SALVE ROMA! A Felidae Novel - By Akif Pirincci Page 0,43

that had just happened at the piano nobile just a few moments ago.

Then I turned back to Gustav and endured his surprising insight:

»I got one of your kind at home!«

10.

The reunion with Gustav – if the umpteenth encounter with one and the same person within a single day counts as reunion anyway – only lasted a couple of seconds. Because I had neither time nor leisure to study my cohabitant’s slow motion working face for long, who by the way wasn’t made for being in catacombs anyway. Of course he deserved some credit for getting to work with his colleagues right after landing and digging the newly accessed tunnel until late at night. Also the new breaking would shed light on the catacomb-maze upstairs and inescapably illuminate the theosophists’ activities. But my unmistakable instinct told me that the mystery’s solution wouldn’t be found in either the catacombs or inside the theosophical society. This secret society might be amazingly conspirative and shady, but still the brothers were harmless. No, the key to the cruel truth lay in the master’s hand alone. He milked everything to do his own thing. This thing, il miracolo, was the actual motive for the murders of my Roman fellows. This I felt, this I knew!

In the spotlight created by the beaming mining lamps on the hard hats, snowed in rubble and dust and with the most stupid facial expression the world has ever seen, I probably didn’t cut a fine figure on the pile of stones. Thus, I wasn’t that surprised when the three archeologists looked at me with rather pitiful miens after the first shock had subsided. Gustav half-heartedly tried to pet the dust off my fur, but I was already on my way.

I ran down the pile of rubble and towards the exit. As in this tunnel there was just one way to liberty, namely back through the newly discovered passage, this time I didn’t worry about getting lost. Despite the darkness around me I was able to sneak a peak of some of the treasure while running. Often there was the word INRI carved into the walls, the abbreviation for »Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum« inscripted on the very cross Jesus Christ had been crucified on. Now and then artistically very sophisticated reliefs stood out, which portrayed angels with halos and children dancing around them. I could very well receive how Gustav had repeatedly been haunted by a phenomenon at the sight of these treasures which he had to go without since the invention of color TV: orgasm!

However fascinating the gallery I passed was, my thoughts were bothered by the recent incidents. Those had killed all vacation mood and had brought me that fire instead, a fire I had never believed to see blazing up again. Although the whole thing was related to blood and death and although many innocent had been killed, I felt the passion again. I noticed how every single atom in my nerve cells jumped for joy on the hunt for the butcher. And whether I wanted to admit it or not, the best vacation for an ill mind, like the one in my head, was in the land of unresolved mysteries. In short, the situation began to be great fun.

So let’s count it all up and wait for the result, I thought to myself. According to the hooded guy’s festive lecture the miracle wasn’t just a mystery to me, but also to the theosophists. As to the premiere of the revelation, i fratelli were promised jam tomorrow. Thus, the whole situation became more thrilling, and the old trick still worked, so they were willing to donate even more. On the other hand the mystery didn’t leave much to be desired, if even government circles got scent of it. As the two killers in the catacomb hadn’t quite looked like escaped prisoners, who were after a suitcase with cocaine. Their smart outfits had reminded me of »civil servants«, who did pretty much everything but sit in an office and stamp forms. So the master’s work wasn’t very popular within a certain government, or they hadn’t been able to conclude a satisfying contract – on whatever.

All these thoughts brought my last dream to mind. For me, dreams had always been the key to solving a mystery. Just that I had never realized this in time. In my last dream anyway the attack on the twin towers in 2001 had been pretty prominent. And maybe all that had happened in the world