Act Three - The Angel’s Game — Chapter 11

Reeling after watching Cristina drown beneath the ice, David avoids returning to his room and slips to the fogbound station. He breaks into a shuttered carriage and hides under a seat as the stationmaster and Civil Guards, alerted by the doctor, board and search the train. The search passes his compartment, and he remains undetected.

As dawn arrives, the train awakens; warmth returns to the carriage and passengers embark. At eight o’clock the train departs Puigcerdà, the church bells tolling in David’s mind like a curse. The journey is delayed by fallen power lines, and he reaches Barcelona late on Friday, 23 January, under a crimson, smoky sky.

At his tower house, David finds an envelope sealed with Corelli’s sign, reminding him of that evening’s handover of the manuscript. In the dark study, he imagines Cristina trying to burn the pages and steels himself to face what remains.

He senses an intruder’s presence and opens the trunk: the manuscript still lies within, but at the bottom he discovers a silver angel brooch. Taking it as confirmation that his enemies have been inside his home, David curses, retrieves his father’s revolver, checks the ammunition, pockets extra rounds, and leaves into the night determined to confront his "boss."