the same as me so there’s no mention of the time.
“Tell me.”
“Found the man hired to meet the boat with a truck and transport the cargo, then walk away.”
“And he was forthcoming with this information.”
“For a fee.”
“Of course.” Mercenary. Most people in this business are.
“The house he took them to is a few miles inland. Actually, I don’t think you could call it a house. I sent you some photos.”
“I got them.”
“The man took us there. It looks like they left in a hurry, whoever it was that was here. I’m guessing in the past they’ve held the women here before shipping them off to wherever they ship them off to.”
“Find out yet who owns the property?”
“Land is owned by a local. He rented out the shack to a man with an accent who paid cash a few days prior. The landowner made sure not to be anywhere near the property for the agreed upon amount of time. Same man every time who worked out the deal and paid him.”’
“Description?”
“Tall, dark hair, foreign.”
“That helps.” Not. “I can’t imagine it’s Felix or Marcus actually doing this part, though.”
“Last time they were here was a few months back, although they had rented the space but no-showed. Wherever they took their cargo this time, it wasn’t here.”
“Dead end, then.”
“Not quite. Our friend who transported the cargo heard them mention something more than once. They referred to it as the big auction. Some of the women, mostly the younger ones, were separated for this.”
“When’s this big auction?” I ask, thinking about what Scarlett said about the marked girls.
“Soon, I’d guess. This was to be the last shipment before it would be held. I do have a city although I’d like to do some checking. It’s not where I’d expect an auction like this to take place. I’ve already talked to Charlie about it, but I’ll use my own contacts, too.”
“I trust your instinct but where will the auction be held?”
“Rotterdam.”
“Rotterdam?” That surprises me. It shouldn’t though. Money is money and you can buy silence anywhere, even in highly developed Northern Europe.
“All right. Thanks Antonio. You’ve done well. Let me know when you know more.”
“You’re welcome.”
14
Scarlett
“Wake up, Scarlett.”
I groan, trying to swipe away the hands shaking me.
“Come on. This is serious.”
When I register that it’s Noah, I blink my eyes open, rubbing them. He’s in Cristiano’s bedroom and he looks anxious.
“Hey,” I sit up, looking at the clock. Eight in the morning. “You’re up early.” I pull the covers up. I’m naked underneath.
“This has been bugging me for days. I wasn’t sure and I don’t know, maybe I’m wrong but,” he stops mid-sentence shaking his head.
“What is it?”
He holds up the small framed photo of Elizabeth Grigori and her friend that had captured his attention the day of the wedding. God. That feels like a lifetime ago.
“What are you doing with that? Did you take it from Elizabeth’s room?”
He nods.
“I don’t think you should go in there.”
“I think I know her.”
“What? That’s impossible, Noah. She’s dead. She’s been dead for ten years.”
“No, not Elizabeth. The other girl.”
“The other girl?”
“I know. It sounds crazy. Do you remember when they first killed mom and dad?”
I nod. Of course, I do. I could never forget that.
“Remember they left me in Mexico at the beginning.” They’d brought me to Italy right away.
“You’re making me nervous.”
“She was there.”
I scratch my head. “That’s impossible.”
“I’m telling you I remember her. I don’t think I could ever forget her face. Jacob had me play with her because she wouldn’t stop crying. I remember staring at her and her staring back at me. We couldn’t understand each other. I get it now. I didn’t speak Italian and she didn’t speak Spanish.”
“Are you saying they brought her to Mexico?”
“Maybe? I thought her name was Lizzie. She kept saying something, but I couldn’t understand. But, I mean…it was ten years ago. I was five. I just…I remember how sad she was, and I didn’t understand what had happened to our parents, our family. I just knew they were gone, and you were gone, and everything was different. Then there was this little girl.”
“You’re sure?”
“I’m not sure but I don’t know, I can’t shake the feeling. They told me her name was Elizabeth, Scarlett. And the girl kept saying something about a Lizzie. I remember that because it was such a strange sound, those z’s. She was only there for two weeks before she was gone.”
“Gone?”
“Yeah. I don’t know where or anything. I’m just thinking out loud