by Karen Moore
And her passport. She wondered how Eva could have been taken back to Sicily without it. Probably using fake documents or bypassing the authorities somehow.
Not forgetting Orsina; wherever she was, Eva would be missing her battered old teddy by now. Hanna’s eyes filled with tears again. She could only hope and pray that her precious little daughter wouldn’t be harmed in any way.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Sicily, Monday 27th November, 2017
Hanna looked out of the window as the plane started its descent through the wispy clouds towards Catania airport. She’d dozed off during the flight following a restless night with little sleep. But images of Eva had plagued her: Eva tied up, crying, hungry, hurt. A nightmare that didn’t disappear on waking. As if part of her had been cruelly torn away and her mind and body were mourning its loss.
Her thoughts drifted back to Rhys, the journey to Manchester airport, the stilted conversation, and their awkward goodbye. She had grown fond of him during her time in Wales, and the feeling seemed to be reciprocal. But the important thing now was getting Eva back without anyone getting hurt, whatever that entailed. Hanna shuddered at the thought.
Before long the sprawl of the city came into view, locked between the shimmering waters of the Mediterranean and the majestic snow-capped peak of Mount Etna, its white plume sharply etched against a perfect blue sky. She couldn’t help feeling impressed by the stunning sight despite the grim circumstances of her return to the island.
The pilot made a smooth landing and the plane taxied along the runway for a while before juddering to a halt. Passengers tussled with each other as they retrieved their hand luggage and scrambled to the exit. Hanna left them to it; she’d be off the plane soon enough and had the advantage of not having to retrieve any additional baggage.
But there was a queue at Passport Control. The checks seemed to be unusually methodical and the line edged forward slowly. When it came to her turn, the uniformed police officer glanced at the photo in her British passport before looking her up and down suspiciously. She was glad she’d left her passport in her maiden name so it couldn’t be connected to Luciano in any way.
“Reason for your visit, signora?” he asked gruffly.
“I’m visiting friends,” she answered nervously.
“Here in Catania?”
She wondered whether he’d ask for an address and replied, “No, in Cefalu.”
“How long do you intend to stay?”
“A couple of weeks.”
He stared at her again before handing her passport back and waving her through. “Va bene, signora. Buon soggiorno. Enjoy your stay.” He turned his attention to the elderly man waiting behind her.
“Grazie, buongiorno.” Hanna put her passport back in her handbag, grateful she didn’t have to face any in-depth questions, and made her way towards the exit. The arrivals hall thronged with people. She searched the crowd for Ceri and was about to give up when she heard a familiar voice calling her name.
“Hanna, I’m over here!” Ceri was stuck behind a group of noisy schoolchildren being reunited with their families. Hanna fought her way through the mayhem and flung her arms round her friend.
“Oh, Ceri, I’m so pleased to see you…” Being back in Sicily in such a situation and seeing her best friend again was just too much for Hanna, and the tears streamed down her cheeks as the two women hugged each other. “I’m so worried. I can’t let them harm Eva, I just can’t…
“Come on, let’s get away from here,” said Ceri, steering her towards the exit. “Sergio’s waiting outside in the car. We can talk on the way home, unless you’re hungry or want to get a coffee first?”
Hanna shook her head. “I had a bite to eat on the plane, thanks. I just need to work out how to get Eva back. Can’t think of anything else right now.”
“That’s understandable,” Ceri said, leading the way towards the exit. Sergio was waiting nearby at the wheel of his Fiat 500 in a space reserved for emergency vehicles. He got out of the car as he saw them approach and hugged Hanna warmly.
“Come stai, cara? I can’t believe that Luciano would stoop so low as to snatch Eva from you.”
“Me neither, but I guess he’s got a lot to lose…” Hanna said, slipping effortlessly back into Italian.
Sergio opened the car boot and put Hanna’s cabin bag inside.
“I have to get Eva back if it’s the last thing I do…”
“Obviously, and we’ll do everything we can to help you,” said Sergio as he got in the driver’s seat with Ceri next to him, and Hanna settling in the back. “It’s a bit of a drive to Cefalu so there’s plenty of time to discuss our options. I’ve put out feelers among my contacts but nothing’s come back as yet. However, it’s only early days.”
A chill spread over Hanna. “Surely you’d have heard something by now?” she asked, trying to mask the desperation in her voice.
Sergio revved the car up and accelerated into the busy airport traffic. “These things can take time. It’s not unusual in such cases. And people are often reluctant to talk…”
“You make it sound as if it happens often,” Ceri said, flashing Sergio an angry glance.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound unsympathetic, but you’d be amazed. All sorts of stuff happens here that never sees the light of day.”
Is he trying to tell me that our efforts will prove useless? Hanna thought in alarm.
“That’s not making Hanna feel any better,” Ceri responded crossly. She must have sensed Hanna’s reaction.
Hanna fought back the urge to burst into tears again and asked quietly, “So what are the chances of getting Eva back?”
“I guess it depends what happens,” Sergio answered. They were crawling through the traffic on the ring road now. “And whether you’re prepared to give up the information you have and not do anything about it.”
