“I guessed as much when I heard you’d left so hurriedly. But I’m not here to judge you, Joanne. All that matters is that you came.”
She looked at him and smiled. “Thank you.” He took her case and loaded it into the trunk of his car.
They drove through familiar streets with white-washed walls as she had done with Dante. Was it only a few days ago? Seemed like months.
“So what exactly have the doctors said?” she asked.
Giovanni loosened his grip on the wheel, looked at her, and then pulled his attention back to the road. “They said if he hadn’t been found, he might have died of exposure. He is in…how do you say…in a coma that has been brought on?”
“Oh, you mean a medically induced coma?”
“Si. That is what I mean. His brain is inflamed. So when you go to visit him, he will not know you are there. He does not know any of us have been to see him yet.”
But I will know I was there.
Maybe things were far worse than she feared. This was all her fault. If anything should ever happen to Dante… Why hadn’t she defied him and stayed on the island to work things out?
“There’s something else, though, isn’t there?” she asked. Looking at Giovanni’s face, there was the feeling he hadn’t told her the whole story.
“Si. Just before he went on the boat, we had a fight.” His knuckles were white around the wheel, his mouth set in a fine line.
She straightened. “A fight? I don’t understand. What was it about?”
“You, if I am being honest. I was trying to convince him you would never have betrayed him, and I got so angry, I punched him on the jaw and he stumbled backward. I’m not sure if he hit his head then before getting on the boat.”
“I see. You should try not to dwell on that, Giovanni. After all, you told me he was bleeding when he fell on the boat. I think it’s unlikely.”
“Well if anything happens to him, I will always blame myself.”
She bit her lip. Were things that bad?
By the time they arrived at the hospital, tiredness and hunger had all but wiped her out, but the need to see Dante spurred her on. The hospital looked clean and efficient, and she guessed with his money, he would have the best of care. All around her, people jabbered in Italian. She was a square peg in a round hole.
Giovanni led her to a private cubicle where Vito sat at his son’s bed, holding his hand and weeping. He acknowledged her and then looked back at his son.
“He’s been here for the past couple of days, refuses to leave his side…” Giovanni whispered.
It had hit the old man hard, since last year he’d lost his wife. She gently patted his shoulder. “You go and get yourself a cup of coffee, Vito,” she said. “I will sit here for a while. Dante won’t be alone.”
The elderly man nodded gratefully and rose to leave the room.
For the first time, she really looked at Dante. He looked so peaceful, but he was attached to various tubing and intravenous infusions. There was a chart on the end of his bed and some sort of kidney-shaped dish with small sponges on sticks and some liquid. It was probably to clean his mouth. How helpless he looked. His chest rose and fell as she took his hand. She turned to look at Giovanni, whose face looked wracked with guilt. She smiled. Perhaps he could take comfort from her smile that all would be well, though in her heart she didn’t know if that would be the case. But there was always hope.
Giovanni nodded and then departed to go with his father for a coffee.
“Oh, what have I done to you, Dante?” What had happened to him? It made her want to weep. Now he was so dependent on others. That strong, intelligent, powerful man had to have someone attend to his every need.
She ran her hand over his, her hand almost fitting into his palm. It was strong and calloused, from the boat and vineyard she guessed. She watched as machines bleeped and monitors showed things she couldn’t understand. She spoke to a nurse in the corridor for a brief moment, who informed her he was in an induced coma to rest his brain and allow the swelling to subside. That reassured her slightly, but the nurse informed her there was a chance he might suffer amnesia if he regained consciousness, and there was no way of knowing if that would be a temporary or permanent thing.
She was just about to return to his side when a tall, elegant woman swept past her in the corridor and into the room. The woman looked familiar. Carla! Dressed in black from top to toe. Maybe it was as a mark of respect for Ponti’s death. She walked toward Dante’s bed.
