Day 6

The chapter opens with a taunting letter: Luca is scolded for seeing Liv, reminded of Telma’s abuse, and ordered to prove the sender’s reach by having his mother read a number from his desk—matching the WhatsApp that sent Telma’s beating video. The order: use yesterday’s cash to fly to Milan at 9:19 p.m., with 16 days left to kill someone.

Luca, paranoid about surveillance, searches his room, then texts Liv. He calls his mother, confirms the number, and is shaken. At the hostel, he finds the shower hose removed and menacing French graffiti threatening his mother. At Galwenny’s, Dolly and Galwenny reprimand him for his distracted behavior. He maintains contact with Liv but resolves to protect her by obeying the directive.

After work, hostel staff accuse him of the French graffiti and demand he repaint or leave. Luca retrieves his cash, passport, and a secret “for a rainy day” envelope from his mother. He heads to Heathrow, buys a ticket, and discreetly wipes and discards Scott Harrison’s card. Cleaning staff find it, prompting announcements for Scott, but boarding is called for Luca’s flight, allowing him to slip through.

With time before boarding, Luca joins Facebook, immersing himself in memories of his father, Sandro. He notices a pattern: a woman, Christine Lebeau, liked every photo of his father alone over several months during a difficult period for his parents—just before Telma disappeared and before his father died—raising suspicion about Christine’s role.

On the plane, an air hostess delivers a red envelope, explaining a woman predicted Luca would be aboard and showed his photo two days earlier; the woman was younger and not Christine. The gesture confirms the conspirators’ advance planning and reach. As midnight passes, the plane descends toward Milan, where Luca spent his childhood summers, and where he hopes to find clues to Telma.