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Assuming they’re still alive, he thought, and not being dumped at sea, as the Nazis try to cover up the mass deaths from my Tabun cloud.
Nola considered that a moment, then said, “Not without going there.” He stared at Canidy. “What is this about?”
Canidy inhaled deeply, collected his thoughts, then exhaled.
“There was nerve gas on the ship—”
“Yes, I know,” Nola interrupted. “Which was why you blew it up.”
“But the professor we brought out—?”
“Professor Rossi,” Nola offered, his voice rising as it turned emotional. “Is he all right? Something happened to him on the submarine?”
“No, no,” Canidy said, shaking his head. “Listen to me, Frank.”
Nola stared at Canidy. He kept quiet, motioning for Canidy to continue.
“Rossi has explained to us that it is highly likely that the burning nerve gas from that ship created a cloud that caused mass deaths—anyone near the port, and possibly farther inland.”
Nola’s eyes grew wide and he quickly moved his hand from forehead to chest, making the sign of the cross over his body.
“Dear Holy Jesus,” he whispered.
Canidy nodded solemnly.
“Rossi did say that there was some small chance that it was only the fuel that burned and that the Tabun went to the harbor bottom—”
Nola’s eyebrows went up.
“But that’s the long shot,” Canidy finished.
Nola frowned.
After a moment, Canidy went on: “I have to find out exactly what has happened there. And I need to know what happened with you after we got on the submarine.”
Nola shook his head.
“I do not understand,” he said softly and slowly, clearly still in shock over the realization of the atrocity that a nerve gas cloud could cause.
“Where did you go,” Canidy said, “what did you see after the submarine left?”
Nola again shook his head.
Canidy sighed.
“Okay,” he said. “Did you go back into the port at Palermo?”
Nola shook his head.
“Did you sit and wait for the villa to blow?”
Nola shook his head.
“Jesus Christ, Frank!” Canidy flared. “You’ve got to help me here!”
Nola looked hurt.
“Sorry, Frank.”
