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“Brunetti, no fan of television, did occasionally watch nature documentaries, and so he was familiar with the pose cobras took when they were preparing to attack. They somehow managed to raise their heads about thirty centimetres into the air and begin a graceful side-to-side motion that Brunetti always found quite hypnotizing, They flicked their tongues in an out, in and out, preparing to strike, while their intended prey froze and tried to figure out what to do. Long familiarity with his wife's tactics had somehow transferred portions of the genetic code of the mongoose into Brunetti, suggesting to him the correct motions that would remove him safely from the target area. "For one thing, it makes us sensitive to the fact that they might be at risk of blackmail." "I see," she said. "Anything else?" "Well, since most people have a bad opinion of the police, I'd like to tell you that many of us feel a certain sympathy for them." "I see," Paola said. As he watched, her tongue ceased to flicker and disappeared into her mouth, and she ceased her restless side-to-side motion, turning again into his wife, the treasure and joy of his life.” — Donna Leon