‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  Vitorio turned restlessly in his bed.’  Before his eyes swam nightmarish images which would not let him rest and an unbearable scream pierced his brain.’  Already the fourth night and his dear Bertha had had no option but to ask him to sleep in the spare bedroom.’  He felt at his wits end for lack of sleep.’  It was causing him a dizziness, at work he was often fraught with fear.’  Vitorio’™s work was on the steel girders that had risen now to one hundred and twenty meters above the street level.’  Sometimes the view of Genoa, the harbour and the sea would become a swimming, spinning blur with him at the vortex.’  At such times he had the feeling that he was being sucked down into a blackness that had no bottom.’  He would then sit, straddling the girder,’  holding on for dear life, his head down and pray to the Virgin Mary to bring his sanity back to him.’ 
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  Even in this sitting position he would feel that he was reeling and may well fall.’  He prayed fervently.’  He prayed that his peace of mind would return, if not for him, then for Bertha and his family;’  that this torture could come to and end without bitter tears.’  The pay was good for the work was known to be dangerous and he needed the money desperately.’  So far, at such times as he sat, slowly clarity had returned to him.’  But he knew he had to get a few good nights of sleep in order to become again his normal self.’ 
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  Now, in the darkness of the room, his eyes closed,’  the image’  continually floated before his eyes and he groaned out aloud as he endeavoured to find the rest he so needed.’  He got out of bed to drink some water.’ ‘  ‘œMamma mia!’, he groaned as he walked to the very simply’  and roughly furnished kitchen where the refrigerator was making sounds as though it, too, was in a similar plight to that of Vitorio.’  ‘œMamma mia,’ he repeated as he sat in the semi dark of the cheap apartment building, elbows on the table, his head’  heavy between the palms of his hands.’ 
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  ‘œVitorio, can’™t you tell me what troubles you?’  Four nights you don’™t sleep and you don’™t tell Bertha nothing?’  Nothing?!’  This thing must be very bad, Vitorio.’’  Bertha,’  a large, middle-aged very motherly woman, sat on the only other chair’  next the table and looked worryingly at her husband.’  ‘œI never see you like this, Vitorio.’
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  Vitorio raised his head and looked beseechingly at his dearest friend – his features grey in the pale glow of the street lamp.’  His face lines made him appear old, not the robust man of forty- six he was.
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  His answer was again a groan, as he poured himself a glass of cold water from the flask and drank greedily.’  Then, placing the glass on the table, he made his way along the short passage to the second bedroom which was empty now that Mario, their only son,’  was in college in Rome.’ 
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  He was no sooner on the bed and had closed his eyes when again he heard that scream. It pierced his brain as if it were a dagger through his temple.’  He placed both hands to his ears but, of course this could never shut out the sound.’  In his mind’™s eye he again saw Benito falling, arms flailing the air as if to find a hold.’  But Benito should never have fallen, for had he not been at an upright?’  Benito was an experienced steeple-jack and should never have fallen.’  It would have taken a push! Vitorio had seen a second figure behind that upright girder. Even in the light mist Vitorio knew who that second figure was.’  He sighed heavily, again closed his eyes endeavouring to fall into a slumber that never came.
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  At dawn Vitorio rose to face Tuesday after another tortured night.’  Again took the western lift to his point of work, his mind constantly rehashing the terrible events of the last Friday. As sure as he was of what had happened, he was in anguish to speak out for fear of the man he suspected.’  Cesario was a bitter, hard man who lived alone.’  He would extort money from anyone that he felt was too weak to refuse or stand up to his threats.’  Vitorio was sure that the large, second figure next the upright had been Cesario’™s.’  Not that it was the money this time.’  No, a paltry sum was not worth the risk of a killing.’  In this case it was for Rosalia, Benito’™s wife.’ ‘  She had come to love’  Ceasario, loving his strength and determination as opposed to Benito’™s kind and condescending ways.’ 
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  Cesario was strong and she did not know about the extortion. To her he had been kind and even generous, showing a completely different side to his nature.’  They had been seen in public together and Benito had suffered quietly saying nothing, but his suffering was seen in his face.
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  Vitorio thought out now all the details of that Friday as he stood again high above the minute-looking buildings below.’  The weather had been calm’  that Friday but cold for March.’  A mist half hid the other side of the structure upon which Vitorio stood.’  The mist also wet the girders making standing upon them doubly dangerous.’ ‘  He was not supposed to have been at work that day but had decided that only twenty or so rivets to finish a certain spar would enable him to start a new section on the Monday.’  He decided that he would do just that and had gone up the western lift by himself.’  Now it seemed to Vitorio that Cesario had cajoled Benito into going up with him on some pretext and done then his dirty deed.
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  After the terrible scene and agony of being a witness, afraid of what Cesario may do, Vitorio had remained unmoving lying on the girder until the dim figure had descended.’  Vitorio had then made a silent getaway.’ ‘  He knew now that he had done wrong.’  He should have reorted the fall to the police no matter the consequences.’  His conscience was now a thing that would give him no rest.’  No sleep.’  Benito had been his friend and Vitorio had let him down.
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  These thoughts raced through Vitorio’™s mind.’  Now he was sick from anguish and lack of rest.’  It seemed to him that every moment of the day that scream would repeat itself in his ears – in his brain – and he could find no respite from it.’  This day,’  Tuesday,’  Vitorio knew that he just had to do it.’  He must go to the police and come clean.’  He vowed that he would do it after Cesario had signed his card for the day’™s work.
