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I analyzed the situation. There were two police cruisers, one on either side of the road, and two officers – one checking the traffic coming to Lake Como, the other checking the cars heading back towards Milan.
The third car was let through, and I moved up some more.
One vehicle left before I reached the cops.
The policemen were about my age. They seemed to be bored as they talked to the drivers. They weren’t paying much attention.
The cop on my side of the road waved the last car through, and I rolled down the window as I pulled up next to him.
“Hello,” I said in English as I held out my passport.
He narrowed his eyes as he said, “Metti la macchina nel parcheggio.”
I had no idea what he was saying.
“Um… parla inglese?” I asked, trying to ask if he spoke English. I had probably butchered the phrase horribly.
“No,” he snapped and pointed at the steering wheel. “Parcheggia la macchina – PARCHEGGIA LA MACHINA – ”
I finally realized what he meant and put the car into park.
“Scusi,” I said.
“I tuoi documenti,” he said as he held out his hand.
‘Documenti’ was easy enough: documents.
I handed him my passport, license, and registration.
He only took the passport and flipped it open. His eyes suddenly widened, then flitted up to my face and back down to the picture.
Shit.
I knew a look of suspicion when I saw it.
His right hand flew to his holster, and he pulled his pistol and pointed it at my face.
“Spegni il motore e scendi dall’auto!”
SHIT –
He was too far away for me to grab the gun. And if I moved too quickly, I might startle him and get shot in the head.
My mind raced.
Did someone double-cross me?!
Did van der Linden get tipped off I was coming?!
“SPEGNI IL MOTORE E SCENDI DALL’AUTO!” the cop roared.
Auto – the car – he wants me to get out of the car?
The second cop on the far side of the road looked at us in alarm, then pulled his gun and ran over.
I put my hands up slowly in the air as I said, “I don’t know what you’re saying – ”
“OUT!” he screamed in heavily accented English. “OUT!”
