Silence the Witness (Il testimone deve tacere)

Silence The Witness

Morning, lady.

Mrs Sironi!

Your shopping!

Put it all by the door.

- Did you remember everything? - Yes, it's all here, there's a note.

Okay, good.

- And the milk? - Half a litre, as usual.

Good evening, Inspector De Luca.

Yes, I asked for you.

A little chat between friends, by the shore.

- One small detail, we're not friends. - But we will be.

After I find out what you're after, of course.

Me? The truth.

You want the truth. What truth?

Blackmails from the banks? Workers who have to be paid?

Politicians forcing them to strike and you police always protecting them.

Don't make me laugh.

- You can always speak to the minister. - Which minister?

You know which one. The minister of justice.

I've had enough of your games, pressure, threats.

The file will be on his desk tomorrow.

- He'll decide. - No, wait a minute.

Inspector, don't play the hero.

We could always come to an agreement.

Engineer Marchetti.

You can go, I'll lock up.

Thanks, doctor.

Good evening.

What are you doing to me?

It isn't deep, but you'll need a couple of stitches.

It stings!

What's your name? Where did it happen?

- It's for the police. - No, doctor.

Not the police.

Very well.

No police.

Put your clothes back on.

Accelerate!

Every three hours, against possible infection.

Okay?

Come on, it's late.

- Thanks, doctor. - Let's go.

You're a good man.

Call me if there are any complications.

- The number's on the prescription. - Thanks again.

Faggot.

You son of a bitch! Are you crazy?

- Who are you? - Don't move, I'm a doctor.

I injected you with a tranquiliser. You may have internal lesions.

Stay calm. I'll call an ambulance.

There's a service station round the corner, there's a phone.

I can't move. Hurry.

Okay, I won't be long.

Try to stay calm. Most of all, don't move.

Don't move!

I'm doctor Sironi. There's been an accident.

Just around the corner. One dead, another one injured.

I gave him first-aid. I was looking for a phone.

Come on, let's go.

Patrol 86 calling patrol Z1.

This is patrol 21. Go ahead.

This is patrol 86. Marshal Nardoni speaking.

There's been a fatal accident.

Send an ambulance immediately 20km down state road Z18.

Over and out.

We're almost there.

That's my car. The other one's round the corner.

Where is it?

Are you sure it was here? ls this the place?

Yes. I'm sure.

It was here.

One was dead and the other one was unconscious.

He couldn't move.

I'm absolutely certain.

Marshal Nardoni, come in.

This is Marshal Nardoni, over.

A Red Cross ambulance will be with you shortly.

Marshal Nardoni to patrol Z1, stop everything.

It was just a false alarm.

Try telling the Red Cross that.

I don't understand.

They were right here.

One of them had a fractured skull and the other one was...

Save it for the Inspector. Your identity papers, please.

And this? Did I make this up as well?

Come in.

Nothing.

There are two dead.

Incidents in the last few hours.

Two robberies, a burglary.

But no road accidents that match the doctor's description.

Listen, I'm tired of repeating myself.

There was an accident.

One of them was dead and I gave first-aid to an injured man.

- Why won't you... - Calm down.

If you saw and did what you affirm there must be a logical explanation.

The truth always comes out eventually.

- Call the duty judge. - Actually, Judge Belli...

- He's dining out. - Then he'll have his coffee with us.

- You're not wearing any pants. - Get your hands off me!

How far away do these friends of yours live?

Don't worry, we're almost there. Right, Antonio?

- What kind of party is it? - Here, smoke.

It's good for you.

Disgusting! It tastes funny.

No, dear. Don't wait up.

No, because I don't know when I'll be back.

Yes, of course.

No, you go to bed, and try to sleep.

I'll see you in the morning.

What happened?

- Inspector De Luca? - Don't worry, we took care of him.

- I'll explain later. - Did anyone see you?

No one. Just get rid of him.

They hit a concrete pilon at high speed near the entrance to the motorway.

Realising the seriousness of the situation I rushed over to help them.

Finding the driver deceased I gave the passenger an injection.

A distinguished man, around 50, who appeared to be unconscious.

Regaining consciousness he indicated a service station...

around 400 metres up ahead in the opposite lane.

Advising him not to move in case he had internal lesions...

I went in search of a phone and I met Marshal Nardoni who was on patrol.

Returning to the scene of the accident...

I was suprised to see the Mercedes had disappeared along with its occupants.

Unable to prove the identities of the above mentioned individuals...

I make this declaration against persons unknown for concealing a cadaver.

Declaring also that I am aware of my responsibility under pain of purjory.

Signed, Doctor Giorgio Sironi.

A signature and the investigation can get underway.

- Can I go? - Of course.

Leave a gap in your visits tomorrow.

In case we need to go back to the scene of the accident.

If what you said is true...

We've no reason to doubt it.

Whoever moved that car with the dead body is in serious trouble.

Goodnight, doctor.

Goodnight.

Cannevale, show the doctor out.

My bag?

Goodnight, gentlemen.

It's all very strange.

Sironi seemed sincere to me.

Not to me.

Maybe he was trying to cover up an affair.

Of course, all those bloodstains on his coat...

I would have detained him.

Inspector, when will you realise that if an honest citizen...

what's more, a doctor, comes to us to make a report...

in his own time, convinced he's doing his duty.

Having administered first-aid by law, article 593...

We should at least encourage this sense of civic duty.

Especially in these times damaged by so much violence

And perhaps irreparably.

You see, that's the difference between you and me.

For me, every citizen is innocent until proven guilty.

But for you, anyone who steps into a police station is guilty...

until they can prove their innocence.

We've got to eradicate this ancient fear of uniforms.

Otherwise you'll never get the public to cooperate with the law.

- May I raise some objections? - Please.

First, our honest citizen Dr. Giorgio Sironi...

didn't come here of his own free will.

He was spotted by an officer wandering around the countryside at night.

Second...

Until this phantom corpse turns up...

Doctor Sironi still has to justify those bloodstains on his coat.

Third, and perhaps this is where my professional prejudice comes in.

Unfortunately, every time I've allowed myself to be influenced...

by the well-to-do appearance of someone I had under investigation...

I got screwed.

You see? That's the prejudice that turns honest men away from the law.

What law?

When we can barely convict one in a hundred criminals...

with conclusive and irrefutable proof.

I don't know how but soon after they're back on the streets...

more violent than ever before. Not only that, what's worse...

they're well aware that they'll always get away with it.

I think we'd better stop here.

Start looking around all the hospitals, garages, mechanics...

Anyone who might have something to do with a dead body and a Mercedes.

Every path might be the right one.

And giving credit to your professional intuition...

Look into this medic, doctor Giorgio Sironi.

I'll handle the case, personally.

- Giorgio, is that you? - Yes, dear.

It's me.

You haven't gone to bed.

I told you I'd be late.

- I'll prepare something for you. - Thanks.

What happened? Was it really that important?

I guess so.

The police are dealing with it.

What are you doing? I'm not very hungry.

How about a nice glass of milk?

Then we're going straight to bed.

How is she?

Poor thing, she wanted to have dinner with us.

We're never together.

You at the clinic, me at home, and her at school.