Carlo Vanetti, ocular microsurgeon in Milan, member of the ASCRS (American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery), and Professor Giulio Cossu, Director of the Institute for Stem Cell Research of the San Raffaele Scientific Institute in Milan, for both their presence and their patience.
Thanks also to Laura Arghittu, Media Director for the Fondazione San Raffaele del Monte Tabor, who skilfully mediated the onslaught of a writer with dubious credentials.
An affectionate and unstinting salute to Annamaria di Paolo, Head of the State Police, who was indispensable for her ideas and opinions, and invaluable for her friendship and support.
As far as the experienced team that sustains my literary activities is concerned, I must first acknowledge Alessandro Dalai, a man of multi-faceted intelligence and understanding, to whom it is only correct to add:
the invulnerable Cristina Dalai,
the incontrovertible Piero Gelli,
the inescapable Rosaria Guacci,
the indomitable Antonella Fassi,
the dependable Paola Finzi,
the multi-coloured Mara Scanavino,
plus the irreproachable Gianluigi Zecchin to cover everyone’s backs.
An honourable mention, finally, to the discerning Piergiorgio Nicolazzini, my valiant agent and capable adviser.
In addition:
Angelo Branduardi and Luisa Zappa for the ritual and propitiatory spoilers in the usual tavern;
Angela Pincelli, who for geographical reasons I see rarely but who for emotional reasons I think of a lot; Armando Attanasi, who’s there for me much more than I’m there for him;
Francesco Rapisarda, Media Director for the Ducati Racing Team, who will sooner or later get me to a Grand Prix;
Annarita Nulchis, as unforgettable as her emails and as precious as her smile;
Marco Luci for his kindness and contacts;
Malabar Viaggi for their assistance and distinction.
In conclusion, a hug to all the friends who have earned a lasting place in my life and my unchanging affection with their support and respect and the incorruptible sweetness of things that are real.
And finally on a strictly personal level, a hearfelt THANK YOU in capital letters to Renata Quadro and Jole Gamba for their care, their reassuring presence and the help given to a very dear person at a very difficult time for her and for me.
The characters in this story are purely imaginary.
Fortunately for me, the people I’ve thanked are not.
PROLOGUE
PART ONE
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
PART TWO
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
PART THREE
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
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sp; CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 27
CHAPTER 28
CHAPTER 29
CHAPTER 30
CHAPTER 31
CHAPTER 32
CHAPTER 33
CHAPTER 34
CHAPTER 35
CHAPTER 36
CHAPTER 37
CHAPTER 38
CHAPTER 39
CHAPTER 40
CHAPTER 41
CHAPTER 42
CHAPTER 43
CHAPTER 44
CHAPTER 45
CHAPTER 46
CHAPTER 47
CHAPTER 48
CHAPTER 49
CHAPTER 50
CHAPTER 51
CHAPTER 52
CHAPTER 53
PART FOUR
EPILOGUE