I put on my robe and, in the ghostly silence, I thought I heard a buzzing, a kind of muted alarm signal.274

The bell rang, and the court emerged. First the presiding judge, then the associate judge, then the jurors with their sashes and their inscrutable faces.

They walked to their places, moving in a way that struck me as awkward. A sign of embarrassment – that wasn’t a good thing.

Marinelli put on his glasses and cleared his throat; either he was hoarse, or it was again a reflection of unease.

“In the name of the Italian people, the appeal court of Bari, having read articles 592 and 603 of the code of criminal procedure, confirms the ruling of the high court of Bari on 15 May 2013 in the case of Iacopo Cardace and orders that he remain in prison. It further orders that the new ruling be filed within sixty days and that a copy of the trial transcript be sent to the Prosecutor’s Department. Court is dismissed.”

Confirms the ruling.

As Marinelli uttered these words, I realized that up until a moment earlier I’d been convinced they would make the opposite decision. I’d been convinced that I would hear different words: rejects the previous ruling and acquits Iacopo Cardace, etc.

I’d been so convinced, I hadn’t wanted to admit it, even to myself.

For fear of feeling the way I felt now.

The judges and jurors left quickly. Only the young woman lingered for a few moments, and our eyes met. I didn’t know if she was trying to tell me something or if she was just curious to see a reaction on my face. I didn’t know if she wanted to let me know that she was sorry, that she had voted against the verdict, or else the exact opposite.

Something like: Justice has been done, Avvocato.

275

29

I’d like to be able to say that after the verdict of the appeal court I took the case to the Supreme Court and won. That there was a new hearing, that Iacopo was acquitted and that he was free again, ready to put his life back together.

I’d like to, but it didn’t go that way.

I did, of course, take the case to the Supreme Court. Although by that point, I didn’t really hold out much hope.

The Supreme Court doesn’t go into the substance of the verdict, it doesn’t say if a witness is more or less credible, if a reconstruction is valid or questionable, if a particular piece of evidence has been evaluated with due thought, whether or not the investigations were carried out with the necessary care.