Chapter nineJuly 1945
Fiume
They waited in the forest until nightfall. As they waited, they nibbled on dry army biscuits and sipped on water that Cappi had stored in the Jeep. They talked little. At one point, Ettore dozed for a few precious minutes.
When the dark day grew into an even darker night, they began making their way down to the outer suburbs of Fiume. Ettore had a little trouble keeping up with Cappi, who was as familiar with the forested hills as a rabbit would be, and moved almost as deftly. He darted in and around trees, moving down the slopes, never slipping. They bounded down a grassy hillside for a long time, past houses and streets until the back of his parents’ farmhouse appeared. The farm held many memories for Cappi. He had grown up there, helped his father, Dino, w
