During the search for a long-missing artifact, Professor Cartwright is increasingly baffled by the motives of her intriguing Sicilian colleague and narrowly escapes Mafia treasure-hunters.
Excerpt
“Gaetano, is this the exit?” she asked, feeling the metal surface like a blind person, trying to discover the handle. At that moment, Gaetano grasped the knob, pushing wide the heavy door.
“Thank God! The way out.” Clara breathed a long sigh of relief.
Gaetano took her hand and tugged her outside. A torrent of water assaulted them so they wasted no time stumbling down an overgrown path alongside the castle ramparts. Upon reaching the main entrance, they peered cautiously around. As far as they could tell, no one stood guard so they darted across the castle grounds, slipping in the sodden grass.
Clara prayed that they couldn’t be seen.
They passed through the gate, broke into a run and didn’t stop until they’d reached the car. Once inside, with the pack stashed in the back seat, they removed their drenched jackets. Gaetano pulled away from the curb without turning on his headlights. After a few hundred meters, he flicked the headlights on, speeding through the deserted streets.
Clara took a prolonged drink from her water bottle before speaking. “Gaetano, someone was there in the castle, I’m sure of it. Someone was watching us.”
He nodded, his dripping face looking grim. “I believe you, Clara.”
Copyright 2008 Judy Woods. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.
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