Chapter 37
Sharon had never been across to Murano, before. Within five minutes of arriving on the northern island, she hoped she never would again. Even by Venetian standards, Murano was run-down.
To make things worse, it soon became apparent that Billy Trumble didn’t really know his way around the island. He’d set off confidently enough, once they’d disembarked. But after guiding them through part of the island’s maze of alleyways—as often as not, just spaces between artisan shops, kilns and dwellings—he more or less drifted to a halt. Then, took off his cap and started scratching his head.
“Lost?” Sharon asked.
“Not exactly, ma’am.” Billy pointed to his right with the cap. “I know it’s off that way—not even too far from here. The problem is that I don’t know how to get there.”
Sharon immediately provided the logical solution. “Let’s ask somebody.”
Billy and Ruy immediately bestowed upon her the inevitable frown.
Sharon sniffed. “I guess some things remain constant, one universe to another. I’d still like to know the evolutionary logic of males being hard-wired never to ask for directions.”
Billy smiled crookedly. “I don’t think it’s really that, ma’am. Just, you know, a guy thing.”
Sharon snorted. “Yeah, that’s my father said when I asked him. He claims it’s too deeply rooted in our culture to do about anything it. He might be right. Why else would it have taken that doofus Ulysses ten years to get home? If he’d just asked for directions . . .”
Fortunately, the directions stumbled upon them. An urchin came around the corner, paying the usual urchin attention to his surroundings, and just barely kept from bumping into Sanchez. A bit apprehensive, the boy backed up a couple of steps.
“Hey, I know this kid,” exclaimed Billy. He looked more closely, stooping a bit. “Name ends with an ‘o.’ ”
Sharon rolled her eyes. “Billy, in Italy that’s not exactly a big help.”
The urchin came to the rescue. To Sharon’s surprise, he understood English. “Benito,” he pronounced. He craned his neck up at Billy. “You are one of the American soldiers, yes? I remember you.”
“Yeah, that’s me. We’re looking for the Marcolis. I can’t remember how to get there.”
The urchin looked woebegone. “They left. All gone. Yesterday.”
Sharon felt herself stiffen. “Gone? Where?”
Benito shrugged. “I’m not sure. I think they went to Rome. I heard them talking about it, anyway.”
Sharon and Ruy and Billy exchanged meaningful glances. Meaningless glances, it might be better to say. The kind of looks people give each other who are utterly bewildered.
“Rome?” Billy almost choked. “Why the hell would they go to Rome? That’s—that’s—” He groped in the air. “That hundreds of miles away. It’d take them weeks, unless they could afford the best carriage.”
Benito shrugged again. “I don’t know. I think maybe they’re going to see an old friend of theirs. A relative, maybe. Some old man who’s sick or maybe in some kind of trouble. It didn’t make much sense to me.”
It was Sharon’s turn to choke a little. “Oh, Christ . . .” A feeling of dread was coming over her. The only old man in Rome she could think of who was in any kind of trouble was . . .
“What was the old man’s name?” she demanded.
“I told you, I can’t remember.” The urchin gave Billy a sly look. “Oh, wait. I remember now. The name ends with an ‘o.’ ”
“Never mind that,” said Ruy quietly. “When you say ‘they all went,’ boy, who are you talking about? Exactly.”
Benito frowned. “All of them. Everybody in the Committee.” He started counting off his fingers. “All the Marcolis—Massimo and his kids too. The girl, of course.” A fleeting grin passed across the urchin’s face that was at least a decade too leering to fit a boy whom Sharon estimated was not more than eight years old. “No way they’d leave Giovanna behind. Besides—he’s no fool, Antonio Marcoli, whatever people say—that way he could be sure Frank and his brothers would come, too.”
Sharon heard herself groan. Benito tugged at his fingers, remembering his count. “Oh. Yeah. Two more. Marius the handyman. He always goes anywhere Antonio does. And Michel. He went with them too.”