by Don Easton
Jack saw Carina smile at him, then grimace and discreetly nod toward Roche. It was evident she was hoping the two of them could be alone, too. It made him feel better that she did not display any obvious signs of affection toward him.
Shortly after Jack sat down, Wolfgang, Anton, and Giuseppe arrived. When breakfast was over, Jack, Roche, Anton, and Wolfgang checked out of the hotel. They said goodbye to Carina in the lobby and then Giuseppe drove them to Bianco.
It was two in the afternoon by the time they bought clothes at the store owned by Giuseppe’s cousin and groceries at another store. Then, just as Paolo had predicted, they headed into the Aspromonte mountains. Traffic on the mountain roads became scarce.
Forty-five minutes out of Bianco, they came to a small town called Sant’Agata del Bianco. On the outskirts of the town, Giuseppe pulled into a driveway of a home set amongst a grove of trees.
“My brother-in-law’s place,” he explained. “Wait here. I won’t be long. If you need to make any calls, do it now because once we get to my lodge, the phones won’t work.”
“I’ll have to make a call tomorrow night around five o’clock,” said Jack. “How far do we have to go yet?”
Giuseppe glanced up at the sky, then said, “If it doesn’t snow, we’ll be at my lodge in another hour. Sometimes you can get a signal about halfway there, but not always.”
Jack and Wolfgang both got out of the vehicle to use their phones, and Giuseppe went to the house, where he was greeted by a bearded man dressed in a wool lumberjack shirt, cargo pants, and green boots. He had two dogs with him, one a pit bull and the other a hound. The man eyed Jack briefly, then grabbed the dogs by their collars and disappeared back inside with Giuseppe.
A real hillbilly, Jack thought as he wandered back up the driveway to call Laura. Wolfgang was within listening range, but was busy talking on his own phone.
Jack decided not to chance whether or not Wolfgang could hear him, so he chose his words carefully. “Sorry to wake you,” he said when Laura answered. “Guess it’s early where you are.” He paused, then said, “Where am I? Passing through some little town in Italy called Sant’Agata del Bianco. It’s cold and windy. Feels like it’s gonna snow.”
“Okay for me to chat?” she asked.
“You bet.”
“Paolo says the team saw you heading out of Bianco but decided not to follow.”
“That’s great. I mean that.” Jack glanced at Wolfgang and saw him hang up and get back inside the truck.
“They also did a loose surveillance on Carina,” continued Laura. “She went to a jewellery store and bought a man’s ring. Gold with a blue sapphire. She ordered it engraved and went back a few minutes ago and picked it up.”
“I’m clear to talk now,” said Jack. “Any idea what was engraved on the ring?”
“Yes. It was in English and said New Beginnings.”
“Christ,” Jack muttered.
“I thought that might mean something to you.” When Jack didn’t respond, she said, “At least you know she’ll give a good assessment about you to the Russian.”
“Yes, but I hope to hell she doesn’t show him the ring. If she does, I may as well buy her one and have it engraved with the word collateral.”
“She’s going to be upset when you dump her.”
“I’ll use the ring as an excuse and say I feel like I’m being rushed into something.”
“Guess that’s nicer than telling her you’re married with two kids.”
“Anything on the Russian yet?” Jack asked to change the subject.
“Paolo looked into some flight manifests, but there are several Russians listed. I told him not to risk making inquiries as we’ll likely identify him when he arrives.”
“I agree. It’s not as though it’d make a difference at this point.” He glanced at the house and saw Giuseppe emerge with four rifle scabbards. “Gotta go. I’ll call you tomorrow around five o’clock. Hopefully by then I’ll have met him.”
“Don’t make any pig noises in the bush,” Laura said, then hung up.
Jack approached Giuseppe as he was putting the rifles into his vehicle. “There are five of us and only four rifles,” he noted.
“I have killed enough boar,” Giuseppe explained. “If someone wounds one and it comes at me, I’ve got this.” He flashed open his jacket to reveal a pistol stuck in his belt.
