by Karen Moore
Hanna wondered briefly how her leg would hold up, but she nodded, determined to see this through. She checked her phone. It was shortly after 2.30pm, enough time as long as she didn’t get lost. “At least the mobile reception is good. I’ll call if there are any problems.”
Sergio marked the route on the map and took a photo of it on both his own phone and Hanna’s.
“Should be quicker and easier this way,” he explained. “Focus on finding the farmhouse. Forget about me following you. Don’t look back. If you get into any difficulty, call me. I won’t be far behind. Ceri, turn the car round so we can make a quick getaway.”
It was Ceri’s turn to nod.
“Hanna, you go on ahead. I’ll follow in a few minutes. Will you be okay?”
Hanna swallowed nervously. Her leg had started to twinge in protest. “Hope so.”
“See you back at the car with Eva. Any delays or problems, let us know.”
Hanna took the bottle of water from her backpack and had a swift swig. She took a deep breath in an attempt to calm her nerves and her racing heart. “Fine, wish me luck,” she said, getting out of the car.
“In bocca al lupo,” said Sergio, getting out the other side.
An unfortunate choice of words, thought Hanna. Although the expression translated as “good luck”, it literally meant “into the wolf’s mouth”. She hoped that wasn’t where she was heading.
Hanna circumvented the tree trunk blocking the road, and continued up the stony track. She was trembling and unsteady on her feet, unsure of what lay ahead. Soon she left the car behind, the track veering off sharply to the right. There was no sign of any buildings, just clumps of trees dotted across the hillside, but according to the map she still had some way to go. The track continued to rise and Hanna struggled to watch her step, follow the map, and keep a lookout for the farmhouse at the same time.
Dark clouds gathered above, masking the sun, and the wind brought a chill to the air. Hanna shivered and speeded up. She checked her watch. 2.42pm. She’d been walking for ten minutes already. The farmhouse shouldn’t be far away now. She checked the map on her phone which confirmed this, showing its location to be just over the brow of the hill. With a renewed spurt of energy, she set off again. Sure enough, an old stone farmhouse came into view. Not what she was expecting. It was a ruin; the exterior walls were still standing but the doors and windows had long gone, the roof caved in. Was this the right place?
She looked around wildly, then back at the map. There was nothing else for miles around, and they had followed the GPS co-ordinates to the letter. It must be here.
Hanna approached the ruined farmhouse cautiously. It was quiet, no sign of the kidnappers or of Eva. Maybe they were waiting for her to arrive and then bring Eva to her. Maybe they’d approach from a different direction. She glanced round. There was no sign of Sergio either. Something seemed wrong.
She stepped gingerly through the gap in the wall where the front door had once stood. Inside, it was dark and gloomy, filled with an acrid stench of animal droppings. Collapsed beams leant across the stone walls at various angles. A couple of rickety chairs were placed at a scarred table, as if for a meeting. This struck Hanna as being odd and out of place with the rest. She had a horrible sinking feeling in her stomach. The screen on her mobile told her it was 2.55pm. All she could do was wait.
Hanna’s nerves were in shreds. She perched on one of the rickety chairs, the light fading rapidly in the gloomy, ruined farmhouse. It was eerily quiet. No-one had appeared – not the kidnappers, not Eva. She wondered how long she should wait. Had something gone wrong? Had they found Sergio? She didn’t know whether to call him or not. It was 3.20pm. Maybe they’d been delayed. There was still time. She’d wait another ten minutes, then text him.
The gaping hole in the roof revealed a leaden sky, a brisk wind howling around the old stone walls of the ruin. Hanna drummed her fingers on the table. A palpable sense of fear hung over her, her mouth dry and sour-tasting. Any hope of being reunited with Eva was dwindling fast. 3.35pm. It wasn’t going to happen.
She sent Sergio a text asking how much longer she should stay. He responded immediately, saying that she should give it until 4pm before leaving, adding that he hadn’t seen anyone in the vicinity from where he was watching the farmhouse a short distance away. At least she wasn’t totally alone. Another twenty-five minutes to kill.
