Finding Angelo (The Wine Lover's Daughter, Book 2) (15 page)

Angelo got up and walked to the window. He sat on the window
ledge, and faced Sofia and Miriam.

“Fabio—the policeman you talked
to—came by one day and made me an offer. He told me he was working for a man in
the United States who imported small but precious art objects from Italy. They
were looking for someone who would take them on the plane and hand them over at
the airport in Chicago. Someone would meet me there, and I would deliver the
goods to him. Payment was generous and included a round trip plane ticket and a
night in a hotel near the airport.”

Angelo sneered. “The whole thing
sounded fishy, of course, and reminded me of the illegal transportation deals
Fred and I made in California. I asked Fabio why he didn’t do it himself. He
told me they needed a trustworthy American citizen who could fly in and out of
the United States undetected. I told him I would need to know who I was dealing
with in the United States, that this sounded dangerous and illegal. He said he
didn’t know who the person was. He knew only that his employer was someone in
Chicago. The person who’d offered him the job referred to the man as Cricket.
Now, I knew who I was dealing with. Cricket was the code name for Anton
Leonardi.”

“Fred and Frank Leonardi’s
cousin,” Sofia said.

Angelo nodded. “Yes. I warned
Fabio, told him I knew the man in Chicago, that he was a dangerous criminal and
that Fabio should stay away from him. Fabio at first seemed shocked and said he
was going to check it out. I hoped he would come to his senses. See, Fabio is
one of those underpaid Italian policemen. He constantly complained about the
working conditions. He had a family to support, and I understood that he was
tempted by easy money. I also knew what can happen if you get involved in such
illegal crap.”

Angelo sighed. “I now wish I
hadn’t warned him and just refused the offer, because what followed forced me
to disappear again. A few days later, Fabio came back and confronted me, saying
that he had trusted me and now he regretted having told me anything.

“I told him I wasn’t going to
betray him. As far as I was concerned, he’d made me an offer and I had turned
it down. The rest was up to him. But I warned him again that Cricket or Anton
Leonardi was not to be trifled with. Then he yelled at me and said that he knew
I was hiding here. His contact to Cricket, the one who had offered him the job,
would be able to find out why I was on the run. Unfortunately, I had hinted at
the fact that I’d had some trouble back home, but I hadn’t told him what it
was.

“However, I realized that if Anton
found out that somebody from California was hiding in Italy, he may very well
put two and two together. He was too close, so I panicked and left.”

“And when I showed him your photo
and told him your real name, that made him even more suspicious. I’m so sorry,”
Sofia said.

“Well, you didn’t know and
fortunately, I had disappeared before he found out.”

“But why did you disappear when
you lived in Moretta?” Miriam asked.

“I began receiving anonymous and
threatening letters,” Angelo said. “I also saw Fabio once in Moretta. I
suspected right away that he was the one who sent the letters.”

Angelo walked over to the sofa and
sat down. “The letters also contained veiled threats, suggesting that my close
friends were in danger. At that point, I thought about going to the
authorities, finally. But which ones? Fabio was with the police after all.” He exhaled
deeply. “So I ran again.”

It was quiet in the room, then
Miriam got up. “What a mess.” She sat next to Angelo and put her hand on his.
Then she got up. “I just thought of something. What about the blue Honda?”

“Blue Honda? What blue Honda?”
Angelo asked.

“Oh, yes. I think I was being
followed when I left Bardonico for Moretta,” Sofia said. “A blue Honda kept
parking close to my car. At first I thought nothing of it. There are tons of
blue Hondas, but after a while, I became suspicious. Do you know if the police
officer, this Fabio, has a blue Honda?”

Angelo shook his head. “No. I
don’t. But I’ve been gone for a while. It’s possible. For how long did you
think you were being followed?”

Sofia and Miriam looked at each
other. “When I first tried to check out the abbey, I saw the car and he
followed me to the monastery. I panicked and turned back and on the way back I
must have lost him. From then on we used Miriam’s car. My car is hidden in her
garage.”

Angelo’s eyes narrowed. “How did
you know it was a man?”

“I saw him once, just for a brief
moment. I know it wasn’t the policeman. It was someone else,” Sofia said.

“Well, Fabio could’ve sent someone
else to follow you. He wouldn’t necessarily do it himself.” Angelo looked
pensive. “Once he knew what my real name was and he happened to mention it to
the go-between, the man who offered him the job, then Anton may have found out
that I was in Italy.”

“We thought for a quick moment
that a blue Honda was parked at the public lot in Rivalta, when we left for the
hike. But we really didn’t know. It could’ve been a coincidence. And I’m sure
we weren’t followed on the hike,” Miriam said.

“Well, this is all very
disturbing. Tomorrow I’m going to pack a bag, take my passport, and leave. I’ll
have to let Abbot Francesco know. Perhaps I can stay at the abbey for a few
days until I have the airplane ticket.”

“Why don’t you come with me to
Tuscany?” Sofia suggested. “From there we can call California, the family, and
let George Silver know that you want to come back. There is plenty of room at
my place and the cop certainly wouldn’t know you’re there.”