A minute later they drove out of Sant’Agata del Bianco, and fifteen minutes after that Giuseppe turned down a road consisting of two ruts that meandered in and around the mountainous slopes. Forty-five minutes later they came to a long, barren stretch where the road cut through a meadow. At the end of the meadow were some small, wooden buildings backing onto a densely forested area.
“Welcome to my lodge,” Giuseppe said as he drove up and parked in front of a larger building that had a wall of sheer rock on one side and a steep gully on the other that plummeted down to a raging river.
“I own 144 acres,” he added as they got out of the truck. He pointed toward the forest and said, “The boars are in there. If you go to the end of my property, the river on one side meets up with the mountain on the other. There’s no place for the boar to go at that point and they know it.”
“Sounds easy,” Roche said. “Chase them to the end where they can’t escape and shoot them.”
Giuseppe smiled. “You will find it’s not that easy. About eighty acres is forest. There is plenty of room for them to sneak past you.”
“So we may not be eating roast pork,” Wolfgang said. “Hope you brought enough food.”
Giuseppe shook his head. “If we are not successful by noon, I will return to my brother-in-law’s place. He has two dogs. One is what they call the bay dog. It tracks the scent and howls when it finds the boar. The other dog is known as the catch dog, and once the boar is found, it will clamp its jaws onto the boar’s face or ear and hold it until we arrive and kill it. I don’t like to use the dogs unless it is necessary. With them we could kill a boar within an hour, but using the dogs is …” He looked at Jack and asked, “What is the expression? Fishing in a barrel?”
“Shooting fish in a barrel,” Jack replied.
“Yes, thank you, that’s it. However, either way, we will not go hungry.” He then pointed to a building on the left and said, “That’s the bunkhouse. The other is the kitchen. There’s a shed behind the kitchen where I have two all-terrain quad bikes. When we do get our boar, you will appreciate not having to carry it out.”
“Looks like quite the setup,” Jack said.
Giuseppe nodded. “I have generators on the porch behind the kitchen with a line to the bunkhouse. They are good for ten hours of running time at fifty percent power. You will have light, heat, and water from a well for a hot shower. There are sleeping bags in the closets between the bunks. The bunkhouse isn’t locked, so everyone go make yourselves at home while I start the generators.”
“Not locked?” questioned Jack. “Don’t you worry about stuff being stolen? Especially your quads or your generators.”
Giuseppe looked taken back. “This is my land and my property. Everyone knows that. If anyone did such a thing … well, let me say they would not dare.” He slid his index finger across his throat.
In other words, you’re king in this neck of the woods. Jack went with the others to the bunkhouse while Giuseppe took a jerry can of gas out of his truck for the generators.
The bunkhouse had a door at the front with a small window adjacent to it. Inside were three double bunk beds down each side separated by a double closet between each bunk. At the far end of the bunkhouse, Jack noted, were shelves on one side and a bathroom on the other.
Jack laid claim to one of the beds nearest the bathroom, then decided to use the facility, which had a sink on the left, and toilet and shower stall on the right. A window above the toilet faced the kitchen, Jack discovered, and he could see Giuseppe pouring gas into a generator. Between the bunkhouse and the kitchen were benches placed around a firepi
t.
When Jack returned to his bunk, they suddenly heard the hum of the generator, and Wolfgang flicked on the lights.
It was five o’clock by the time everyone had stowed their clothes, put sleeping bags on the bunks, and gone next door. Jack entered the kitchen through the front door and saw that it was spacious, with windows on both sides and two picnic tables standing end to end down the middle of the room. In the back a counter extended partway out to separate the cooking area from the seating area. A rear door led onto a back porch.
“Welcome,” said Giuseppe as they entered. “Don’t worry about taking off your boots. It’s too cold for the ground to be muddy, so you’re not likely to track anything in. I have a vacuum in the shed if I need it.” He glanced out a window at the darkening sky. “Is there anyone here who has not fired a rifle before?”
