by Julia Anders
"Very well, Signora. We will look into it." He added more kindly, "Don't worry. Small boys manage to lose themselves every day."
She tried to smile but without much success.
She returned to Jason with three policemen. She had been hoping against hope that when she returned Tonio would be with him, but when she saw him standing alone her heart sank.
The men asked to see the exact spot where he had disappeared. Two of the policemen set out searching while the other questioned them again.
"What would he do if he found himself lost?"
"He'd come back onto the Viottolone," Lynne said. "He'd call to us."
"But suppose he confused the direction and wandered the wrong way and got too far for you to hear each other. Suppose someone found him lost and alone. What would he do?"
"He'd ask them to bring him to the Viottolone near the island," she replied promptly.
"But if they tried that and couldn't see you because you were searching for him—"
"I told you," Lynne said impatiently, "one of us has been in plain sight right here in the avenue at all times for that very reason."
"Very well. Then suppose someone found him and asked where he lived. Does he know the name of your hotel?"
Lynne thought carefully. "I'm not sure. I think he does, but if he were frightened he might have forgotten. However he lives at present with his grandparents in their villa between Firenze and Fiesole. I suppose he could have told them that."
"Very well. The others will stay and search. We will telephone the hotel and his grandparents to see if there is any word." He called the others over and asked Lynne to give them a full description of the boy.
She approximated his height and weight and as she described his little yellow shirt and short brown trousers, her voice broke.
She found that Jason was gripping her hand hard. She knew what a torment it must be for him not to understand what was being said. She could feel the tension in him, and she was grateful for his trust in her, letting her get on with it, without interrupting and demanding explanations. Only a very controlled man could manage that, she thought, and from somewhere in her memory a sentence floated to the surface of her mind: A good executive is one who knows how to delegate authority.
The phone call to the hotel produced nothing. There had been no word for Signor or Signora Corey.
Next the young police officer called the D'Allasios' number and asked to speak to Signor D'Allasio. Lynne heard him explaining that Tonio had gotten separated from his aunt and uncle, and they wanted to know if the Signore had had any news.
"Yes, yes, I see. Very well." He turned to Lynne. "The boy is at home, safe and well."
"Jason," she cried. "He's all right. He's back at home. Safe!"
She found herself in his arms, grateful for the strength of his shoulder as she leaned against him.
She heard his exclamation of relief, too, and then almost immediately his commanding executive's voice sliced into her joy. "Ask how and when he returned."
She turned and repeated the question and the police officer spoke into the phone again. Then he said to Lynne, "A cousin found him wandering in the gardens, apparently abandoned, crying. He searched but there was no sight of you anywhere so eventually he took him home. They arrived half an hour ago."
"That's nonsense," she began, but then turned back to Jason and repeated the story.
He looked at his watch. "You can see that that is impossible. Have the officer make a note of the time."
Lynne did so. When he had hung up the phone, she said, "Something is wrong with their story. This is very important, officer. I request that you come with us to the D'Allasios' home. I want to be sure the boy is safe, and I want it proved who is lying."
She could see that he was reluctant, but she remained adamant. "If I must sign a formal request, tell me how to go about it."
He looked into her earnest face for a moment and then softened. "Very well. We will call on the D'Allasios to make certain the boy is really safe."
Two policemen rode in the front of the car, Lynne and Jason in the back seat. She was conscious of Jason's arm against hers as they rode side by side to the villa. She felt a fleeting embarrassment as she remembered throwing herself into his arms when they heard that Tonio was safe. But then she decided it was nothing to be ashamed of. It had not been a lover's embrace. It was only two people clinging together in relief when an emergency was over. There was nothing personal about it.
The maid who answered the door looked alarmed when she saw the police, but she asked haughtily, "Who shall I say is calling?"
"Police officers Siempe and Torella, and Signor and Signora Corey. We require to see Signor and Signora D'Allasio."
She returned a few minutes later and led them to a sitting room. The group of people were as still as if posed for a tableau, the D'Allasios, Vincente Guardino, an older man, and a young woman.
"Yes?" Matteo D'Allasio looked directly at Officer Siempe, ignoring Jason and Lynne.
"We have a few questions to ask about your grandson."
"It was by the grace of God my cousin found him," Isabella said. "I will never forgive these people for their carelessness. Or myself for allowing Tonio to go out in their company."
"That does not answer anything, Signora," the officer said. "Exactly how was he found and brought home?"
Vincente spoke up. "I had been in town on business. I had some free time before an appointment so, since it was a fine afternoon, I decided to stroll in the Boboli Gardens. While I was walking along I heard a whimpering sound. I thought it might be an injured dog, so I went off the path and discovered it was a child. I picked him up and imagine my surprise to see it was my cousin's grandson!"
"I asked him what he was doing there and he said his aunt and uncle had brought him to the gardens. He said they had suggested playing hide-and-seek. They hid and he found them once behind a statue kissing. Then they told him this time he must close his eyes and count to one hundred. When he had finished counting, they were gone."
Lynne felt enflamed with a fury she had never known. It was one of the hardest things she had ever done to hold her tongue and let him continue with his lies.
