A blazing, radiant smile lit up Baldi’s face. “There’s lots of lovely stuff in here . . .” And then, “Ah!” he shouted suddenly, jabbing his finger down onto a slightly rumpled sheet of paper.

“What is it?” asked Rocco, almost frightened. Lupa, too, had pricked up both ears.

“It’s nothing. I knew it. I knew it!” And he stood up suddenly from his chair. Then he sat right back down. His excitement was unmistakable in every fiber of his body. “This is useful, this is exactly what we needed!” And he looked at Rocco. “That the Turrinis were in cahoots with Luca Grange was something we’d known for a while. Who besides Chiara and you and me has seen these papers?”

“Just Chiara and you and me. And Max, but that’s like saying that a blind man has seen them.”

Baldi went on reading the document. “Six companies in Switzerland . . . I know this one, and I know this one, too . . .” It was like watching a little kid eagerly trading baseball cards. “I already have this one . . . and this one . . . Ah! This one I’m missing! The Viber company! Fantastic! Fantastic! Fantastic! Schiavone, this is manna from heaven. Blessed, and welcome, and very, very important.” He laid down the documents. “What can I say? Thanks!”

“You’re quite welcome. Now, I have a question to ask you . . . An officer of mine happened to make the acquaintance of a carabiniere while he was tailing Cremonesi.”

“I know. We all know. We’re working that side of the street.”

“We who?”

“You know perfectly well. You saw them the other day here in my office. Don’t ask questions, and instead, tell me . . . the problem at the prison?”

“Solved.”

Baldi clapped his hands and then rubbed them together. “What is it today? Christmas morning? You actually know who murdered Cuntrera?”

“Yes. But what I haven’t identified yet is the mastermind. Or rather, I should say, I do have my suspicions . . . There are only two pieces of the puzzle I still have to find.”

“With your work today, you’ve redeemed yourself for months of irritability and judicial blasphemy! What else can I do to help you?”

“Nothing. Now it’s my problem to solve. There’s a detail I’m still missing.” Rocco raised a finger in front of his face and twirled it as if trying to kick up a whirlwind. “I can sense that this detail is spinning round and round and round in my brain, but it’s going so fast I can’t quite grab it!”