Chapter 2: Who do you think you are?
Returning to the station in the late morning, having deposited Lydia at the airport for her return to Liguria, Inspector Romano stopped by the front desk.
"Hi Boss, how was your morning?" asked Catterina with a flirty wink. She toyed with her third button in a way he was sure was designed to catch his attention.
"Not that I don't appreciate the view," answered Romano, "but your uniform isn't up to code... there might have to be a... disciplinary action."
Catterina flushed with pleasure. "Mmm. Yes please." she breathed out. "Oh! Sargeant Carlo asked me to tell you to poke your head in if you came to the station this morning."
Romano did indeed stick his head into Carlo's office. "What do you have for me?"
Carlo looked up from his papers. "Boss, do you remember Lucco? We busted him years ago for smut dealing. Before the liberalization."
Romano gave a shake of the head and a "go on" gesture with his hand.
"Here, let me get the details," started Carlo.
"Oh for the love of god, Carlo, skip the biographics for once," begged Romano
"Fine," huffed Carlo, "I went to see Lucco to ask about the pictures forensics found. You know the extreme..."
"Yes, I haven't forgotten already, Carlo. I know I'm old, but I'm not that old. And they were... unforgettable."
"The one with the lady drinking from the other lady's... well you know... It's been going through my head all morning," said a slightly embarrassed Carlo. He cleared his throat and re-started. "Anyway, I went to ask Lucco, because they are kind of extreme and definitely unique and I thought he might know where they came from."
"Uh hu, and what did he say?"
"Lucco figures it was Bonsignore who made them. Or had them made. There was a rumor of a sale of content a year ago, that he said sounded very much like what I described."
"Oh?" answered Romano
"Not just that, boss. He said there might have been more. He wasn't sure of anything, but there were whispers of trafficking. Or something. He clammed up a bit, though. I thought it might have occurred to him that the mafia was involved."
"No one will talk if it's the mafia," sighed Romano, already starting to regret this new case. "We all like our heads without extra holes."
Romano poked his face into his own office. He saw the ever expanding pile of paperwork on his desk and immediately turned around. Did the paperwork multiply? Could it accomplish asexual reproduction?
"I'm off to Enzo's for lunch," he told Catterina as he glided past. Did she have another fucking button undone? Santa Madre! She would be the death of him.
Enzo found him a quiet table away from the crowd. Enzo, Romano's favorite restaurateur, knew the Inspector liked two things - plenty of fresh fish and peace to eat it in. "I have fresh red mullet today," he offered. "We can pan-fry with lemon and olive oil... a few breadcrumbs?"
"Two, please," answered Romano, needing a recovery from the draining Lydia had given him. Was that just this morning? "And do you have any more of that Baugna Cauda to start, with a bit of bread?"
"Right away, Inspector."