The fishing boat Dalton boarded had arrived at the precise time that Dalton had reached the end of the pier after parking his car in a small lot next to an old wooden warehouse. Kurt had allowed him to board before leaving his car for a closer look.
Kurt cupped his hand over his watch, and then pressed the light button to check the time. Eight p.m. No wonder his stomach was growling, he thought.
After Dalton had been aboard the boat for a half hour, Kurt could see movement on the stern of the boat. There were at least three men, maybe more. Then two men shook hands, one went back into the boat, and the two remaining stepped off the boat and onto the pier and started walking toward Kurt.
With a quick scan, Kurt weighed his options. Stay put and remain in the shadows and hope they didn't see him as they pass, or slowly get up now and walk back to the car nonchalantly. He looked at his clothes and realized he too would look out of place on this pier. And by now it was too late. The men had gotten too close for him to move.
He crouched down to his belly, but could still see them getting closer and closer. He didn't think they would see him as long as he remained still. One was Dalton, but who was the other one, he wondered.
When they were almost even with Kurt, they stopped dead in their tracks.
"Son of a bitch," said the other man.
Dalton slapped the man across his left shoulder and laughed. "It's only a fuckin' rat."
They started walking again.
Kurt heard a rustling to his left. He looked down toward his leg. A huge rat sat sniffing his left knee. Kurt froze and tensed his muscles tightly.
The men passed and continued on to Dalton's car. Dalton started his car and slowly pulled out of the parking lot.
Kurt slung his left leg quickly, catching the rat square across the middle and sending it flying over the pile of wet nets. Then he jumped up and quickly made his way to Toni's Alfa Romeo. He didn't understand his anxiety. Animals in the woods were no problem, but city creatures seemed to be something altogether different.
When he got to the car, he thought about Dalton and his friend. Something wasn't right. They were speaking perfect English, so the other guy must have been American. He could have just been an American businessman. But how did he get there? Not with Dalton, he thought. It had been too dark to see the man's face.
He started the car, drove to the nearest Autostrada ramp, and began the long drive back to Rome. He wasn't looking forward to driving most of the night.
Jake pulled up behind Toni's Alfa Romeo and shut down the tired Fiat engine. The sun was still more than an hour over the horizon, but the glow from the yellow street lights gave him a hint of what was outside.
He yawned and stretched his arms above his head as far as the low roof would let him. Then he tilted the rear view mirror to see how he looked. His eyes were tired and red, and his hair could use a comb. Some fine way to impress Toni after such a long time, he thought.
Walking up to Toni's door, he turned and looked behind him for a second. Toni's car was unnaturally dirty. That only happened on intense cases or long drives.
He went through the first and second doors, and then began climbing the stairs to the second floor. The names on the mail boxes hadn't changed. An older woman owned the building and lived on the first floor alone. She was extremely quiet and spent most of her time on nice days maintaining the garden in the middle courtyard. An older gentleman lived on the third floor. Toni was sure that the older couple were having an affair. She would find one or the other sneaking back to their respective apartment in the early morning as she was on her way to work.
At the top of the stairs on the second floor, with the dark sturdy banister, Jake stood outside of Toni's door in the somber light. He began to knock, then pulled his hand away. It was early, and throughout his drive from Germany he couldn't help thinking about the man who had answered Toni's phone. Maybe he was her new boyfriend, he thought. He could be in there now. That could complicate things.
The door swung open quickly. Toni stood in the dim light looking into Jake's eyes. "Well? Are you going to come in, or would you rather stand out in the hall until morning?" Toni asked softly with a smile.
Jake couldn't think of anything to say. He stepped in, put his hand on the nape of her neck, and kissed her on both cheeks. He wanted to kiss her full on the lips, but the time wasn't right. Time would tell if she ever wanted to do that again. He quickly thought of all the times and places they had kissed. The Riviera, the Alps, and mostly in this apartment. He only hoped that her desire would match what he was feeling right now.
She closed the door quietly. When she turned, Jake had removed his black leather jacket and taken a seat on the sofa. He looked curiously at the pillow and blankets, but didn't say a thing. He looked at her again. The small lamp on the end table behind Toni provided back lighting that revealed her tight, shapely figure through her loose night gown. He looked away, even though he had seen her many times with far less on.
"I'll explain the blankets in a minute, Jake," she offered quietly. "I see you still carry your CZ-75."
Jake reached under his left arm and tapped his 9mm automatic in its leather holster. "I'd probably walk crooked without it."
"How was your drive?"
She was nearly whispering, he noticed. Maybe the other guy was in the bedroom sleeping. "It was long and uneventful," he said. "I'd prefer to see the Alps in the daytime. Night doesn't do them justice."
Toni nodded agreement. "How about some espresso?" she asked as she walked toward the small kitchen area.
"You know the answer to that, Toni." Her graceful walk hadn't changed. Why did he ever leave her behind?
He heard her mumble something, but the sound of steam being compressed through a scoop of coffee obscured the words.
She came back with two small white cups three quarters full of thick, dark coffee. Jake picked up his cup with his thumb and forefinger, and set it on the table in front of him for a second to cool. The aroma drifted up, and Jake inhaled deeply to savor the memories that were released within his mind of all the times that he and Toni had enjoyed espresso together.
"Grazie," Jake said.
"Prego," she said as she sat down next to him on the sofa and crossed her long legs.
Jake scanned the room to see what had changed. No masculine items. That was encouraging.
"You got a new chair for your desk," Jake said.
She looked at him for a second. "Yes. I found it at a flea market last September off Via della Lungari. It screamed for me to barter for it. I got a good deal on it."
Jake picked up his espresso and sucked it down with one smooth stroke. The enrichment it brought was nearly instantaneous. He smiled broadly.
"So, Jake, what have you been up to for the last year and a half?" she asked.
"You know I hate to write letters," he said. "And I know the last phone call before I left Germany for the states was less than enlightening for you. What can I say? Things happened quickly. I resigned and moved to the Portland area. I took some time off. Went hiking in the Cascades. I stayed with a few college friends for a while, but didn't want to overstay my welcome. And you know how I can't stay in one place very long."
"How'd you come to work for Teredata?"
"About a year ago I was at a party in Portland, and met this corporate investigator. He was a real jerk, and couldn't find his own house without a map and pictures. Anyway, he got pretty drunk and started spouting off about how he was so busy he was turning clients away. I was looking for a job, so I told him I'd take one of his rejects. He gave me his card, and I went down to his office the next day. He had a nice place in Beaverton. He knew how to set up an office and wine and dine, but that's about all. I worked just one job for him and decided I'd rather work for myself. And here I am."