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Back Time Is a Killer
Chapters (84)
  1. Dedication
  2. Time is a Killer
  3. Contents
  4. Map
  5. 1
  6. Twenty-seven years later …
  7. IRevellata
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. IISaint Rose’s Day
  44. 37
  45. 38
  46. 39
  47. 40
  48. 41
  49. 42
  50. 43
  51. 44
  52. 45
  53. 46
  54. 47
  55. 48
  56. 49
  57. 50
  58. 51
  59. 52
  60. 53
  61. 54
  62. IIISempre giovanu
  63. 55
  64. 56
  65. 57
  66. 58
  67. 59
  68. 60
  69. 61
  70. 62
  71. 63
  72. 64
  73. 65
  74. 66
  75. 67
  76. Twenty-seven years later
  77. Acknowledgements
  78. AFTER THE CRASH
  79. BLACK WATER LILIES
  80. DON’T LET GO
  81. About the Author
  82. Also by Michel Bussi
  83. More on W&N
  84. Copyright

‘Did my mother have a lawyer to defend her then?’ Clotilde said sarcastically.

Cassanu looked her up and down. There wasn’t the merest hint of cynicism in his voice.

‘I’m sorry, Clotilde, but I’ve never understood the point of lawyers. I don’t mean you, don’t worry. You deal with divorces, child custody and maintenance payments. That’s fine, it’s all part of the times we live in, no one is good or bad, people just need a referee to sort such matters out. But this is a crime I’m talking about. What’s the point of a lawyer in such a case? There’s an inquiry, evidence, a file, you assess where the truth lies; and on the basis of the facts you punish, or you don’t. What’s the point of a lawyer except to push the evidence towards the wrong side? Why would a guilty party need a lawyer?’

‘And the innocent?’

This time Cassanu laughed heartily.

‘The innocent? I know justice in this country, my darling. An innocent man is just a guilty man with a good lawyer.’

Clotilde clenched her fists as her thoughts boiled in her skull. You are lucky, Papé, you’re lucky that I want to know how far you took your madness, because I have some things to say about your concept of justice, and I would also like to talk about your grandson, who is rotting away in prison at this very moment. You’ll be willing to pay the best lawyer on the island to get him out of there, if you don’t have any confidence in me.

‘Go on, Papé, tell me about this equitable process.’

Cassanu stared at the tree in front of them and stopped. Clotilde remembered the old legend. It was here that the condottiere Sampiero Corso was said to have hanged the members of his family by marriage, who had betrayed him and sold him to the Genoese; he had shown the greatest mercy to his wife Vanina, and had merely strangled her with his own hands.

‘I assembled some friends, local people, to be the Arcanu jury. Reliable people, with a sense of honour, of family. People to whom the clan was important. About ten in all.’

‘Was Basile Spinello one of them?’

‘Yes.’

‘Who else? Cousins? People who had witnessed Salomé’s entrance on St Rose’s evening?’