by Haven, Rose
When I don’t answer his question, he twists my right arm painfully. “When I ask you something, I need an immediate reply! It seems I’ll have to teach you a lot of things. Now tell me, did you sleep with him?”
“What sort of a question is that? I…we…we love each other and….” A tight stinging slap on my face halts my words.
“You don’t love him, you fool! You love me! I can see it in your eyes. You’ve loved me ever since we saw each other for the first time. Don’t you remember that beautiful morning when your papa brought you to the guesthouse….the time when we first met! I still remember the way you smiled at me. It was love at first sight for both of us.”
Chapter Seven
I have no idea what he is talking about. He seems absolutely crazy at the moment, imagining things like that. I’ve never given him any reason to believe that I’m in love with him. In fact, I tried my best to avoid him and whenever he tried to get too close for comfort, I would politely excuse myself and leave. I don’t know from where he got this notion in his head that I love him. He seems to be living in an illusion!
“Andrew, what are you talking about?” My words are a mere whisper. I am scared that he will hit me again if I say something he doesn’t want to hear. I am just praying that God sends Alberto here to save me from this maniac.
“What am I saying, huh? Am I talking in French that you don’t understand me, you bitch!” he shouts. I immediately hide my face with my hands fearing that he’d slap me again. But when nothing happens for a few seconds, I open my eyes slowly.
He is taking a few calming breaths as if trying to control his anger. He looks towards me and once again, he seems normal.
“Listen to me Arianna. I don’t want to hurt you and I have no time for your nonsense. In about one hour, a car will arrive to pick us up and we’ll leave this awful city that has made you forget our precious love.”
“Where….where will we go? Back to Murlo?” Oh God! He’s taking me away from here!
“Of course not, sweetheart. That Graziani fellow will find us easily there. I’ll take you to a faraway land where no one will be able to find us. We’ll finally have our ‘happily ever after’.”
I have to find a way to escape from here before that car arrives to pick us up. I decide to play along Andrew’s illusion to make him believe that I am with him in all this.
“Oh Andrew! Does that mean you are going to marry me?”
He looks a little skeptical at my sudden change in tone, but after a while, he smiles at me.
“Now you are talking sense, my dear. Yes, we’ll get married tomorrow morning. But don’t worry my dear, if you want we can celebrate our wedding night in advance.” He gives me a dirty look and moves closer. I am petrified to think what he’d do next. He pulls me towards himself and starts kissing me forcefully. I feel like puking. He is reeking of alcohol and something else very disgusting. I try to push him away, but he firmly holds my hands behind my back. Just when I feel I can take it no more, he releases one of my hands and moves his own hand up to pinch one of my breasts. I am reminded of that horrible scene in the kitchen back at Murlo. I had escaped him once, but this time, I am sure I’ll not be as lucky. He is continuously kneading and pinching my breasts. Finally with my free hand, I manage to push him away.
“Listen Andrew, I know that you love me and I’ve also realized that I love you too. But I am a little old fashioned, you know. I think….I think we should wait till our wedding night to do all this….you know what I mean?” I try to give him a shy smile. He looks a little confused at first but then thankfully, he backs down a little.
“Oh….I always knew you were a shy girl, Arianna. You remember all those times when I tried to get close to you in Murlo, you’d always run away from me shyly. It is going to be very difficult for me to keep my hands off you now that I know that you love me….but I’ll try. I promise you, I’ll try.”
He is looking so sincere at this moment that I actually feel pity for him. If only he’d understand that I don’t love him, I love Alberto! I wonder where Alberto is at this moment. He must have found out about my being kidnapped by now.
But on second thoughts, how would he know that I’d been kidnapped by Andrew? Perhaps he is thinking that I just stood him up for some reason. Please God, give him some clue that I am here with this crazy man! Please send him here to rescue me!
Chapter Eight - Andrew Dioli
Finally, my Arianna has confessed her love for me! I am so happy today. My dream of getting married to the love of my life is finally getting fulfilled.
It is going to be very difficult for me to control my hands when she is sitting so close to me, looking at me with love shining bright in her eyes. But if she wants to wait for another twenty four hours before surrendering herself completely to me, then so be it. Now that we are both on the same page finally, I don’t want to rush things or do anything that might annoy her.
I still can’t believe my good luck. I know that perhaps she has slept with that Graziani fellow, but then what other option did she have? She was all alone in this big city and that man let her stay in his house. He must have forced himself on her and she must have bowed down to his wishes. I want to ask her how she ended up at his house, but I decide to wait until we get married.
If only she’d let me have my way with her tonight, she’d not have to go through such a painful experience. But she’s continuing to be so shy! And then when I finally found her working in that hotel, she again ran away from me! Perhaps she thought I would punish her for leaving me like that in Murlo.
Anyways, whatever happened in the past, I will not allow it to tarnish our future. I’ll take her to a new country, where we’ll start our life again together. I am lost in my thoughts when I hear my phone ring.
“Hello? Andrew?” It’s that idiot Matthew again!
“How many times do I have to tell you to not call me? I’ll send your money….”
