Читать книгу Whispering Bones - Rita Vetere - Страница 5

Prologue

Venice, Italy

Present Day

The motor boat sliced through the dark water of the Orfano Canal, headed for the Lido in the Venetian lagoon. Seated at the stern, the girl extended her arm over the side to catch the foam racing past the vessel. Her father stood at the wheel, nudging the throttle forward to pick up speed. The sun had dipped below the horizon, leaving a crimson trail in its wake.

As they swept by the darkened shore of Poveglia, the island situated between Venice and the Lido, the girl studied the eerie silhouettes of its low-lying buildings and the bell tower rising ominously above the trees. The island, she knew, was abandoned. During the day, the carabinieri patrolled its shores to make sure no tourists docked there. Apparently, the old buildings were in a state of disrepair and not safe.

In the fading light, black waves lapped at the stone steps leading onto the island. The carabinieri had left for the day and there were no boats nearby. As the girl glanced at the tower jutting up from the overgrowth again, she heard a bell toll, resounding loudly over the dark lagoon.

“Papa, why are they ringing the bell?” she shouted, to make herself heard over the din of the motor.

Her father turned around. “Cosa?”

“The bell. There.” She pointed to the island tower. “Why is it ringing?”

Her father’s face changed abruptly. “You hear a bell?” He sounded terse.

“Yes. Don’t you?”

He did not respond, but in the next second, the boat swerved rapidly at full throttle, causing her to almost fall from her seat. At the same time, a spine-chilling scream pierced the night, riding across the waves toward them, followed by a ghostly wailing that made the hair on her nape stand at attention. As her father quickly veered the boat away from the island, he did something that caused the girl to become even more frightened. He made the sign of the cross.

She turned back to look at the receding island, now only a black stain on the horizon. It was silent once again.

For now.