Chapter 40

“Hello.”

“Hello, William,” I said, “Marco d’Argenzio here.”

“Marco. Fancy hearing from you.”

“Did you get the e-mail I just sent you?” I said.

“Sorry, we just walked in the door and I haven’t been on the computer—give me a minute.”

“When you have it, put Henry on the phone with you.”

“Sure,” he said.

A minute or two later, Henry came on the line. “Hey, Marco. That’s terrible news.”

“Yes, it is. I’m still having a hard time getting my mind wrapped around the whole thing.”

“To answer the question in your e-mail,” William said, “we’ll be more than happy to make contact for you. In fact, it’s early enough here that we can make the call after dinner.”

“Fine. The offer stands as written, but their acceptance absolutely must be conditioned on an understanding that they will be here on sufferance.”

“We understand perfectly,” Henry said.

“I don’t even know if Dani’s parents have valid passports.”