Chapter 5

“This is supposed to be a very private number,” I said. “My father said to use it if I wanted to bypass most of his underlings.”

“Castello d’Aragoni,” a deep male voice said.

“I would like to speak to il Duca d’Aragoni,” I said in Italian.

“May I say who is calling?”

“His son.”

“Which one, Signore? He has several.”

“Marco Sartori d’Argenzio. I’m calling from the United States.”

“Un momento, per favore.”

There was a pause. Then we heard Father’s voice. “Marco, my boy, what a pleasant surprise. Are you calling about your trip to Italy?”

“Hello, Father. No, this call isn’t about our trip. Dani and I are in our study, and the speaker is on.”

“Hello, Sir,” Dani said.

“Good evening, Danilo. Now, what can I do for you boys?”

“Father, I don’t know how to say this.”

“Just say it.”

“You are aware of Dani’s most recent doctorate?”

“Of course. I read all of your e-mails very carefully. It’s something very technical involving DNA, is it not?”