"The poor child had looked and looked for them, wandering around, crying and calling their names, but they had vanished."
"So what did you do?" the police officer asked.
"I searched for them for, oh, twenty minutes or so, but then"—he shrugged suggestively—"I thought, well, after all they are newlyweds and they apparently wanted some privacy. Who knew where they were and what they were doing? Maybe it was better if we didn't stumble upon them. Or perhaps they were so engrossed in each other that they had forgotten all about the boy and returned to the hotel." The little man's eyes glittered maliciously.
Through a red rage Lynne knew she would like to have killed him. She was only grateful that Jason didn't understand because he might well have done so.
"The boy was growing more hysterical so I brought him home."
"And what time did you arrive?"
"A bit after five."
"Do you confirm that?" the officer asked the D'Allasios.
They nodded. "It was about ten minutes after five, perhaps a quarter past. Our friends were here drinking coffee. They can confirm it also."
The other policeman was making notes as Vincente spoke. Officer Siempe turned to Lynne with a question in his eyes.
"The time they returned may be correct, but every other word is a vicious lie," she said in a tight, furious voice. "At four thirty we were still sitting beside the island. A few minutes later we started home and Tonio suggested a game of hide-and-seek. I hid and he found me. Then he hid and he just—vanished. When we couldn't find him, I went for the police-within ten minutes."
"Our game hadn't started until after four thirty. Tonio hadn't disappeared before a quarter to five, and yet he arrived here at a quarter past. But it takes nearly half an hour to drive from there to this villa. So h
ow could Tonio possibly have wandered around looking for us? How could Vincente have searched for another twenty minutes? There simply wasn't time. Vincente would have to have started back with Tonio immediately after he disappeared."
The D'Allasios were staring at her angrily as they realized for the first time that she spoke fluent Italian. However, there was a crafty note of triumph in Matteo's voice as he said, "Ah, but we have only your word for the time Tonio vanished. I submit that it was earlier, much earlier. Naturally when you finally realized he was gone and went to find a policeman, you wouldn't want to admit you had carelessly misplaced him hours before."
"It was after four thirty when he disappeared," Lynne's words rang out clearly.
Matteo smiled. It was not a pleasant smile. "But can you prove it?" he asked.
"Yes, I can prove it. At four thirty we were sitting on a bench beside the pool at the Piazzale dell'Isolotto. We were talking to a woman who was there with her children. Tonio and her son were playing."
"And you can find this woman again, Signora?" Isabella asked slyly.
"I can find her." She opened her purse, took out the card, and handed it to the officer. "She is the wife of the man who owns this shop. She will remember us."
The D'Allasios were clearly taken aback. But Matteo said with a sneer, "And she will remember the time, no doubt?"
"Yes," Lynne said confidently. "She looked at her watch and said it was four thirty—time for her to start home."
For the first time the D'Allasios looked uneasy.
"I think we had better see the boy," Officer Siempe said.
"No!" Isabella's voice was sharp. "He has been put to bed. He went through a terrible experience. He was hysterical when he arrived home. He's only a baby. I can't have him disturbed. It's impossible."
"Under ordinary circumstances I would respect your wishes regarding your grandson, but someone has lied to the police. That is a serious matter. We will check Signora Corey's story. Meanwhile we will see the boy," the police officer said firmly.
Isabella stared frozen-faced at him, and then, seeing his determination, started to rise.
"No." He stopped her. "Send the maid to fetch him."
A few moments later Tonio appeared on the threshold, his face red and blotchy from weeping. When he saw Jason and Lynne, he gave a glad cry and, detaching himself from the maid's hand, flung himself at Lynne.
"I'm so sorry," he cried. "I knew you'd be frightened. I didn't mean to, Lynne. Honestly I didn't."
"Of course you didn't, darling. I knew you wouldn't. Can you tell us what happened?"
"From the beginning, little one," the police officer said.
Tonio was puzzled. "When was the beginning?"
"Remember Giorgio who played with you at the Piazzale dell'Isolotto?" Lynne suggested. "And then his mother called to him that it was time to go. Begin there. That was at four thirty, Officer, as the woman in the park will confirm."
"A few minutes after Giorgio left, you said we must go, too," Tonio said. "And when we went out on the avenue, I said let's play hide-and-seek. You hid behind a statue and I found you. Then I hid behind a cypress tree. Then I saw Cousin Vincente. He put his finger to his lips—like this." Tonio demonstrated. "Then he said that place was too easy. He said he'd show me a better one. He picked me up and started to carry me. I thought we were getting too far away and I tried to tell him, but he put his hand over my mouth and ran to his car. Then he started to drive home. I told him that wasn't the way to play. I said you'd be scared and you'd taught me never to scare who you're playing with because that's not a good game. But he wouldn't listen. And neither would Grandmother and Grandfather. They told Carolina to put me to bed."
He started to cry again and Lynne comforted him. "It's all right, darling. We were scared, but we knew it wasn't your fault. And now that we know you're safe, we aren't scared anymore." The last words were flung out as a challenge.
"I think that will be all," the officer said. "I will, of course, make a complete report of this to my superiors."
