by Stuart Woods
Mike came over. “Is it you, Stone?”
“You must have me confused with someone else,” Stone said. “I am the blind pianist.”
“I recognize the voice,” he said, laughing. “I hear you’re the entertainment tonight.”
“Dino and I, plus Jim Lugano and Guido, our guitarist. Until the shooting starts.”
“I hope there won’t be any shooting.”
“We can all hope,” Stone replied.
55
Dante called the group to order. “I will speak in English,” he said, “since you are all conversant in the language.” He clicked a remote control, and a photograph of the Casselli house appeared on the screen. Clearly taken from the air, it showed everything from the roof down past the Amalfi drive to the sea. “This is our target,” Dante said. He pressed a button and the camera zoomed in and moved up, until they had a bird’s-eye view.
“Here,” he said, pointing to the rear deck, “is a platform marked on the plans as a helicopter landing pad. We had originally intended to set down a troop-carrying naval chopper there with twenty-five men aboard. However, we are cursed with winds forecast for tonight of more than thirty knots, and there is so little room for error that we have decided to bus in our backup to the village square in Ravello. Our troops will then walk about a kilometer down this narrow path, which ends at the chopper platform. It will be dark, the path is narrow, with only a rope handrail for safety, and the drop to the bottom is steep, ranging between fifty and one hundred meters, so they must use their flashlights and be very careful. It will be slow going. The path widens as it approaches the deck. Four men will be assigned to rush the deck and take any security people who might be stationed there. They will be carrying silenced weapons.
“Now, the other point of entry: from the Amalfi drive at the front of the house.” The image on the screen moved and the camera descended to the road. “Behind this high hedge is the entrance to the elevator, which is large, three by three meters. This will certainly be guarded, and it is likely that all guests will be searched or wanded for weapons. Around a curve a hundred meters away we will have twenty-five more men in a bus.”
He switched to the blueprints and highlighted the living room. “This room is very large and was built for entertaining. The caterers inform us that fifty-eight people will be served dinner, about equally divided between men and women. There will be several armed security guards in the house, and we have learned that they will be wearing dark suits and identified by large lapel buttons bearing the letter C. We believe that the guards downstairs will have served us by disarming all the guests, therefore, the security guards are our wild cards: if shooting erupts, it will be from them, so those of you stationed inside the house should identify them from their lapel pins and make them your first targets, if necessary. The next target will be Leo Casselli himself, who should be taken alive, if at all possible, and you have all seen photographs of him. On past social occasions hosted by Casselli, he has worn a white dinner jacket, so that may help you to immediately identify him.
“The four members of the band will arrive at the Amalfi drive entrance to the house, where they will probably be searched, then taken up in the elevator. The piano is situated at the Amalfi end of the living room, near the elevator, so we believe the band will be put there.
“There will be twelve people in waiters’ uniforms. Those working for the caterers will be wearing white jackets. Our people, five of them, will be wearing red jackets. All the catering personnel, who are already en route, will arrive at the square in Ravello in their own vans and a small bus. They will be the first to arrive, in daylight, and after dark, they will walk down the narrow path from the square and enter the house through the rear door on command. All the food, wine, and utensils will have already been delivered to the kitchen, which is of a large and commercial nature. Two of these crates have been marked with a large red C. These have false bottoms and contain the weapons to be used by our five people—four men and one woman. They will also contain three Tasers. These will be used to disable and disarm the security personnel, probably two, who work on the lower floor here.” The image changed to the plan of the lower floor. “This room contains audio and video equipment connected to the many cameras around the house and property. At seven PM, as the guests have begun to arrive, two of our waiters in red jackets, armed with Tasers and pistols, will go to the security room, Tase the occupants, and immobilize them with plastic cuffs on their hands and feet, and they will also gag these people. Their pistols will be silenced. They may have to be fired, depending on the level of resistance. At the same time, our female officer will go to the lower level where four maids’ rooms are located. We believe that Hedy Kiesler may be held in one of these rooms, though we’ve had reports that she is no longer in the house. We have to find out. Three of them should be unoccupied, since their occupants will be upstairs, working. Our woman will be carrying a jimmy bar with which to force the doors, if locked.
“Having reached Hedy, our officer will remain in the room with her until the house has been secured, when another of our people will come for them and walk them to the elevator for extraction from the house. It is possible that Hedy has already left or been taken from the house to another location, in which case we will have another problem on our hands. If so, the security people and staff of the house will be aggressively interrogated as to Hedy’s whereabouts.
“All our inside people, including the musicians, will be equipped with earpieces that contain two-way radios. Commands will be given by these means, and people who have no critical information for everyone else should remain silent.
“Darkness will fall at around seven PM. At approximately seven-thirty to seven forty-five, our guitarist, Guido, will make an announcement, using a microphone attached to his guitar’s amplifier. The other musicians will have earlier retrieved their weapons from the snare drum and will be ready. Guido will announce that they are all under arrest and surrounded. He will reassure them that, after being interviewed, nearly all the guests will be released and allowed to leave. The band members will be responsible for detaining Leo Casselli.”