Sitting in the seat Joanne had only moments before occupied, she spoke softly to him in Italian, holding his hand, stroking his face, and shedding tears. Joanne stood frozen at the doorway wondering what to do.
She walked into the room and said, “Carla.”
The woman turned, shaking back her raven locks and glaring at Joanne as if to say, who are you? Her eyes darkened.
“You met me in London,” Joanne explained. “I’m a journalist; I dined with Dante at his hotel recently.”
Carla shook her head. “I don’t remember you.” Her penetrative stare could have caused Joanne to crumble, but she stood her ground.
You’re lying.
“Well in any case, I’ve come to see Dante. From the U.K.”
“I’m here to see him too, he’s my partner.”
“No, I know you split up and you left him for Ponti…” No sooner had the words escaped her lips than she regretted them. How low could she go?
Carla’s eyes flashed with indignation. “Yes, it was true. But when he comes out of this, he will want me back. I mean so much to him.”
“I’m sorry.” Joanne was about to tell her about her own relationship with Dante when Giovanni and Vito returned and spoke to Carla in Italian. She was an outsider looking in. She stepped out of the way as they embraced and kissed the woman in an affectionate manner on both cheeks. Carla had been one of the family, and although she had cheated with Ponti, it was evident the family had forgiven her. Joanne slipped out through the door and waited outside for Giovanni to take her to the hotel. If Dante came around, would he remember her, and even if he did, would it be Carla he wanted now Ponti was no longer a threat?
A few minutes later Giovanni appeared at her side. He frowned.
“Why did you leave, Joanne?”
“I felt a bit in the way, to be truthful.”
His tone softened. “No, you must never feel like that. We have known Carla for a long time, ever since she was a little girl. I am telling you now that if you have any thoughts of returning home, you need to stay for Dante. I have never seen him more alive or happy than when you were here.”
She quirked a brow. “Really? I had no idea.”
“Sometimes people do not see what is in front of them.” He smiled and hugged her.
“Now, come with me and dine at the hotel, you must be starving.” She had to admit she was famished. It pained her to leave Dante at the hospital, but he was in the best possible place.
***
Dining with Giovanni was strange to begin with, as he looked so much like Dante. He even had some of the same mannerisms, but was smaller built. He didn’t appear to have his brother’s power of command, though. He was a boss of course, as he ran his own hotel, but Dante only had to walk into an establishment and he had people running around after him, even if they didn’t know who he was.
“About Carla?” Joanne twisted some strands of spaghetti around her fork. “Has she indicated to you she wants to make things up with Dante?”
Giovanni put his fork down for a moment and rubbed his chin. He looked deep in her eyes. “No, she has not said anything to me or the rest of the family, but she has spent a lot of time at the hospital since finding out he was injured.”
Joanne’s stomach flipped over. So Carla was back on the scene and that scared her.
“Do you know why Dante went out on the boat in the first place in such weather conditions?”
Giovanni shook his head. “No. But I guessed he must hav
e been upset about something.”
Joanne played with the pendant around her neck. “It was because of me, Giovanni. Something he thought I’d done.”
He raised his brows. “Yes, he mentioned that to me. But I know you aren’t capable of doing such a thing.”
“An article was published using my name that showed him in a poor light. It wasn’t me who wrote the article, I didn’t give permission, but Dante thought I had.”
“Yes, I know. The magazine was left at the front desk for my brother.”
Joanne frowned “By Jackson Byrne by any chance?”
Giovanni pushed his half-eaten meal away and stood. “Si. If I could get my hands on that man, I would love to kill him!”
She sucked in a breath. “Don’t worry, he is being dealt with. He’s lost his job, and I’ve managed to retrieve the photographs. Also the magazine has an injunction to stop further copies being published or copies of the photographs distributed. I’m just sad Dante saw the publication in the first place.”
Giovanni shook his head. “If the magazine was that popular, it would have been on sale here without Byrne leaving it at reception.”
