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“Anger is natural after what happened, but you cannot let it swallow you, not now you are Don.”
“I’m not angry. I want justice.”
“You want vengeance. That is not the same thing. We are not killers, Hunter. We are men of honor. We cannot uphold the values we hold dear in others unless we uphold them ourselves.”
“Well, haven’t you got all philosophical since you retired?”
“A place like this. Looking upon ruins from two thousand years ago, gives you perspective on life’s troubles. Drink your coffee. Bex will be waiting for you.”
“I take a sip, looking across Rome, feeling the chill in the air. “Looks like it might snow,” I say.
“I remember you and Ernesto making that snowman when you were what? Nine or ten?”
“I don’t remember.”
“I say you both made it. You did all the work while he watched, and when you were done, he waited until you’d come back into the house to smash the thing so flat there was nothing left.”
“What a heartwarming story.”
“Just a memory. That’s all. You know, I knew back then you would take over.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because you didn’t let your temper get the better of you. He did. Jealous of your sculpting skills. Had nothing to say when you finished your copy of that Bernini sculpture you did for Antonio. Not a word for your talent, only bitterness that ate away at him until it drove him insane. You learned to control your temper. That makes me prouder than you might think. You have raised Alicia well, and she is a credit to you. I hear great things from that school of hers.”
“You do?”
“Don’t sound so surprised. I contact them regularly to check in. She is surpassing all expectations, which is in no small part thanks to you.”
“Thank Bex, not me. She sits and does homework with her every night, takes her to galleries and museums. It’s all on her.”
“I am proud of you both. For everything you’ve done, including holding your temper, so the commission dealt with Ernesto. Rather that than you dispensing justice with a bullet to the head and then losing yours in turn. You will dispense justice dispassionately in the future. I know this. That is what a Don must do. He must give generously of his time and money to others, help them succeed and only occasionally ask a few small favors in return.”
“I will see what I can do.”
“You have the requisite skills. I have no doubt on my part that the right decision was reached. You knew Ernesto was a creature of habit. Having seen him sit at a table in his strip club once, you knew that he would return to that table for his conversation with Brody. You put the bug under that table for that reason. You saw that a cleaner was needed and stored that information long before it became useful to you. Because you think. You must always be thinking; right now, you should think about your wife, not this dying old man. Go on, get out of here. Go and see her. Enjoy your vacation together, not with me.”
“As long as you promise to stay alive long enough to meet your second grandchild.”
“As you said, I will see what I can do.”
68
Hunter
* * *
I stand outside the Borghese museum and watch the first flakes of snow falling from the sky. Before I head inside, I call Toby to check in. “You’re two minutes late with your call,” he says when he answers. “Starting to slacken now you’re in charge?”
“How is she?”
“Hang on. I thought you hated lateness. Let me bask in this a minute more.”
“I’ll wring your neck when I get back if you don’t answer my question.”
“And there was me thinking you’d got control of that temper of yours. You’ll be pleased to know that your daughter is doing absolutely fine. She’s been helping me finish HMS Victory. She’s also working hard on her Christmas present with Claudette.”
“Remind her of the deadline if she wants it to go to press.”