Stone raised his hand. “Dante, may I make a suggestion?”
“Yes, Stone, of course.”
“Perhaps Guido, before he makes his announcement of arrest, could ask Casselli to come to the microphone and welcome his guests. That way, he will detach himself from the crowd, so we will know where he is, and while Guido makes his announcement, we can cuff Casselli, take him down in the elevator, and put him into a vehicle. I assume that the downstairs guards will have already been taken.”
“Yes, they will be in custody by that time, and I accept your suggestion, which is an excellent one. You, Stone, may have the pleasure of taking Casselli.” There was applause in the room.
“And now, are there any questions? No? Then you will all be in your assigned vehicles at four PM. Waiters, please go now, since you need a head start.”
The meeting broke up, and everyone went to his assigned vehicle. The band members were assigned to a van, inside which the neck of the bass fiddle protruded into the passenger compartment.
Stone took his seat. In a moment, they were off.
56
Hedy had run out of food and wine as the day waned, and two security guards now manned the rear deck, so she could not get into the house or leave her hiding place without being seen. She resolved that once darkness fell, she would leave her nest among the rocks and make her way up the path toward wherever it led, regardless of the danger. She would crawl, if necessary, but she would do it. Irrationally, she began to blame Stone for her predicament, and her single-minded goal in getting out became confronting him with her many complaints. She longed to be back in New York, where no one wished to kidnap or otherwise harm her. Italy no longer seemed an attractive place to live and work.
—
The van carrying the musicians made i
ts way, by necessity slowly, down the Amalfi drive, past the Casselli house, and around a bend, where it made a U-turn in a wide place in the road and parked. Daylight was waning, and it would soon be dark.
Everyone except Stone had been chatty on the drive down from Rome, but now an uncommanded silence fell on the little group. Dante, who was their driver, got out his radios and began contacting his various units, inside and outside the house. As the hour neared six-thirty, he announced to his passengers, “All groups are in place. It is time for the band to arrive and begin setting up. Four of our people will arrive in a limousine in less than an hour, and after you and all the guests go up in the elevator, they will take the security guards stationed there. On your ride up in the elevator you will no doubt be seen on video and heard on audio by the men manning the security room, so don’t say anything that would disturb them. Please place your radio in your left ear and listen for transmissions, then count off by instrument, so that I know I can receive you. Jim, call me when the band is in place, and give me a report on conditions in the living room.”
Everyone did as instructed, then Dante started the van and drove around the corner to the parking area adjoining the house. Stone helped Dino unload his drums in their cases and load them into the elevator. Each man had a wand passed over his body to ensure he had no weapons. The two security men looked inside the drum cases, but not inside the drums.
“Ted,” Jim said, using Stone’s assigned name, as they stepped out of the elevator, “I wish you could see this room and the view—both are spectacular.” He led Stone to the piano, and Stone felt his way around it, opening the lid to the first position, then sitting at the keyboard and playing a few chords. It was a nine-foot Steinway concert grand, the first he had ever played.
Dino, assisted by Jim, unpacked his drums, then knelt behind the bass to open the snare drum and distribute the weapons and spare magazines. Jim stood behind Stone and leaned over as if speaking to him, then tucked the 9mm semiautomatic into his cummerbund and slipped the spare magazine into his pocket. “There’s one in the chamber,” he whispered, “and the safety is on. You are now armed, Ted.”
Dino quickly reassembled the snare drum and arranged his drums and his stool, then did some final tuning of each drum.
Guido found a receptacle to plug in his amp, and Stone gave them a C to tune the stringed instruments by, then they were ready.
Jim spoke without moving his lips. “Dante, the band is in place, and all is well. Guests are being brought upstairs in carloads and are being served drinks and canapés. Three of our red jackets are circulating among the guests. I can see four security guards. Mr. C is not yet in view.”
“Roger,” Dante repeated.
“Ted, it’s seven o’clock,” Jim said. “Count us off.”
Stone did so, and they swung into a medium-tempo version of “C Jam Blues,” to loosen up everybody and get them accustomed to playing together. Stone held his head still, so as not to appear to be watching his hands or looking around. With his peripheral vision he could see the formally dressed and bejeweled crowd. With the end of the number he led the group into a ballad, and some of the guests began dancing.
“Seven-fifteen,” Dante said. “All is on schedule. The number of arriving guests is declining. I count forty-six present, twelve still to arrive.”
Suddenly, a man in a white dinner jacket was standing next to Stone, and there was a hand on his shoulder. He flinched a little.
“Sorry to startle you,” Casselli said. “I just want to tell you the band sounds wonderful.”
“Mille grazie,” Stone replied, and continued to play.
Another quarter of an hour passed, and a woman’s voice was heard over the radio. “Hedy is not present in any of the maids’ rooms,” she said. “Nor have we found her anywhere in the house. The security room has been taken and three occupants immobilized and drugged.”