He was right, there was no way Dante Alphonso could hide away from the article. It would have followed him around the world. Celebrity Today was an international publication with a wide readership. “Yes, you are right, Giovanni. I only wish this had never happened.”
“Si. Me also. But we mustn’t dwell on the bad anymore. Finish your meal, and then come with me as I have something to show you.”
***
The pinpoint of light in the distance was getting nearer. Growing brighter. It dazzled him. He tried to blink but couldn’t move his eyes, couldn’t move a single muscle in his body. He heard voices discussing him. They were holding him captive, and he had no idea why. Maybe they were after his money.
For a few seconds, he feared he was dead and had met the white light at the end of the very dark tunnel. But it wasn’t his time just yet. People needed him.
Besides, he was in love, wasn’t he? He remembered dreaming of a woman, but he couldn’t remember her name. She had meant so much to him. A list of women’s names ran through his mind, but none of them fit with the image he had of this woman. Yet he had the instinct something wasn’t right. She had left him, gone away, and he wanted her back. Was it this year or last year? Time had no meaning here.
The light got smaller and the muffled voices drifted away. He was alone again. Who were they and what did they want? One thing he could be sure of was they would be back again later to discuss him. Maybe they had asked the family for a ransom and they couldn’t or wouldn’t pay it, in which case he was dead meat. The visions were coming again, swirling colors. He was a young boy playing on the streets of Sicily. Watching his older brothers and sisters. Something was wrong, though. He hadn’t been well. His mother was watching, calling him home, and then cuddling him. He was safe. Then he fell into a shroud of deep unconsciousness.
***
“Come this way, Joanne.” Giovanni beckoned. He led her into a little room where an old projector was lined up on a high table opposite a white screen.
“What’s this?” She drew her brows together in puzzlement.
He smiled. “I have some home movies I’d like you to see. Please sit down and I’ll turn out the lights.”
She did as requested and settled herself down into the leather armchair. The room darkened, and then a light flickered on the screen, the light from the projector showing a multitude of dust motes dancing in its beam.
There was a young child on the screen, on the beach running around, no sound, just flickering colors projected. “Dante!” she exclaimed.
“No, not Dante,” Giovanni explained, “it is me. Keep watching.”
Several other children joined him, running around in a circle, followed by a small dog that appeared to be yapping at their heels. They threw a ball between them, enjoying the game. Then a man and woman sat down with a checkered tablecloth spread out between them. The woman was taking food from a basket for the family. “Maria and Vito!”
“Yes. It is Mamma and Papa, Joanne.”
The love between the pair was obvious as they watched over their family with pride. Vito had his hand draped around Maria’s shoulder. But someone was missing. She swallowed. “Where’s Dante?”
“Do you not see him?” Giovanni whispered.
She searched the screen. “No.”
He raised his voice. “Look again, he is the small boy seated next to Mamma. He hardly left her side.”
She squinted and looked at the screen and spotted him, trying to hide behind his mother as if afraid of the camera and the game the others were playing. “But he is so small and thin compared to the rest of you.”
“Yes. He was very sick, he had been in hospital for months. He contracted tuberculosis. No one knows how he got it, but he almost died. It was a terrible time for the family.”
“But it’s hard to believe someone so big and strong as Dante was ever that frail or small.”
“Si. I know. But he was a very determined little boy. That’s why he achieved so much. He was the youngest, always in our shadows, but he grew to be fit and healthy and stepped out into the spotlight. What I’m trying to tell you, Joanne, is that my younger brother is a fighter. A warrior among men. Although he was near death, somehow he survived and went on to do great things.”
She nodded. “Yes, you make a good point there, Giovanni.” Although she could see what he was saying, her concern was that he wouldn’t come out of the coma or even if there might be some level of brain damage. She’d heard about things like that. Yet here was Giovanni, full of hope. Maybe it was time to get a little extra help. “Which church does your family attend?” she asked.