“It’s not about money, Andrew. I….I have a very important thing to tell you that I can’t say over the phone. Can you meet me right now?”
“Are you crazy? You know that I have Ari…that woman with me at the moment. What is it? Tell me right now or I’ll disconnect the phone and switch it off. Then you’ll not get your money too.” Arianna is looking at me questioningly.
“Don’t do that Andrew. Okay, listen to me carefully. That man who was accompanying the woman who you’ve kidnapped, he is absolutely furious about her being missing. He’s even called in the polizia to search for her.”
I laugh at his words. That man is such a fool! How will the polizia find me now when they’ve not been able to track me for the past so many days!
“Don’t worry, Matt. Nothing is going to happen. They’ll never be able to find me! I am leaving Florence forever in a few minutes. By the time they’ll find out that I’ve left, it would be too late!”
“Where are you going?”
“Where nobody will ever be able to trace me! Don’t worry Matt! You’ve been of such great help to me. I have told one of my friends here to give you your reward. You’ll get it by tomorrow morning. Goodbye!”
“Who was it Andrew?” Arianna asks me.
“Oh…it was a friend. You know, the waiter who spilled that drink on you?” I look at her face as realization dawns on her.
“That waiter…he…he did that on purpose! So that I’d have to go to the washroom…..” she looks bewildered. I laugh at her expression.
“Yes, I told him to do that. When I found out that you’d be accompanying Alberto Graziani for dinner to the restaurant he works in, I called him and told him about my plan.”
“Oh! What a genius you are, Andrew!”
“That I am, sweetheart.”
“But how did you know that we’d be going to that restaurant?”
“Well, I’d been following Graziani discreetly. You know, he was about to propose to you this evening, that fool! I saw him going to a jewelry shop from where he bought a ring for you an
d then reserved a table for two at the restaurant. I even heard him call you after that to get ready. He calls you Gemma, right?”
“Uh…yes, he does. Actually, Mrs. Antoni gave me that name……….”
“I don’t care what he or anyone else calls you. That chapter of your life has been closed forever. For me, you are Arianna, MY Arianna!”
I bend down to kiss her again but she ducks her head in time. I don’t understand why she’s still behaving as if we are strangers! Let her do whatever she wants tonight. Tomorrow onwards, she’ll have to do MY bidding……
Chapter Nine - Alberto Graziani
We are finally outside Andrew’s hiding place. It is a small hotel in a very dingy locality. The Police Control Room has traced his number to this location while Matthew had been talking to him.
I am eager to barge into the hotel and rescue Gemma but Officer Thomson believes that Andrew might harm her if he finds out that he’s been cornered. So we wait outside patiently as one of the officers in plain clothes goes inside to check in which room he’s staying.
He comes out with a disappointed look on his face. “There is no one by the name of Andrew staying in this hotel.”
“He might have changed his name….”
“I showed the man at the reception this sketch of Andrew, but he says that he’s never seen him.”
“That bastard is lying, I tell you!” I am furious. I know that Gemma is inside with that crazy man.
Just then, a young boy, no more than fourteen or fifteen years of age, comes out of the hotel. He looks at the entire team of polizia and perhaps gets scared and tries to rush back inside. But before he can go in, Officer Thomson calls out to him.
“Hey you, young fellow! Come here,” he orders.
The young lad comes up to us, a little frightened.
“Sir, I have seen that man,” he says.
“Which man?” Officer Thomson questions him.
“The man in the sketch. He is Andrew.” I can’t tell how relieved I feel on hearing these words.
“Where did you see him? Has he left the hotel?” I am unable to stop myself.
“Uhhh….Please don’t tell him that I gave you this information. He’s not a nice fellow to mess with.”
“Don’t be scared, we’ll not tell him anything. Now tell us, where is he?” asks Officer Thomson.
“I saw him about three four hours ago coming into the hotel. But he didn’t rent a room here like always.”
“Was he alone?”
“No, there were two people who came to drop him off, probably a man and a woman. He came inside and went towards the basement. I didn’t see him after that.”
“Basement, eh? Can you show us where it is?” Officer Thomson asks him.
“We keep it locked usually. There’s nothing much in there. But if you want, I can show it to you.” The boy takes us towards the basement of the hotel. When the owner sees the entire team entering his hotel, he gets worried.
“What….what happened sir? I assure you there’s nothing illegal going on in here. I am a law abiding citizen of the country…..”
“We are looking for a man named Andrew. He has kidnapped a young lady and we have information that he’s hiding in your hotel.”
“Andrew has kidnapped someone?” He looks a little pale now.
“Yes, you know him, don’t you? Then why did you lie when our officer asked you about him? Are you involved in the kidnapping too?” Officer Thomson asks the man sternly.
“No, of course not sir. I lied….I am sorry I lied about not knowing Andrew. He is a regular at my hotel and often gets into trouble with people because of his short temper. I…I thought he’d again gotten into trouble and I didn’t want to get involved in his business as he’s not even staying here this time.” The owner looks sincere enough and so we assume that he’s telling the truth.
“But still, we want to check your basement. Can you show it to us?”
