Sign of the Cross

by Chris Kuzneski

  He shook his head. ‘One of guards tells me you are from British embassy, but after listening to you voice, I knows that he is wrong. You an American, no?’

  ‘Very good.’ Payne applauded. ‘That means you’re smarter than your guards.’

  Smiling at the half compliment, Frankie said, ‘So, tell me, who you are?’

  ‘Not yet. We’ll get to that in a second. But first I have another question for you. Do you like what you do for a living? I mean, I get the sense that you’re capable of doing so much more. I picture you as someone who should be making news instead of helping others report it. And do you know what? I’m the type of guy who can make that happen. If that would appeal to you.’

  Intrigued, Frankie invited Payne to sit down. ‘What, are you some kind of magic wizard? You can go poof and fix my life?’

  ‘How would you like to help me and my team capture Dr Boyd? Not a behind-the-scenes job, but one in which you actively participate in his capture. Would that interest you?’

  Drool practically leaked from his mouth. ‘Would that interest me? Mamma mia! I have been trying to help the polizia all night, but they no have been receptive. What do you need?’

  ‘I’ll get to that in a moment. But first, I need your help with something trivial.’

  ‘You need my help before you need my help. This is very confusing, no? What is you need?’

  ‘Actually, I just need help getting my partner inside.’

  ‘Is that it? I can do that with my eyes tied behind my back.’

  That sounded painful, but Payne didn’t have the heart to correct him. Instead, he gave him all the information he needed and told him where he could find Jones. ‘Before you go, though, let me officially introduce myself. My name is Jonathon Payne, and I’m working for the CIA.’

  ‘The CIA?’ he gasped. ‘I heard of that in cinema, no? It is an honor to meet you Signor Payne. Yes, a big honor… So, is there anything you need besides your friend?’

  ‘Yeah, Frankie, now that you mention it, there is…’

  Dante marched into the library like he owned the place, around the crowd of onlookers, past the worthless security guard, and through a dozen cops in the lobby. He never slowed to make small talk, never gave anyone a chance to ask him what he was doing or where he was going until he reached the police tape outside the women’s bathroom.

  ‘What happened?’ he growled at the lead detective.

  The officer recognized him immediately and knew his connection to Benito Pelati. ‘Multiple assaults followed by a well-planned escape. They eluded a SWAT team like they were statues.’

  ‘Who was assaulted?’

  ‘An off-duty library guard was attacked more than once. The girl hit him first. Boyd got him next, then the girl got him again. She must’ve been coked up or something, because he said she had the strength of ten men.’

  Dante grimaced, surprised at the detective’s gullibility. Didn’t he know that every guy who had his ass kicked by a female was going to have an excuse? ‘How’d they get off the roof?’

  ‘A scrap tube. They slid to the alley.’

  ‘Do we have pictures of anything?’

  ‘Maybe. We’re looking through security tapes as we speak.’

  Dante frowned. The last thing he needed was for a batch of photographs to be leaked to the press. In his mind that would be more difficult to contain than the bus explosion had been. ‘What about fingerprints? Are we even sure it was Boyd?’

  The detective shrugged as two men – one of them short, the other one black – walked past them down the hall. ‘The guard swears it was him, and so do several witnesses. We won’t know for sure until later. There are a lot of prints to sort through in a building like this.’

  The longer, the better, thought Dante. He needed all the time he could get to paint the appropriate picture with the media. ‘Last question: Do we know what they were doing here?’

  ‘Research, I think. They spent most of the day in a study room working on some kind of project. I can show you if you’d like.’

  Dante nodded, hoping to hell that they weren’t working on anything that they’d found in Orvieto. That’s the one thing he couldn’t contain if Boyd decided to go public.

  Jones strolled into the library, bemused. He’d been standing outside, trying to find anyone who would talk to him about Boyd, when a tiny man grabbed him by the arm and pulled him toward the steps. His initial reaction was to pull away, which wouldn’t have been hard, considering Frankie’s size. Then Frankie said he was a friend of Agent Payne’s and Jones was needed inside.

