by Karen Moore
“I think I know where Luciano might be,” she said in an excited voice as she clambered back into the 4x4.
***
Roberto babbled into the police radio while Massimo accelerated out of the clearing, churning up a handful of stones that thudded against the bodywork. The momentum almost threw Hanna into Sergio’s lap. She righted herself to find Sergio staring at her, looking unconvinced.
“It’s still a bit of a long shot, Hanna. You might not be able to remember exactly where it leads to, or the way out may have grown over,” he said.
“But it’s worth checking out, isn’t it? And no-one else’s got any better ideas,” she responded, more certain than ever they would find Luciano there.
Long before she’d found out about his Mafia connections, she recalled him joking once that this would be his escape route if ever the Guardia di Finanza, the financial police, came calling. She’d wondered at the time why they might have reason to call, thinking of some obscure tax law violation, not realising the true extent of their remit.
“Vincenzo will leave some of his men at the house and the rest will follow us,” said Roberto. “How far away is it, do you reckon?”
“No more than a couple of kilometres, if we can find it okay,” Hanna replied.
They were approaching a junction with a small triangular island in the middle of the road and two possible exits.
“Which way now?” asked Roberto.
She peered out of the car window, unsure for a moment. Then she spotted a dark shape standing back from the road which she recognised as the remains of an old thatched shepherd’s hut, the roof almost completely caved in.
“Turn left,” she said in a firm voice. “If I remember correctly, the road should climb steeply in a series of bends until we reach a track on the right that leads through the woods. We’ll have to park up and go the rest of the way on foot, but it’s not far from there.”
Massimo was exhibiting signs of being a promising rally driver. He threw the 4x4 round the steep bends at incredible speed. They overshot the track and had to reverse, which he did at breakneck speed. Hanna was feeling sick again and was relieved when the car came to a stop.
Roberto was listening to the police radio through an earpiece now. “Vincenzo and the other men aren’t far behind. Let’s wait for them before we make a move.”
Sergio and Massimo nodded, while Hanna concentrated on the woods, trying to get her bearings. She was fairly confident they were on the right track, but the half-light made it difficult to be certain.
Outside, the morning air was cool and still, the only sound the chirping of birds enthusiastically welcoming the new day. The first shafts of light crept stealthily through the trees, creating long shadows like assassins lurking in wait. Hanna tried to shrug off the thought.
After a few minutes, they heard the rumble of vehicles approaching. Three police jeeps came into view and drew to a halt alongside their 4x4. Vincenzo and a dozen or so armed men jumped out, along with three police dogs. The dogs were a shaggy, long-haired breed that Hanna didn’t recognise. They were clearly excited and eager to get going, but stayed strangely silent. She wondered if they’d been specially trained that way.
“You sure we’re in the right place, Hanna?” Vincenzo asked.
Hanna nodded. “Absolutely.”
“OK, we’re in your hands, then. Lead the way.”
Vincenzo signalled to his men and passed her a powerful flashlight. Its beam quickly picked up a narrow track that disappeared through the undergrowth. Hanna set off, the dog handlers spread out by her side, the others following behind. Brambles clawed at her jeans as she passed, and partially-hidden boulders caused her to stumble. She pressed on, the others in close pursuit, scouring the undergrowth, praying the marker would still be there. Ten minutes or so later, it appeared in the beam of the flashlight, set back from the track: a small wooden cross, covered in pale green lichen, barely visible. Hanna felt a little bubble of joy.
She pushed her way through the tangle of low spiny bushes behind the cross, trying to ignore the stinging cuts from their thorns. She emerged in a small clearing and shone the flashlight along the ground.
“We’re here!” she yelled triumphantly. “We’ve found it!”
Chapter Fifty-Six
Vincenzo crashed through the bushes after her and peered into the gloom. “What is it? I can’t see anything.”
Hanna trained her flashlight along the ground. “There, you can’t miss it.”
The beam of light shone on a heavy wooden trapdoor, partially covered with leaves.
“It’s the entrance to a narrow passageway that eventually leads to the cellars under the house,” she said, breathing heavily after the short dash through the woods. “I’d completely forgotten about it until you pressed me.”
“We searched the cellars, but didn’t find any passageway,” said Vincenzo.
“It’s well hidden. Not quite sure what it was used for. Probably something secretive.”
Hanna remembered the time Luciano had once taken her down the passageway and pointed out the marker at the far side. He’d made that joke about it making a good escape route someday. She’d laughed at the time, thinking he meant an escape from her. How naïve she’d been.
Suddenly, one of the dogs bounded forward, ears alert, dragging his handler in tow. The other two dogs followed, springing ahead, noses to the ground. In the distance, a dark silhouette could be seen veering through the trees.
“Stay here with the girl,” Vincenzo barked at a couple of his men, ordering the rest to follow him. Sergio made to follow his father. “You, too.” Sergio made a face, but complied.
Hanna watched as Vincenzo set off with the others, thrashing through the undergrowth in the wake of the dog handlers. The police dogs were barking now, baying hounds hunting their prey. As they gained on the fleeing figure, she recognised Vincenzo’s voice shouting, “Fermati! Stop right there, or we’ll let the dogs loose!”
