The Sudden Disappearance of the Worker Bees by Serge Quadruppani

Author:Serge Quadruppani
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sky Pony Press
Published: 2012-12-31T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 6

THE BUILDING RESEMBLED A TYPICAL enormous warehouse, with the sort of bare cement walls that one sees on the outskirts of almost every city in the world of the rich: one hundred feet tall and five hundred feet long, standing over a sweeping expanse of cultivated plants divided into lots, their numbers indicated by various signs. It was the kind of work of human genius that made Simona feel like going back to feeding her stray cats under the Sublician Bridge in Rome, at the heart of a city that was still a city. In the large parking lot in front of another building, police vehicles could be distinguished from those of the employees by their haphazard parking jobs, having been left wherever their drivers had found space. In front of the tall sliding doors the white jumpsuits from Forensics were going about their work. Farther along on the right, the minesweepers were keeping busy, some removing their reinforced jumpsuits, composite helmets, and polycarbonate visors, while those without the necessary attire hoisted a robot up on top of the van. On the opposite side, their arms crossed, Evangelisti and Calabonda watched in silence. When they saw her arrive, the former smiled and the latter shook his head.

“So you still think terrorism should be disregarded in the investigation?” the prosecutor asked her when she was a few steps away.

He gestured toward the wall next to the doors, where three-foot-tall letters written in spray paint said: SSACROPIANO KILLS. THE WORKER BEE REVOLUTION LIVES.

“What was it?”

“An improvised explosive device,” the maresciallo said matter-of-factly. “Like in Iraq. A gas cylinder paired with two cans of gasoline and a detonator stolen from the army as a focalization device . . .”

“Stolen from or provided by . . .” murmured Simona.

“Excuse me?” said Evangelisti.

“No, nothing. Why didn’t it explode?”

“The bomb disposal team says the detonator was defective.”

“And there was no alarm, no video surveillance system, no guards positioned around the warehouse?”

Calabonda shrugged.

“As you saw, there’s a security booth at the entrance equipped with video surveillance. Except that last night at four forty-five, after a virus was introduced into the computer system, the monitors started playing previously recorded footage in a loop rather than continuing to show what was happening in real time. We found the point where the terrorists entered. Around five o’clock they cut the wire fencing, and they acted while the cameras were down. You’d have to be a damn expert to access the security computer system. But we’ll verify that. If there was any negligence or complicity involved, we’ll find out about it sooner or later . . .”

Simona sighed.

“Let’s hope so. What is manufactured in this building?”

“That would be a question for its owner,” Evangelisti replied, pointing to a luxury car with tinted windows that was pulling into a reserved space.

From it emerged a man in full executive attire: suit and tie, an expensive watch that could be seen from a mile away, stylish glasses, confident stride.

With a few steps, he reached the group.

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