Page 34 of Light Me Up

“That’s the plan.”

They started by strolling down a longalléeof tall trees toward the Palazzo. After a while, they veered off at an angle and took a winding path through thick shrubbery, which led them past occasional burbling fountains, blooming roses, and timeworn marble statues. From there, he led her through a thick grove of ornamental trees. Noah’s eyes were faraway as he guided them carefully through a mental maze, the walls of which were visible only to him.

At one point, Noah stopped, leaning toward a thick, leafy bush, listening closely.

A car went by on the other side. The sound was discordant and out of place, but it was clearly the sound Noah had been waiting for. He pushed the leafy branches aside and looked through them. “Yes,” he said. “Like I thought.”

“Where are we now?” she asked.

“Close to the road that leads into the kitchen courtyard. I was hoping they’d leave the gate open, but no problem. It’s a busy day. We’ll just wait for anothercar to go in.”

Caro leaned to peek through the opening in the boughs at the road beyond, and across it, a big wrought iron gate. There was a cobblestoned area behind it, full of parkedcars and vans.

He tugged her back. “I hear someone coming,” he said. “Let’s look for a place to get through these bushes without shredding your dress.”

He found one quickly. By that time, she could hear the car approaching, too. As soon as she heard the gate opening, Noah bent the bushes back.

They darted through the hedge and hurried across the narrow blacktop road, slipped inside the gate just as it began to close again, and waited between two parked delivery trucks for some minutes while the chattering workers who had just arrived unloaded their boxes and traysfrom their van.

When those voices faded, Noah and Caro wound their way through haphazardly parked vehicles and entered the building.

This much more modest entrance led directly into a large, plain corridor. Many doors on one side of it led to a huge kitchen, a hive of activity. She heard yelling and scolding in Italian, the din of pots and pans and crockery, the constant hum ofexcited voices.

They hurried past it, down the long corridor to where it ended in a stairwell. Noah led her swiftly up one flight of stairs, then another. She’d studied the plans of the Palazzo all day herself, but it never ceased to amaze her how quickly he found his way. He was always instantly oriented, interfaced with a map, a blueprint, a satellite image. He’d never been in this building before in his life, yet he moved through the place with absolute confidence.

Noah led her down a third floor corridor, different from those downstairs. Smaller, older, and simpler, with heavy dark beams in the ceilings. The white-plastered walls were covered with colorful painted flowers, vines, angels, and cupids.

Noah stopped in front of a paneled wall beneath yet another flight of stairs. He bent down to study the seams in the wood, rattling and tapping. “Here’s the door.”

“It doesn’t look like a door,” Caro said.

“That’s the point.” Noah kneeled, fished out the tool in his tux jacket, and got to work.

Caro crossed her arms over her chest as she waited, glancing uneasily toward the stairwell they had come from. “You sure this is a good idea?”

Noah glanced up. “Don’t worry. Anybody finds us, we’ll play dumb and say we were looking for the john. Or another few more bars on our smartphone.”

“Right. With youon your knees?”

“Shhh,” he murmured absently. “Let me concentrate.Almost got it…”

A click, a rusty squeak…and the low door opened onto a square of ominous darkness.

Caro got a whiff of stale air, dust, and mildew. “Oh, joy,” she muttered. “Spiders again?”

“Maybe a few, but it’ll be worth it.” Noah leaned in and sniffed the air. “Seems OK to me. Come on.” He disappeared inside.

Like she had any other options. Caro followed him into the cramped, airless blackness, waiting while Noah pulled the hidden door closed after them. The narrow passageway was barely tall enough to stand upright. Noah had to stoop. She pulled her smartphone out of her evening bag and held it up, activating the flashlight. Cobwebs fluttered and swayed in the freshlydisturbed air.

Noah winced away from the LED glare. “Jesus, Caro,” he said. “A little warning.”

“Sorry,” she murmured, lowering the light. Best not to think about those billowing spiderwebs anyhow.“Ewww. Creepy.”

“The dark part goes on for a while,” he told her. “Keep close to me. And keep your voice down. This passageway runs parallel to amain corridor.”

They moved silently on through the dark passageway. At one point, Noah turned sharply to the left. “We’re alongside a suite of connecting rooms here,” he murmured. “Closed up for decades, from what I read last night.”

Caro squeezed his hand, trying not to think about the webs brushingher shoulders.

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