The minutes ticked by. Still nothing from the kidnappers. No appearance, no text. The sky had turned inky black, a faint rumble of thunder in the distance signalling an approaching storm. Soon the first raindrops started falling. Still no sign.
Hanna heaved a deep sigh, all her hopes dashed. What had gone wrong? She waited until shortly after 4pm before she alerted Sergio that she was leaving. He confirmed yet again that there was no sign of life outside.
She used the torch on her phone to pick her way across the rubble to reach the doorway. She was just about to leave the farmhouse when from the corner of her eye she noticed something glinting. There, by the side of the doorway, hanging from a rusty nail was a length of coarse string.
Attached to the string were three silver bullets.
Chapter Forty-One
Sicily, Sunday 3rd December, 2017
Hanna stumbled out through the doorway of the farmhouse, her eyes thick with tears. Sergio emerged from his hiding place in the ruins of a nearby outbuilding and ran over to her. She was so overcome with sobs that she could hardly move.
“What the hell’s happened, Hanna? Are you okay?”
Hanna opened her mouth to speak, but the words wouldn’t come. Her whole world had become a blur, seen through a veil of tears. Why the bullets again? Had they harmed Eva, or was it just another sick threat?
“C’mon, let’s get back to the car. We can talk about it later once we’re away from here.” Sergio put his arm around her and guided her away from the farmhouse, back towards the car.
As Hanna gradually calmed down, they were able to move more quickly despite the driving rain. Sergio remained vigilant, constantly checking their surroundings for any sign of the kidnappers. He sent a quick alert to let Ceri know they were on their way back, and she was waiting for them with the engine running. They piled gratefully into the car, water dripping from their clothes and hair. Ceri looked at them questioningly but said nothing as she put the car into gear, scattering stones as she accelerated away.
The rain was relentless now, the downpour dislodging boulders and depositing broken branches along the track ahead. Potholes sprang up in places that hadn’t been there on the way up. Ceri struggled to manoeuvre the car around all the obstacles and seemed relieved when Sergio offered to take over the driving. They swapped places and started off again. Hanna sat in the back seat, chilled and trembling, her mind awash with thoughts of Eva and what might have happened to her.
The storm raged around them, now in full force, with flashes of forked lightning and claps of thunder at regular intervals. The track was fast turning into a torrent, and Sergio was struggling to control the car in the extreme conditions. No-one spoke. The storm only started to ease once they arrived back at the coast, although the driving rain persisted.
Hanna could tell that they were all relieved; the atmosphere lifted in the car as they exhanged nervous smiles, glad to have made it back safely. She felt sick, partly from the journey through the ferocious storm, but mostly because of her experience at the farmhouse. What had gone wrong? she wondered. Why were they toying with her like a mouse at the mercy of a cat? These thoughts continued to torment her back at the apartment as she peeled off her wet clothes and took a hot shower.
After about twenty minutes and a change of clothes, all three gathered around the kitchen table. Ceri had made hot chocolate and toasted smoked provolone cheese and mortadella sandwiches. For Hanna, the food provided some comfort despite everything she’d just been through. She took a sip of her hot chocolate and winced as it scalded her tongue.
“So, what the hell happe
ned, Hanna?” Sergio asked, through a mouthful of sandwich.
“Well, I got there in good time time but the farmhouse was deserted. As you know, I waited a full hour in case they’d been delayed, but nothing. No Eva, no message, nothing,” Hanna’s eyes started to brim with tears again. “Then, just as I was leaving, I noticed something glinting on the inside of the doorway. Three silver bullets. Just like before. They must have been left hanging there deliberately, in a place where I couldn’t fail to see them on my way out.”
Ceri’s hand flew to her mouth in dismay. “Oh my God! And still you didn’t see anyone?”
Hanna shook her head. “It can’t be Luciano behind this, can it? It must be someone else. But who? And why haven’t they returned Eva? We’ve given them what they asked for.”
