‘Buy a crystal ball, consult a medium and ask him that’.
‘Oh, to Hell with you! If only you actually were as pleasant and as witty as you believe you are!’
‘Certainly more than you! Do you honestly believe me able to answer all your stupid questions?’
Ziani turned to Peppino again, saying:
‘What type of miscreant was this Maran? A thief, an assassin, a blackmailer or all three rolled into one?’
‘He lent hisself to all kinds of crime, but ’e never strayed into Milan’.
‘Well, this has been his first and only time here. For whom did he work as a rule?’
‘Whoever was paying ’im best; in fact, ’e took the plunge often enough. For years, he used to be in the Lariani clan and then moved on to the folks at Bergamo, then goin’ into service with the top dog in the Monza underworld,