  As they walked down the corridor, Jones kept his head on a swivel, memorizing the layout while trying to figure out what had taken place. A murder? A kidnapping? A rape? The only thing that stood out was the police tape sealing off the women’s bathroom. Jones wanted to lean in for a closer look, but his view was blocked by an imposing man in a fancy suit who appeared to be interrogating a detective, not the other way around. That struck him as odd, so he made note of the guy, figuring he might come into play later.

  Little did he know that their paths would cross again with a much more violent outcome.

  36

  While sipping coffee, Payne thumbed through police documents until Frankie brought Jones into the back room of the library. Payne could tell that Jones was confused because his ears had a red tint to them, and that only happened when he was scared or confused. ‘D.J., glad you could make it. We’ve got so much to discuss.’

  Jones glanced at Frankie, then back at Payne, trying to figure out the connection. Eventually, he decided it would be easier to ask. ‘Jon, do you mind if I have a word with you in private?’

  Payne turned toward Frankie. ‘Be a champ and get D.J. a cup of coffee, would you?’

  Jones waited until Frankie left the room before saying anything. ‘What the hell is going on? I told you to look around, not hire an intern.’

  ‘Calm down. Frankie’s been hooking us up. He’s already done more than you can imagine.’

  Jones rolled his eyes. ‘Like what?’

  ‘First of all, Frankie isn’t an intern. He’s the media liaison for this school, which means he’s privy to police documents before they go to the press.’ Payne held up a stack as a visual aid. ‘Secondly, he has legal access to every building on campus, which is bound to be useful. And third, he makes a great cup of coffee. You gotta try this stuff.’

  The anger softened in Jones’s eyes, as did the color of his ears. ‘What does he know about us? I hope I didn’t ruin anything by calling you Jon.’

  ‘Not at all. I’ve been honest with the guy from the start. I told him our real names, that we’re working for the CIA, and we’re looking for Boyd. I also told him that we wanted to keep a low profile, so he hooked us up with this back office.’

  ‘And he’s OK with that? What’s in it for him?’

  ‘A chance to live a dream. I guess you aren’t the only one who longs to be a super spy.’

  Jones shrugged off the insult. ‘What else did your playmate tell you?’

  ‘It seems Boyd and the female were here for several hours doing some kind of research before a guard spotted them. When he tried to detain her, she knocked his ass out and ran to warn Boyd. Then, somehow, they got to the roof and escaped from an entire SWAT team.’

  ‘From the roof? Was another helicopter involved?’

  Frankie heard the comment as he reentered. ‘What do you mean another?’

  Payne did his best to explain. ‘The police were close to nailing Boyd in Orvieto before he shot down their chopper.’

  ‘He shoots down a helicopter? With what? Big gun?’

  Payne shrugged. ‘We tried to investigate the crash site, but the wreckage had been removed.’

  ‘Is that normal?’

  He shook his head. ‘Not where we’re from.’

  Jones added, ‘Our colleague took some pictures of the scene, but we haven’t had a chance to develop them yet. We’re kind of hoping they can cle
ar up the mystery of the wreckage.’

  Frankie raised his eyebrows. ‘Do you still have film?’

  ‘Maybe,’ Jones answered. ‘Why?’

  ‘Because I have school photo lab. I can do pictures for you now, if you like.’

  Pleased by the development, Payne looked at Frankie and said, ‘Yes, we like.’

  ‘Good! Just give me film, and I do my job quick!’

  Reluctantly, Jones handed the film to Frankie and watched him leave. The instant he was gone, Jones said, ‘I hope you’re right about this guy. We just gave a big piece of evidence to a stranger. We don’t even –’

  ‘Relax! I got a good feeling about Frankie. He’s going to be a big help to us.’

  As if on cue, Frankie walked back into the room, holding a photocopy in his hand. ‘Special delivery, Signor Payne. I think you want to see this.’ He accented his statement by kissing his fingertips in a classic Italian gesture. ‘The guard was right. This woman is bellissima!’

