49
Via Con Dio
Pietro couldn’t believe that a whole day had passed without any sign of Tap Tap. Their rumor mill would’ve let them know if he was dead. Sergeant Rogers was with the colonel in Durban at a military conference—likely, Pietro considered, about what to do with the POWs after the war. They all knew the war was nearly over, so there was minimal concern that the camp was left with a light force of army brass. Perhaps Colonel had not yet heard of Julian’s absence.
The sun was high on the second day when a taxi arrived at HQ bearing Tap Tap. A bandage wound around his head, and he used a hospital-issue cane to steady himself.
For a little longer than an instant, Pietro wished he’d killed him.
What hit Pietro over the head like a stone (he was mildly amused by his own joke) was
