The U Turn 02:23

He sat down.

The phone vibed.

"Hullo? ...hi!" she was genuinely pleased. "Yes, I'm on my way now."

"Did you find anything in Silv's things? what you'd hoped I mean."

"No. I mean, yes! I found a letter for you, from Silver and one, uh, one for me... And everything is OK. I think. At rest." Pause. "Yeah, I thought she'd be upset. Things ended roughly when you'd met, on the Skype I mean. The way I left things. When I..."

The guy was some sort of preacher, maybe. Dark and trim bearded, with sweeping charcoal overcoat drawn up well over the broad shoulder and rugged jawline. Ears built like for the confessional. He had a small book, resting on crossed gray knee that he was intently reading behind tinted glasses and a small hat that was not quite a fedora, brim bent up in back and drawn low in front. His fingers were playing with his mouth in mock read aloud. A rosary would complete the look... as it were.

She shifted and lowered her voice.

"Thanks for calling. I was thinking about you. How's Karolyna and the baby?" Pause. "I'm so glad." Pause. "No. I'm still on the vital questions."

"Blanks?" he said right to the point.

"Yes, that's it."

"Are you sure you're not reading too much into this? I mean, you're delivering the papers. Let them figure it out."

"I suppose I want to know. She's gone—gone. It's hard to make sense of it."

"You mean, what you told me about U?" said Matteo.

—was she seeing things or did that man's ears just twitch?

"Um, I've got to go now, but I'll give you a call as soon as I'm there, and know something more, ok? Thanks! Ciao."