Novel: Commissario Brunetti‘s 16^th Case

First Broadcast: October 7^th 2010

 

Storyline

Albanian Rozafa Krasnic, an illegal immigrants in Italy, works as a cleaning woman in a gym and is rushed to the hospital with sudden labour pains. While the woman is lying in her hospital bed after the delivery, the doctor tells her with regret that her baby had died shortly after birth because of a weak heart.

 

About 14 months later, Sergente Vianello is investigating a white-collar crime. He has found that a pharmacist has cheated on his statements, issuing prescriptions for people who are long dead. In order to obtain the necessary confirmation, he would have to access the pharmacist’s computer, and he currently has no idea how to do this.

 

Commissario Brunetti is awoken by his Sergente in the middle of the night. He explains that pediatrician Gustavo Pedrolli had just been admitted to the hospital with severe injuries. The issue is controversial because the arrest was performed by the mainland Carabinieri. Their Capitano Marvilli explains Brunetti in the hospital that the Carabinieri first rang the doorbell and only then tore down the door. Since the paediatrician was viciously opposed to the arrest, it came to scuffles.

 

The arrest was necessary, since the paediatrician allegedly murdered Albanian Krasnic, who was convinced that Pedrolli had adopted her 14 months old baby illegally. Since she wanted her baby back, Pedrolli had no choice but to kill her. Then the body of the dead Albanian was found on a garbage boat at a pier on the mainland. The pathologist, Dr. Aurono, reported to Brunetti that the deceased had suffered serious head injuries.

 

While the inspector is investigating the case of the dead Albanian and Vianello is stuck in regards to the fraudulent pharmacist, Vice Questore Patta is tormented by very different concerns. His doctor has advised him to take a six-month break, which is why he tells Brunetti that he would be represented in future by a Dr. Catani from Rome.

 

Shortly after, Vianello has an idea on how to get hold of the PC at the pharmacy. He throws a stone wheel at the front door. The pharmacist convinced that it’s only some teenagers, whom he has directed to the pharmacy just before. Brunetti, who immediately picks up on what has happened, reproaches him for it, but covers for him nonetheless. The PC is brought to the Questura for the securing of fingerprints, where Vianello becomes involved with its evaluation.

 

Pedrolli, who admits the illegal adoption in an initial questioning, denies the murder of the child's mother and tells the police that he has gotten the child from an agency in Verona. After a down payment, he picked up the baby a few weeks later from an Albanian family and paid the rest of the money to them. Brunetti, who does not approve of the harsh methods of his arrogant colleague always dressed in a suit and cowboy boots, is of the firm belief that Marvilli has already prejudged the paediatrician. After a brief, yet heated debate, the two very different cops decide to cooperate.

 

Signorina Elletra has since contacted the agency in Verona and made an appointment to which she sets out immediately accompanied by Commissario Brunetti, whom she introduced as her husband. Upon their return, it turns out that Vianello has not come any step further with his research.

 

The upcoming investigations provide interesting insights. It turns out that the pharmacist sniffs in the medical records of his patients, including the Pedrolli couple. Furthermore, it turns out that the cousin of the late Albanian has suddenly obtained large amounts of money. And also Bianca Pedrolli, the wife of pediatrician Pedrolli, seems to hide something, whereby her ??father, Giovanni Marcolini, known as a xenophobic politician, intervenes and seeks contact with Commissario Brunetti.

 

The investigations lead the detective on the trail of clinician Dr. Linero, whereby Brunetti does not believe he is the murderer of Rozafa Krasnic.

 

In a small subplot, the viewer learns that Guido Brunetti's daughter, Chiara, was the victim of a mix-up shortly after her birth. A nurse had then swapped two name tags, but this is fortunately noticed very quickly.

 

Starring

Uwe Kockisch as Commissario Guido Brunetti

Julia Jager as Paola Brunetti

Karl Fischer as Sergente Vianello

Michael Degen as Vice Questore Patta

Annett Renneberg as Elettra Zorzi

Laura Syniawa as Chiara Brunetti

Pattrick Diemling as Raffi Brunetti

Other Roles

Gregor Torzs as Capitano Eduardo Marvilli

Nadeshda Brennicke as Bianca Pedrolli

Uwe Bohm as Gustavo Pedrolli

Michael Gwisdek as Giovanni Marcolini

Ueli Jaggi as Dr. Stefano Aurono (Pathologist)

Dietmar Mossmer as Alvise

 

Director: Sigi Rothemund

Script: Stefan Holtz, Florian Iwersen

 

Producers: Benjamin Benedict, Niko Hofmann

Production Manager: Jurgen Schott

 

Camera: Dragan Rogulj

Music: Andre Rieu

 

 

Back to the Commissario Brunetti Episode Guide.