by Rene Natan
“That’s because you’re an earthy fellow.”
“I was born here. My mother’s fault.”
Regina and Larry propped up on one elbow, facing each other.
“So, what were you doing in Angera when I met you?”
“I was the guest of Carla Agnese De’ Torronei, a titled family of the region. They used to own most of Lago Maggiore, including two of the cute little islands, not to mention castles and mansions in and out of the region. Carla Agnese is a close friend of mine—much older than I am, however.”
“Maybe even 30, then?” interrupted Larry.
“She’s in her 40s. Each summer I go to her residence in Cortesa and help her with archival work. Carla Agnese takes care of the documents regarding her family’s history.”
“Old stuff?” asked Larry.
“Very old. Most go back five, six centuries.”
“So, what did you do for her?”
“Some volumes became hardly readable. Carla Agnese thought of reproducing their contents on computer. She hired a consultant to develop an indexing system she could manage alone. When I’m there I help with sorting the documents first in chronological order, and then according to their geographical context.”
“Not too boring for you?”
“Oh no, those books fascinate me. They’re handwritten, of course. Some even have dark ink sketches. They constitute precious snapshots of the land as it was. I’m interested in anything old—books, maps, furniture, art, you name it.”
“I see.”
“To go back to my story, you probably know how rich people in Italy are targeted by kidnappers.” She took a sip of her wine. “Not as much as in the past, fortunately. You see, there’re different kinds of kidnappings: some are mafia’s doings, but most are politically motivated.” Regina stopped and then added, “It’s a sad story how people are forced to live over there. How much they’re at risk. Their friends, too. Having family money is a social sin. And a serious one, enough to be considered an outcast.”
“I didn’t know that. The country appears fairly peaceful to the tourist.”
“I know. That’s the surface. But the reality is different. Carla Agnese had security at her place, and a live-in guard. That didn’t prevent her brother from being abducted. He was returned only after she paid almost half of her fortune in ransom. You see, there’s an unwritten rule, there. They never kidnap two persons in the same family. That’s part of the insurance people buy when they pay the ransom.”
“That’s strange. Don’t people do anything about it?”
“Some, and more now than in the past.” Regina poured more wine for both. “Early in the afternoon of the day you met me, we found the German shepherd lying on the ground. Sick, very sick. The three of us, Carla Agnese, the guard and I, loaded the dog into the car to take it to the vet. Passed the entrance gate, two men stopped us, their car blocking our way. They screamed something in Italian mixed with English. Our guard put the car in reverse and drove back to the house: with locked doors and bullet‑proof windows, we made it. Barely, however, since they’d shot at all four tires.
“Inside the garage, Carla Agnese shouted, ‘It’s you they want, Regina. Go out from the back, and reach the woods where we go picking mushrooms. The trees are thick enough to protect you, at least for a while.’ She was afraid they’d break into the house before the arrival of the police.
“I walked and ran and hid for hours, managing to stay ahead of them, since I knew the area well. Then, a man in a camouflaged outfit replaced one of my pursuers. He too knew the area very well. I had a much harder time after that. I headed for the location of the plant that makes tin cans, La Tre Esse. You know the plant, right?’”
“I remembered it quite well. Yes.”
“I’d observed, some time before, how much confusion there was when the siren sounded loudly, marking the end of a work day. The timing was perfect. I even counted on the dust the buses make when they arrive at full speed and suddenly brake just in front of the plant.”
“It was impossible to see 20 feet around them. I noticed that.”
“I’d have boarded one of the two vehicles, but I had an urgent problem, as you probably remember.” Regina laughed. “That prevented me from becoming one of the passengers.”
“I didn’t know what to think of you, particularly after seeing your ability at hiding.” Larry sipped on his wine. “I was impressed by the stunt you staged at the police station! You surely are a fast thinker. An excellent performer too.”
“In short, you don’t have any bad memories of our adventure?”
“No! I enjoyed every minute I spent with you. The time we had together was the highlight of my vacation.”
For a moment they both sat without saying a word.
“You should tell me something about yourself,” Regina then said.