  ‘Really?’ Jones grabbed the picture before Payne had a chance to see it. ‘Wow! You weren’t kidding. This woman is beautiful. Where’d you get this?’

  ‘The polizia find image on security camera, and I get from them. I hope you is pleased.’

  ‘Very pleased,’ Payne said. ‘Exceptionally pleased.’

  Frankie grinned at the praise. ‘Good! Is there anything else before I go make film?’

  Payne shook his head, then waited for Jones to respond. Unfortunately, he was somewhere in la-la land, soaking up every nuance of the woman’s face. The intensity of his gaze told Payne his interest was something less than professional.

  So Payne said, ‘D.J.? What do you think? Do we need anything else?’

  Smiling, he looked at Payne. ‘Just time. Give me some time, and this woman is mine.’

  37

  The abandoned warehouse was crawling with spiders, yet Maria Pelati didn’t mind, since it gave her a safe place to rest. Dr Boyd felt the same way, even though it took him a lot longer to warm to the concept. To him, the thought of sleeping like a hobo seemed preposterous until he stretched his tired frame atop the concrete floor. Within seconds his body whispered its approval.

  ‘Professore,’ she said, adjusting the rag under her head. ‘May I ask you a personal question? I was wondering if you’ve ever been married.’

  ‘I should’ve guessed; the age-old query that has plagued me for years. No, my dear, I’ve never been married. Between teaching and traveling, I never found the right person… And what of you? Why is there no man in your life?’

  ‘In some ways I guess I’m following your lead. I’ve been working too long and too hard to screw things up now, especially with my doctorate close at hand. But I’ll promise you this: Once I obtain my degree, my life is going to change drastically.’

  ‘Just like that?’

  ‘Yes, just like that,’ she assured him. ‘I’ve always wanted a family. So there’ll come a point in the near future when my personal life becomes my number-one priority. And when it does, look out. No guy on the planet will be safe.’

  ‘A beautiful girl like yourself shouldn’t have difficulty finding a suitor. Or hundreds of them, for that matter.’

  Maria blushed at the compliment.

  ‘And what does your family think about all of this? I’ve heard you grumble about your father on more than one occasion. Does he really look down on your choices as much as you claim?’

  The color in her cheeks grew even brighter. ‘I don’t think he looks down on my choices as much as he looks down on me. My father has an old-world mentality, one in which women are considered the weaker, dumber sex. He truly believes that we were put on earth to serve men.’

  ‘Old-world, indeed! And how does your mother feel about his barbaric views?’

  She paused before answering. ‘I wish I knew, sir… My mother passed away before I ever had the chance to ask her.’

  ‘Oh, Maria, I had no idea. I’m so sorry for bringing it up.’

  ‘That’s all right. I think it actually does me some good to get this stuff off of my chest.’

  Boyd offered her a smile, then laid back to listen.

  ‘When I was growing up, my mother and I were best of friends. We played together, went to the park together, read books together. My father didn’t allow her to do any work – we had a staff of servants to take care of the house – so she had plenty of time to spend with me. And let me tell you, she was the greatest mother in the world. So loving, so thoughtful. Always encouraging me to pursue my dreams. Just the way you’d want a parent to be…’

  Her voice trailed off as she searched for the words to continue.

  ‘Unfortunately, my dad was just the opposite, at least toward me. I have two half brothers, and my father treated them like gold. Especially Roberto. Always showering him with attention. Always bragging about his potential. Always taking him to work and on business trips. But I wasn’t jealous. I had my mom and my brothers had my dad. I just figured that was the way things were supposed to be.’ She paused, her eyes focusing on the moonlight that streamed through the warehouse’s dirty windows. ‘At least I thought that way until I was nine.’

  Maria took a deep breath. ‘I’d never heard my parents fight until that year. And I mean really fight. Screaming, crying, threats of all kinds. It was a nightmare. The two people in the world that meant the most to me were going head-to-head in a heated battle. God, when you’re a child, there are never any winners in a situation like that. And if that wasn’t bad enough, it got even worse when I figured out what they were fighting about.’