“I was a sharpshooter in the military,” Wolfgang said.
All eyes turned to Jack. “I can handle a rifle,” he said, then looked at Roche and Anton.
Both admitted they’d never used one. “Only pistols,” Anton said.
Giuseppe nodded. “I was going to take you out and do some target practice, but it is getting dark. We will do it in the morning. It is light by eight o’clock, so if we have breakfast around seven, it will work out.”
Everyone took a seat at one of the tables. Giuseppe poured them each a glass of wine and set out a plate of black olives before making spaghetti. After they’d eaten, Giuseppe looked at Jack and said, “I have a chore for you. Being from Canada, I think you will know how to do it.”
“I’m listening,” said Jack.
“While I clean up, I would like you to go outside and start a fire in the pit. There is firewood on the back porch and matches on the counter.”
Jack nodded and Wolfgang went with him, while Roche and Anton remained to assist Giuseppe clean up in the kitchen. Jack found a hatchet and Wolfgang hauled several armloads of firewood over to the pit, where Jack used a chopping block to make kindling. The fire was well underway when the rest of the men joined them.
The evening went without incident. The men sat around the fire sipping wine until ten o’clock, when a light snow began falling.
“It is good,” said Giuseppe, holding his hand out to the snow. “We will not need the dogs tomorrow.”
* * *
Surveillance at the E’ Hotel indicated that Carina had gone to her room. Maurice, Yves, Otto, and Laura then snuck into the room on the second floor that one of Paolo’s men had booked, which overlooked the front entrance of the hotel.
At ten-forty-five Paolo received a call saying that a man with a Russian accent had deplaned from the ten-thirty flight and was renting a Jeep. He was described as clean-shaven with short black hair touched with grey at the temples. He was wearing a three-quarter-length fur coat.
Paolo shut the lights off in the hotel room and they waited.
Thirty minutes later a man driving a Jeep drove slowly past the entrance of the hotel, obviously looking for a place to park. Minutes later he walked into the hotel with a suitcase, unaware that he was being photographed from above.
“How about I slip down to the lobby on the pretext of asking for a wake-up call or perhaps to look at a map of the city?” Paolo suggested.
“Go for it,” Laura said.
Minutes later Paolo returned. “His name is Yakov Kadnikov. He’s built like a bear with a strong, thick neck.”
“A Russian bear,” Laura said musingly. “The killer was described as being stocky. How about his hands?”
“I’m not sure.” Paolo paused. “His skin is pale and the hair on his hands is black, but not as thick as I have seen on some men.”
“In daylight, against white skin, it may look more so,” Yves said.
“Did you get his room number?” Maurice asked.
“No, but I rode up with him in the elevator and he pushed the button for the fourth floor.” Paolo looked at Laura. “I will sleep here tonight and detail a surveillance team to be watching his Jeep by six o’clock tomorrow morning. Is there anything else you would like?”
Laura shook her head. “Let’s call it a night and regroup at eight in the morning.”
“This time in my room at the Grand Excelsior,” volunteered Maurice.
Everyone nodded in agreement. Otto and Laura left, taking the stairs to the lobby, where they checked to ensure it was clear before heading out on the five-minute walk back to their hotel. So as not to jeopardize future surveillance possibilities, Maurice and Yves gave them a ten-minute lead to eliminate any chance of their being seen together. They used the elevator.
* * *
The thing about elevators is that the empty shaft between floors does little to block the sound of the voices of people waiting at the elevator doors.
Hearing French spoken in Italy was not uncommon, and that alone did not arouse the interest of the Ringmaster. What did arouse interest, when the elevator stopped on the second floor and two men stepped in, was the abrupt silence that followed.
The Ringmaster watched as one of the men self-consciously scratched his droopy moustache. A moustache that twitches like a tarantula dancing on his lip.
When the elevator stopped in the lobby, Yakov smiled at Carina, gesturing with his hand. “After you.”
