Kidnapped and a Daring Escape (40 page)

    
"
Signor
Villier, we are asking the questions in this office."

    
The ‘Royal We’? "I am fully aware of that. I have, however, several
rights. Is this accusation the result of a
denuncia
and if so by whom?"

    
"I am not obliged to answer that."

    
"No,
dottore
, you are not, but unless you do I will not answer any
further questions without the presence of a lawyer of my choice, although
it is not difficult to guess that Professor Visconti made that
denuncia
."
He observes a fleeting creasing of her eyebrows. So I’m right.
Commissario
Farnese should practice better control over her facial
expression. He continues: "Furthermore, you have no evidence to support
Professor Visconti’s allegation, nor will you be able to dig up any
evidence that will hold up in court." Again he notices that flick of a
frown. "
Dottore
, all you risk doing is to put your own reputation on the
line."

    
"You let me worry about my reputation,
Signor
Villier, and I assure
you we will leave no stone unturned to find that evidence. Why did you
go to San Agustin?"
 

    
A standoff seems to have developed. He is not going to help her. He
has never found it difficult to keep silent and outlast any opponent. She
occupies herself looking through the papers in front of her again, briefly
looking up a couple of times, the frown on her face deepening each time.
After more than two minutes, she repeats her question: "
Signor
Villier,
why did you go to San Agustin?"

    
"
Dottore
, I already gave you the answer to that."

    
She eyes him severely for several seconds, turns briefly back to the
documents, and then sighs. "If you are not willing to cooperate voluntarily I have no choice but to put you under arrest."

    
André sees that it is futile to prolong this farce any longer. "
Dottore
,
it seems obvious that you have already made up your mind on that
regardless of whether or not I cooperate."

    
For just as second, surprise and dismay colors her face, and then the
stern expression returns. "
Signor
Villier, I arrest you under suspicion of
having kidnapped Miss Pacelli."

    
"And I insist that I be given access to a lawyer of my choice right
away."

    
"You will get your one phone call in due time,
Signor
Villier."

    
She turns to the policeman and orders him to take André down to the
office for processing.

* * *

Bianca’s heart is pounding as she takes the seat Marni points to at the
large table. Its highly polished surface reflects the light from the two tall
trifurcate windows. She is facing two middle-aged men and a somewhat
younger woman, in addition to Marni. A recording device sits on the
table.

    
Marni introduces them, but Bianca is too nervous to catch their names,
all she hears is that one of the men comes from the Questura and that the
woman is a psychologist. The latter tries to put her at ease, by asking
whether she has been able to repose from the flight home and her ordeal
of the kidnapping. She is then invited to recount her experience to the
tiniest detail. When she starts out with how their Jeep was suddenly
blocked on the road, they tell her to begin with her arrival in Colombia.

    
As she talks, she relaxes and feels more comfortable and confident.
They occasionally ask for clarification, especially on how she met André,
how he came to be on the same flight and the excursion by Jeep. They are
interested in every detail of his behavior. Initially she finds that strange
and then it begins to worry her. Why would they want to know his facial
expressions and all the things he said to her, much of which she thinks
is irrelevant or trivial small talk. They ask her a second time to go over
their exchange when he pleaded with her not to go to the other side of the
Magdalena River. They question whether what she reports are his exact
words. She tells of her memory blank until the scream when her captors
told her that André had jumped over the cliff, taking one of their own
along. Does she think the scream came from Mr. Villier? She tries to
recall that moment in her mind, but still cannot tell. She says so. They
show her a cartographic map of the San Agustin area. She points to the
approximate location where their Jeep was blocked, but is not able to
identify the roads they drove through or the track they walked on, nor the
position of the cliff or the location of the camp where she was kept
prisoner. She tells them that André already gave all these details to Mr.
Baldetti at the Italian Embassy in Bogotà. They only nod.

    
The whole interview seems to go on for hours. At one point, she asks
for a glass of water, and they actually take a fifteen-minute break. She
cannot help noticing that the three men several times raise their eyebrows
in disbelieve as she recounts some of the hair-raising aspects of their
escape. They want to know if the two pursuers André shot with the rifle
where really bleeding, whether she actually saw him extract the bullet
from their wounds. Every word spoken by André and the four men is
questioned. They make her repeat every detail about their escape from the
guesthouse in Las Delicias and explore in detail how André seemed to
know that somebody was coming. Finally, they ask her about donating
the money to the charity. Marni queries whether she is certain that the
woman lawyer really represented that charity. She tells them that they
obtained her name and phone number from a web page. During the
interview, the woman psychologist periodically wants to know about her
feelings and state of mind at that time and how in retrospect she now
feels about it. She also questions her repeatedly about her feelings toward
André. The man from the
Questura
asks the very last question. Has Mr.
Villier since their arrival in Rome ever absented himself to meet
somebody or to make phone calls? This she can happily answer in the
negative. No, she has been with him every single minute.

