Mountains of Dawn

"Please. Even mere suggestions would be a great help." Caltabieni sipped again, then ate another mushroom stuffed with caviar. "The kidnapers are continuously on the move. We occasionally find traces where they've passed through, but we never gather enough information to predict their next move. They cover a vast area." Again he paused and sipped his vermouth. "For the last two weeks, we've combed the area thoroughly. We have reason to believe they started approximately from right here, passed the French border, and are now doubling back to this location." He waited for a response from Luigi Amedeo. He received none.

"My dear Conte," he said, his tone authoritative as he played his trump card. "I have a folder concerning your activities which is much thicker than the one Interpol used last May."

"Yes, I thought you might have. Please continue."

"We've learned the whereabouts of our men, but we don't have enough resources to operate a successful rescue."

"Ransom note?"

"No, none," Caltabieni replied. "That's what has the Olfrandi family frantic. If there has been no request for ransom, then what do the kidnapers want?"

"Something doesn't fit. I need to know more."

"At one time, the police had a tip about an alpine shed on the hills of Bordighera. When they arrived, there was warm food on the table, but no sign of the occupants. I suspect they fled into the hills. It has been more than two weeks now."

"Does the Olfrandi family suspect a vendetta?" Luigi Amedeo leaned on the rail and watched a small sail boat struggle against the wind.

"No, or the boy would be dead by now. We know, or at least, we suspect he isn't. Something must have gone wrong on their part, something to keep them on the run and away from all requests for ransom. If it were a vendetta, the boy's body…or parts of his body…would have been sent to Don Alfonso."

Luigi Amedeo refilled the other man's glass. "And you're asking me to locate how many people?" he asked.

"Four. We believe there are three kidnapers, plus the boy. The boy is small, much smaller than the average thirteen year old."

"You're asking me to locate four people, three large men and one small boy, in the mountains over an area-" Luigi Amedeo made some mental calculations. "Over a one hundred by fifty mile area. Something like that." Luigi Amedeo smiled his quiet, mirthless smile. "And I assume the situation is a bit…delicate?"