that Agazio Curmaci was promoted straight up to the same level as Tony within a year of arriving in Germany. Shortly after, there was some sort of falling out between them, followed by several years that Curmaci spent in London where it seems he took a degree in history. Old Man Megale remains as ignorant as the goats he used to herd, and Tony, natural son or not, has inherited the ignorance. If I had to guess, I’d say Curmaci was the one who came up with the idea of calling the old man the Prefect. Putting his fancy education to use flattering the boss.’ ‘The Prefect?’ said Blume. ‘Isn’t that title a bit too judicial-sounding?’ ‘I think it’s more ecclesiastic, like Michele Greco used to be called the “Pope”. When the Catholic Church is establishing itself among heathens, it sends out a mission. If the mission is successful, the mission becomes a prefecture. If the prefecture grows in size, it becomes a vicariate. If the vicariate is consolidated, it becomes a diocese. Megale, one of the first missionaries into Germany, obviously sees the Mafia conquest of the Rhine–Westphalia region as being only at the second stage.’ ‘Let’s get back to Tony,’ said Blume. ‘As the crimine, he has the firepower, access to killers, control over the arsenal.’ ‘That can be taken away from him, and you should not underestimate the importance of the mastro di giornata, especially when you’re talking about a locale operating outside Italy. The mastro di giornata doesn’t just call meetings, deal with protocol, and act as an intermediary, he is also responsible for maintaining the traditions of the Society, and that is extremely important for a locale based abroad. The Ndrangheta is not just a criminal organization, it’s a system of belief.’ ‘OK, so Curmaci’s important.’ ‘Agazio Curmaci is almost certainly a santista, or maybe even higher,’ said Arconti. ‘All the signs are there.’ ‘I thought a santista was a rank above the boss of a locale,’ said Blume. ‘It seems weird he could be both above and below the boss at the same time.’ ‘It’s not really a rank. It’s more a function. A santista is dedicated to interfacing with the authorities and the world of business. He will be a member of Rotary clubs, Masonic lodges, business associations, political parties, planning committees and so on. He’ll exchange political favours and will appear as legitimate as possible. But, and this is 23
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