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So I drenched my clothes in hot water, then wrung them out as much as possible before I put them back on. Everything felt cold again within minutes, but I had no choice unless I wanted to go naked.
Once dressed, I walked outside and started limping down the muddy road towards town. The one thing I took from the cabin was a poncho I’d found. At least it kept the drizzling rain from soaking me to the bone again.
I thought about trying to find the property where Lucia and I had killed Aurelio’s men. The cabin would have my cell phone and all the dry clothes I’d left behind – if the police hadn’t found the two dead bodies and confiscated everything as evidence.
However, if I went back to my cabin – the place where Lucia and I had spent the first night – I could retrieve the car I’d stolen from Treporti. And I had plenty of dry clothes at my place, too.
But considering I had no idea where I was at the moment, looking for either of those places would have been like searching for a needle in a haystack.
At least if I kept going down this road, I knew I would eventually reach Padola.
Which I did. After two hours of stumbling along in the dark and nearly freezing to death again, I finally reached town.
It was dark – probably about 2 or 3 in the morning – and nothing was open.
So I went to the phone booth I’d originally called Niccolo from.
I knew it was bugged, but I didn’t give a shit.
In fact, I wanted Zollner to overhear the conversation.
I wanted Aurelio to know I was coming for him.
I still had some change in my pocket, along with a wad of soaking-wet bills, so I dropped some coins into the phone and dialed.
The phone rang five times before Niccolo answered. His voice was a mixture of sleepiness and alarm.
“What’s wrong?”
“Aurelio sent a professional. He got Lucia.”
“Shit. Are you alright?”
“I’m alive.”
“Are you injured?”
“Banged up a bit, but I’ll be fine.”
“Lars isn’t here yet – he’s arriving in another four or five hours – ”
“I know. I want you to let him know he shouldn’t come to Padola. He should meet me somewhere else.”
“Where?”
“I’ll call from the road and let you know. This phone is bugged.”
There was a pause on the other end.
“Then what the hell are you doing CALLING from it, then?!”
“I want Zollner to know that I’m going to fuckin’ kill him,” I snarled. “Do you hear that, Friedrich? You’re going to die a very slow and painful death.”
Niccolo sounded confused. “Let me get this straight – right now, you’re basically sending a MESSAGE to the man who took Lucia.”
“Correct.”
“‘A slow and painful death’ – that’s making it personal.”