“I’d do anything to get Eva back,” Hanna said softly, her eyes brimming with tears again. “I just want her to be safe and for us to have a normal life again, if that’s possible, away from danger and threats.”
Sergio shot her a look in the rear view mirror as if if to say You must be kidding, given what Luciano’s up to.
They fell silent as Sergio joined the slip road heading for the A19 motorway. The outskirts flashed past, fleeting images that Hanna hardly noticed.
“So, what do we do? Just sit tight until they contact us again?” she asked, shifting nervously in the back seat.
Sergio turned his head slightly towards her. “I don’t think it’ll be long before they do. They’ll want to resolve this as soon as possible. There’ll no doubt be a rendezvous where you can hand over the information and get Eva back. We just have to wait. We may get some leads in the meantime. I guess the main decision is whether you’re prepared to hand over the information in exchange for Eva, or whether you still want to bring Luciano and his family to justice and put an end to their people-trafficking.”
He paused, waiting for Hanna’s response.
“Realistically, what are the odds of doing both? How dangerous would it be? I don’t want anyone getting hurt in the process.”
Sergio exhaled loudly in frustration. “Hanna, cara, this isn’t a game – these are hard-nosed criminals we’re dealing with, who stand to lose their business interests and their status in the local community. It’s bad enough that you disappeared with Eva in the first place, but to threaten the business—”
Ceri jumped to Hanna’s defence. “That may be, but it’s not really helping Hanna’s state of mind, is it? She was just protecting both of them after the… the… threat. What else was she supposed to do?”
Sergio shrugged. “Go to the authorities, maybe?”
Ceri laughed bitterly. “Yeah, right. Here in Sicily where the authorities are often more corrupt than ordinary people. Great idea.”
“But we have to fight back,” Sergio insisted. “And attitudes are changing. People are challenging the old traditions. Some businesses have stoppe
d paying protection money to the mafia. We have to start somewhere.”
“Not necessarily with me when my daughter’s life is being threatened,” Hanna said, flashing an angry look at Sergio.
“Sorry, Hanna, you know we’ll do everything we can to support you and get Eva back safe and sound.” Sergio shrugged his shoulders again, this time by way of apology.
“It’s a difficult time for everyone,” Ceri intervened. “But Hanna has a point. Just what are the chances of being able to turn Luciano and his family in once we get Eva back?”
If we get Eva back, thought Hanna, noting that the conversation was steering clear of the possibility that this might not happen. The thought made her feel ever more despondent. Hunched in the back seat, she let her mind wander, thinking about what might happen.
Ceri and Sergio fell silent, as if they’d run out of ways to pacify her. The truth was that they were all in the hands of whoever had snatched Eva. A feeling of helplessness surged through Hanna. The situation was totally out of their control.
After a while she began to feel drowsy from the warmth of the car and her lack of sleep the previous night. Her eyelids drooped as she struggled to stay awake. She must have dozed off ,for when she opened her eyes again it was dark and they were approaching the outskirts of Cefalu. As Sergio turned into the road where he now shared the apartment with Ceri, Hanna’s mobile phone buzzed.
She snatched it from her bag. The kidnappers. Her hands trembled as she read the text:
Welcome back, Hanna. Eva is missing you. Don’t alert the authorities if you want to see her again. We will send further instructions tomorrow. Buonanotte.
Hanna stared at the brightly lit screen of her phone, feeling increasingly nauseous. They must be watching her movements closely, maybe even right now. She glanced around instinctively, aware of her growing paranoia. They wouldn’t dare get that close, or would they? But one thing was certain: whatever this was, it seemed personal.
Chapter Thirty
Sicily, Monday 27th – Tuesday 28th November, 2017
Back at the apartment in Cefalu, Hanna continued to dwell on the situation over dinner later that evening. She was feeling drained as the full force of the last twenty hours started to hit her. Her head ached and she shifted uncomfortably in her chair. All the talking was getting them nowhere. It seemed pointless even to talk about the situation, in a way. There was little more they could do for the moment. Eva’s fate lay in the kidnappers’ hands. They would just have to wait for their next move, however distressing this proved to be
A brief lull in the conversation gave Hanna the chance tomake her excuses and retreat to the guest room. She undressed quickly and slipped between the cool sheets. Tired though she was, sleep proved elusive, her mind churning, images flashing through her head like sequences in a film: Eva tied up, crying, calling out to her. Eventually fatigue overcame Hanna and she managed to drift off into a troubled sleep.
It was no real surprise when she woke with a start in the middle of the night. She sat bolt upright in bed, covered in a cold sweat, struggling to get her breath in the stuffy little bedroom. It must be hell here in the stifling Sicilian summers without air-con, she thought.
She padded across to the window, the stone floor cold on her bare feet. Opening it a fraction, she gasped as the sharp night air rushed in. There was a faint sound, an agitated voice talking in hushed tones. Through the window, Hanna could see Sergio out on the balcony adjoining his bedroom next door-but-one to hers. He was silhouetted against the streetlights, his mobile pressed to his ear. She strained to hear the words but they came fast, in a thick, gutteral dialect that would have been impossible to decipher even if she’d been able to hear properly. As it was, she only caught the odd word, not enough for her to guess the nature of the conversation.
