Cosi Fan Tutti - 5 (32 page)

mother, she’s still the same person inside. Face it, we’re finished.’

Gesualdo looks at him in amazement.

“I wasn’t talking about Orestina!’

They both turn to the doorway as the two girls reappear.

Judging by their expressions, they are absolutely

furious.

‘How could you?’ demands Orestina.

‘What a cruel, nasty trick!’ adds her sister.

‘You ought to be ashamed of yourselves.’

“I could just have died of embarrassment! Walking in on two complete strangers in the middle of a passionate kiss!’

Zen looks at Valeria, then back at the girls.

‘Eh?’ he says.

Before he has a chance to express himself more coherently, two more figures appear from inside the house.

One is Libera, limping in a rather fetching way because of the missing shoe. Her companion is a man of about the

same age, smooth-shaven and with short dark hair, looking svelte and handsome in an old-fashioned suit cut stylishly large.

‘How pleasant to know that one has been missed!’ he

says in a low, insinuating voice. ‘Libera and I felt the need to be alone for a moment, and it never occurred to us that our absence would be remarked upon. But lo and behold,

emissaries were sent to track us down and drag us back to the party of which we had presumably been the life and

soul. Most gratifying!’

Valeria marches up to him.

‘You’re not a man!’ she shouts. ‘You’re that other bitch dressed up! You just changed into some of Alfonso’s

clothes. You can’t fool me! I’ll expose you!’

The person thus addressed smiles languidly.

‘That sounds rather fun. But since there are ladies present, we should perhaps be discreet. If you care to step

inside with me, signora, I shall be pleased to offer you irrefutable proof - even tangible proof, if you so desire that I am indeed what I appear to be.’

For just a moment Valeria hesitates. Then she squares

her shoulders.

‘Very well!’

The moment Signora Squillace is out of sight, Sabatino

rushes up to Filomena and starts kissing and hugging her with an abandon which causes Libera to toss her head

sulkily and mutter something incomprehensible. Orestina seems to be waiting for Gesualdo to do the same, but

there is no response. Indeed, he hardly appears to be

aware of her, or of anything else. He just stands staring at the doorway through which Valeria Squillace and the

subject of the examination disappeared. Orestina starts towards him, then stops, gazing at him as though across a distance even greater than before.

When Valeria returns, all her anger and determination

have dissipated. She looks old, tired and bewildered.

‘He is,’ she says, shaking her head. ‘He really is/

The object of this endorsement now emerges in turn,

doing up his belt. But although he has proved his point, it has evidently been at some cost. His whole bearing is

lumpen and lifeless, his features are drained of all expression, his air of urbane swagger has quite evaporated. His

eyes dart here and there, fixing on nothing, until at length they meet those of Gesualdo. The two men stare at each

other as though across a space unpeopled and silent.

In reality the place is in an uproar. ‘Ma so’ femmenielli, duttb!’ exclaims Pasquale. ‘You mean to say you didn’t know?’

Zen gives an embarrassed shrug.

‘They were out there on the street with the other

whores..
p>

‘And why didn’t you choose those others?’ Pasquale

interrupts. ‘Because they weren’t pretty, right? They were puttane were, the genuine feminine article all right, but hardly the women of your dreams. Otherwise they wouldn’t be on the street. The good-looking ones are all chicks with dicks, everybody knows that!’

“I suppose I’m a bit out of touch with these things/

Pasquale laughs.

‘You’re as innocent as a babe in arms, duttbYou should have consulted me instead of trying to do this on your own/

‘It makes no difference!’ Valeria declares in a determined voice. ‘If those two … whatever they may be …

fooled us, they also fooled that pair of hoodlums who

have the nerve to think that I’ll let them marry my daughters.

Now we know them for what they are! The fact that

these other creatures are not what they seem doesn’t

change a thing/

The vehemence of her tone shakes Gesualdo out of his

reverie. He produces a laminated card which he hands to Valeria Squillace.

‘They’re not the only ones who aren’t quite what they

seem, signora,’ he retorts with a cutting edge.