    
"Both nights?"

    
"Yes."

    
She feels confident that she absolved herself well and that it was less
of an ordeal than she had feared. Only a small nagging worry remains
why they were so interested in André. Won’t his debriefing give them all
the details they want? It is one o’clock when Marni accompanies her out
of the office and back into the foyer. She is eager to see André.

    
There is nobody in the Foyer.

    
"Where is
Signor
Villier," she questions Marni, as he is taking leave.

    
"I am sorry, Miss Pacelli, but
Signor
Villier has been taken for
questioning to the
Questura
."

    
"But why," she cries. It feels as if somebody had pulled the rug from
under her feet.

    
"I am not in a position to talk about that."

    
"But I need to know. I want to see him."

    
"I am sorry, I cannot help you further."

    
"But where can I find out?" Her voice trembles. Tears are on the verge
of spilling.

    
"I suggest that you inquire with the Questura. They might be willing
to give you some information, but frankly I doubt it. Goodbye Miss
Pacelli."

    
He leaves. She wants to run after him but her feet seem solidly stuck
to the floor. She feels lost without André. He has become the tower of
strength she could always fall back on, and now he is gone. Finally, she
stumbles out of the building. She does not know where to go, where to
turn for help and solace. The only person that comes to mind is Gabriela.
But she can’t even call her without a cell phone. Hers was stolen by ‘
la
bête
’. She has an old one in her room at home. She goes back into the
foyer and begs the receptionist to allow her to make a local call. The
woman reluctantly gives her the phone. She calls Gabriela’s cell phone.
When her sister answers, she burst out: "André has been arrested."

    
"Arrested? Where are you?"
 

    
"At the Ministry on Piazza del Viminale."

    
"Stay put, I’ll be there in five minutes. I’m only a few blocks over."

    
She thanks the receptionist and hurries outside. It takes less than five
minutes for Gabriela’s red Punto cabriolet to roll up.

    
"Hop in," Gabriela calls out and Bianca does.

    
Gabriela drives off immediately. "What happened?"

    
"We went to Foreign Affairs for a debriefing on the kidnapping. When
I came out, I was told that he had been taken to the
Questura
."

    
"Poor Bianca." She hands her a tissue.

    
"Where are you going?"

    
"To Bocelli’s, Ernesto Gallizio is usually there at this time."

    
"Ernesto Gallizio? Who is he?"

    
"You know, that flashy lawyer friend of Chris Pozzi she is always
hanging out with. He may know what to do. At least, he may be able to
find out why they arrested André."

    
Gabriela spots Gallizio on the outside terrace, seemingly enjoying the
meager winter sun coming through a milky sky.

    
Gabriela introduces them.

    
"Ah, I have seen you on TV. That man with you seems to be quite a
character."

    
"He is why we are here to talk to you," says Gabriela. "Tell him,
Bianca."

    
Bianca briefly recounts what happened.

    
"And you would like me to find out why he was taken to the
Questura
,
I guess," he muses. "Look, it may just be that they debriefed him there
rather than at Foreign Affairs." Bianca’s hopes rise. "Have you in fact
checked whether he is not already back at the hotel?"

    
"No. I’ll do it right away. Gabriela, lend me your cell phone."

    
She goes two steps to the side, searches for the card of the Pensione
de’Fiori, and dials. Maria answers. No, André has not returned yet.

    
"Please, tell him I will be back by two thirty, if he returns before me."

    
"So he is not back," remarks Gallizio. He seems to ponder something
and then says: "I can give a friend of mine at the
Questura
a call. She
might know."

    
"Please do,
Signor
Gallizio," Bianca pleads.

    
"I will, but call me Ernesto."

    
He makes the call and initially flirts for several minutes. Finally he
asks his friend for a confidential favor — why André Villier was taken
to the
Questura
. He has to wait several minutes before he gets an answer.

    
"It seems that there was a
denuncia
—"
 

    
"Somebody denounced him?" exclaims Gabriela.

    
Two people immediately flash through Bianca’s mind — Franco and
her father. She begins to breathe deeply to stave off the nausea that
threatens to swamp her.

    
"Yes, and obviously they are under no obligation to reveal who that
is. They booked him under suspicion of having kidnapped you."

    
"But how could he? He was taken hostage with me."

    
"They suspect that this is just a cover story."

    
"But … but he risked his life several time for me."

    
"Sorry, Bianca. I don’t know what evidence they have to suspect that.
I just reported to you what my friend told me."

    
She slumps down on a chair, tears streaming down her face. "This is
a horrible mistake. What am I to do," she sobs.