“It’s a little Catholic church up on the hill. The family has been going there for years. I can take you there if you like?”
She nodded. A prayer for Dante was required. Right now, he might need all the prayers he could get.
***
The long shaft of light from the lighthouse burned into his eyes. What was he doing at sea again? Had they put him on a boat, waited until it had got dark so no one could see? Still he couldn’t move, and he heard the voices down below deck. There was no one at the helm as the boat tossed back and forth. Was he on his own boat?
Someone said, “Sssh he might hear you. Although he appears to be unconscious, he might still be aware of something going on. The hearing is always the last sense to go.”
A woman’s voice said, “Doctor, his family are concerned. They want to know what’s going on…”
Was there a doctor on the boat? Why was his family concerned? Hadn’t they paid the ransom? Oh no. Was he drugged and they were going to kill him and drop his body in the middle of the ocean? It had happened before to another wealthy man on the island. The gang had taken him out to sea, lulled him into a false sense of security, and shot him in the head. Then they wrapped him up in a tarpaulin secured with heavy chains and dropped him over the side of the boat. His eyes filled with tears. He would never see his family again or the woman he really loved, and he hadn’t been able to remember her name.
There were two women’s names that kept coming to his mind, one was Carla and one was Joanne, but he couldn’t remember which one it was or even what the latter looked like right now. His mind fought to remember, but the more he tried, the harder it got.
He heard footsteps approaching, and a man’s voice said in Italian, “Right, we’ll do it now, it’s time to see if he sinks or swims.”
***
The door to the small church was open as they walked in early the following morning. “Where’s everyone?” Joanne asked.
Giovanni rubbed his stubbled chin. He looked like he had been awake most of the night, going by the dark circles beneath his eyes. “They’re not here yet. The mass doesn’t start for another hour. I thought you might like to sit here for a while on your own. I need to have a word with the pad
re. Are you happy to sit here?”
She nodded and watched Giovanni walk down the aisle. She guessed he was going to ask that a special mass be said for his brother.
Joanne took in her surroundings. It was so peaceful here. The stained glass windows, the flickering candles, the statues of the Madonna, and a large crucifix hanging over the altar comforted her somehow. Making her secure. A sense of peace descended over her as she crossed herself and sat and prayed. She wasn’t Catholic but had often been fascinated by the religion. Her upbringing had been Welsh Baptist, but He was the same God, wasn’t He?
She kneeled and closed her eyes, clasping her hands. “Dear Lord, please bring Dante Alphonso back to me. He’s a good man, a kind man, and he doesn’t deserve this. I beg of you. Amen.” She crossed herself and stayed in quiet reflection for a moment, and then sat down and waited for Giovanni to return.
Two altar boys were setting things up in preparation for the mass. One was opening a large book, which she guessed was the bible for the reading, and the other was filling some sort of gold jug, maybe it was for the communion. People drifted in through the old wooden church door. Women in black, heads covered with lace scarves and clutching rosary beads, elderly men with well-worn skin and calloused hands, young people, and families. It was unusual for her to see so many people attend a church. Back home in their quiet village, the minister was fortunate if twenty people turned up for his Sunday service.
Giovanni returned to her side, and she gasped as she watched Carla enter the church dressed in black, removing her sunglasses and genuflecting before she took her seat. She looked the part of the glamorous mistress, although she hadn’t given much thought for her lover’s wife and children.
“What’s happening about Ponti’s funeral?” she asked Giovanni. “Before his accident, Dante said he would be helping your sister take care of it.”
“Nothing to worry about there, Joanne. Ponti’s brother has turned up from Verona.”
“Did the police discover who shot him?”
“It was Carlo Brunelli, a local businessman involved in a crime protection racket here that Ponti had tried to muscle in on. The polizia have arrested him and his associates. There will be a big trial, I have no doubt. Hopefully Brunelli will go to jail for a long time, and a lot of people on the island will be glad to be rid of Ponti too.”
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