The figure seemed to pause momentarily before picking up pace and disappearing from sight.
More shouting, the voices increasingly frantic, the words muffled now as the police pressed forward in pursuit of the fugitive. A single shot rang out, echoing through the trees. Hanna flinched. Sergio leapt forward, shaking off the police officers who tried to restrain him, and headed in the direction of the shot. Hanna, filled with a nervous energy, couldn’t resist following him.
Then came a volley of shots, followed by more yelling, and a series of single shots in quick succession. After that, a blanket of eerie silence descended.
Hanna panted as she tried to keep up with Sergio, struggling through the dense undergrowth. The woods remained gloomy, even in daylight. Almost hostile, threatening to close in on her. Despite a sense of rising panic, she forced herself to concentrate on the silhouette ahead. Nearly there now.
An anguished howl pierced the air. Across an unexpected clearing, Sergio had come to a halt, his back towards her. She dashed to his side and followed his gaze. A lone figure was slumped against a tree trunk, head drooping onto his chest, eyes closed, one hand clutching his left shoulder. Blood oozed through his fingers, spreading a dark stain across his white shirt. An image of a wounded Ceri flashed through her mind.
“Porca miseria!” Sergio cried, his face ashen. “Christ, Dad, what happened? Speak to me!”
Vincenzo’s eyelids fluttered open for a second before closing again.
Hanna felt something cold and metallic press into the small of her back. An arm locked around her neck, followed by a hand clamping over her mouth. Next thing she knew she was being dragged backwards away from the clearing into the trees. She heard Sergio shout out in alarm, the sound muffled as if from far away.
Suddenly, her captor relinquished his grip and she felt herself falling. She hit the ground with a soft thud, and everything went black.
***
Hanna opened her eyes to find two blurry figures confronting each other, their voices raised, b
ut their words remaining indistinct. She felt muzzy, as if she’d taken a blow to the head. Maybe she had. The figures slowly came into focus: Sergio and Luciano. No sign of the others.
“Call them off. Now!” shouted Luciano.
“I can’t do that,” said Sergio. “I’m only a journalist. I have no power over the police.”
“You saw what happened to your wife, and now your father,” said Luciano with a sneer, grabbing Hanna by the arm and forcing her to her feet. “Do you want something similar for my soon-to-be ex-wife, too?”
Sergio looked shocked. “Leave Hanna alone. She’s got nothing to do with any of this.”
“Oh, no? Sheer coincidence, is it, that you managed to find me out here in the middle of nowhere?”
Hanna whimpered and winced at Luciano’s tight grip.
“The police tracked you down…” Sergio’s voice faltered.
“D’you mean the same police that didn’t even know I was living out here? Do me a favour!” Luciano cackled.
“I… err…” Sergio failed to find a suitable response.
Hanna wriggled and tried to break free of Luciano’s grasp. He clutched her by the hair and yanked her towards him, fumbling in his jacket pocket with his free hand as he did so. Hanna raked his chest with her nails and aimed a knee in the direction of his groin. Luciano yelled out in pain as she made contact, loosening his grip long enough for her, summoning all her strength, to push him away as hard as she could. The move must have surprised Luciano and he stumbled backwards, toppling over to land face down in a pool of water. He stayed there, unmoving. Sergio shouted a word of warning. Ignoring him, Hanna approached Luciano cautiously, watching for any sudden movement. Keeping her distance, she could see blood seeping from a wound on the side of his head.
Sergio pushed past her and felt for a pulse. “He’s still alive, but his pulse is weak. I’ll call an ambulance.”
Hanna glanced at Luciano’s prone body. A thought struck her: how easy it would be to leave him lying there face down in the water, unable to breathe. That would be a sure way to get rid of him for good. But was she capable? Did she have it in her to bring about the death of Eva’s father?
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Tempting though it was to let him perish, Hanna just couldn’t do it. How could she kill the father of her daughter, much as she hated him and everything he stood for? She’d never be able to live with herself if she did.
“Maybe we should leave the bastard to die,” said Sergio, catching her eye.
Hanna shivered. “I’d had the same thought myself. But that would make us as bad as him. I don’t think either of us would be capable of doing it.”
Sergio sighed. “I suppose you’re right. C’mon, then, give me a hand with him.”
Hanna nodded and together they gently rolled Luciano’s inert body onto his back. His eyes were closed. He looked peaceful. Harmless, even.
A rustling noise sounded in the trees. Two of the dogs sprang through the bushes, noses to the ground, and hurtled across to Luciano’s body. They circled it, sniffing suspiciously until their handlers appeared.
“He’s concussed,” Sergio explained in answer to their unspoken question. “My dad’s back there, wounded. The paramedics are on their way. Keep an eye on this guy while I go and check on my dad.”
The dog handlers nodded in agreement and tethered the dogs before handcuffing Luciano. Concussed or not, they weren’t taking any chances.
***
One of the paramedics, a short, stocky guy in his thirties carrying a medical kit, moved Sergio gently aside.
“Signore, don’t worry. Let us do our job.” He bent over and prised the blood-soaked cloth from Vincenzo’s hand to examine the wound. Opening his medical kit, he got to work.