Valeria squints at the card. It is hard for her to read without her glasses these days, and even harder to admit the fact.

‘What’s all this?’ she says, handing the card to Zen.

‘Some sort of official document, it looks like …’

Zen stares at it for some time. Then he nods slowly

“I see,’ he says.

‘Well, I don’t!’ said Valeria. ‘What’s going on? Who are these people?’

‘This card identifies your younger daughter’s suitor as Inspector Nino Rocco of the Direzione Investigativa Antimafia.’ Gesualdo takes a second card from his wallet.

‘And this one,’ he continues in the same edgy tone,

‘identifies your tenant as Dottor Aurelio Zen of the Polizia Statale.’

‘Then who’s Alfonso Zembla?’ exclaims Valeria, completely bewildered.

Pasquale grabs Zen’s identity card from Gesualdo’s

fingers.

‘A cheap fake!’ he exclaims. I’m surprised you were

taken in for a moment.’

He palms the card and simultaneously produces

another, at first sight identical, which he holds up like a priest displaying the consecrated host.

‘Here is the genuine article which the duttb was

unlucky enough to have stolen from him yesterday, and

which I was able to trace thanks to my extensive network of contacts. As you see, it identifies him beyond any

doubt as Dottor Alfonso Zembla/

Valeria jerks her thumb at Gesualdo and Sabatino.

‘Are you trying to tell me that these two are actually policemen!’ she demands.

‘We were/ Sabatino replies laconically.

Dario De Spino finally understands the reason for the

premonitions of disaster which have been plaguing him

recently. Fortunately everyone’s attention is directed to his former associates, the two engaging young men he

befriended and trusted and boasted to, and who now

probably have enough material to send him away to Poggioreale until well into the next century. Grabbing a fistful

of sandwiches and pastries for the road, Dario sidles over to the door and leaves without ceremony.

‘But you told me that they have a record of associating with known criminals!’ Valeria protests to Aurelio Zen.

‘You said they were linked to some of the worst elements intheCamorra..
p>

‘They wouldn’t be much use as anti-mafia undercover

agents if they didn’t/

He turns to the two young men.

‘What I still don’t understand is why you have chosen

to reveal the truth now. For months you refused to tell anyone, even your sweethearts, yet now you have broken

cover in front of people you don’t know and have no reason to trust/

‘It’s all thanks to you, dottore,’ Gesualdo returns, with a bow of mock formality.

‘To me? How?’

‘You didn’t hear what I said a moment ago/ Sabatino replies. ‘We were with the DIA. We no longer are.’

‘We resigned today, with immediate effect.’

Zen stares at them.

‘But what has that got to do with me?’

Gesualdo smiles.

‘Tell me, dottore, why do you think you’re still alive, instead of having being crushed by the ram of that

garbage truck?’

Zen shrugs.

“I don’t really understand the details, but apparently

the whole thing was part of a long-term sting operation designed to trap the terrorists. The Questore said that his men had been following me

‘We know what the Questore said/ Sabatino says bitterly ‘We saw the show on TV. You gave a very good performance.’

Zen looks from one to the other.

‘Are you saying it’s not true?’

‘You know perfectly well it isn’t true!’ retorts Gesualdo.

‘All that stuff about you being brought down specially

from Rome to infiltrate Strade Pulite…’

‘That was just window-dressing to make the Questore

look good,’ Zen protests. ‘The fact remains, if the police didn’t save me last night, who did?’

‘We did/

‘You? But..
p>

‘We had our own reasons for being interested in you,

Dottor Zen,’ says Gesualdo. ‘First we hear that someone of that name has tried to do a record search on our undercover aliases. Then we turn up a police identity card bearing that name but the photograph of someone we know as

Alfonso Zembla, who has recently taken a personal interest in our activities. So we had a tap put on your phone, and were able to listen in to that intriguing call you received last night. As a result, we were in time to save your life.’

‘Thank you,’ mutters Zen.

Sabatino smiles sarcastically.

