Being careful not to make a sound that might wake Genti, Neri slipped into the master bedroom and went over to the bed, took a good look at Pia. She was again supine, clearly breathing, but she looked as dead to the world as she had when they’d first brought her into the house. Tiptoeing, he went back to see what Prek was doing and when he walked to the kitchen window, he could see the van’s doors were open with someone inside. With Prek attending to his housekeeping duties, Neri thought he was safe for at least ten or fifteen minutes. With mounting excitement, Neri went to the front door and threw the dead bolt. Then he quickly tiptoed back into the master bedroom, literally shaking with excitement. He closed the door.

So what does that mean for us?” Prek asked Buda. He wasn’t sure he understood what his boss was trying to tell him.

“It means we don’t do anything with the girl till I figure out what’s going on with this moron Drilon.”

“You’re sure he was lying?” Prek couldn’t understand why someone might lie when asked a direct, simple question about whether someone was related to them or not.

“I’m pretty sure. Everything about his behavior told me he was lying. When I asked him a direct question, he hesitated and then started stammering that he didn’t know if he was related or not. It was obvious to me he knows the name. And it’s practically his name. If you’re gonna change your name, change your name.”

“And his boss didn’t say anything?” Prek asked, meaning Berti Ristani.

“Nothing. Either he didn’t notice or he didn’t want to say anything with me sitting there. I bet it’s the latter because he’s not stupid. It’s this Drilon guy who’s stupid.”

“Why would he lie about something like that? He must know what the implications are.”

“I would assume as much,” Buda said. This, of course, was the question that was nagging at him. If Drilon Graziani was lying, it meant whatever he was trying to conceal from his boss was more important to him than this girl’s life, even if she was a relative. Paradoxically, that fact made the girl suddenly more valuable to Buda, even if he didn’t know why. This was the reason it was so important for him to talk to Burim Graziani, if that was actually his name. Buda figured that Ristani had also realized Drilon was lying, which had an entirely separate set of consequences.