Probably to do with work, she thought. Nevertheless, she felt uneasy. After a few minutes, Sergio disappeared from view and the apartment fell silent again. Hanna glanced at the luminous figures on the bedside clock: 3.22am. Surely, it couldn’t be work, or could it? Journalists probably get tip-offs at all hours, she tried to reassure herself. But the doubt continued to gnaw away long after she returned to bed.
By the time Hanna rose shortly after 7am the following morning, there was no sign of Sergio. Ceri was already busying herself in the kitchen, clattering pans and dishes as she put them away. She must have sensed Hanna’s presence and turned around, with a forced smile.
“Hi, there. Did you manage to get any sleep?”
Hanna shrugged. “Not much.”
“Coffee?”
“Please. Is everything okay? You seem a bit upset.”
“I’m a bit annoyed that Sergio’s had to go off on some urgent job, today of all days. Talk about timing!”
“Well, we can’t do much anyway until the kidnappers make contact again. He may as well be doing something useful rather than hanging around here.”
Ceri came over and wrapped her arms around Hanna. “You’re right, of course. Just wish it was all over, with Eva back safely. You’re being so brave…”
Tears pricked at Hanna’s eyes as she rested her head against Ceri’s shoulder. “Not really,” she said. “I just want Eva back. It sounds selfish but I don’t care about anything else at the minute, not the memory stick or the people trafficking…”
Ceri stroked Hanna’s hair soothingly. “I’m sure it’ll all be over in next to no time once they get what they need. You’ll see.”
“Just hope you’re right,” said Hanna, sighing deeply, and freeing herself from Ceri’s embrace before her emotions got the better of her.
The espresso pot on the stove gurgled as the water bubbled up through the coffee. Ceri poured the contents into two cups and handed one to Hanna. She waited while it cooled a little, then downed it in one go. The shot of caffeine was just what she needed to help her face the day ahead. God knows what it would bring.
Her thoughts started to wander again, interrupted by a cheery Italian pop song: the ring tone on Ceri’s mobile phone. Ceri answered, saying little but listening intently.
“Sei sicuro?” she asked finally. Hanna couldn’t hear the conversation but imagined that it was Sergio calling. She was right.
“That was Sergio,” Ceri explained when she ended the call. “He’s on his way home. He needs to see what’s on the memory stick. Apparently, this story’s much wider than the transport arrangements for the people trafficking, as if that wasn’t bad enough. Even the immigrant centres are part of the racket, it turns out. It seems to have become a real industry, with stacks of money being made by those involved.”
Hanna recalled how her suspicions about Luciano had deepened. He’d left his laptop open to take a call in the next room. Glancing casually at the screen, Hanna had noticed a list of payments for “imports”, some from humanitarian organisations. She was curious about the large amounts involved and why they should relate to imports. What could that possibly have to do with the wine business? she’d wondered, but was loath to broach the subject with Luciano in case he thought she was prying.
She shuddered now. “Does that make it better or worse for Eva?”
“That’s what Sergio’s trying to get to grips with. If it’s as big as he thinks, it’s not only Luciano and his family who’ve got a lot to lose.”
“I sense there’s something you’re not telling me.”
“It’s just that…” Ceri hesitated. “Well, it might not even be Luciano behind the kidnapping.”
Hanna went cold as the implications of this struck her.
“Christ, I’d not even thought of that. If it’s someone else, they won’t care about harming Eva or keeping her alive. It doesn’t bear thinking about…”
“We just don’t know, which is why we need to see exactly what’s on the memory stick. Didn’t you say that you’d not looked at the files since copying them from Luciano’s computer?”
“Well, I opened the first few and it seemed to be all about the trafficking arr
angements and how they worked. That was bad enough. Then shortly afterwards the silver bullets were delivered. I didn’t want to see or hear any more at the time, I just wanted to get out of there.”
“That’s understandable, but we need to look at the contents now if we’re to get Eva back safely. Sergio’s coming straight over to go through them and—”
Her words faded as the shrill ring of Hanna’s mobile cut through the air.
Chapter Thirty-One
Sicily, Tuesday 28th November, 2017
Before Hanna could answer, the phone went dead. She gazed at the blank screen in dismay, thinking that she’d missed contact with the kidnappers. But a text alert followed straight after. She opened the message with trembling hands. It was them, with instructions for the memory stick drop-off.
On Thursday morning, take the SS285 turn-off for Caccamo from the E90. Shortly before Caccamo, take a sharp right towards Lake Scalzano and follow the road until it becomes a dirt track. Leave the car and continue on foot. Come alone. After about 500m, you’ll find the hollow stump of an old chestnut tree. Leave the memory stick inside the stump and text back when it’s in place. Don’t contact the police. Don’t try and trace this phone. We’ll send instructions of where to find Eva later once we’ve verified the content.
Reading the message, Hanna’s eyes filled with tears and a sob caught in her throat. Thursday, the day after tomorrow. They had until then to work out some sort of plan. But even then it wouldn’t be over; they’d still have to wait to get Eva back. And even then, there were no guarantees. She wondered how the kidnappers knew about the memory stick