“I just started to work at a small newspaper as a photographer. One day I may set up a studio of my own, if I get lucky.”
Regina put some breadsticks in the wine and sucked the liquid through them, making an atrocious noise in so doing.
“Your special vintage may resent the treatment,” Larry commented.
“But my breadsticks love it.” Regina dropped a thin, long breadstick into Larry’s glass. “Try it and then continue your story.”
Larry gave her a summary of his Italian trip. The clock on top of the fireplace mantel showed the late hour: three o’ clock in the morning.
“Time to retire?” Larry asked after he finished his narration.
“Nope. Now I want to know about the romantic part of your life. Are you unattached?”
“Yes,” said Larry smiling. “Totally available.” He set his head on Regina’s lap and looked up at her.
“Oh, how come? It’s because you cherish variety?”
“No. To have a permanent relationship I need to be in love and be sure that my partner feels the same.”
“And that hasn’t happened yet?”
“No. Only close calls.”
“Sorry.”
“No need to be: I enjoyed the dry runs too. What about yourself? Don’t you have a boyfriend?”
“Not now. My father never liked the men I dated. He believes I should marry in my social environment—it’s a nice way to say I should marry into money. He often introduces me to what he believes would be the right companions for me. The last was one of his business contacts. A nice gentleman ready to take me anywhere I want to go: shows, dances, parties…” Regina laughed. “The problem is that I often like to go alone to those places, and have the excitement of meeting new people. I could never marry Rudi. He treats me like a statuette he’s afraid to touch. I like people who are alive—they’re the ones I want to have around.”
Larry rolled on the side and sat close to her. “Am I alive enough?”
Regina tapped her lower lip. “There is plenty of indication you are, but I’d have to run a few more tests.”
Larry pulled her close. “I am ready for the exam,” he whispered, and began to kiss her.
The End
Note. This story is fiction but it draws from two facts: the Italian political situation in the 70s and 80s, when kidnapping the wealthy was frequent, and the xenophilia of the Italians.
***
What are Rene Natan’s novels all about? Here are some snapshots of her plots.
Mountains of Dawn is about an orphan who wanders from foster home to foster home with no place she can call home. Suddenly she comes into money—but the people who killed her parents are now after her.
The Collage describes the anguish of a young woman accused of a murder she hardly remembers having committed.
The Loves and Tribulations of Detective Stephen Carlton, to be scheduled to appear September 26, 2014, is centered on the life and tribulations of a man of the law who falls in love with the wrong woman: a female athlete on the run.
The Woman in Black is dedicated to all parents of handicapped children. Its aim is to entertain t
he reader while portraying the hardship of coping with a mentally retarded girl who becomes a mother. Its e-version will appear December 6, 2014.
The Jungfrau Watch is a political thriller. A young man is raised to believe that communism is the panacea for all the world’s problems. Then the Soviet Union collapses, exposing all its crimes. What chances has a person like that to redeem himself? The answer is at the very end of the story!
The Red Manor is about family bonds that stretch over two continents and where love overcomes both greed and cleverly engineered criminal plots.
In Fire Underneath the Ice (a novella coauthored by Sharon Crawford under the pen name Natanevin) revenge is supposed to be sweet, but when Michael Hamming decides to take it out on the daughter of his nemesis, he finds love instead.
The Blackpox Threat is a spy story. Her country threatened by a deadly epidemic, Tamara Smith moves from her comfort zone to a world filled with deception, treachery and life-threatening danger.
In The Bricklayer everything is going well for Frederick Dalton, until he hires a female engineer in his construction company.
Fleeting Visions is the drama of Louis Saura, a teenager caught in an under-age prostitution ring. He fights mobster Camilo Estorbar—but alone he can’t make it.
The author in brief.
Rene Natan is a retired professor of computer science who reverted to the passion of her youth: storytelling. She wrote nine novels and co-authored a novella, their genre varying from romantic suspense to thriller.
Honours
First place, 2012 Five Star Dragonfly Award for the Blackpox Threat
Finalist in the 2011 Indie Book Award for the Blackpox Threat
Honorary Mention, 2012 San Francisco Book competition for the Bricklayer