‘Our real thanks has been the destruction of everything we’ve worked toward for months, laying our lives on the line every day, knowing that one slip or piece of bad luck and we’d end up like that poor bastard Marotta whom

they tortured to death, not that he didn’t have it coming/

“I told you he was in hell!’ Professor Esposito puts in. “i was sure of it. The reception was faint, but quite clear/

‘For almost a year now, we at the DIA had been

compiling a detailed study of the various factions and alliances within the Camorra clans/ Gesualdo explains in a flat tone.

‘We were particularly interested in the internal fissures resulting from the massive quantities of money generated by the drug trade, and also the external pressures exerted by the political transition to the so-called New Italy/

‘But what has all this to do with those terrorists?’

demands Zen.

“The terrorists never existed. The group calling itself Strade Pulite was simply one element in a classic power struggle between opposing wings of the Vallifuoco clan, cleverly disguised as a political movement. The young

guard wanted to purge the old leadership, as well as various of their associates and clients who knew too much and

could prove an embarrassment in the new judicial climate/

‘And just when we were on the point of putting

together a case which might stand up in court,’ Sabatino continues, ‘you come along and offer yourself as living proof that this was an act of fanatical ideologues who have been thwarted by the brilliant efforts of the Naples police department! If those bastards at the Questura had done

their job properly in the first place, there would have been no need to set up the DIA. So as soon as it was set up, the Questore tried to undermine its authority, and, thanks to you, he’s just achieved a major victory. Well, enough is enough. What’s the point in Gesualdo and me risking our lives and losing the women we love, all to no purpose? So we’ve requested to be transferred back to normal duties/

He turns to Valeria.

‘I also request the hand of your daughter Filomena in

marriage. My character is impeccable, I have a secure job and good career prospects. I don’t suppose it matters to you, but we are also madly in love/ ‘Allafollial’ echoes Filomena.

Valeria Squillace heaves a heavy sigh.

‘Clearly I have misjudged the situation. This I regret, although the fault is not mine but that of Signor Zen, or whatever his real name may be, who provided me with

information which now turns out to be completely false.

Needless to say, I withdraw all my former objections.’

She raises her glass.

‘Here’s to my daughter Filomena and Signor Nino…’

‘Rocco, signora.’ ‘… and to Orestina and, er…’

She looks enquiringly at Gesualdo, who looks at

Orestina.

“I can’t. I’m sorry, but I can’t.’

A smile appears and vanishes on Orestina’s lips.

‘That’s all right.’

Valeria Squillace looks from one of them to the other.

‘Would someone kindly tell me what’s going on? All I

want to know is who he really is.’

“I think he’s only just found out himself,’ her daughter replies with the same fugitive smile.

Gesualdo walks over to where the two ex-Albanians

have been standing, on the fringes of these ceremonies

from which they are excluded. He takes Iolanda’s hand.

‘You look great. There’s something very sexy about a

woman in male clothing/

‘But he is a man!’ exclaims Valeria. “I saw his…’

Orestina covers her face with her hands.

‘For the love of God, mamma!’

‘Old people are so gross,’ comments her sister, clutching Sabatino protectively.

‘Who are you calling old?’ her mother shouts furiously.

Aurelio Zen holds up his hands.

‘Perhaps we should try and concern ourselves less with

which body parts those present may or may not possess

as with what they choose to do with them.’

‘That’s not the point!’ insists Valeria. ‘Whatever those two may do - and one shudders to think - the whole thing is unnatural! It’s just based on sexual thrills. It can’t last..
p>

‘Aurelio!’

‘… like real love between men and women coming

together for life ..  
‘Aurelio!’ ‘… to marry and have children as God intended!’p>

‘Aurelio!’

The hollow wailing seems to well up from somewhere

deep inside the house. Professor Esposito hurriedly

crosses himself.

‘The Furies!’ he mutters. ‘This, too, I foresaw/

When the uninvited guests finally appear, Professor

Esposito’s prediction is seemingly borne out. Not only

are they three females, but they are quite clearly furious.