“Beats me,” said Sergio. “But whatever it is, I think we need help to resolve it, and quickly. It’s too big to be tackling it on our own now. You’ve had two death threats, for God’s sake.”
Hanna studied Sergio’s face. “You mean it’s too dangerous?”
“It just seems too…” he struggled to find the right word, “…involved. We need to secure Eva’s release and make sure no-one gets hurt in the process.”
“But what can we do?” Ceri asked.
“Well… I’ve been thinking. What I could do is discuss this with my father and see what he advises. It would be on a personal level and confidential, not as part of a formal police investigation at this stage.” He looked nervously at Hanna, as if unsure of how she would respond to his suggestion.
“You might be right. Let me think about it,” she said, feeling more open to police involvement given what had just happened. Desperate measures were needed now.
“Don’t take long about it – we need to act quickly. The kidnappers could be back in touch at any time with further demands.”
“But we’ve got nothing else to offer them,” said Hanna, frowning. “What more could they possibly want?”
“That, we don’t know. I just think we need to be fully prepared, that’s all,” he replied resolutely.
“Sergio’s right,” said Ceri. “Especially with the recent increase in feuding that’s in the news. We really don’t know what we’re up against, or what’s going on behind the scenes.”
Hanna felt a hot stab of anger rush through her. Why was this happening? She’d never done anything to harm anyone. But she had to admit that both Sergio and Ceri had a point and they were taking risks, too. What if—
A text alert. Hanna grabbed her phone. A message from the kidnappers:
Don’t fuck with us. Not all the information was on the memory stick. Some files encrypted. Try again if you want Eva back. Wait for further instructions.
“OK,” she said quietly, putting the phone on the table so Sergio and Ceri could read the message. “Let’s do it. Let’s talk to your father.”
Chapter Forty-Two
Sicily, Sunday 3rd – Monday 4th December, 2017
Sergio called his father straight away and arranged to go over to his parents’ house that evening. At first, Hanna had insisted on going, too, but Sergio managed to persuade her that they’d be able to talk more frankly without her. He pointed out that she was in no fit state for the journey, let alone the discussion. She felt completely drained, physically as well as emotionally, and accepted that she’d be better staying behind with Ceri.
Once left on their own, all conversation soon dried up. There was nothing new, not until Sergio had spoken to his father. Ceri switched on the television news – the usual reports of global disasters before turning to those closer to home. More arrests in Sicily in the run-up to the local elections amid allegations of corruption linked to the migrant centres across the island. Aid had not been reaching the needy and was being siphoned off. They watched in silence until Ceri switched it off.
“D’you think Sergio’ll be much longer?” asked Hanna.
“It’ll probably be late before he’s back, I would think. No point you waiting up. You must be exhausted. You need some sleep,” said Ceri. “If there’s anything urgent, I can always wake you but it’s unlikely there’ll be anything that won’t wait until tomorrow. We can talk in the morning.”
“You’re probably right,” said Hanna reluctantly, trying to stifle a yawn. “You will wake me if anything happens?”
“Of course I will. Try and get some rest.”
“Okay. See you in the morning then.”
When Hanna woke the next morning, the first thing she did was reach for her phone yet again. She’d barely slept and had been constantly checking the mobile throughout the night. The only message that had come through was from Rhys, asking how things had gone.
She got up and went into the empty kitchen. As she started to make coffee, Ceri appeared in a dressing gown, her hair dishevelled, looking as if she’d just woken up and was struggling to cope with the new day. There was no sign of Sergio.
“Morning,” Ceri mumbled. “You okay? Any news from the kidnappers?”
“Nothing as yet. Rhys has been in touch, asking about yesterday. I’ll call him in a minute and let him know what’s happened. How did Sergio get on last night with his father?”
“I don’t really know. It got late at his parents’ place and he decided to stay over. He should be back anytime now, so we’ll soon find out. Let’s have some coffee before we do anything else.”
