She was dressed in jeans, a blue blazer and a man’s white shirt. She looked scared and at the same time daring. For the first time since I’d seen her again, I thought I caught a glimpse of the way she’d been when she was young. I think it was due to the conflicting feelings shown in her face, her eyes, her posture, the way she displayed both incurable fear and defiant courage.

Judge Marinelli motioned to her to sit down. “You are the mother of the accused, signora, is that correct?”

“Yes.”

“I assume you already know that according to article 199 of the code of criminal procedure you have the right to refrain from testifying. Should you decide not to avail yourself of this right, you will be under the obligation to tell the truth, just like any other witness, with all the legal consequences for any false or partial testimony. Is that clear?”

“Yes.”

“Do you wish to avail yourself of the right to refrain from testifying?”

“No, I want to testify.”

“All right, then. First of all you have to swear to tell the truth.”

The bailiff approached her and gave her the card with the oath.204

She read it in a firm voice and after the last words she raised her eyes from the card and looked at the judge.

“The witness is yours, Avvocato Guerrieri. Please proceed.”

“Thank you, Your Honour. Good morning, signora, I’m going to ask you a few questions. Then, if she deems it necessary, the assistant prosecutor will do the same. Before we begin, let me just say that if something isn’t clear, I’d simply ask you to say so. Don’t force yourself to answer questions you haven’t fully understood. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” she said, accompanying the answer with a slight nod.

“I’d like to begin immediately with a question not directly relating to the events about which you will have to testify, but which is important for evaluating your reliability. Have you ever been subject to criminal proceedings?”

“Yes.”

“Can you tell us for what crime?”

“I was accused by the Treasury Police of aiding and abetting and of resisting an officer of the law.”

“When did the events over which you were accused take place?”

“It was July 1987.”

“Can you tell us what happened?”

Gastoni leapt to her feet, spreading all around her a perfume I knew but couldn’t identify.

“Your Honour, frankly I don’t understand what we’re talking about. The witness was called to testify about a particular circumstance, that is, the supposed presence of her son at home at the time of the murder of which he is accused and for which he was convicted. But now we have defence counsel questioning her about events that happened almost thirty years ago and that have no relevance to the object of this hearing.”205