Chapter Fifty-Three
Jack awoke to the sound of the toilet flushing. He looked at his watch. It was 5:45 a.m. When Giuseppe emerged from the bathroom, he got up.
“Good, you’re awake,” Giuseppe said in a hushed voice.
“I’m going to have a shower,” Jack whispered.
“When you’re done, wake the others. I’ll start making breakfast.”
Minutes later Jack adjusted the hot-water heater to high and turned on the shower, but stood outside the stall for a moment to let the water warm.
The window behind the toilet was open a crack, so he opened it further to look out. The snow from last night hadn’t amounted to much more than a light covering. He watched Giuseppe refilling the generators as he thought, The Ringmaster should arrive today. What will happen then? Will I be trusted?
Steam was billowing out from the shower stall as he stepped inside. He was just closing the shower curtain when he saw headlights through the window. Someone was arriving. Did Giuseppe decide to have his brother-in-law bring the dogs?
A moment later Jack was rinsing shampoo out of his hair when the shower curtain was ripped open.
“You bastard!” Carina screamed. Her face was contorted with rage.
Jack’s mouth gaped open as he took the scene in, or tried to. Giuseppe stood behind Carina and someone else was behind him. Then he saw the pistol in Carina’s hand. Watched her raise it, as if in slow motion, and point it at his face, then pull the trigger.
* * *
The phone woke Laura from a sound sleep.
“There is a problem,” said Paolo sombrely. “My surveillance team discovered that Yakov’s Jeep is gone.”
“Maybe he decided to get an early start.” Laura glanced at the alarm clock on her bedside table. Not quite six.
“A very early start,” Paolo replied. “It rained last night for about an hour, starting at two. The spot where the Jeep was parked is wet. He had to have left before then.”
“You’re telling me he travelled all day yesterday, didn’t book into the hotel until almost midnight, then took off within two hours?”
“Yes. It does not seem right.”
“No kidding it’s not right!” Laura couldn’t hide her fear. “What happened?”
“I don’t know.”
“Something must have happened.”
“I called my men in Bianco and they are watching for the Jeep, but I think it would be past there already.”
“I’m calling Interpol to get whatever we can on Yakov. In the meantime, call the others and we’ll meet in Maurice’s room.”
“Will do,” said Paolo.
Laura hung up, then gave a start when the alarm clock rang. When
she set the alarm, she’d thought the clock was charming. It was silver with a large, circular face and had a small silver handle mounted on top. She didn’t view it as charming now. Has time run out for Jack? If not, how much time do I have to save him? Her hands fumbled in a failed attempt to shut off the alarm, and she didn’t succeed until she mashed the clock into her pillow. Then she reached for her phone.
Interpol in Ottawa listened to her urgent request for whatever details they could immediately get on Yakov Kadnikov.
“You work with Corporal Jack Taggart,” said the woman from Interpol.
“Yes. How did —”
“I’m Constable Jane Martin. I was on duty the night the French police officer tried to warn him.” Her voice trembled as she asked, “Is there anything you can tell me about how that is going? Have the French arrested anyone?”
“Not yet. The information I’m seeking is in regard to that. Jack is missing again and things aren’t looking good. Please get back to me as soon as you can.”
“It might take an hour or two,” Jane said. “I’ll do my best.”
At seven o’clock, Laura arrived at Maurice’s room at the same time as Paolo. Otto and Yves were already there, both grim-faced.
Maurice nervously scratched his moustache as he told how they’d gotten on the same elevator as Yakov and Carina when they left the hotel.
“You didn’t think to tell me about it?” said Laura angrily.
“They’ve never seen me before and Maurice kept his distance from Kerin the day he was killed,” Yves explained. “I don’t think the Russian leaving has anything to do with seeing us in the elevator.”
“Maybe they were leaving when you saw them,” Otto suggested.
“No, they weren’t wearing coats,” Yves said. “I saw them heading into the bar as we left.”
Laura looked at Paolo. “Do we know if Carina is still at the hotel?”