A Noble Radiance Read Online Free

asked.
    'Yesterday’
    'Why did they call
us?'
    'A ring with the
Lorenzoni crest was found with the body’
    Brunetti again put
his fingers to the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. 'Ah, the poor boy,'
Brunetti sighed. He took his hand away and looked across at Vianello. 'Are they
sure?'
    'I don't know, sir’
Vianello said, answering the unspoken part of Brunetti's question. "The man
I spoke to said only that they had identified the ring’
    "That doesn't
mean that it was his, doesn't even mean that the ring belonged to . . ‘ here
Brunetti paused and tried to recall the boy's name. 'Roberto.'
    'Would someone not in
the family wear a ring like that, sir?'
    'I don't know,
Vianello. But if whoever put the body there didn't want it to be identified,
they certainly would have taken the ring. It was on his hand, wasn't it?'
    'I don't know, sir.
All he said was that the ring was found with him.'
    'Who's in charge up
there?'
    'The man I spoke to
said he was told to call us by the medico
legale. I've got his name
here somewhere.' He consulted the paper in his hand and said, 'Bortot. That's
all he gave me, didn't tell me his first name’
    Brunetti shook his
head. 'Tell me the name of the place again’
    'Col di Cugnan.'
Seeing Brunetti's inquisitive look, Vianello shrugged to show that he had never
heard of it, either. 'It's up near Belluno. You know how strange the names of
places are up there: Roncan, Nevegal, Polpet.'
    'And a lot of the
family names, too, if I remember it right’
    Vianello waved the
paper. 'like the medico legale’ 'Did the Carabinieri say
anything else?' Brunetti asked.
    'No, but I thought
you should know about it, sir’
    'Yes, good’ Brunetti said,
only half attentive. 'Has anyone contacted the family?'
    'I don't know. The
man I spoke to didn't say anything about it’
    Brunetti reached for
the phone. When the operator responded, he asked to be connected with the Carabinieri station
in Belluno. When they answered, he identified himself and said he wanted to
speak to the person in charge of the investigation of the body they had found
the day before. Within moments, he was speaking to Maresciallo Bernardi, who
said he was in charge of the investigation there. No, he didn't know whether
the ring had been on the hand of the man in the trench or not. If the commissario had
been there, he would have seen how difficult that would be to determine.
Perhaps the medico legale would be better able to answer his question. In fact, the
Maresciallo couldn't provide much information at all, save what was already
contained on the piece of paper in Vianello's hand. The body had been taken to
the civil hospital in Belluno, where it was being held until the autopsy could
be performed. Yes, he did have Doctor Bortot's number, which he gave to
Brunetti, who had nothing else to ask.
    He depressed the
receiver, then immediately dialled the number the Carabiniere had
given him.
    'Bortot’ the doctor
answered.
    'Good morning, Doctor,
this is Commissario Guido Brunetti of the Venice police.' He paused there,
accustomed as he was to having people interrupt to ask him why he was calling.
Bortot said nothing, so Brunetti continued. ‘I’m calling about the body of the
young man that was found yesterday. And about the ring that was found with him’
    ‘Yes, Commissario?'
    ‘I’d like to know
where the ring was’
    It wasn't on the
bones of the hand if that’s what you mean. But I'm not sure that means it
wasn't on the hand to begin with’
    'Could you explain,
Doctor?'
    If s difficult to say
just what's happened here, Commissario. There is some evidence that the body
has been disturbed. By animals. That's, normal enough if it's been in the
ground for any length of time. Some of the bones and organs are missing, and it
seems that the others have been shifted around a good deal. And so ifs
difficult to say where the ring might have been when he was put into the ground’
    'Put?' Brunetti
asked.
    'There's reason to
believe he