SALVE ROMA! A Felidae Novel - By Akif Pirincci Page 0,59

of Turin - with the piebald leading the way.

»Yes and no, Excellency«, I replied. »On one hand I got tied over this word so much, that it literally electrified me when I learned from Sancta that one of our own volition is called like that. On the other hand my unmistakable instinct told me that if such a miracle really exists, it must be hidden here in Vatican City. Turned out, I was right only partially. I didn’t find any hidden miracle, just bodies in a hidden grave.«

»You shouldn’t be deterred by this horrifying find, Francis. God moves in mysterious ways, but in the end He always leads to the truth.«

»I hope so, Miracolo«, I said and noticed that bit by bit dawn descended upon us. A long way away the antique pink silhouette of the St. Peter’s Cathedral stood out from the golden sky. Flocks of birds fluttered around the dome like angelic hosts. On the horizon bluish-gray fields of clouds slowly gathered to giant levels, and some fresh wind sprang up. It was to be feared that we were about to get a comfortless night and some stormy May rain. But right now the park that we crossed still looked like every blade in it was ablaze.

»I know this question is a waste, Excellency, but did you notice something at this place during the last year what might have indicated these crimes?«

»Of course not!« Miracolo was indignant. His walk received something defiant. Maybe I should have approached this a little more diplomatically. »And if there had been anything, we certainly would have done something against it. We might look like a bunch of bigots, but when it comes to our own lives and that of our kind, we gladly remember our sharp claws!«

»I gladly confirm this«, the piebald horned in again. »The padres and the other clerks really spoil us. But it is not only luxury that makes us stay here. No, here we are close to God, every one of us feels that. This doesn’t mean that we’re unworldly and don’t notice when somebody goes for one of our throats.«

»Okay«, I said. »Then on to the usual questions: did you know the victims?«

»Not all of them, but a couple «, the piebald replied.

»The same applies to me«, Miracolo said. »But it is not like I muster everyone in the mornings. Besides, nobody is forced to stay with us. Fluctuation within the community isn’t high, but there is still some. We don’t keep ringing the Cathedral’s doorbells though when someone from our midst said goodbye without cause.«

»Did everyone see one of the victims hang out with someone suspicious before he or she disappeared from the community and therefore from the daily routine at Vatican City for good?«

Everyone shook his or her head ... Almost everyone.

»Yes, I did!«

The whole group stopped so sudden as if they had bumped against an invisible glass panel. I was no exception.

»Who said that?« I wanted to know, and Miracolo also swung his head back and forth as if il diavolo had appeared on the lawn in person. A chocolate-brown sister with copper eyes eventually stepped out of the cortege and came to us.

»As a matter of fact, I saw a suspicious figure with four of the victims at different times «, she said, after she had introduced herself as Blixa. »Of course not even in my worst dreams I would have connected this to murder back then.«

»Great, Blixa, obviously you have great observation skills. What kind of a human was it?«

»It wasn’t a human being, it was one of our fellows!«

Uhhs and OMGs of astonishment and disbelief made the circuit, and some weird sounds wrested even from my grasp.

»A fellow? But how ...«

Blixa seemed to be the only one who kept a cool head.

»All victims-to-be met the stranger in the Bernini Colonnades at the Piazza San Pietro. The stranger always talked insistently to his new acquaintances. Sometimes they burst out in a roar of laughter. They seemed to like each other. And eventually they disappeared between the columns. Without hurry, more like strolling, just as if they had just become friends for life.«

And now for the price question.

»And what did the stranger look like?«

The chocolate girl cleared her throat and shook her had regretfully.

»No, that was the point: I always saw his silhouette only, a very dark silhouette, a pitch-dark shadow. But I would say young, slim and with extremely smooth moves. By the way, don’t get me wrong: I have never seen