Free temptation in florence 03 - bankers death by Beate Boeker Page B

suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. Madonna, what a pompous ass Cervi is.
    Sergio gave his boss a glance that spoke volumes. “When a man is rotten, he has a lot of potential to destroy other lives. I think it's better if he's stopped before he spends his life spreading evil.”
    Garini fought down an uneasy feeling. He could understand Sergio's feelings; in fact, he had often thought the same, but at the same time, it wasn't their job to judge. It was their job to find evidence so that the rules of society could apply. If everybody started to kill the people who deserved it - according to their own estimation - pandemonium would break out. Garini knew that Sergio had the same firm belief in his role. So why was he having this conversation with Cervi? The incident with his sister must have rattled him to the core; there was no other explanation.
    Cervi heaved himself to his feet. “Are you telling me that you are too biased to take this case?”
    Garini snapped to attention. He exchanged a look with Sergio whose mouth had assumed a mutinous shape.
    “I can take the case,” Sergio said with dignity.
    “But you still think the murderer did a good job?”
    Sergio inclined his head. “I do.”
    Cervi banged a fist onto the table. “This will not do! I can't give the case to someone who secretly approves of the murderer.” He turned to Garini. “You will have to do the job after all.”
    No way. “I met Valentino Canderini the day before his death at a family party, and I can only confirm what Sergio says. He seems to have been a thoroughly unsavory specimen.”
    A pulse started to beat in Cervi's neck. “Don't tell me too that you think the murderer did a great job.”
    Garini shrugged. If he mentioned his firm belief in the rules of society now, he would not only have the job but would make Sergio look bad in comparison. “From the little I've seen so far, it looks like it.”
    Now Cervi banged both fists onto the table. “I have three specialists in this department! Three! And not one can do the job! One always seems to be on vacation in unreachable areas of the world when I need him, the other is either ill or approves of the murderer, and now even the third one claims he likes the concept of killing people whenever it seems to fit.” He narrowed his eyes at Garini. “I'm ordering you to take the job, Garini. Stay professional; keep your distance. You're not engaged to the lady, so that shouldn't be too difficult. Don't I remember that some weeks ago, you said you weren't even involved with that woman?”
    Garini clenched his fists. “It would not look good. As soon as the news gets out that the investigating officer is directly linked to the family, there will be a scandal.” Usually, the word 'scandal' was enough to make Cervi back down.
    Cervi's face turned an alarming shade of raspberry red. “It's your responsibility to keep the truth to yourself! Stop the relationship for the duration of the investigation!”
    Cold rage gripped Garini. “I will do no such thing.”
    His boss made an impatient move with his arm. “Whatever. I don't care as long as the result is all right.”
    “We could work on the case together.” Sergio looked at Garini with another apologetic glance and wiped sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. “Then we can keep an eye on each other. As there's nobody in the police department who's not linked to the case, this might be the best solution to avoid a scandal.”
    Cervi lifted both fists to heaven. “Have you gone mad? I've been asking for months for reinforcement, to no avail, and if I now put two people on the same job, they'll say I don't know how to manage my resources.” He pressed his lips together and glared at Stefano. “You will investigate the Mantoni family, Garini.” He narrowed his eyes. “And if you botch it up, I'll make sure that you'll be transferred to Milano.”

II
    “Cervi forced me to take on the case of your cousin.” Stefano Garini tapped