“Samuel.”
Both women froze.
“I saw him,” Robert continued, still breathing hard. “He’s inside.” Thorne smiled.
Sister Isabella said a brief prayer. “Let’s get back to the house,” she said when she finished. “We’ll need a plan before we go in.” Robert and Thorne agreed. The three of them stood and walked along the dirt road toward their car, which was covered with brush and tree limbs two miles away. They stayed just inside the wooded area out of sight, Sister Isabella and Thorne five feet ahead, Robert lagging behind, watching the castle get smaller. Robert stopped abruptly and called out to Thorne and Sister Isabella, who spun around.
The three of them stared in wonder as a ball of flames streaked from the backside of the castle, and disappeared into the lake.
37
T o his surprise, Samuel, asleep on his cot, was shaken awake by Sister Bravo late in the evening, after a dinner of garlic drenched pasta, hard rolls, lemon ice cream and more soda, 7 Up this time.
“One hour outside,” she said plainly, tossing him a navy blue windbreaker.
Samuel didn’t debate. Tired of confinement in the tower bedroom, the chance to walk around in the open lifted his spirits. He slipped on the jacket, a genuine smile on his face, and grabbed the nun’s hand. She stared down at him, her eyes warning, no foolishness.
The hallway outside the bedroom was much darker than the bedroom, and Samuel gripped Sister Bravo’s hand tighter as she lead the way down a circular stone stairway. At the bottom, his eyes easily adjusted to the increase in light. It seemed that the entire castle was lit with either candles or very low watt bulbs, adding to the building’s dreary medieval atmosphere.
Careful not to be obvious, Samuel kept his head forward as Sister Bravo marched him through a large, windowless, sparsely furnished room with blank walls and a stone floor. The room was warm, much warmer than his, aided by the large fire he saw blazing in the fireplace.
Off to the right, he caught a glimpse of what he guessed to be the kitchen, which looked more modern than the rest of what he’d seen. The ceiling was high, with thick dark wooden beams holding it in place.
Samuel wondered where Sister Bravo and the two priests slept, but dared not turn his head and give himself away. I’ll see more on my way back.
They reached a gigantic wooden door. Sister Bravo leaned her shoulder into it and pushed. Outside, the answer to Samuel’s next question stood smoking cigarettes. Fathers Clancy and Murphy stamped out their smokes. The sun was nowhere in sight, and a light mist made the area around the castle look hazy and bleak. The wind cut through Samuel’s windbreaker, but he ignored it. He didn’t care. Each breath of air, however, tinged with algae and dead fish, soothed his spirit in a way he hadn’t experienced in a long time.
Samuel’s head swiveled back and forth between four men he didn’t recognize. They stared at him with hateful eyes, and each cradled a machine gun.
Sister Bravo smiled. “As you can see, we’ve taken extra precautions to keep you with us. I’ll introduce you later, but for now know that they’ve been given permission to shoot you if you try to run.” Samuel swallowed. “I promise I won’t run again,” he said. “Thank you for letting me outside.” He forced a smile.
“Come with us,” said Father Clancy, taking his hand.
Two of the guards said something in Italian and followed them to a dark green car. Father Murphy put Samuel in the backseat and got in next to him. The two armed guards sat in the front seat. Sister Bravo watched as they backed out, turned around, and drove across a big yard, stopping near some tall grass and brush.
“We’ll let you out here,” Father Clancy told him. “Remember, the guards will be watching.”
All of them exited the vehicle. It was almost completely dark outside, and the fog, which seemed to thicken by the minute, hampered Samuel’s ability to examine the surrounding area. If it were not for the car headlights Father Murphy turned on, he wouldn’t have be able to see much at all. Undaunted, head down, hands in his pockets, he made mental notes of as much of the scenery as he could without drawing attention. Samuel paced back and forth in front of the men, aware of the penetrating eyes and trigger fingers monitoring his every step.
The two priests lit up more cigarettes and stayed near the car, while the gun toting duo followed him a few feet from the thick garden of grass that looked like something out of a headless horsemen story. Samuel looked up across the opposite side of the yard. He couldn’t see the horizon, but knew from his tower bedroom view that the other side was a blanket of water. He noted a small house about half a football field from the castle, and beyond that, what looked like a wooded area. He looked up at one of the gunmen and smiled. The guard answered with a deep frown and grimace.
A stiff, hard wind sliced through the yard, causing Samuel to cringe inside the wafer thin windbreaker. He fought to keep himself from shivering, not wanting to give the men guarding him a reason to end his brief, but valuable, sojourn outside.
“It’s time to go back inside,” called Father Murphy, the cold wind obviously getting the best of him.
Samuel reminded them of their deal.
“Okay,” answered Father Clancy, none too happy with the night chill himself. “But we’re going back inside in ten minutes.” Samuel kicked at rocks and continued to pace. Ten minutes later, Father Clancy ordered him back to the car. The two armed guards smiled for the first time, and momentarily looked away. Samuel turned his head, then hesitated, a flash of light, quick but definite, caught his eye.
Someone’s out there!
The guards turned their attention back to him, and Samuel walked to the car and jumped in the backseat, head straight, heart pumping.
Someone’s out there in the grass! Someone who wants me to know they’re watching!
Father Murphy took the wheel and Father Clancy sat in back with Samuel. The two guards stayed out in the yard. He wanted desperately to look back, but didn’t dare. His mind raced as they rode back to the castle.
Who could it be? Who would hide there in the grass? He wanted to believe that his godfather had come for him, but forced the thought away.
Maybe it’s the police, or someone from the U.S. Embassy.
The car reached the castle. The entire area was now completely bathed in darkness, except for a small overhead light just above the front door. The three of them got out of the car. Samuel stole a quick glance back at the grassy area, nothing.
“Carlos and Michael are going to check the area and stay in the other house tonight,” Father Clancy told the two men guarding the castle.
“You two will stay in the castle tonight and rotate with them each day.” The guards nodded their heads in agreement. Samuel looked back one last time. He saw the beams of two flashlights heading toward the grass, and swallowed. I have to let whoever’s out there know I saw their signal.
Inside, Sister Bravo took him by the hand, and led him back toward the circular stairs.
“Can I use the bathroom?” he asked, twisting his face, his legs crossed. “I didn’t go before I went outside, now I need to use it bad.”
“Use the one upstairs,” said Sister Bravo.
Samuel continued to hop around. “I don’t think I can make it.” Sister Bravo, impatient, pointed to a door next to the kitchen entrance. “Be quick about it,” she said.
Samuel thanked her and cut across the room quickly, his mind racing, sweat beading up on his face. His eyes flickered around the room as he walked, but nothing sparked in his mind. Inside the bathroom, he sat on the toilet, head in his hands, hoping the person hiding out in the grass wouldn’t be discovered by the guards.
He searched the small, blue concrete bathroom. Under the sink, he found an assortment of cleaning products, extra rolls of toilet paper, and a box of steel wool pads, similar to those he’d seen in the kitchen at home. He grabbed one of the steel wool pads and wrapped as much toilet paper around his hand as he felt he could hide, and stuffed them down the front and back of his pants. He flushed the toilet and washed his hands, aware that he was taking too much time.
When he opened the door, Sister Bravo was standing right outside.
