Chapter 103
103
Time passes differently in prison. It feels like the same endless loop, over and over – because it is. You get up, do your routine, go to bed, then get up and do it all over again.
There are fights… there are riots… there are attempts on your life… but they become part of the endless loop, too. The unending sameness of your day-to-day existence.
Then one day you wake up –
And three and half years have passed.
I only realized it because I got a visit from my attorney. Not the expensive one that Dario’s brother had hired, but Silvia Altamura, the woman who had handled my plea deal.
I saw her in the same room where I’d met Bernardi, the crooked cop who had tested my loyalty to Dario.
As soon as the guard left, she said in English, “Congratulations. Your sentence has been commuted p>
I stared at her. “…what p>
“They’ve decided to let you go a year and a half early p>
“…why p>
“San Vittore has serious overcrowding. They reviewed potential cases for parole, and your offense was the least serious. There wasn’t any bad behavior in your record, so they decided you were one of the lucky candidates p>
The only reason there was no bad behavior in my record was because I’d never been caught – and because no one in power in San Vittore ever asked any questions. They just disposed of the bodies and went along like nothing had ever happened.
Silvia frowned. “You don’t seem too happy p>
She was right; I was mostly shocked. Numb.
Half of me wondered if this wasn’t another test from Dario’s family.
“It’s just… I never expected this,” I said. “When do I get out p>
“It’ll take about a week to process the paperwork, but then you’re a free man p>
One week.
After three and a half years… all I had left was one week.
“Are you alright?” Silvia asked, her brow crinkling. “I’ve never delivered better news to a client before, and yet I’ve never gotten a more subdued reaction p>
“No, I’m… I’m fine. Thank you for coming to let me know p>
“You’re very welcome. Well… that’s all I came for, so if there’s nothing else p>
“No. No, thank you p>
She rapped on the door for the guard to take me back. When he came to collect me, Silvia gave me a little smile. “Good luck, Lars. Stay out of trouble. I don’t want to see you as a client again p>
I nodded and walked out into the hall with the guard.
He escorted me back to my cellblock and then walked away. Once I was on my own, the enormity of everything finally hit.
Rachel.
I could finally go search for Rachel.
Gunnar still hadn’t found her, but now I could go look.
I would stake out MI6 in London if I had to –
Find Alistair and beg him to tell her I was back –
Whatever it took to see her again.
I walked back into my cell in a daze.
Dario glanced up from the book he was reading. “What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost p>
“I… I just found out I’m getting out in a week p>
“What?! Are you certain p>
“Yeah, that was my lawyer… she said they shortened my sentence to three and a half years p>
Dario leapt up from his chair in overwhelming joy. It was like I’d just told him my wife had had a baby.
“Meraviglioso!” he shouted with a huge grin. “Bravissimo p>
Marvelous! Well done!
Then he gave me a bear hug.
When he finally pulled away, I looked at him strangely. “That lawyer you hired didn’t have anything to do with this, did he p>
“Not that I’m aware of. I can ask, but that was years ago. Why – did they give you a reason p>
“My lawyer said San Vittore is too overcrowded p>
“Well, THAT’S certainly true. I’m just glad you’re the beneficiary!” Then he stopped, stepped back to look at me, and frowned. “What’s wrong, Lars? You should be celebrating p>
“But… you still have another six months left on your sentence p>
“So p>
“So… I won’t be in here to watch your back p>
Dario grinned. “You’re the best friend I’ve ever had, do you know that? You should be leaping with joy, yet you’re thinking of me. Don’t worry about that. You’ve taught me well. I’ll be fine p>
“Dario – ”
“Shhh. This is a time to celebrate, not worry. You’re going to go find Rachel p>
I nodded, still in shock.
Dario frowned again. “What’s wrong p>
I thought for a moment, then finally said, “When I still had a year and a half to go, it didn’t feel real… but now that I have to go find her, I guess part of me is terrified she moved on p>
Dario shook his head. “No. If she’s the One, she didn’t move on. She’ll be waiting for you. Or she’ll drop everything else to be with you. Trust me, my friend – if it’s meant to be, it will be p>
Se è destinato a succedere, lo sarà.
In Italian, it sounded quite beautiful.
Hearing him say it, I finally broke out of the fear and allowed myself to feel joy.
“…I’m going to see her again,” I said, a smile appearing on my face for the first time.
“Goddamn right you are,” Dario said with an even bigger grin than mine. “This is stupendous news – we need to have a drink p>
As he poured two glasses of wine, he asked, “Did your friend ever find her p>
He meant Gunnar.
“No p>
“Let me help,” Dario said as he gave me a glass. “I’m telling you, my family might be able to find her p>
“Look… I really appreciate it – ”
“But you don’t want the Cosa Nostra sniffing around MI6 and accidentally tipping them off,” Dario said with a sly smile.
“…yeah,” I admitted.
He waved his hand. “I wasn’t thinking of that. I was thinking more about her family. You said she was half Italian – which half p>
“Her mother p>
“Do you know her mother’s maiden name p>
“No. Rachel never told me p>
“What about her father p>
“He’s British, but she never told me his name, either p>
“What do you know about her mother p>
“Just that she worked in a beach town as a waitress. She met Rachel’s father while he was on holiday and she was serving him drinks. He was good-looking… one thing led to another… and they had a fling while he was in town. He left to go back home, and then Rachel’s mom found out she was pregnant. She let Rachel’s father know, and he brought her to London. They got married, and then he walked out on them when Rachel was seven years old p>
Dario looked angry. “Bastardo.” He meant Rachel’s father for leaving her. Then he asked, “The mother – do you know what beach town she was from p>
“Uh… I remember it sounded like a fish… Pisces? Pes-something – ”
“Pescara?” Dario asked.
“Yes – that’s it. Pescara p>
“I know Pescara,” Dario said thoughtfully. “It’s not too big a place… and this happened how many years ago p>
“Rachel is a year younger than me, so… about 27 years ago? Plus nine months when her mother was pregnant p>
“I might be able to work with that,” Dario murmured.
“What are you thinking p>
“Never mind – I don’t want to get your hopes up. For now, we drink.” Dario gave me a huge smile and lifted his wine glass. “To freedom – and the One p>
“To freedom,” I said, a smile on my face as I clinked my glass against his. “And to the One p>