“I was just making some,” said Hanna. She finished filling the coffee pot with water and put it on the stove.
Just as the pot started to gurgle, Ceri’s phone rang and a message alert sounded on Hanna’s at exactly the same time. Vaguely aware of Ceri’s voice in the background, Hanna grabbed her phone and opened the message. It was the kidnappers again:
Make sure all the information is on the memory stick this time. Same drop-off as before – the old tree stump near Lake Scalzano outside Caccamo. Tomorrow morning. No tricks. Don’t fuck up or you’ll never see Eva again.
She collapsed onto a chair, feeling as if the blood was draining from all her vital organs.
Ceri was just finishing her call. “That was Sergio,” she explained. “He’s dropped the memory stick off with Pietro so he can have another stab at decrypting the remaining files. He should be back here in about 15-20 minutes or so…” Her voice trailed off. “Hanna, what’s happened?”
“The kidnappers. They want the information by tomorrow morning. Christ, Pietro better be able to do it in time. What if he can’t? We can’t afford any problems, otherwise we’re in big trouble. Did Sergio say anything about the discussion with this father?”
“Only that they’ve got a plan which he’ll talk to us about when he gets back,” said Ceri, pouring milk into two cups of coffee and handing one to Hanna. “I’m going to get dressed quickly.”
“Yes, I’ll do the same,” muttered Hanna, taking her coffee back to the bedroom.
When will this nightmare end? she wondered, her heart racing and her head starting to throb again.
True to his word, Sergio arrived back at the apartment shortly after nine. Sitting around the kitchen table, Hanna told him about the latest message from the kidnappers.
“That seems straightforward enough, as long as they don’t pull any tricks,” he commented.
“So, what did your father have to say?” asked Hanna impatiently.
“Well, predictably enough, his view is that we were mad to contemplate tackling this on our own, especially with a child involved,” said Sergio, “even if we thought it was just a family issue. There’s too much at stake – this is organised crime we’re talking about, not some petty street thugs. You’ve heard about the surge in criminal activity and the recent arrests. Apparently even figures of authority are involved. You’ll remember that my father was arrested at one stage, although it turned out to be a case of mistaken identity. There’s a lot of police undercover work going on and further arrests are likely.
“His advice is not to take any more chances and get police back-up
for any future drop-offs or meetings. He can keep the whole thing low-key and confined to a few trusty colleagues rather than turning it into a formal investigation. Seems like a reasonable plan to me. What d’you reckon?”
“It makes sense,” said Hanna slowly, as she turned it over in her mind, trying to put her emotions aside for a moment. “At least we’ll have back-up which should help. Did he say anything about our chances of getting Eva back safely?”
“Not really. He didn’t want to speculate and give us false hope.”
“So we’re agreed that we shouldn’t try to tackle this on our own from now on?” Ceri asked.
A murmur of assent rippled around the table. Hanna was still unsure about the idea of police involvement but she kept this to herself. At least the police could offer a safety net. The thought gave her a greater sense of hope, but it wasn’t without its risks.
“Good, that’s settled then,” said Sergio, reaching for his phone. “My father and his colleagues are on standby for the next drop. I’ll let them know it’s tomorrow morning. Pietro, too. I’ve left him working on the files. He’ll be in touch later to let me know how it’s going. All we can do now is wait.”
Hanna’s heart plummeted. She was so weary of waiting, especially when the outcome never amounted to anything positive. She clung desperately to the belief that this time they would have more success.
Chapter Forty-Three
Sicily, Monday 4th December, 2017
Patience had never been one of Hanna’s virtues, and the waiting around, along with the feeling of helplessness and fear that Eva might be harmed in some way, were almost too much for her to bear. She tried to while away the time by flicking through a number of magazines, blind to their contents, her mind churning. What if Pietro had no joy with the memory stick and couldn’t retrieve all the files? What would happen to Eva then? It was too awful to contemplate. Would the police be able to intervene?