“Roger,” Dante replied. “Guido, as soon as our three officers rejoin the others, you may begin the operation. The time is up to you. Announce your intentions when ready, and give us a countdown.”
“Roger wilco,” Guido replied. “Mr. C is in the room, and he likes the music.”
Stone heard all this, and his pulse quickened.
57
They finished playing the number, and Guido set down his guitar in its stand and stepped forward to the microphone. Stone and Dino provided a little fanfare to quiet the crowd.
“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen,” Guido said. “I’m sure your host, Signor Casselli, would like to say a few words of welcome to you.” There was loud applause, and Guido beckoned Casselli to the microphone and stepped back.
Casselli gave a modest little wave to the group. “Good evening to all of you. It is my great pleasure to welcome you to my new home, and I hope this will be the first of your many visits.” The crowd applauded again. “Also, I would just like to mention that my former residence in Positano is available for purchase.” That got a laugh and another round of applause. Before the noise could die down, Guido stepped forward and pressed his gun against Casselli’s spine. “There is a gun in your back,” he whispered into his ear. “You are under arrest. Do exactly as I say, or you will be shot. Put your hands behind you.”
Stone took off his dark glasses, stood up, and went to Casselli. He grabbed his hands and pulled them behind his back, while Guido applied the plastic tie. The room fell quiet, and then all hell broke loose.
A security guard produced a weapon, pointed it at them, and yelled, “Let him go and step back!” Dino, from his perch behind the drums, stood up, assumed a combat stance, and shot the guard in the chest. At the sound of the shot the crowd began to scream and to try to get out.
Stone and Guido dragged Casselli backward toward the elevator, while Dino and Jim pointed their weapons at the guests and tried to keep them back. Stone and Guido got Casselli onto the elevator and pressed the down button; nothing happened, then the lights went out in the whole house. Pandemonium ensued. Dim emergency lighting came on, and in the dimness the crowd tried to push back against Jim and Dino. Jim fired two rounds into the ceiling, and they stepped back for a moment. Then there was the sound of an engine cranking somewhere outside the house, and the generator started to work. The lights came on, the elevator doors closed, and they started down.
“Good evening, Mr. Casselli,” Stone said, facing the man.
“Who are you?” Casselli demanded. “And what are you doing?”
“We last met in Paris,” Stone said. “Remember the choucroute?”
“Barrington?”
“Yes. And to answer your question, I am assisting the police in your arrest and detention. Now where is Hedy?”
“I don’t know,” Casselli said.
Stone pressed his pistol against Casselli’s right eye. “Just one more time: Where is Hedy?”
“She left my house two nights ago, after she spoke to you on the phone. We have not been able to find her. That is the truth.”
The elevator stopped on the ground floor, and they hustled Casselli out the door, around the hedge, and into a waiting car, next to a policeman. Stone slammed the door. “Enjoy the ride,” he yelled at Casselli, then he turned to the others. “I think we’re needed upstairs,” he said.
Dante joined them, pistol drawn, and they got back into the elevator and rose. They burst into the living room, weapons out in front of them. The guests were all sitting on the floor, their hands on top of their heads. There was gunfire from the rear, toward the kitchens, and Dante led the way toward the gunfire. Another security guard was lying at the entrance to the kitchen with a head wound, and an officer in a red jacket was bleeding from a leg and being attended to by a colleague. Uniformed policemen were now pouring into the house.
—
Hedy peeked over a rock and watched, astonished, as the uniforms crowded into the house. A higher ranking offic
er was behind them, exhorting them to get inside. She climbed over the rocks and ran toward the house, crossing the deck and catching up with the officer as he entered the house. She tapped him rudely on the shoulder, and he spun around.
“I am Hedy Kiesler. Are you looking for me?”
—
Inside, a semblance of order had been restored. “Who turned off the power?” Dante was yelling.
“We don’t know,” one of the red-jacketed waiters replied. “Perhaps one of the guards in the security post downstairs.”
“Attend to them at once!” Dante shouted.
Stone was standing behind him, looking into the living room full of people on the floor. Guido had taken the microphone again. “All women, get up and come to the elevator,” he announced. “The men will go later.” Reluctantly, the women began to move.
Stone was watching this happen when someone took him by the shoulder and spun him around, then he caught a fist in his new nose.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Hedy said, looking appalled. “I thought you were someone else.”
Stone pulled off his latex nose. “Want another swing?” he asked, then ducked as it came.
58
Stone blocked her swing and caught her wrist, then pulled off his mustache. “Am I more familiar, now?” She started to swing again, but he caught her wrists and pinned her arms to her sides and shouted, “Stop it! What are you doing?”
“You miserable bastard!” Hedy shouted back. “Where have you been? I’ve been living rough outside for two nights!”
“Stop struggling, relax, and listen to me,” Stone said.
Reluctantly, she did so. “All right, explain.”
“We were unable to confirm your location until very recently.”
“That’s a lie! I told you where I was in my first text!”