Angelo watched her, thinking. “I
just don’t want to get someone else in danger. Your family in Tuscany, for
instance.”

“That won’t happen. We won’t stay
there very long. You need to get back, so all this can be cleared up.”

“I think Sofia has a point,
Angelo,” Miriam said.

Angelo shrugged. “Perhaps, you’re
right. I’ll sleep on it.” He looked at his watch. “It’s getting late. If you
don’t mind, I’m going to turn in.”

“Yes, I’m tired too.” Sofia
yawned. “You’re sure you don’t mind sleeping on the couch?”

“Certainly not,” Angelo said.

Sofia woke up from a dream about Nicholas when she heard
loud voices. The bedroom lamp on the nightstand was on and Miriam was sitting
up in bed.

“What’s wrong?” Sofia whispered.

“I don’t know. I think it’s two
men and they’re arguing with Angelo.”

Sofia checked her watch. It was
four o’clock in the morning. They both got up and dressed fast. Fortunately,
they’d slept in their underwear and T-shirt. The voices got angrier and now
Sofia understood part of the argument.

“
Dove sono le donne
?” one
of the men yelled. “Where are the women?”

“
Sono ritornate
, they’ve
gone back.” She heard Angelo say. He talked loudly. Was he trying to warn
Miriam and herself?

“We have to hide,” Miriam hissed.
She slid her backpack under the bed. Sofia did the same. They pulled the cover
over the bed to make it look unused. They grabbed their shoes and checked
quickly if anything personal was lying around. Miriam switched off the light,
they stepped into the walk-in closet, and closed the door. Just in time.

The door to the bedroom opened
with a bang and someone stepped inside. Sofia held her breath, her knees were
shaking. She was sure they were able to hear her heart pound in her chest.

“
Andate
, gone,” a male
voice said. It sounded familiar to Sofia. The door slammed shut. Miriam
carefully slid the closet door open, so they were able to hear better.

“I think it’s the cop.” Sofia’s
heart filled with dread. It was her fault. The guys had followed them all the
way to Angelo’s house. She had practically brought them here.

“You’re dead.” Someone shouted.
“We have orders to eliminate you.”

“Cricket? Or should I say, Anton
Leonardi, the mobster?” Angelo said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Shut up.” There was a slapping
sound.

Sofia felt a hand on her arm. “Do
you know how to shoot a gun?” Miriam whispered.

“No.” Then a memory rose in
Sofia’s mind. Henry, her father, had had a gun. He’d kept it locked up, but one
time there had been a few burglaries in the neighborhood. So he’d taken it out,
cleaned it, and showed Sofia how to use it. “Just in case,” he’d said.

“Maybe,” Sofia whispered.

“There may be a gun in the
nightstand. Angelo always used to keep one next to his bed. Loaded.” Miriam
gave Sofia a probing look, as if to assess her courage.

Sofia tiptoed out of the closet,
her knees wobbly, her heart pounding. What if they came into the room again?
She held out her arms in the dark and found the edge of the bed. With one hand
on the bed, she felt her way to the nightstand and switched the lamp back on.
She pulled the drawer open, which made a squeaky sound. The weapon was inside.
Sofia faltered, then picked up the gun, and rushed back into the closet, no
longer trying to be quiet. Fortunately, the argument in the living room drowned
out all the other noise.

Sofia examined the gun. It looked
somewhat similar to the one her father had owned. Her hand was trembling, but
she gripped the handle and curled her finger around the trigger. She glanced at
Miriam. “Ready to shoot.” Her attempt at humor didn’t make her feel calmer. She
took deep breaths.

In the meantime, Miriam had
discovered a piece of metal rod in the closet. “We have to act fast. Here’s
what I think. I’ll stand next to the door and bang against it. The guys will
come in. I’ll be hidden by the door and I’ll hit the first one. You shoot the
other one.”

“I don’t know if I can shoot anyone.
What if I miss? What if I kill him? I don’t know how many bullets are in the
pistol? What if it’s not loaded?”

“It
is
loaded. I’m sure. We
have to do it. They’ll kill Angelo.” Miriam sounded desperate.

Sofia felt she was going to faint.
But she couldn’t let them kill her great-uncle. She’d come so far to find him.
“Okay,” she whispered, her voice shaking.

“Ready?” Miriam asked.

“Yes … but please be careful.”
Sofia grabbed her arm.

Miriam nodded but her face showed
fear. She tiptoed to the door, positioned herself on the side the door would
open to. She waited a few seconds. Sofia’s heart went into overdrive again, out
of fear for Miriam and for herself. Miriam banged the pipe against the door.
The argument in the other room stopped. A brief exchange of words. Sofia lifted
the gun and pointed it at the door. Her hand was shaking so hard, she was
afraid she’d drop the weapon.
Dear God, please help
.

