“He really tore into him, didn’t he? I talked with Stone a few minutes ago, and he needs our help. I’m going to call the Italian prime minister tomorrow morning and ask him to put his entire police force on Mafia alert and to make every effort to support Massimo Bertelli at the DIA.”

“That’s a wonderful idea, Madam President.”

“It occurs to me that there must be things your people in Italy can do to support the effort and to help get the Mafia off Stone’s and Marcel’s backs. I’ve heard all about what’s going on with their plans for a hotel in Rome.”

“Well, the Mafia don’t always come under our brief, Madam President.”

“You didn’t have any scruples about going after the Russian Mob in Paris last year, and I’ve never seen that in your brief. Would you like me to issue a presidential finding that would cover your ass?”

“Oh, madam, I don’t think that would be necessary.” He thought for a slim instant. “But if you have a moment to dictate something, it would be very helpful.”

“I’ll get it to you tomorrow, Lance. Now, you pull out all the stops, you hear?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Good night, then.”

“Good night, ma’am.” He hung up the phone and found himself panting. Stone Barrington was going to be the death of him yet.

25

After rising the following morning Stone was in the library making notes for his call to Marcel when Dino came in with a bag of croissants and the International New York Times, formerly the International Herald Tribune.

“We’ve got some rethinking to do,” Dino said, tossing the newspaper into his lap.

Stone put down his pad and picked up the paper. A large headline occupied the upper right-hand corner of the front page:

TOP ITALIAN MAFIA COP ASSASSINATED IN ROME

“It happened when he was driving home from work last night,” Dino said. “He left the ministry with a driver in an armored Lancia. They were in rush hour traffic at a standstill, when a motorcycle pulled up beside them, and the guy on the backseat shoved a bomb under Massimo’s car. Apparently, the car wasn’t equipped to handle that. It blew about six feet into the air and broke in half. Massimo and his driver were both killed instantly.” He picked up the remote control and turned on the TV. In a moment he had found the BBC News channel, and they watched the footage from a security camera in the street as it played and replayed the explosion.

They listened to the report for a few minutes, then the news reader heard something in her earpiece, and she was handed a sheet of paper. “This just in,” she said. “Two top Italian Mafia leaders have this morning been gunned down almost simultaneously: one in Naples and one in Rome, the Italian DIA is reporting. Their names have not yet been released.” She moved on to another story, and Dino switched off the TV.

“That’s bad about Massimo,” Stone said. “My condolences.”

“He was a tough guy. I’m sorry they got to him before he got to them.”

“Do you have any idea who his successor will be?”

“I’m hoping it will be his deputy, Dante Fiore. He’s a good guy, too, and tough. What do you think about the two mafiosi who got it this morning?”

“What do you think?”

“I think Casselli has headed us off at the pass: he’s knocked off his chief government pursuer, the guy that you threatened him with, and he’s identified a couple of his cohorts that he thought might go for your reward, while sending a message to his other minions that defections will not be tolerated. The guy is some tactician.”

Stone’s phone rang. “Hello?”

“It’s Holly. I suppose you’ve heard the news about Signor Bertelli’s assassination?”

“Yes, I have. Dino and I just watched the explosion on the BBC. And did you hear that two top mafiosi were knocked off this morning?”

“Yeah. What does that mean?”

“We think it’s a reaction by Casselli to my threat to post a reward on his head. Now he’s eliminated the people he thought might be vulnerable to the reward and sent all his other people a message. He’s smarter than I thought.”

“Yeah, he must be. I just talked to President Kate, and she told me about your conversation last night. She did that on her own, not at my suggestion. She also called Lance and lit a fire under him, so you’ll find the Italian station helpful, I expect.”

“Could you get her a message from me before she makes the call to Italy?”

“Sure.”

“Tell her that Dino, who knows the setup at the DIA, thinks Bertelli’s deputy, Dante Fiore, is the man to replace him. He has a very high opinion of the guy.”

“That’s a good call,” Holly said, “and she’ll appreciate Dino’s recommendation. She met both men when we were in Italy last year. I’m sure she’ll be glad to mention Fiore to the PM.”

“Thank her for me, will you?”

“Sure. Talk to you later.” Holly hung up.

“Dino,” Stone said, “why don’t you see if you can get through to Dante Fiore and give him our condolences? Maybe we can get some fresh intel from him.”

Dino sat down next to him, looked up a number in his iPhone, pressed the speaker button, and waited. “This is his direct line,” he said.

“Pronto,” a vigorous voice said.

“Dante, it’s Dino Bacchetti.”

“Hello, Dino! Good to hear from you.”

“I’m with my friend Stone Barrington, who Massimo may have told you about. We’ve just heard the news about Massimo, and we wanted to express our condolences.”

“Thank you, Dino, that’s very kind. I’ve been working this all night, and we’re sure it’s Casselli, though we can’t yet prove it. My thanks to you, too, Stone. I’m aware of your problems with Casselli and your hotel project, and I want you to know we’ll continue to watch over it.”

“Thank you, Dante.”

“By the way, I saw your video with Casselli early this morning, and I enjoyed it very much, seeing him squirm like that. You know about the two mafiosi in Naples and Rome who got hit this morning?”

“We just saw it on the BBC.”

“We here think that’s a result of your threat about the reward on your video, but even if nobody takes the reward, we’ve got two top guys out of the way, and that’s a win for us. It doesn’t replace Massimo, but it’s a win, and we’ll take all those we can get.”

“Dante,” Dino said, “I want you to know that Stone spoke to President Kate Lee last night. She’s calling your PM along about now, and he sent her a message this morning, mentioning your name.”

“That’s very good of you, Stone. I’m not sure I dare hope for the job, but I’d love to do it. Hang on a minute.” They could hear some muffled conversation, then Dante came back. “I’ve just had a message to see the PM in half an hour. I’ll call you back, if there’s anything new.” They gave him Stone’s number and let him go.

“Maybe you did some good this morning,” Dino said. “And maybe you’re digging your way out of the shit.”

“God, I hope so, I thought I had blown the whole thing to bits.”

“Just Massimo and the two hoods, and my guess is that Casselli already had plans to hit Massimo. It didn’t seem like an improvised attack.”

Stone’s phone rang again, and he reached out and pushed the speaker button. “Hello?”

“Stone, it’s Lance.”

“Good morning, Lance, you’re up early.”

“I didn’t get much sleep last night. I’ve been on the phone with the Rome station, making preparations for your return.”