him. If you let him protect you, that’ll be enough.”
“If I let a troop of Carnevares into the palazzo, word will reach Rome and Milan within the day. And you know just what they’ll think there.”
He ignored her objection. “If you want to phone Trevini and ask him questions, then go ahead, but please don’t leave this house. It would be a good idea to close that portcullis.” He pointed to the broad iron teeth protruding from the roof of the gateway above the entrance.
“Doesn’t work anymore,” she said. “All rusted.”
“Will you let Gianni and the others in now?”
The dogs in the woods were howling nonstop.
“Do I have a choice?” she asked.
“Do it for Iole, if you’re too proud to do it for yourself.” His eyes darkened. “I have to try to speak to the Hungry Man. As long as he’s breathing down my neck, we won’t have any peace to find out more—”
“About TABULA. I know.”
“It won’t be easy to get access to him in prison, but maybe I can call on a few of my father’s old contacts.”
“Are you seriously going to see him?”
“I have to make him understand that we Carnevares weren’t responsible for his arrest. We were not the ones who gave him away back then.”
“And exactly where did you find that out all of a sudden?”
He became evasive, which wasn’t like him at all, and once again she had a feeling that he was keeping something from her. “I think I know who it was now. Someone has promised me evidence.”
“Someone. And that someone wants money for it, of course.”
“No, only a promise. Strictly speaking, two promises. One was that I wouldn’t talk to anyone about it. Absolutely anyone.”
“Well, you don’t have to break your stupid promise on my account.”
Smiling, he dropped a kiss on her forehead. “You’ll be the first to know when all this is over.” He nodded in the direction of the woods. “And until then, keep all the doors locked. Gianni and the others know what they have to do.”
There was no point in arguing with him. Even if the howling up in the hills only came from a few wretched strays, he wasn’t going to drop the subject. It annoyed her that he hadn’t told her either about the attack on his managers or his secret informant. But she consoled herself by thinking that he was soon going to be much angrier with her. Poetic justice. Surely you can understand it, she’d say then. And anyway, you started it.
Rosa took out her cell phone, called the guards she had down on the driveway, and asked them if there was a car there containing three orangutans in suits. “They can come up,” she said.
Alessandro cast an anxious glance at the hills. “If those are really Hundinga, they’re going to take their time. They’re putting on this show to frighten you. Maybe they’ll be satisfied with that for now. It won’t be really dangerous until you don’t hear them anymore. Then they’ll probably be on their way to the palazzo.”
He took her hand and went through the gate with her, back to the inner courtyard. His Ferrari was parked at the foot of the double flight of steps up to the porch. “Don’t let Sarcasmo out of the house. They’d go for him first.”
“He’s busy anyway, guarding Valerie in her dungeon.”
“You shouldn’t have let her stay here.”
“I was going to kick her out today, but while those creatures are still roaming the woods it might not be a great idea.” She had in fact called the doctor in Piazza Armerina, asking him to come and check up on Valerie; he would be here some time in the next few hours to examine her. Then, and only then, would Rosa throw her out with a clear conscience.
“You actually feel sorry for her.” He shook his head, but he couldn’t help smiling at the same time.
She leaned against the Ferrari, took Alessandro’s hands in hers, and drew him to her. “Promise me you’ll be careful.”
“If I don’t go and see him, there’ll never be an end to this. I can’t simply stand by and watch him hurt you.”
“If he kills you, that will really hurt me.”
“I only have to convince him to call someone and listen for a few minutes.”
“And he’ll believe what this person has to say?”
“It’s our only chance.” He kissed her good-bye and slipped behind the wheel of his car. “If you call Trevini, don’t tell him anything about the Hungry