Vincenzo groaned and opened his eyes. He made a brave attempt at a smile when he saw his son, and tried to talk. The paramedic dissuaded him in no uncertain terms. Sergio and Hanna stood by, watching helplessly.
“He will be okay, won’t he?” Sergio asked.
The paramedic turned his head. “He’s been lucky. It’s just a flesh wound. Looks worse than it is. He’ll be fine once we stem the bleeding.”
Sergio exhaled loudly. “Thank God for that.”
“But he’ll need to be hospitalised.” The paramedic called over his colleague and they lifted Vincenzo carefully onto a stretcher. “You’re his son, right?” Sergio nodded. “You can come with him in the ambulance.”
Sergio’s face brightened and he made to follow them. He looked back at Hanna and mouthed, “Will you be okay?”
She made a shooing gesture with her hands. “Course I will. Go!”
They moved off slowly through the trees, leaving Hanna alone with the unknown police officers. The second paramedic crew had gone to attend to Luciano. The men all looked deflated now that the chase was over. Hanna wondered idly how often they were involved in such ventures.
The oldest officer approached her. “We’re returning to our jeeps now,” he said.
“Fine, I’ll come with you.”
The officer nodded and indicated to the rest of the men that they were making a move. Hanna trudged after them, feeling exhausted now, her energy depleted.
A tired-looking Roberto was leaning on the car, waiting for her to return. His face brightened when she appeared. He laid his hand on her shoulder.
“Mission accomplished,” he said with a weary smile. “And it’s all down to you. If you hadn’t remembered that old passageway out of the house, Luciano would have got away, and we might never have caught him.”
Hanna felt a strange prickle down her spine.
“Just glad I could be of help,” she mumbled, with a swell of pride.
Game over. She’d done it.
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Hanna gazed out over the terracotta rooftops from the kitchen window of the Cefalù apartment, her mobile pressed to her ear.
“When are you coming home, Mummy? I miss you. You’ve been gone aaaages…”
Her heart ached at hearing her daughter’s voice, so clear that Eva could have been in the same room. Tears sprang to her eyes.
“Won’t be long now, sweetheart. Only a few more days…” How she longed to get back to her, back home, back to Rhys.
“Can we get an alcapa? Daddy said he’d talk to you about it when you got home.”
“Did he now? Well, we’ll see when I get back. Gotta go now. Love you.”
“Love you too, Mummy!”
Hanna smiled sadly and put the phone down with a sigh. It will all be over soon, she told herself. Back to normality. She felt restless, despite her initial elation following Luciano’s arrest. There was no real reason for her to remain here now that she’d helped the police track him down, but she felt duty-bound to stay on for a few more days until the police made all their arrests. She was helping Sergio’s sister, Lina, take care of Marta while Vincenzo was recovering in hospital. Ceri was making good physical progress, but she had been left badly shaken by the shooting.
Roberto had taken over the police investigation from Vincenzo and was finalising the arrangements for arresting the traffickers. Sergio was rarely home, busy preparing the media coverage for the forthcoming arrests.
Luciano, according to Roberto, was under police guard in a different hospital from Vincenzo. He had undergone a brain scan as a precautionary measure, and would need plastic surgery on his leg where it had been mauled by a police dog. But doctors predicted he would recover and be fit enough to stand trial.
Her phone rang, interrupting her thoughts. She picked it up to hear a familiar voice.
“Hanna, it’s Roberto. Come stai?” Without waiting for a response, he ploughed on at breakneck speed. “I’ve only got a minute. Just wanted to give you a quick update. First: your divorce is going through, and everything should be concluded in the next few days. Second: it turns out the fingerprint on the cufflink isn’t Luciano’s after all; it’s his brother Giulio’s. And we know from his phone re
cords that Giulio was the one who sent that threatening text to Ceri and Sergio.” He paused for breath. “And finally, the arrests are all set for Friday, both here and in Wales. Thought you’d want to know.”
Hanna was momentarily lost for words. It seemed incredible that everything was finally coming to a head. “That’s great news, Roberto. Thanks for letting me know. And thanks again for all your help.”
“It was nothing…” Someone shouted his name. “Gotta go, I’m afraid. Speak soon. Ciao.”
Hanna sank onto the nearest chair, her head churning as she tried to make sense of it, her body trembling. She wouldn’t be needed any more; she could now make plans to return home.
So, it looked as if Luciano hadn’t been responsible for shooting Ceri after all. Not directly, but he’d probably had a hand in organising it. The arrests would hopefully end in prosecution, and long prison sentences that would bring an end to the odious trafficking, particularly that of underage girls forced into prostitution.
And for her? The divorce meant she was finally free to move on. A buzz of sheer joy ran through her body at the prospect: a new beginning, free of fears from the past.
***
“So much has happened, hasn’t it?” Ceri said as she sipped her iced coffee.
Hanna nodded, and moved her chair under the parasol to avoid the glare of the late afternoon sun. They were sitting on the terrace of a small café overlooking the bay. Small fishing boats lay abandoned on the sandy beach, the sea glimmering in the sunlight. Children played in the shallows, watched by anxious mothers.