The Ancient Curse by Valerio Massimo Manfredi Page B

feeling it was somebody else. He picked up the receiver and a voice he’d already heard said, ‘Don’t disturb the child’s peace. Get out, if you know what’s good for you.’
    ‘Listen,’ started Fabrizio, talking as quickly as he could. ‘You’re not scaring me. I . . .’
    But there was no use continuing. His caller had already hung up.
    Fine, he thought to himself. He’d ask Reggiani to put a tap on both telephones, the museum number and this one, and on his mobile phone as well. He let himself relish the thought of a face-to-face meeting with this crazy lady who thought it amusing to make such ridiculous threats. She must be calling him because she could see the lights on, or maybe she could even see him sitting in front of his computer screen. If only he had a dog!
    To be on the safe side he closed the shutters, turned off the computer, went to the wall, took down the shotgun – an automatic five-round Bernardelli – and loaded it with five cartridges. Then he walked towards the staircase to go up to the bedroom.
    The telephone rang again.
    He stopped for a moment, with his foot on the step, to collect his thoughts, then turned around and picked up the receiver.
    ‘Listen, you bitch. If you think—’
    ‘Fabrizio! It’s Sonia! I’m so sorry, but I thought you’d still be awake!’
    Fabrizio let out a long sigh. ‘Oh, it’s me who’s sorry, Sonia. I wasn’t sleeping, it’s simply that . . .’
    ‘I’ve just got back from a conference in Padua. I saw your email and I couldn’t resist . . . So who’s the bitch you thought you were talking to?’
    ‘Someone I don’t know. Someone who likes to break my balls by calling late at night and—’
    ‘Listen, I’ve seen the photos – they are incredible! Are you sure about the measurements you sent?’
    ‘Give or take a centimetre or two.’
    ‘I just can’t believe what I’m seeing. Do you really think they’ll let me publish it?’
    ‘I don’t see why not.’
    ‘Will you talk with Balestra?’
    ‘Sure. But what do you think it is?’
    Sonia fell silent for a few moments. ‘To be utterly frank, I don’t know what to say. I’ve never seen an animal that big in any of the scientific literature. It’s a monster.’
    Fabrizio’s voice became apprehensive. ‘A monster? What do you mean by that?’
    ‘Only that I’ve never seen such a thing. Even now, say, a Caucasian Molosser, which is gigantic, is not that size.’
    ‘Well, then, what the hell is it? I mean, you’re the expert, so how do you explain it?’
    ‘Hey, what’s wrong with you? Why are you so edgy? Are you sure I didn’t wake you up? Or did I . . . interrupt something?’
    ‘No. Listen, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude. You’re saying that you don’t know what it is.’
    ‘It looks like a canid, but I’ve never seen one so enormous. An expert is only an expert on what he’s seen and studied, Fabrizio. You know that better than I do. All I can tell you is that I’ve never heard of such an animal, and neither has anyone else that I know of. I’d hazard a guess that it’s a breed that’s gone extinct and that we have no knowledge of or . . . a genetic mutation, something of the sort.’
    ‘Right. That’s a possibility, sure. Listen, try to make it here as soon as you can, and I’ll talk to the director in the meantime.’
    ‘I can leave tomorrow,’ said Sonia resolutely.
    ‘No, maybe not tomorrow. Give me a couple of days. I’ll call you as soon as anything comes up.’
    There was a moment of silence and in that very instant the howl that Fabrizio had heard the first night rang out loudly. A long, desperate lament that grew in force and intensity, exploding into the blood-curdling scream of a wounded beast. An atrocious wheezing that sounded nearly human.
    Fabrizio stiffened as a feeling of sheer terror surged through his body.
    Sonia’s voice on the phone was full of anguish. ‘My God . . . what was that?’
    She’d heard it.
    ‘I don’t