Lynne gave Tonio a hug and whispered, "We'll see you as soon as we can." They swept from the room, feeling the malevolent eyes of the five adults behind them boring into their backs.
In the car Lynne said to Jason, "That dear, brave little boy. He told the truth despite them all." She recounted Tonio's story of how Vincente had spirited him away.
"I'll settle with that man one day," Jason said grimly, and then was silent on the way back to the hotel.
The police car let them out in front of their hotel. "I can't thank you enough, Officers," said Lynne. "You were very helpful. It's a complicated situation. I think your help today may have gone a long way toward resolving it satisfactorily."
"I'm glad it turned out well, Signora," Officer Siempe said. "He's a fine boy."
When the police car pulled away, Jason turned to Lynne and gripped her hands. "Thank God for you, Lynne." His voice was fervent. "Thank God for your good judgment in going for the police immediately. Thank God for your courage in standing up to all of them."
Her heart constricted. "It was you who realized the significance of the timing, Jason."
"But you were the one who could communicate with them and get to the truth of the matter. I'm not accustomed to standing by and watching someone do my work for me. But I watched you take them all on with such confidence in your face—I knew it would be all right."
"That just shows you're a good executive. You know how to hire a person with the right requisites for the job."
"Hire someone?" He looked disturbed, but before he could say more a familiar voice behind them called out, "Well, it's about time you two showed up! I've been hanging about for two hours."
They whirled around. "Darren!" Jason went forward and clapped Darren Lloyd on both shoulders.
Then he caught hold of Lynne's arm and pulled her over. "Lynne, I owe you the best dinner in all Florence, but would you settle for the first trattoria we stumble across where we won't have to change our clothes to eat? I've got to catch this legal type up on what's been happening."
"Of course," Lynne said, "but maybe you two would like to talk business alone."
"Alone?" He seemed bewildered. "You're the heroine of the whole piece. Besides, there's a lot that happened today that we haven't really thrashed out."
"Come along, my girl," Darren said. "I haven't seen you since the wedding, and that's a good deal too long."
Wedding, Lynne thought. It seemed as if she had lived through several lifetimes since then.
When they were seated in a quiet corner in a little trattoria, with a bottle of red wine on the table in front of them and orders of gnocchi verde on the way, Jason said, "To cover the preliminaries briefly, for the first couple of days everything between us and the D'Allasios was very polite, very civilized. Not warm, but civilized. Of course with Tonio, it was a different story. Lynne had made a real conquest there." He flashed her a brief smile.
"Then yesterday we entertained the three of them at lunch. Toward the end Matteo asked when we were leaving Florence. I decided it was time we put the cards on the table and said our stay was indefinite—that we wanted to see more of Tonio. You could practically see their hackles rise. Earlier they had promised that Tonio could spend this afternoon with us in the Boboli Gardens. After the gauntlet was thrown down, I never expected they would let him come, but they showed up with him right on time. The kicker was, late in the afternoon he was abducted by Isabella's cousin, Vincente Guardino—a nasty customer if ever I saw one."
"Abducted!" Darren was startled.
They recounted the whole sequence of events, step by step.
By now their food had arrived and, to her astonishment, Lynne found that she was ravenously hungry.
"So you see," Jason said, his fork halfway to his mouth, "they obviously hoped to discredit us completely. They knew we'd eventually have to go to the police or get in touch with them, and they had witnesses there ready to swear that Vincente had bro
ught home the hysterical child we'd abandoned—or carelessly misplaced. What they didn't count on was that Lynne would move so fast to get the police in on it immediately and be able to establish the times so precisely that their story was obviously nonsense. You should have seen her take charge!"
His eyes shone with pride and Lynne felt herself flushing. "That was all because of Jason's precaution in warning me not to let them realize that I spoke Italian very well," she said. "I suppose it didn't occur to them that we could alert the police to the problem so quickly and be able to communicate about exactly what was going on. And they certainly couldn't have guessed that we'd meet that nice woman in the park who could establish the time. Actually that was the merest stroke of luck."
"Luck and your friendly nature and command of the language," Jason said.
"What I don't see," Darren said, "is how they could know Vincente would have a chance to snatch the boy."
"Well, of course it was only a chance, but if it hadn't worked out, they would have been no worse off than before. Perhaps he had something planned to distract us on our way home so he could grab Tonio then."
"Perhaps," Lynne said, "but I've been thinking. I wonder if the idea of hide-and-seek might not have been planted in Tonio's mind ahead of time. What he said was, 'Let's play hide-and-seek. This is a good place for that game.' Perhaps one of them had suggested to him that it was a good place to play it and he was just responding on cue."
"That could be," Darren said. "The sooner we get him away from those fiends the better. They sound like real rotters, worse even than I expected."
"Well, the police have a record of the whole affair. That should help, shouldn't it?"
"I would certainly think so. After this episode, their credit should be nil as far as the custody suit is concerned. It ought to be smooth sailing from here on."
Suddenly Lynne snapped her fingers. "Paola Malina! That's who that woman was at the D'Allasios' tonight. I had the nagging feeling she looked familiar, but there was so much else on my mind I didn't really think about it."