The Gray Ghost (Fargo Adventures 10)

“Three thousand more euros than we had a few hours ago.”

“Get the plane out of hock?”

“With the price of fuel? We wouldn’t get far. I vote we start with a cheap hotel for the night and regroup in the morning.”

* * *

—

FINDING A CHEAP HOTEL without a valid credit card turned out to be harder than they thought.

Remi gave a sigh of frustration. “We need to call Georgia. She did say she had friends in the B and B business.”

“It’s just after midnight. A little late to try to find a working phone.”

Remi smiled. “This is Italy. Pick any tourist attraction, and someone will have a cell phone.”

Sam checked the map on the dash, made a left turn. About six minutes later, the lit arches of the Colosseum appeared in the distance against the black sky. He parked just up the road, and the two walked down the hill. Even this late, the street in front of the amphitheater was crowded with tourists, most using their cell phones as cameras.

The first few attempts to borrow a phone were met with suspicious stares, even more so when Sam offered money.

Remi surveyed the crowd. “Wait here a sec.” She crossed the cobblestone street to a group of young men in their twenties clowning around while taking selfies with the Colosseum in the background.

The second she approached, the four men stopped what they were doing, their attention on Remi and whatever she was telling them. Suddenly there were four cells being handed to her. Five minutes later, she returned with an address on a scrap of paper. “We’re in luck! One of Georgia’s B and B friends has an apartment near the Trevi Fountain. He’ll gladly take cash, and it’s open for the next two days.”

The location wasn’t near the fountain, it was directly adjacent to it, as well as the Trevi Plaza, which was still filled with dozens upon dozens of tourists enjoying the temperate late-night air.

Marco Verzino met them at the door, led them up four flights of stairs to the topmost corner apartment, where he unlocked the door for them. “It’s warm,” he said, immediately opening the floor-to-ceiling windows, one of which overlooked the Trevi Fountain, bringing in the cooler air, the rush of the water below, and the drone of voices from the people milling in the square. A cheer erupted in the crowd. When Sam and Remi looked down, a man and woman were hugging in front of the fountain’s pool as those surrounding them clapped.

Remi watched for a moment, asking, “Is it always this crowded?”

Marco laughed. “Roma doesn’t sleep in the summer. The visitors thin out in the early-morning hours. But never completely.” He held up a remote from the coffee table. “If it becomes too loud, close the windows. Air-conditioning in each room.”

In truth, the sounds of the fountain masked the voices, and Sam and Remi slept very well. Late the next morning, they

bought prepaid cell phones and a very soft pencil, then returned to the apartment, where Remi took the tip of the pencil, held it sideways, and lightly rubbed it across the pad of paper she stole from the broker’s office. Soon, an address started to appear.

Sam tried calling home. No luck. “Selma and Lazlo are still off-line,” he said.

“At least now we know where we’re going in Paris.” Remi looked up from the paper to the phone Sam held. “We have to assume that Selma and Lazlo are aware of the hacking by now.”

“I’d think they’d call Georgia, knowing that was the last place we were headed.”

They placed a called to Georgia, but she hadn’t heard from Selma yet. “Selma’s smart,” Georgia said. “I’m sure she’ll get in touch with me.”

“When she does,” Sam said, “give her our new cell numbers. Have her call the moment she can.”

“I will. What about Chad and Oliver? Do you want me to text them your new numbers?”

“No!” Sam replied in a hurry.

“Why?” Georgia asked. “What’s wrong?”

The last thing Remi wanted to do was worry her friend unnecessarily. “Where are they?”

“Waiting for their train. I gave them Marco’s address and dropped them off at the station about an hour ago. Why?”

“The phones,” Sam replied. “If these people hacked ours, it’s possible they hacked Oliver’s and Chad’s, to track them. They could be leading our enemies straight to us.”