"Know why she's smiling?" he asked, pointing a small torch at the corpse. "Fish hooks. Two fish hooks at the corners of her mouth, a bit of nylon, pull it round the back of the head and tie a knot." Amaldi noticed the metallic glint at the corners of the taut mouth. Inspector Amaldi had enough problems. A city choked by a rubbish strike, a beautiful student harassed by a telephone stalker, an arson case at the city orphanage. Then the mutilated bodies begin to appear.

Translated by: Patrick G. McKeown