So far, so good, she thought, as she limped along, sweat running down her back. Nobody had paid her any notice. Her leg was not bothering her as much as she was afraid it would either, smarting only a little when she put her full weight on it.
Within another two short hours she would reach Vernazza. She planned to arrive there just as the sun dipped behind the hills so that she would be protected by darkness.
* * *
Valentina timed everything perfectly.
Just as she crested the final big hill ahead of Vernazza and the colorful cluster of pastel-colored houses came into view, the sun sank beyond the top of the surrounding hills. It was suddenly so dim that it was a little hard to see the hiking trail through the sunglasses, and she slowed down a little. She chuckled to herself, thinking h
