Julio said, “I counted two rides. An Alpha Romeo like the one we got parked in the stables. And a stud-ugly sedan called a Lancia thirty meters farther down the hill.”
He and Irma were crouched by the window of Julio’s room, in Brunate’s only hotel that overlooked the road leading to their villa. The cramped little single was tucked under the eaves. They could not stand upright and see out the window.
Irma said, “Yeah, I scoped them on the way over here. Four in each car. All local. We still haven’t found the Combine’s team.”
“Maybe they didn’t show.”
“Oh, they’re here, all right. Charlie got a call from his pal on the local force. That guy Alessandro is totally stand-up. He and a buddy put the handle on Gabriella’s ex-husband.”
“Sure, the rich dude.”
“Yeah, him. The guy told them the woman Charlie saw in Texas is here. Her name is Reese Clawson. Charlie’s certain she wouldn’t travel without her team. He says they’re Delta.”
The window was so narrow they could both look out only with their shoulders touching. Close enough for Julio to pick up Irma’s taut eagerness. The lady was back in full cop mode. Like it was totally cool, going up against Delta.
Irma caught his sideways glance. “What.”
“Nothing. Not a thing. How did you get here without them seeing you?”
“Over the stable roof, around the cliff on a ledge, through the neighbor’s gardens, and out their gate. Not bad for a retired old lady.” Irma was dressed in a pair of sweats made grimy by her little trek. Ten minutes ago she had popped up in Julio’s doorway, grinning with wicked anticipation.
Irma went on, “Your main job is to let us know the minute they start in. You got the number for Milo’s cutout in Rio?”
“Right here.”
“Call us on the hotel phone. Once you report in, hold back until you’re certain everybody is inside, then take up station by the gatehouse.” Irma slipped her backpack around front and unzipped the top. “And for your continued entertainment, we have this little darling. I assume you know how to fire a gun.”
“Can’t do any worse than I did with the Taser.”
“Hey, an arm like yours, you miss, just haul back and hammer the guy between the eyes. The gas canister goes in here. Flip this lever once, it’s primed. See the gauge here by the trigger? When it goes red, you change canisters—you’ve got another in the pack. Pistol holds five darts, you’ve got five more in the pack. They all contain Dor Jen’s version of a pharmaceutical nightmare, so be sure not to scratch yourself with one of the tips. Just flip the bolt here, slip in this clip, you’re locked and loaded. This baby doesn’t have a safety.” Irma’s smile held a foretaste of peril. “We couldn’t be certain all the canisters actually still hold charges. We fired two, though, and both were fine. I’d say you’re good to go. The nightscope off one of the rifles is in here, but I doubt you’ll need it. Charlie thinks they’ll be moving soon. You’re clear on your job, right?”
Julio stared out the window to the empty entrance and the gatehouse. The sky was grey, the wind hard and blowing the damp air back to where he sat, hidden from view. “This waiting, man, I never knew a minute could last all day.”
“You want to be a cop, first lesson you’ve got to learn is how to wait.”
“Who said anything about me wanting to join the po-po?”
“There are worse ways to spend thirty years.”
“Yeah, like what?”
“Say, hanging out at the local community center, sweeping floors, waiting for trouble to take you to lunch.”
“That’s a low blow, dog.”
Irma chuckled, her voice so easy she might have been sipping a latte in the community center. “Everybody’s idea of a good life is different. My first partner after I made detective used to say his idea of success was, at one hundred and eleven years of age, he gets shot by a jealous husband.”
Julio did not nod so much as rock in his seat. “I used to think it’d be wiping out on the biggest wave ever surfed. A hundred cameras marking time.”
He expected her to give the standard adult comeback. How it was such a waste. How he had to focus on the important things in life. Like a job and a salary and wearing a tie. Instead, Irma gave him a pair of breaths, then said, “And now?”
“I don’t know.” He kept his voice steady by strength of will. “It feels like everything is shifting inside.”
“Sorry you came?”
“It’s not that.” His swallow was so tight he was certain she could hear it. He said what had come to him in the middle of the night. “I feel like I’ve been carrying this weight all my life. All this pain and anger. It never goes away.”
Irma said softly, “Like it makes you who you are.”
“Like it’s the only thing I can count on.”
“I guess it’s time for a confession of my own. I’ve wanted to tell you this for years. That first day you walked into the center, I didn’t just happen to start chatting you up. I knew you already.”
“Where from?”
“I was there the day you were busted. I’d just made detective. They hadn’t placed me yet. I was assigned to grade some rookie cops up for their first review. They rolled on this disturbance call. And there you were.”
“Oh, man. I never saw you.”
“I hung back. But I stayed through the whole deal. Carting you downtown. Printing and photographing and charging, the works. How old were you, fourteen?”
“Twelve.”
“Big for your age. What were you doing over in Orlando, anyway?”
“You know. Chilling with the homies. Looking for trouble.”
“You sure found it. I’d never been at a bust before where I wasn’t totally involved in the action. Hanging back was weird. I couldn’t take my eyes off you. You were such a handsome kid. Strong. Great eyes, I remember that. And how sad you were.”
He sat and stared out the empty window at the empty street. The sun had vanished quick as it had arrived. Julio felt the wind drag cold, wet rain across his face.
Irma said, “You had a major impact on me. When my husband passed, I kept things together by going back to school. Got accredited as a CASA—court-appointed special advocate. Started working with other kids carrying their load of pain. Then I retired. And one day I was hanging around the center, and look who walks in. I mean to tell you, that gave me a serious case of the chills.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Didn’t want to bring up your bad old days. I mean, you were doing good. Staying clean. Working your way up in the surfing world. Hanging out at a safe place.”
Julio leaned back in his chair. Ready now for a little confession of his own. “You know how it’s felt since I got over here? Like I’ve just managed to escape. Soon as I get back home, I’m one step from the next chase. I run and I run, and I can’t ever escape. All my life I’m just waiting for the time to crash and burn.”
“That’s what your friends are for, ese. To make sure that doesn’t happen. You should give joining the police some thought.” Irma rose from her chair, gave him a one-armed hug. “I can’t think of anyone I’d like more to have officially watching my back.”
Julio squinted out the window at the street and the gatehouse there in the distance. He clenched his jaw, clamping down on the sudden terror. When he was certain his voice wouldn’t break, he said, “Tell Charlie I won’t let you down.”
Irma stopped in the process of opening the door. “Julio, that is the last thing any of us are worried about.”