  ‘And what was that?’

  ‘They were fighting about me.’

  She nodded her head, slowly, like she was still coming to grips with the memory. ‘They were in the kitchen, and my dad was screaming right into her face. The veins bulging in his neck. I still find this next part hard to believe, but my father ordered her to stay away from me. He told her that I was a girl and nothing could change the fact that I was worthless. Then he insisted that she start paying more attention to my brothers because they still had a chance to be something. Can you believe that? I’m nine years old, and my dad was already giving up on me.’

  Boyd didn’t know what to say.

  ‘My mother argued that I could be just as good as a man, but he laughed at that. Literally laughed in her face. Then, when he was done laughing, he informed her that he was sending me away to boarding school so they wouldn’t have to deal with me anymore.’

  ‘You have to be joking.’

  A tear rolled down Maria’s cheek. ‘I didn’t even know what boarding school was, yet I could tell from my mother’s reaction that it wasn’t a good thing. She immediately burst into tears and ran from the kitchen.’

  ‘My God! You were sent away?’

  Maria nodded. ‘Nine years old and I was shipped off to the Cheltenham School for Girls.’

  ‘The one in Gloucestershire? That’s a top-notch academy, my dear.’

  ‘Maybe so, but it couldn’t make up for the things that were taken from me.’

  Boyd flinched at her tone. ‘Maria, I didn’t mean to suggest that –’

  The anger in her eyes softened slowly. ‘I know. At least they had the decency to get me a good education, right? Well, that was my mother’s doing, not his. She figured, if she couldn’t stop him from sending me away, the least she could do was find me a school where women were treated with respect. And do you know what? For the most part, things turned out well. Once I adjusted, I started to thrive in my new environment. I was introduced to girls from several countries and backgrounds. I learned half a dozen languages. In fact, I got to the point where I started to look down on all things Italian. The language, the culture, the food. I figured if I wasn’t good enough for Italy, then Italy wasn’t good enough for me. It wasn’t until much later that I even set foot in this country again.’

  ‘Not even for the holidays?’

  ‘Why would I want to ruin my holidays? There wa
s nothing in Rome but my father, and he didn’t want anything to do with me, remember?’

  ‘And what of your mom?’ he asked delicately. ‘I take it she passed on shortly thereafter?’

  Maria took another deep breath. ‘My mother rang me a few weeks after I arrived in England. The call was against the rules, but she managed to get through by claiming a family emergency. I was expecting dreadful news – I mean, the headmistress was ashen when she came to get me, so what else could it be? – but I couldn’t have been more wrong. My mother was ecstatic. She told me she’d been looking for a way to get me home and finally stumbled upon a way to do it. She wouldn’t tell me what it was but assured me that I would be by her side very soon.

  ‘Well, as you can imagine, I was thrilled. I ran down the hall and started to pack, expecting her to be at the front gate that very night. Of course, she wasn’t. Nor the next night. Nor the night after that. This went on for weeks and not a single word from her. Finally, after two months, my headmistress retrieved me again, her face even worse than the first time. I picked up the phone, dying to hear the sound of my mother’s voice, but it wasn’t her. It was my brother, Roberto. Without so much as a hello, he informed me that my mother had died a few months back, although the official inquiry had only been wrapped up that day. The Italian courts ruled that she became depressed over my departure and had taken her own life.’

  Boyd winced at the news. It wasn’t what he was expecting.

  ‘It was bad enough that my mother was gone, but to be told that I was the cause…’ She paused to catch her breath. ‘To be called several weeks after her death by one of the people who forced my departure, well, that somehow made it worse.’

  Boyd had always assumed that Maria was a pampered rich kid who was biding her time until she inherited her father’s throne as the minister of antiquities. Now he knew different. This trip had revealed a side of Maria that he never knew existed. She was a fighter.

  ‘And out of curiosity, how is your current relationship with your father?’

  Maria wiped her eyes while she thought of the appropriate words. ‘I wouldn’t call it cordial, but he’s definitely an important part of my life.’