“Of course sir. Please come this way….” He leads our team towards the hotel’s basement. The young boy is following us too. The hallway that leads towards the basement is pitch dark. As we reach its entrance, Officer Thomson gestures everyone to remain completely silent.
Chapter Ten
“Is there any other way to enter the basement apart from this door?” he asks the owner in hushed tone.
“No sir, this is the only way. There is a small opening in one of the walls for ventilation that opens into the back street. But no one can get inside from there unless they are lying down completely.”
“Hmmmm…. I see. Is it big enough to push a body inside?”
“If it is a small body, I guess it is possible.”
I now understand what must have happened. That boy had said that there were two people- a man and a woman who’d come to drop him at the hotel. The man must be one of his friends and the woman must be Gemma. He also didn’t see Andrew coming out which means that he is still in the basement. He had told Matthew that Gemma is with him. If what he said is true, his friend must have pushed Gemma’s body through that opening. That means that either Gemma was unconscious at that time or……
I don’t even want to contemplate the second scenario. My heart tells me that she’s still alive and very close to me at the moment.
“What are we waiting for, Officer? We are putting Gemma’s life in danger with each passing minute!”
“I understand Mr. Graziani. But we have to make sure he’s unarmed. If he has a weapon with him, he might harm the lady,” Officer Thomson then talks to the owner. “You try to open this door. I am sure he’s locked it from inside.” The man does as told. Sure enough, the door is locked from inside.
“Who is it? What do you want?” comes a harsh voice from inside.
Officer Thomson gestures the owner to continue the conversation.
“I am Rocco and I should be asking these questions as this is MY hotel!”
“Oh Rocco! What the hell do you want to do in the basement at this hour?”
“Is it you Andrew? What are you doing in here? Open the door immediately!”
“Calm down Rocco. I will be leaving in a few minutes……………………”
Just then a very frightened voice comes from inside. It is Gemma’s voice!
“Rocco….Rocco please call the polizia. Andrew has kidnapped……” The rest of the sound is muffled. Probably Andrew has clamped her mouth shut. I heave a sigh of relief that Gemma’s still alive!
Without wasting a single second, Officer Thomson and his men push the door open. Andrew looks alarmed as he sees the policemen barging in but gathers his wits in less than a second. He immediately takes out his revolver and aims it at Gemma’s forehead who is struggling to get out of his grip.
“I’ll kill her….I swear I’ll kill her if any of you try to act smart with me.”
“You’ll do no such thing Andrew,” I shout. I want to kill that bastard!
“Oh I will, Graziani. And after that, I’ll kill you.”
“No…No Andrew…Please don’t harm him. Alberto, let him do whatever he wants…” Gemma is crying. I feel so helpless at the moment.
“What a love story, I must say!” Andrew laughs. “So sweetheart, you’d been lying to me all this while.” He hits Gemma’s head with the revolver’s butt and she shrieks in pain. I try to move towards them but he once again aims the revolver at her.
“Andrew, let her go! You know you can’t escape now. If you harm the lady, you’ll be digging your own grave,” Officer Thomson warns him.
“I know that Officer. You know, I actually believed this woman when she told me tonight that she loves me. But she made a fool of me! She loves that Graziani fellow and looks like he loves her too. Then where do I stand?” Andrew once again laughs like a mad man. “I guess I stand nowhere. Graziani, you win this time! But next time around, Arianna will be mine and mine alone!” He looks at Gemma with a forlorn expression in his eyes and then suddenly turns the revolver towards his head and pulls the trig
ger!
“I love you Arianna!” Those are his last words.
Gemma shouts in horror as his blood is splashed on her face and body. Unable to stand the scene before her eyes, she falls down unconscious.
Chapter Eleven - Arianna Rizzio
As I open my eyes, I find myself in Alberto’s room. I can’t seem to clearly remember if what happened was a nightmare or reality. But my tattered dress and the stains of Andrew’s blood on it prove that it had not been a nightmare. Andrew is no more….he killed himself! Oh God! How will I ever forget the look in his eyes when he pulled the trigger of his revolver! He almost seemed likeable in that moment. If only he could understand that I was not in love with him…. I feel tears rolling down my eyes.
“Are you awake, Gemma?” I hear Alberto’s gentle voice. I nod my head a little as I am unable to speak at the moment.
“Sweetheart, open your eyes. Look at me.”
“I killed Andrew Alberto….I killed him,” I burst into sobs.
“Shhh….. Don’t cry, my dear. And don’t blame yourself. It was not your fault. That man had mental issues. He was completely delusional.”
“Maybe, I don’t know! He kept telling me that he knew I was secretly in love with him. And when I tried to explain that I loved you, he got very angry.”
“Did he….did he hurt you in some way?” I understand what Alberto means by that.
“No. He said that we’d get married tomorrow morning. And he did try to….to come near me but I asked him to wait until our wedding.”
“And he agreed?” Alberto sounds a little surprised. I nod my head once again.
“He just wanted me to love him. Yes, he was a very violent person, but I think he really loved me in his own twisted sort of way.”
“Hmmm…. My heart almost stopped when I heard the gunshot. When I realized that he’d aimed the gun at his own head, I was shocked beyond measure.”