Then everything happened at once.
The door flew open. A scraggly-looking short man stepped into the room, holding
a gun. Miriam, standing behind him, lifted the rod and hit him over the head,
yelling at the same time. The blow made him tumble forward, his knees buckled,
and he dropped the gun. Immediately, the second guy—the police officer Sofia
had met—rushed into the room. He looked down at his friend, then turned to face
Miriam. He, too, had a gun. Sofia pulled the trigger. The policeman yelled,
dropped the gun, sunk to the floor, and grabbed his leg. An acrid smell filled
the room. Sofia, no longer able to stand, slid down, her back propped against
the closet wall, the gun still clutched in her hand. Darkness threatened to
overwhelm her.

“You can let go now.” She heard
the calm voice of Angelo. She opened her eyes. He gently prodded her fingers
open, took the gun from her, and helped her stand up. Miriam, standing next to
them, held the guns of the two men in her hand. Angelo took them both, put them
into the closet, and closed the closet door. The man Miriam had struck down
began to move. He moaned and held his head. The policeman, still holding his
injured leg, yelled at them in Italian.

“Miriam, there is some rope in the
kitchen cabinet next to the sink. Can you get it?” Angelo said.

“Okay, just a moment.” Miriam left
the room.

Sofia, having gotten up in the
meantime, was holding on to the closet door. Her knees were still trembling.

Angelo held her by the arm. “Brave
woman. Nicholas can be proud of you.”

Sofia managed a quick chortle.
“He’d kill me if he knew.”

Miriam came back with the rope.
Angelo checked his gun. “There are still plenty of bullets here.” He glared at
the two guys on the floor. He held the handle of the pistol out to Sofia.
“Would you do me the honors? Just shoot them if they don’t cooperate.” Sofia
looked at the weapon, then met his eyes. He winked at her. “Just don’t shoot
me.”

Having recovered somewhat, Sofia
took the gun and held it pointed at the two men. Whereas before, the feeling of
the gun in her hand had terrified her, now it gave her a sense of power. She
held the pistol firmly in her hand. She wondered if she could ever actually
kill a person.

Angelo and Miriam proceeded to tie
the hands of the two men behind their backs. The one guy who had been hit over
the head was slowly recovering from the blow and began to squirm. Angelo held
him by the arms while Miriam wrapped the rope around his wrists. “Stop fighting
or you’re going to have a bullet in your head.” Angelo motioned with his head
toward Sofia. “She won the NRA shooting competition for women last year.”

Tying up the fully awake but
injured cop was more difficult. “Are you crazy? I’m hurt. Are you going to tie
up an injured man? I thought we were friends.”

“All of a sudden we’re friends
again? Just a few minutes ago, you were going to kill me,” Angelo said. He
pulled the man’s arms behind his back. Fabio screamed. “Hold still and it won’t
hurt as much.”

After binding their hands, Angelo
proceeded to tie their legs as well under the loud protests and filthy
expletives of both men. He checked the wound on Fabio’s leg. “Just a scratch.
Don’t whine like a baby.”

“Are you going to let us die
here?” Fabio’s eyes registered fear.

“Don’t worry. You deserve it, but
we aren’t killers. After we leave, I’ll call the police and the ambulance to
come and get you.” Angelo double-checked the bindings and got up.

“Don’t call the police, for God’s
sake,” Fabio screamed, trying to wiggle his hands free.

“Why not? Are you afraid they’ll
find out about the illegal crap you’ve been involved in? That you were going to
kill someone at the behest of a mobster in the United States?” Angelo smirked.

“Okay, ladies, let’s go.” Angelo grabbed
a bag with some clothes and other essentials, his passport, and money. Sofia
and Miriam pulled their backpacks from under the bed. On the way out, Angelo
took a small chain with a round ornament from the wall and put it around his
neck. “The medal of Saint Benedict,” he said in answer to Sofia’s questioning
look. “For good luck.”

Angelo locked the house but put
the key under a flower pot next to the door. He walked around the house to his
car. Miriam and Sofia followed.

Outside, it was getting light. The
early morning mist hovered over the trees. Angelo turned around. “Thank you,
you women are amazing. You saved my life.” He hugged them both.

When they arrived at the car, Angelo
dropped his bag on the ground. “Damn it all, the assholes slashed my tires.”

Sofia scanned the area. “How did
they get here? Where is their car?”

“Over there,” Miriam pointed at a
jeep parked behind a tree.

“Well, I’ve always wanted to drive
a jeep,” Angelo said. “Wait here.” He walked back to the house, unlocked the
door, and went inside. He came back a few minutes later, holding up a pair of
car keys.

He opened the door of the jeep.
Sofia motioned for Miriam to sit in the front seat but Miriam climbed into the
back. When they were all seated, Angelo started the car.

“What did you mean when you said I
won the NRA shooting competition?” Sofia asked him.

He looked at her. His face
stretched into a full-blown smile. It was the first time she saw his smile
reach his eyes. “Didn’t you?” He gave her a mock-surprised look.

“I don’t even know what it is,”
she said.

“Neither do I.” He grinned.