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  At the police station, hat held between both palms of his sweating hands, Vitorio approached the uniformed man behind the counter.’  ‘œIt’™s about Benito.’  You know – Benito?’  The man who died from the fall?’’ 
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  His face was contorted, showing the mental suffering that he was undergoing.’  ‘œCan I speak to someone who is dealing with the case?’
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  The uniformed man rose from his high stool and escorted Vitorio through echoing passages to a door upon which he knocked.’  Vitorio found himself facing a formidably sized policeman the scowl on whose face sent shivers through Vitorio’™s frame.’  He had second thoughts about saying what he had come to say.’  He was going even to back out, when the scowl changed to a fairly receptive smile.’  The man stood up, held out his hand, and after shaking Vitorio’™s reluctantly held out limb, bade the visitor take a chair that had been placed opposite.’ ‘ 
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  Vitorio was at his wit’™s end as to how to start.
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  ‘œWell,’ said the burly man in front of him.’  I understand that it is about the suicide that you have come to see me?’
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  ‘œEr, yes.’  I feel that it is my duty even though it is a little late.’’  Vitorio now was spattering his words out now that they had begun to flow.’  ‘œYou see,’  I am afraid for my family as well as for myself.’
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  ‘œYes?’’ 
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  The policeman’™s yes encouraged Vitorio to finish what he had come to say.’  ‘œThat Friday I, too, was at the sight.’  I wanted to finish a girder before Monday.’  I was a bit misty but I could see two figures on the eastern side, not one. I do not think that they noticed me.
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  ‘œBenito, he my very good friend. Why he had to be there?’  Only’  must be because Cesario tell him that there is some work he must show him.’ ‘  I know Ceasario.’  He is a hard’  man and he like Rosalia, Benito’™s wife.’ ‘  Rosalia, she no good.’  She loves Cesario.’  She does not know that Cesario is a bad man.’  Poor Benito.’  He is ‘“ was – a good man.’  He should not die.’
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  The words burst out of Vitorio like gas from a pressurised’  balloon.’  The words tumbled one over the other’  and in their hurry to escape fragmented his sentences.’  The big officer raised a hand to stop the tirade.’  Vitorio stopped,’  gulped air and looked enquiringly at the man.’ ‘ 
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  ‘œSo you were withholding information from the law?’ ‘  You know that this is a very serious crime?’
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  Vitorio gulped again knowing full well the portend of the words.’ 
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  ‘œCarry on now – but now tell me everything you know!’
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  ‘œYes… yes, of course.’  All the papers they talk of suicide.’  But I know.’ ‘  I see this second man on the girder behind the upright.’  Then Benito was falling and he screamed.’  That scream was awful!’  Awful!’’  Vitorio put his hands to his ears as if to deafen himself from the memory. ‘œCesario, you know he loves he loves Rosalia.’  I didn’™t come to you because I am afraid of Cesario.’  Now I am much more afraid and for four days I cannot sleep.’  I must sleep or I cannot work. I am sometimes getting dizzy on the beams.’
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  This second barrage of words escaped Vitorio with similar gusto to the first.’  While speaking he had squeezed his hat out of all resemblance into a ball of dark grey felt.’  Looking now at the ball in his hands, for a moment he wondered what it was, then, suddenly remembering,’ ‘  Vitorio straightened it out to become again a very creased reminder of its former self.’ 
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  Vitorio looked up at the policeman’™s sour face. For a moment he thought to’  make a run for the door when suddenly the scowl disappeared from the red face and, leaning back in his chair, the policeman began laughing so loudly that several others came rushing in from the adjoining offices to share in the joke.
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  ‘œWhy… why you laugh?’’  Vitorio’™s thin voice broke in his wonderment at the so unexpected turn of events.’  His eyes travelled incredulously at the smiling faces.’ 
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  ‘œWhy do I laugh, eh?’  You make me laugh!’’  The policeman’™s reaction to Vitorio’™s confession and awful’  predicament upset Vitorio terribly.’  ‘œI laugh because we all know your story – from Cesario!’
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  This threw Vitorio into complete confusion. ‘œWhy would Cesario tell you such a thing?’’ 
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  ‘œThe world is full of unhappy marriages and Benito was a very unhappy man.’  He had decided on that Friday that he was going to kill himself if Rosalia did not love him.’  In her anger she had told him to do whatever he wanted as far as she was concerned.
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  Fredriko, a big man and immediate neighbour,’  heard the fight and went with Benito to calm him.’  Fredriko,’  you must know him, he is also working on the steeples, it was he that went with Benito right up to the top, but Benito pulled himself free, slipped on the wet beam – and fell.’  Fredriko came to report to us immediately.’’ 
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  While he spoke, the look of’  incredulity, shock and confusion that spread over Vitorio’™s face considerably’  softened the inspector’™s hard attitude and his expression’  became almost humane.’ ‘ 
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  Vitorio, on his part, somewhat dazed,’  rose to his feet upset and angry that he should have fallen into such a trick of fate.’  ‘˜Mama Maria,’™ he muttered to himself in silent prayer,’  ‘˜what did I do to deserve such a thing?’  What did I do?’™’  But he really had no need to ask, for the answer was as clear now to him as the towering structure he was helping to build.