"Dibdin, Michael - Aurelio Zen 02 - Vendetta UC - part 02" - читать интересную книгу автора (Dibdin Michael)

Zen nodded non-committally.
'What did la Biacis want?' he asked casually.
The effort of memory made Romizi frown.
'Oh, she was nagging me about some expense claim I
put in. Apparently Moscati thinks it was excessive. I mean
excessively excessive. I said I'd send in a revised claim,
only I forgot.'
Youth is only a lightness of the heart, Zen thought as he
walked away, as happy as a bird and all because Tania had
not treated Romizi to her confidences after all.
In stark contrast to the Criminalpol suite, the adminis-
trative offices on the ground floor were designed in the old
style, with massive desks drawn up in rows like tanks on
parade. Tania was nowhere to be seen. One of her col-
leagues directed Zen to the accounts department, where
he spent some time trying to attract the attention of a clerk
who sat gazing into the middle distance, a telephone
receiver hunched under each ear, repeating 'But of
course!' and 'But of course not!' Without looking up, he
handed Zen a form marked 'Do not fold, spindle or mutilate',
on which he had scribbled 'Personnel?'
In the personnel department or. the fourth floor, Franco
Ciliani revealed that the Biacis woman had just left after
breaking his balls so comprehensively that he doubted
whether they would ever recover.
'You know what her problem is?' Ciliani demanded
rhetorically. 'She's not getting enough. The thing with
women is, if you don't fuck them silly every few days they
lose all sense of proportion. We should drop her husband
a line, remind him of his duties.'
Apart from these words of wisdom, Ciliani was unable
to help, but as Zen was walking disconsolately downstairs
again, Tania suddenly materialized beside him.
'I've been looking for you everywhere,' he said.
'Except the women's toilet, presumably.'
'Ah.'
He handed her the folder as they continued downstairs
together.
'This is the report Moscati asked for. Can you get a
couple of copies up there before lunch?'
'Of course!' Tania replied rather tartly. 'That's what I'm
here for.'
'What's the matter? Did Ciliani say something to you?'
She shrugged. 'No, he just gets on my nerves, that's all.
It's not his fault. He reminds me of my husband.'
This remark was so bizarre that Zen ignored it. Every-
thing Tania had said so far had suggested that she and her
husband were blissfully happy together, a perfect couple.
As they reached the third-floor landing, Zen reached
over and took her arm.