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The robbers were busy using the police them to the vertical beams of the barn Then two of them and their leader approached Boiardi and the leader frisked him

The leader took his eyes off Sa Boiardi and Sam noticed He drove his left fist into the leader’s face like a piston as his right drew Boiardi’s weapon He grasped the leader’s coat and jerked him upward to act as a shield and held the pistol to his head Boiardi snatched away the leader’s SC70/90 automatic rifle and held it on the two men who had come over with the leader

The two men set their rifles on the floor, stepped back, and raised their hands in the air The two Carabinieri who had not been handcuffed yet knelt to pick up their own sidearms from the barn floor and then picked up the two automatic weapons

One of the ar and decided to stop it He yelled, “No!” and opened fire His rifle spat bullets, and his leader collapsed to the floor in front of Sam

Sacrificing his leader served its purpose The other thieves, seeing their leader dead, no longer had a reason to give up They turned and tried to take cover, carrying their weapons Boiardi’s two police officers fired on the and sprawled on the floor No others offered resistance

The man who had shot the leader was not about to capitulate He fired a burst in the general direction of Sam and Boiardi, who had taken cover behind the boat trailer Sa into the boat and crawled to the bow

As the e, Saunwale and fired His bullet hit the man’s upper torso at the collarbone The ht arm went limp and he dropped his rifle Two Carabinieri were on hi hiue and the man he had shot The others quickly lost their weapons and joined him

Boiardi telephoned the local police to obtain help, an ambulance and police cars to transport the prisoners While they waited, he asked the prisoners questions The ansere defiant and resentful He was about to give up when Remi said, “Can you find out if they were sent by a man named Bako?”

He did, then translated “Who is Bacco? Is he froy business lately”

“I guess that means no,” Remi said “Gold just attracts its own trouble”

In a fewup in the barnyard The ambulance arrived and the team of paramedics took the tounded uard them, and left The three healthy thieves were transported And finally a coroner’s van came for the lifeless leader

When they were back at the harbor and Boiardi was about to drive off to Ro development The thieves have finally realized that the easiest way to find ancient treasures is to follow the national police officers who are supposed to verify and register the finds We could be entering a period when no national antiquities officer will be safe Anybody who doesn’t retire is a fool”

“So you’re retiring?” asked Remi

“Me? No Not right away Not after your husband kept ht now there’s so os Travel safe”

VERONA AIRPORT, ITALY