After days of seemingly endless rain, Milan wakes up under a clear sky, but for Lucia Marini there is no respite. The investigations lead her to Corenno Plinio, an ancient village on Lake Como, where the key to dismantling a criminal organization that has woven a network of blackmail and secret trafficking is hidden.
Within the walls of the medieval castle, where centuries have guarded secrets never revealed, mysterious figures and whispers of stolen documents and scientific formulas of inestimable value circulate. While Lucia and her colleagues move through alleys and tunnels, the name of Müller, the ruthless puppeteer of the story, returns to be heard, intertwining with that of Carlo Conti, a businessman with an ambiguous reputation and a briefcase whose contents could change everything.
In a game of shadows and deception, where alliances are broken and threats are closer than they seem, tensions grow. What is really hidden in the castle's dungeons? And who will try to escape across the lake before the truth comes out?
A chapter that mixes suspense and revelations, in which each step could be the decisive one… or the last.
See all chapters:
- Chapter 1: The Theft
- Chapter 2: Shadows and Suspicions
- Chapter 3: Labyrinths of the Past
- Chapter 4:The Arrest
- Chapter 5: Hidden Truths
- Chapter 6: The Incomplete Puzzle
- Chapter 7: Mysteries in Corenno Pliny
- Chapter 8: Twists and Surprises
- Chapter 9: Night Patrols
- Chapter 10: Shadows and Blood under the Castle
- Chapter 11: The Swiss Track
- Chapter 12: The Harsh Law of Investigation
- Chapter 13: Revelations in St. Moritz
- Chapter 14: Hidden Connections
- Chapter 15: Shadow Operations
- Chapter 16: An Afternoon in Lambrate
- Chapter 17: The Renunciation
- Chapter 18: The Decisive Encounter
- Chapter 19: The Trap
- Chapter 20: Return to Corenno Pliny
The Case of the Lost Polypropylene Formula in Milan
by Marco Arezio
Stories. Shadows of Ambition. Chapter 20: Return to Corenno Plinio
The pouring rain that had been falling on Milan for days had moved further north at dawn that Friday, leaving the city in an almost unreal stillness. The sky, now colored by a clear light, revealed golden hues that reflected on the buildings and half-deserted avenues. The air smelled clean and renewed, as happens after a storm that washes away tension and fear. Yet, amid the dawn light, Lucia Marini's thoughts bounced endlessly between the relief of having saved a life and the worry of what was soon to happen.
Lucia, the dark-haired commissioner with the determined gaze, sat in the back seat of a police car, with Sofia Romano, the commissioner's daughter, at her side. It was she who had rescued the girl from the grip of a cruel blackmail orchestrated by Müller, a criminal who seemed to have a thousand faces and a thousand tentacles. Until a few hours earlier, Commissioner Maurizio Romano had been forced to keep her out of the case in order to guarantee Sofia's life; But now that her daughter was free, those same closed doors would have to swing open for Lucia.
Crossing the still-wet streets of Milan, Lucia noticed the reflections of the traffic lights on the damp asphalt, the few people already moving, the smell of rain permeating the air. Every now and then, she glanced at Sofia, pale and exhausted, her gaze fixed on an indefinite point: the days of captivity had left a mark of fear and disorientation on her.
Sofia (quietly): "Lucia.
.. thank you again. Without her... I..."Lucia squeezed her arm protectively.
Lucia: "Don't think about it now. Soon you'll see your father again, and we'll have plenty of time to figure out how to get those criminals out of their lair."
A faint smile relaxed Sofia's features for a moment: a glimmer of hope in the darkness of her memories.
Arriving at the police station, they were greeted by an unusual atmosphere: officers exchanging curious glances, colleagues greeting Lucia with a mixture of admiration and discreet approval. News of Sofia's rescue must have spread quickly. An officer motioned for them to enter the commissioner's office, and as soon as the door opened, Maurizio Romano leaped to his feet to run to meet his daughter.
The Commissioner: "Sofia... my daughter!"
For long moments, the room was filled with the soft sound of their embrace, their emotion melting into long-held tears. Lucia stood aside, her heart filled with relief and her mind already focused on what was to happen next...
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